Filed under: Storage & Cleaning, Storage & Organization, Cleaning
Not all messes are created equal. Find out what your particular kind of disorder says about you....and your family, your coworkers and friends. Honestly -- it's not so bad. Who knew that a mess can sometimes get a positive message across?
Hillary Stein, Flickr
If you have messy: Closets
Chances are you are: Nostalgic -- perhaps a bit too much.
Sam Gossling, author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You notes the connection between old items and our ties to their past. If you've got an out-of-control closet, it doesn't mean you're a pig -- chances are, you're trying to hold on to past events and people through those small mementos.
How to change it: Letting go can be hard. Don't put pressure on yourself to empty out the closet during a quick cleaning session. Instead, take some time to go through the items and identify what justifies keeping in a special place and what you can part with.
If you have a messy: Desk
Chances are you are: Creative.
"Messiness is related to creativity because it tends to juxtapose things that don't normally go together." says Columbia University Business School professor Eric Abrahamson, over on Penelope Trunk's site.
How to change it: In the same article, Illinois-based career coach Kelly Crescenti suggests setting up a filing system and then spending the last 15 minutes of every day organizing your piles and clutter into that system.
If you have a messy: Bed
Chances are you are: Going through a dry spell.
Eek. While you probably realize that clothes, magazines and crumbs on your bed aren't super sexy, have you thought about the subliminal message they're sending? Over on The Nest, they break is down: "A messy bed could be a sign that you don't think of your bed as something you need to keep accessible so you can hop into it on the fly."
How to change it: Try an extra laundry basket for clutter, an extra 10 minutes every morning to put things away or a new, bigger nightstand.
If you have a messy: Sock drawer
Chances are you are: Structured and detail-oriented.
Yes, this one surprised us, too. But Chemistry.com's latest study found that people who are ordinarily the most orderly have the most chaotic sock drawers.
How to change it: Bring in smaller containers to break up the drawer -- this video shows you how.
Tell us: What's the messiest space in your home -- and what do you think it says about your family? And then, find out your cleaning personality!