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How Decluttering Lowers Stress for the Whole Family
Jimmy Helmick
May 12, 2025
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I used to think stress came from big things. Deadlines. Tough parenting moments. Lack of sleep. And those things absolutely have an Impact on us. But one day, I realized it was also my kitchen counter. Every time I passed it, my chest tightened. Mail. Water bottles. Chargers. Dishes. It was not a crisis, but it felt like one. Turns out, science backs that up. A UCLA study found that cluttered homes raise cortisol levels (especially in moms). That means the mess does not just look stressful. Your body actually treats it like a threat. When we clear the clutter, we are not just making things tidy. We are calming our nervous systems and giving our families space to breathe. And guess what, when we make improvements here, all of the other issues mentioned in the opening sentence become a lot more manageable. If you find value in this, please share it with someone you care about by clicking the logo above! |  |
Simple & Sustainable
Clutter truly affects how your whole family feels.
When a home is filled with too much, everything gets a little harder. Mornings feel rushed. Bedtime turns into a battle. Parents get snappy. Kids melt down faster.
There is less patience. Less peace. Less connection.
And it is not just a feeling. Research shows that cluttered homes are linked to more arguments, more stress, and more tension between parents and kids.
One study found that chaotic home environments are tied to more inconsistent parenting and strained routines. Another found that moms in cluttered homes had elevated cortisol levels throughout the day. That is your stress hormone. It means your body is treating the mess like an actual threat.
But when you start to clear the clutter, even in small ways, everything starts to shift. The space feels calmer. The people do too. Routines get smoother. Conversations get lighter. Increasingly the home supports your family instead of draining it.
One shelf at a time. One reset at a time. That is how the change begins.
I refer to this as the upward spiral.
From the ‘Pajama Diaries’ by Terri Libenson
Daily Doables
Here are seven simple, doable ideas to try this week! I’ve attached a more detailed, printable version of this checklist below.
Mon: Clear one shared surface completely.
Tue: Tidy the entryway to create a peaceful welcome.
Wed: Declutter a toy bin and donate what no longer gets used.
Thu: Toss unused items from the bathroom counter or drawer.
Fri: Clear the coffee table and couch area for easier rest.
Sat: Have each family member find five things to donate.
Sun: Tidy one space where your family focuses or relaxes.
Let me know what you tried!
Parting Points
A cluttered home is not just hard on the eyes. It is hard on your family.
Too much stuff creates tension, short tempers, and scattered routines. But when you start clearing even a little, everything gets lighter. You show up with more patience. Your home starts to feel like a place to rest, not react.
Start small. Stay consistent. And let peace take up more space than the mess ever did.
Next week, we will zoom out and explore Community Minimalism. How sharing, donating, and giving back can help others and lighten your load at the same time.
Yours in Simplicity,
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Sources:
Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. L. (2010). No place like home: Home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(1), 71–81.
Evans, G. W., Gonnella, C., Marcynyszyn, L. A., Gentile, L., & Salpekar, N. (2005). The role of chaos in poverty and children’s socioemotional adjustment. Psychological Science, 16(7), 560–565.
Darby, E., & O’Sullivan, K. (2020). Household chaos and child behavior: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 105439.
McMains, S. A., & Kastner, S. (2011). Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(2), 587–597.
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