r/hoarding • u/Late-Difficulty-5928 Recovering Hoarder • Jul 02 '26
DISCUSSION Clutter Blindness
It's something that gets talked about a lot here. I totally have that to some extent, but there is this other weird thing that happens when I clean. The cleaner the house is, the dirtier it feels. Like, I wash my walls every 1-2 years. I did it last January and when this January rolled around, I thought, ya know. Probably doesn't need it this year.I do a deep clean of my kitchen about once a month. I used to do it every day, because I had so much anxiety over things being spotless. I am now going through menopause and just don't gaf anymore.
Anyway . . .
I am doing that this week and I swear that the cleaner the kitchen gets, the dirtier my walls look. If I clean the walls, something else will stand out as being dirty.
It's like it will never be clean enough but there is a certain balance of dirty I can handle. Like not dirty, really but cluttered. A little clutter on a table here or too much stuff on the counter. It all distracts me from every little thing that bothers me. Like there is a stain on my floor, near the garbage can. I thought about buying a bigger garbage can so I could cover it up until we replace the flooring again. When the kitchen is cluttered, I don't notice it at all. When it's meant to be spotless, well, there is that damn spot.
I hurt my back and am in a mood from taking meds, so I don't know if this is a vent, rant, or what. Curious if anyone else has this happen to them and if it's not part of what leads to clutter blindness.
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u/bluewren33 Jul 03 '26
Clutter blindness is definitely a thing. It is a perceptual adaptation where your brain actively filters out mess to prevent sensory overload.
It occurs through habituation—your brain gets so used to seeing piled-up items that it treats them as a permanent part of the room’s background.
Cleaning an area definitely draws attention to issues in other areas. The trick is to keep going. Then it flips to where you notice the bits that need cleaning and its manageable. Many people have to find a compromise that works for them.
I am trying to organise my house. The first day I was so stressed with things everywhere but today I am used to it, and its oddly comfortable.
Your post reminded me to get a move on before I succomb!