Growing up, we’ve all likely been reprimanded by our parents to clean up our messy rooms.
However, for one Singaporean, the situation is quite the opposite.
Singer-songwriter Jean Goh, better known by her stage name Jean Seizure, has been decluttering the home she shares with her ‘hoarder’ mum.
Source: @jeanseizure on TikTok
In a series of videos, Jean documented the process of reorganising various parts of the house, including overloaded utensil drawers, the storeroom, and more.
With hoarding, one tends to hold on to things that are no longer functional or barely used.
While decluttering the place where she stays with her mother, Jean witnessed the extent of the latter’s hoarding tendencies.
In one of the videos where Jean declutters utensil drawers in the kitchen, she finds layer upon layer of knick-knacks strewn on top of each other.
@jeanseizure my living room looks like a living room now #organization #declutter #fyp ♬ Coconut Mall (From “Mario Kart Wii”) – Arcade Player
In part two of the ‘series’, she finds a bunch of VCDs and DVDs from a decade ago in the storeroom that will probably never be viewed again.
There is also Hennessy X.O. cognac in a dog-shaped bottle, as well as shoes that have disintegrated.
Source: @jeanseizure on TikTok
Some items also appear misplaced, such as gowns belonging to Jean’s mother that were hung in the storeroom.
On top of it all, there are also excessive amounts of dust, dirt, and residue everywhere.
At one point while cleaning the storeroom, Jean even finds the remains of dead bugs.
Speaking to MS News on what gave her the idea to start decluttering their home, Jean said she did not realise how cluttered the house was until she moved out and noticed a stark contrast.
Confessing that she too was messy growing up, she then played around with the idea of decluttering upon moving back.
While she did not have the capacity to reorganise the house at first, she became motivated after a recent trip.
Despite the overwhelming amount of decluttering to do, Jean has continued to push on.
In each video, she can be seen sorting out every single item with care.
Source: @jeanseizure on TikTok
Such is her commitment that she shared she has even gotten hives on her eyelids from decluttering the living room.
Although there were some things her mum prevented her from getting rid of, Jean has already given many things away.
She told MS News that she has been putting her items up for grabs in an upcycling app called Olio.
Her neighbour also took some of their wooden planks and repurposed them to grow plants in the corridor.
On top of that, Jean even managed to sell some items on Carousell and give shoes away to friends.
She will likely be selling more of their things at an upcoming flea market.
On her mother’s end, she has been more open to giving things away, knowing that someone else will put them to good use.
This is a significant improvement compared to the past, where she would insist on fixing faulty furniture whenever Jean tried to dispose of them.
Additionally, Jean gave viewers some insight into how the process has already improved her mother’s mental health and her own.
In a separate video showing the decluttering of one particularly messy drawer, Jean said that she feels there is more room for them to “coexist enjoyably” now.
Source: @jeanseizure on TikTok
While her mum had trouble letting go of all these items before, she has gradually come around to it.
At one point, she appears visibly impressed as she admires the state of the newly tidied storeroom.
Source: @jeanseizure on TikTok
In the latest decluttering video where Jean tidies the shoe rack, she added that her mother has become more receptive to the change.
In fact, she can even joke about her “policing the house’s tidiness” now.
Jean shared with MS News that her mum feels more comfortable with their home now.
In fact, she has even suggested ways to make it more conducive for guests and family to relax in.
As an added bonus, she also feels that they are able to have a better idea of what they already have, thus enabling them to be more mindful of future purchases.
In the same video, Jean shared that her mum actually likes being tidy, and suggested that the hoarding may have been exacerbated by great stress.
Elaborating further on this, she revealed that both she and her mother are performers, which means there is a need for costumes and props.
Beyond that, however, the hoarding is a result of upbringing, stress, and unpleasant past events that they have experienced individually and as a family.
With Jean paying more attention to her mental health, she has been more open about discussing trauma in the past year.
Along the way, this has led to heart-to-heart talks about hoarding and mess.
Touching on things she has learned from decluttering her home, Jean said she was surprised to discover people from different countries and backgrounds struggling with clutter and parents who are hoarders.
While growing up, she always regarded house chores as dreadful.
However, she now sees them as an act of service for the people around her as well as an act of care for her own wellbeing.
As for what she is tackling next, Jean said she is taking it one cupboard and rack at a time. Ultimately, the greatest challenge will be her mother’s room.
It’s truly heartwarming to see a daughter go to such lengths to make her space comfortable for her and her mother again.
It is also eye-opening to hear how much decluttering can significantly impact one’s life, physically and mentally.
We wish Jean the best of luck for the remainder of the project. May she and her mother work towards a tidier, happier home together.
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Featured image adapted from @jeanseizure on TikTok, TikTok, and TikTok.
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