Your Piles Could Cause You Harm
Safety – Your piles could cause you harm
It may seem like no big deal to have stuff accumulating in piles in your house. But at a certain point this practice will become a hazard. Have you ever stopped to consider the health and safety implications of your piles?
Beyond the obvious concerns about trips and falls, or those piles falling on you, there are fire, health and safety concerns.
Piles too close to the stove, heater or a lit candle are a fire hazard. Storing items in the wrong place can lead to strains and sprains when lifting heavy objects from too low or too high. Respiratory problems can occur when dust attaches to the extra surfaces. You can’t clean your house when you can’t maneuver yourself or the vacuum. Add a spill and you also have to worry about mold and mildew.
Stockpiling food and medicines creates other safety concerns. Expired food can cause illness, and expired medicine can become ineffective, dangerous, or lead to negative drug interactions.
I see clients navigate precariously balanced stacks of books and papers that then cascade to the floor. They scoop up the mess and lose their balance because there is no clear space to plant a foot. What if the pile fell on them? Would there be enough space for a rescue crew to maneuver? Would the emergency techs even find them?
By knowing what you own and the best way to store things, you keep your home a healthy and safe place. Creating a designated place for your stuff allows you to find what you need when you need it. It also reduces the tendency to put things down just for now – you’ll know where things go and put them there.
Eliminating the redundant items in your home opens up space for navigating your life while keeping you safe from harm.
This article originally appeared in Sage, December 2008.
Tags: clutter, Habit, organizing, routine, safety at home, simplify, Simplifying, storage, streamlining, stress, systems, time management
