Clutter Facts: The Amount of Stuff

Recently, I came across a really interesting article that breaks down how much stuff we, specifically Americans, have in our homes. It includes data about how much we collect, storage units, how we use our space, and how much time we spend looking for things.

Check out the most interesting facts I came across in my research.

The average American household has 300,000 items in their home
One in four Americans experience a challenge with clutter
One in ten Americans have a storage unit
25% of homes with a two-car garage, don’t have space to park a car
The average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year
The average size of the American home has tripled in the last 50 years
Americans spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches than on higher education
Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items.The research found we lose up to nine items every day—or 198,743 in a lifetime. Phones, keys, sunglasses, and paperwork top the list
Americans spend $1.2 trillion annually on nonessential goods—in other words, items they do not need
80% of what we keep is never used
Getting rid of clutter eliminates 40% of housework in the average home
The average American spends 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own, but cannot find
50% of people say that their garage is the most disorganized part of their home
54% of people are overwhelmed by the amount of clutter they have in their homes
People who live in cluttered rooms are more likely to have sleep problems