Clearing out unwanted clutter is a bad idea

Kick starting the New Year with a clear out may be bad for you

For many of us the best way to kick start a New Year would be with a good clear out of all our old junk, right? Wrong.

Although it may seem like a good idea at the time, a survey has found that over half of us wish we hadn't been so hasty in throwing away our possessions.

According to a recnt study, we end up regretting clearing out items with sentimental value such as old clothes and photographs. Furniture and irreplaceable items like school books also featured on the top ten list of things we wish we had kept.

The poll found we are becoming more ruthless in clearing space at home, but a number of us admit regretting rash decisions.

Among other items we wish we had held on to are old games consoles, sports equipment and musical instruments. Old coins, wedding dresses and even Persian rugs were also on the most-missed list.

The online poll of more than 2,000 adults was conducted last November by YouGov and self-storage company Safestore.

It also found that northerners were less attached to their belongings than those in the south. London seems to have the largest amount of hoarders with only 41 per cent willing to ditch the junk.

Neil Riding, head of Safestore, said: 'We live in a disposable society, an age where everything has a life expectancy. From disposable cameras to disposable mobile phones, few products marketed to consumers are made to last.

'However, this 'out with the old, in with the new' lifestyle is expensive, and in many cases the alleged 'old' items are still in perfect condition and therefore needn't be thrown away.'

Did you start the year with a clutter clear out you now regret? Leave your comments below.

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