By Guest Blogger, Linda Bailey
It doesn’t take much to turn a perfectly manicured lawn into an obstacle course for yourself or your pets. Keeping your yard clear of clutter can help you more than you realize. Aside from the obvious physical attributes of a clean lawn, there could also be some mental benefits as well. Why is it important to keep your yard clear of the clutter?
1. Damage – Tools and toys that are simply lying about the yard are looking to be broken. Aside from the obvious breakage that can occur by walking on top of these materials. Weather rot can break down these items and weaken their integrity over time. Metals will begin to rust, wood can begin to split and plastics will begin to fade. You should always remember to keep your tools and items safely secured and put away if you want to save money on replacing such items.
2. Physically Hazardous – Whether your children are running around the yard playing or you are walking across it to check the mail, clutter can be hazardous to your health. The last thing you want to do is stub your toe first thing in the morning. But what if you trip and face-plant the sidewalk? Your morning could be spent in the emergency room having your nose put back into place because the hose got caught in your feet. Although some of you will scoff at the idea of such an instance, it happens more often than you may realize.
3. Your Emotional Stability – As your lawn is the last thing you see on your way to work in the morning and the first thing you see when you get home, it can set the pace of your day. Disarray of any kind could negatively affect how your day proceeds. As it could cause a variable amount of stress. As stress can build throughout the day, your lawn could inadvertently put you in a bad mood setting the tone for every action afterward.
4. Pride – It doesn’t hurt to have a little bit of pride in yourself and your residence. As long as it doesn’t turn into conceit. Having a yard clear of clutter can help you achieve that sense of pride in your home. Simply knowing that you have done yourself a service by keeping the yard picked up can virtually be its own reward. You don’t have to feel ashamed of what your lawn looks like as your neighbors pass by.
5. First Impressions – As your yard is the first thing that people see when arriving at your home, you want to make a good first impression. A yard full of various tidbits of trash and other items could provide a negative view of your personality to new friends and neighbors. Even if the yard is nothing but dirt but well kept, you can easily pawn it off as a transition to new grass planting.
Even the most desolate of yards can look vastly improved by keeping the clutter and tools put away. There doesn’t have to be a single blade of grass in order to provide a kept look for the lawn. Don’t let your yard be the talk of the neighborhood. And keep your clutter to a minimum. It could make a vast improvement of how you view your day.
Author Bio: This post is contributed by Linda Bailey from housekeeping.org. She is a Texas-based writer who loves to write on the topics of housekeeping, green living, home décor, and more. She welcomes your comments which can be sent to [email protected].
