Over half of Americans surveyed handed 100 to 500 square feet of their own floor space to stuff they rarely touch, and the dollar value researchers just calculated will change the way you look at every pile you’ve been meaning to sort

Southern households sacrifice the most space, with 23% dedicating 300 to 500 square feet, while simultaneously being the most likely to rent additional self-storage units. Renting outside storage on top of using home space as storage is essentially paying twice to keep the same possessions. Over half of respondents, 54%, sacrifice between 100 and 500 square feet to house possessions they rarely use. In high-cost areas like Boston, where square footage runs $905, even 50 square feet of clutter translates to $45,000 in real estate value. Reclaiming even 100 square feet at median national prices is worth roughly $22,700 in living space returned to its intended use.