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  • 12 Ways to Clear Clutter in Your Home

    Explore four main culprits and how to clean up the mess for better indoor air.

    By keeping a tidy home, you’ll reduce pollutants, make cleaning easier and improve your air.

    • Too much stuff is not just an eyesore—it also contributes to poor indoor air quality, since more surface area means more space for dust to settle. Keeping a tidy home means you’ll reduce pollutants and make cleaning easier over time. Read on to discover how four clutter culprits can impact the air you breathe every day and learn ways to get organized.
       

    • Get rid of paper clutter.

      Stacks of paper don’t just gather dust—they also act as feeding grounds for insects such as cockroaches, whose feces and decomposing bodies can become pollutants in the air*.

      What you can do:

      • Switch from paper billing to online billing.
      • Flip through the mail as soon as you take it out of your mailbox. Toss any junk into the recycling bin or shred anything with sensitive information before it even has a chance to come inside.
      • Unsubscribe from magazines and catalogues you don’t read.
      • Don’t hang on to old copies of magazines or newspapers. If a recipe or article piqued your interest, clip it out and recycle the rest.
    • Refresh your closet.

      Those clothes at the back of your closet that you haven’t worn in a decade are the perfect home for dust mites, which can trigger allergies and asthma**.

      What you can do:

      • Whether it’s once a year or once a month, make purging your closet a regular habit. Sort unwanted items into three boxes: donate, recycle and give to friends and family.
      • Follow the “one thing in, one thing out” rule. Get that pair of jeans you’ve been coveting, but when you get home, another item (or two, if you’re feeling ambitious!) must go to make room.
    • Organize appliances and electronics.

      From slow cookers to gaming consoles, there’s always a new gadget fighting for space in your home, which leads to unnecessary dust buildup.

      What you can do:

      • Buy multipurpose devices, such as a coffee maker that also grinds beans.
      • Store appliances in cabinets rather than on your countertop. This will keep the kitchen looking cleaner and pollutants at bay in food prep areas.
      • Recycle electronics and appliances that no longer work. Are you really going to get that iPod from 2001 fixed?

      Other simple ways to kick clutter and stress to the curb:

      • Think of the last time you’ve used an object. If it’s been more than six months, you probably won’t miss it.
      • Have a space for everything—even a designated junk drawer—to keep clutter off visible surfaces.
      • Trying to tackle everything at once may lead to you feeling overwhelmed and quitting. Instead, set realistic deadlines and clear one room at a time.