In our material society, the state of our homes says a lot about us.

We have more choice than ever before. Innumerable products face us down from billboards, TV commercials and window displays. Retailers create and feed addictions irrespective of our needs. Hand vacuums? DVD rewinders? Air-conditioned shoes? How did you live without them?

Goods for life have long given way to throwaway products designed to spontaneously combust the day their warranty expires. Overnight queues for iPhone upgrades or celebrity clothes ranges highlight the epidemic of shopping till you drop. With all these possessions ending up in landfill sites or the bottom of the oceans, we don’t need David Attenborough to warn us about the dangers of excess waste…

On a more local level, the ill effects of consumerism can detract from our quality of life. Many of our homes are bursting at the seams with the obsolete souvenirs of our existence. Clutter can slow us down. Not only does its sheer quantity dilute the value of things that really matter, but living in a disordered environment distracts us from a simpler more harmonious relationship with the world.

This mounting problem is reflected by the popularity of books and TV shows devoted to decluttering. In Tidying up with Marie Kondo, the eponymous star of the Netflix hit cuts swathes through the accumulated junk of the cupboards and lofts of those she saves from death by over-consumption. She asks home-owners which possessions ‘Spark Joy’. So if they Spark Apathy, Indifference or Revulsion, throw them in the trash! Simple common sense rules – such as throwing away rarely worn or forgotten clothes – help people appreciate things they once cherished. Under her twinkling eye, no object is spared from Paper Mountains spilling down over groaning shelves to dusty boxes daring to be unpacked let alone that unused rowing machine that troubles your conscience more than your waistline.

We can reduce the physical footprint by harnessing the wonders of digital storage. Books, records, and CDs can be replaced by subscription services that rival the great museums and libraries of the world. But even the digital domain with its vague databases in the ether can overload those spaces in the back of your mind. Inboxes crammed with thousands of unread emails rarely bring peace of mind. A simple but effective way to digitally detox may be to Select All and press Delete.

Clutter doesn’t always involve inanimate objects. A menagerie of animals – often living in poor conditions – reflects the dwellings of some who prefer creatures that don’t answer back. Such neglect often reflects on their keepers as much as their charges. A visit from the RSVP may help the put upon pets, but what about the bodies and minds of their owners?

Thin line between cluttering and hoarding

Many of us can recognise aspects of this behaviour in ourselves and others. The psychological benefits of a Spring Clean can free physical space and re-assess changing needs. Passing unwanted possessions onto the needier is one way of countering waste. If you don’t know someone who would benefit, our high streets are generally well provided with charity shops to help those struggling financially. Meanwhile, the growing emphasis on recycling allows us to return our waste back to its original form – mirroring the most natural cycles of life in our universe.

Some messes may need more than a broad brush to sweep them away. Hoarding is often linked with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but is now recognised as a specific disorder significantly impairing the quality of life of its sufferers. Hoarding is often exemplified by storage spaces swollen with inaccessible contents, dust encrusted surfaces, and stacks of dirty dishes. Bath tubs filled with strange foreign objects leave no room for the bodies for which they were designed. Unlike some mental health issues, hoarding is usually blindingly obvious. It often affects people living alone – the absence of a partner often allowing the mixed tide of stuff to flow unimpeded.

Many victims don’t recognise the problem – perhaps because the situation has worsened by degrees over the years. An outsider’s perspective may be needed to encourage and cajole them into clearing up. Letting go of a lifetime’s possessions may need to be a collaborative effort where the hoarder confronts and relinquishes the emotional ties binding them to redundant objects.

Hoarding is usually more than a material issue. Anxiety and depression is often implicated. To break this cycle, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is often recommended to help householders reduce clutter and reset habits to make a new start, while anti-depressants may relieve these underlying symptoms during the transition. Similarly, counselling can reveal the real reasons behind behaviour that makes some cling to objects symbolising lost parts of past lives or attachments that may be more healthily replaced in the world outside.

Decluttering is the first step towards learning that less is almost always more.