Based on my table of assorted things which gradually amasses many items over the course of a couple of years. If a place is messy for long enough, it just doesn't feel the same when it's all cleaned up. I'm sure other people beg to differ, but you don't need their opinions if they're never going to visit your house anyway.
Everyone can ridicule you for holding onto alleged "trash" for years on end, and then you suddenly become useful when said items become either valuable or necessary by the very people who made fun of you in the first place. Sure, it may only happen once or even twice in your lifetime, but it's the feeling of being right is what really matters.
For all those times when I've hoarded something for years on end, only to say to myself "Ugh, I'm never going to find a use for this" and then double down on finding a use for said item, falling back to sentimental feelings to convince myself that all that hoarding amounted to something at least. Yep, that's usually how it goes down these days...
The worst part is having to condition your brain to remember that it's only that specific surface where the specks are part of the surface, and then having your soul crushed when someone effortlessly wipes it all away using commercial grade alcohol wipes. Too bad the only stain it can't remove is your shame.
