As we get older we tend to hold stuff. I used to think it was the generation who went through a world war that hordes for a rainy day. It is not a generational thing it is an age thing. People hang on to stuff more and more the older they get and clearing becomes more difficult. Family stuff has a deep emotional hold on individuals and this leaves middle aged homes ever more cluttered.
When clearing a room it is essential that you throw or give away unwanted items as that releases you to move forward. One of the best ways to achieve this, I learned when learning how to dig a big hole. When you dig a hole you need to dig a corner first. Once you have dug that corner get in the hole. This way you are closer to the rest of the earth in the bigger hole to be dug. Once you have smoothed the area across the hole. Dig a deeper hole in one corner and repeat the process
Tidying a room is similar. Clear a corner and move the stuff from that corner to a different part of the room. That corner is now sacred. Nothing is going to infiltrate the corner just cleared and any unwanted stuff must be got rid of before any more cleaning is done.
Bit by bit the room becomes permanently clean. When applied to the whole house order can return. This simple process massively upgrade your life, due to a shift in thinking and will affect many other acquired negative behaviours.
Peter