Feeling overwhelmed by a cluttered house? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Whether it’s piles of papers, toys everywhere, or clothes spilling out of closets, clutter can take over quickly. But the good news is, with a solid plan, you can take control again—and that’s where the A+ Annual Decluttering schedule comes in. It's one of the best parts of the ABC Cleaning Routine!
Uncovering a Cluttered House
This simple, step-by-step decluttering routine helps you break tasks down into manageable chunks. Here’s how it works:
Annual Decluttering (A+): This is your ultimate overhaul, helping you tackle clothing, papers, electronics, and more. Each month you have just one category to focus on. Each week, you will focus on one sub aspect of that category. The sub category lists 6 simple items to declutter that week.
For example, in January the focus is Clothing:
Week One: Tops
Week Two: Bottoms
Week Three: Intimates
Week Four: Outerwear
The first week in January you will have one sub-category Tops.
During this week, your focus will be to declutter:
sleeveless shirts
short sleeve shirts
long sleeve shirts
hoodies
sweaters
dresses
You can find this plan inside of The Cleaning Calendar printed & ready for you to use each week. No more stressing over your cluttered house—start following the ABC Cleaning Schedule and see the difference!
For the full decluttering plan check out the A+ section of The Cleaning Schedule.
Hoarding: More Than Just a Cluttered House
Want to understand more about hoarding habits? If you've ever watched an episode of TLC Hoarding Buried Alive or A&E Hoarders, you're probably familiar with the cluttered house conditions people endure.
A cluttered house or garage is often covered with trash & trinkets from floor to ceiling. Porches and yards overflow with excess belongings like a 24/7 flea market.
However, you may not understand how their homes got that way,
and why it's so hard to change the behaviors that got them there.
Whether you just want to know more about Pathological Hoarding Disorder
or you’re looking for hoarding help for someone you know,
the rest of this article will uncover some questions you may have.
What is Hoarding Disorder (HD)?
Pathological Hoarding Disorder is commonly known by several names,
such as Hoarder Disease, Obsessive Hoarding, Hoarding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding, or Hoarding OCD.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013),
Hoarding Disorder symptoms include:
"Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value.
This difficulty is due to a perceived need to save the items and to avoid the distress associated with discarding them."
"Difficulty discarding possessions results in accumulation of possessions that
congest and clutter active living areas and substantially compromises their intended use.
If living areas are uncluttered, it is only because of the interventions of third parties
(e.g., family members, cleaners, or the authorities)."
What causes Hoarding Disorder (HD)?
The American Psychiatric Association (2013) reports,
"Hoarding behaviors appear relatively early in life and then follow a chronic course.
Most studies report onset between 15 and 19 years of age.
Early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment are crucial to improving outcomes."
"The cause of hoarding disorder is unknown.
Due to its recent classification, the neurobiology of hoarding disorder in humans
is a newly burgeoning field; making it somewhat premature to draw firm conclusions."
"A stressful life event, such as the death of a loved one, can worsen symptoms of hoarding."
How to treat Hoarding Disorder (HD)?
There is hope and help for Hoarding Disorder. People suffering from Hoarding Disorder,
don’t have to stay buried beneath the symptoms of the condition.
Often parents, children, relatives, or friends attempt to provide hoarding help.
However, cleaning out a hoarded home is only half of the battle.
The other half involves changing the mindset or psychology
of the person who is struggling with the hoarding behavior.
Therefore, comprehensive hoarding treatment involves two parts:
The physical hoarding clean up and the mental hoarding break down.
The American Psychiatric Association (2013) claims,
"Randomized controlled trials have established Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
for Hoarding Disorder as an effective treatment."
"During CBT, individuals gradually learn to discard unnecessary items with less distress—diminishing their exaggerated perceived need or desire to save these possessions.
They also learn to improve skills such as organization, decision-making, and relaxation."
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Ed. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
What is Hoarding Disorder?. (n.d.). American Psychiatric Association.