I've just had the kitchen professionally decluttered & cleaned.

[BeCool]

Well semi-professionally. A friend came to help me. She has been paid lots of money to do this for the rich & famous & she offered to help me.

I took a big breath, stepped back and let her go for it.

She emptied and cleaned every kitchen cupboard, chucked everything out of date (2005!!!!), reorganised the cupboards, got my entire bench area cleared, and the entire place sparkles. She worked for 9 hours full on, like a dynamo.

I am in awe & I could not have done this on my own. I needed help esp after breaking up with exP at Xmas - I was feeling swamped and stressed (work FT, 2 young DC, overcluttered messy small flat).

I gave the bathroom the same treatment so now 2 rooms are declutterd, deep cleaned and lovely.

Over the weekend I took out 7 large bin bags of rubbish, 2 of recycling, and 1 for charity shop.

I clucked and fretted over throwing away some items - which was ridiculous as I'd forgotten they every existed and haven't used them for years. I guess it's to be expected - after all my very DNA was under attack. I'm relearning retraining reprogramming my thought processes re buying stuff and keeping stuff and giving emotional meaning to stuff. I'm getting emancipated and it's wonderful.

I'm at work today but I want to be at home going through the other rooms :)
I'm finally feeling like stuff can just go.

I feel like life is changing for the better - all because a wonderful kind very energetic dynamic slightly OCD person stepped in & threw stuff out for me! WOW! She want's to take on the rest of the flat with me now.

(so happy I just had to share - the DC's stuff and our clothes are next to be done)

[DuchessFanny]

Excellent !! My dream job !
In fact I'm taking my cleaning kit and OCD tendencies to a friends after Easter to help her get organised ( she has asked, I won't be randomly turning up !)
Nothing feels as good as a good declutter ( IMO) did you find it cathartic ?!

[BeCool]

extremely cathartic!!!!! I feel amazing actually in so many ways - and very inspired to tackle more myself.

I think a slightly OCD cleaning obsessive works really really well with a hoarder who is ready to see the light!!

I've been smiling constantly since Sunday - I even fell better about myself as a person - lighter, cleaner, more empowered, more accepting of and prepared for change.

[KittiesInsane]

Umm, where does she live and how much does she usually charge??

Can't really throw out the guinea pigs though. Or the fishtank. Or the homework, recycling boxes and GCSE art project which are hard to distinguish from each other...

[BeCool]

I'm excited for your friend Fanny

[DuchessFanny]

I'm excited !! Lol !

[BeCool]

Kitties she says to me "the living room is next" and I chortle and say "Oh I've done it, there isn't any more that possibly can be done with this space without spending £££ on new furniture etc" and only NOW do I start to understand her knowing nodding smile in reply. She must be thinking "I'll get you there lady, you aren't seeing the light yet".

And I'm starting to believe her.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

She's not in Surrey is she? The kitchen is next on my agenda including chucking out all my shitey cookware and replacing with one decent thing. I am queen of the pound shop baking tray x 100 [bublush]

[BeCool]

My friend offered - I was scared and also thought no one could really want to come over and do this, nothing would really change etc. I didn't want to impose. She persisted gently though and then snap! I went for it.

She lives in London.

[BeCool]

One decent thing that is it!! Good mantra.
I've brought stuff because it cheap, it's pretty, it's on sale, I like it etc etc etc.

I need one good thing only. One grater, once garlic device etc. My cupboards have actual space in them - between the stuff there is SPACE! Even around all the baking stuff there is space. I want to shout to the rooftops how good this feels. I am not going to fill the space with crap.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

:o nice idea badly phrased! I mean one decent roasting tin, one baking tray, one loaf tin etc. At the moment I can't close my cupboards due to the crap piled up inside.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

I'm terrible. If I walk past the pizza tray things n remember that my current one is at home in the oven because I haven't cleaned it yet then I'll buy another one. God I'm hopeless.

[MrsTwgtwf]

Sounds like heaven, OP. Links to people who do this would be much appreciated. Especially people who will put in 9 hours working like a dynamo rather than wanky people who just want your money.

[BeCool]

I understood Gwen - it's my new mantra. "One Decent Thing".

And now I can see everything in the cupboards I can use it. I never used stuff tucked away out of sight. I had forgotten it existed.

And I know what i need and what I don't. I need a toaster (I've been buying cheap ones for £6 from Tesco and last one just broke) and some nice measuring cups. I have a JL voucher so I will spend it on these items.

[Flisspaps]

Me and my sister did my Dad's kitchen and dining room on Friday.

An industrial sized bin full of rubbish and out of date food (I see your 2005 and raise you a 2002, we moved into that house in 1997 when I was 15 and there were teabags there that we'd moved in with), a car load of stuff for a car boot sale and three Freegle collections later, we were able to take our kids round for dinner for the first time ever on Sunday.

Now there's just two bedrooms (think Hoarders without the cat shit and food) and a bathroom to go before we can get an estate agent so we can get it on the market and him into a bungalow - a maisonettes and arthritic knees are not a good mix

[MinimalistMommi]

BeCool that is amazing! Now you have seen the light ( which from your post you obviously have about less being more etc) you won't be able to stop decluttering! It feels so good to basically not have stuff in your house taking up space that you simply don't use! We're quite minimalist here, and even now I still see stuff and think 'I don't use that, it needs to go!'

[MN216]

I have wanted to declutter as a business venture for ages but need some guinea pigs to practise on and build up my skills/experience/testamonials. Am not pushy enough to get friends/family to let me do it (and could be a minefield) so if anyone out there is within half an hour of Watford, PM me and i would be happy to come and do a day's decluttering for free.

[KittiesInsane]

i have guinea pigs but you're not practising on them (hides hutch behind back. Or behind other junk.)

[BeCool]

Minimilist love your speciality name!

Do you have any tips re de cluttering the DC's stuff. I know that they will feel better from less is more re their toys, but I know I have to make the decisions. I have a sizeable percentage of the living room given over to large plastic tubs containing stuff for making crap with, paints, glitter etc.

And then the toys - I've gone through them twice now, but I'm not ruthless enough.

Tonight I will look at the hallway. I have all the "Stuff the ebay" there. Blocking up my life. It needs to go to the charity shop doesn't it?

[MerryMessiahWhingesAgain]

I cleaned out my main kitchen cupboard last week and found tins that expired in 2006 I so need to do much more housework.

[MN216]

Kitties - as I wrote that, I knew some bright spark would make a guinea pig joke. But are you sure they don't have hutchloads of cheap baking trays and jars of spices going back to 1887 they need help getting rid of?? [busmile]

[MN216]

Ooops, meant 1987, obviously.... 1887 would just be weird....

[BeCool]

"Stuff FOR ebay"

But I now think "Stuff the ebay" is more pertinent [bugrin]

[BeCool]

Flisspaps what you have done for your Dad is amazing!!

[MinimalistMommi]

Thank you BeCool I'm obsessed with decluttering/minimalism!

Do it in stages, get DC involved (this is age dependent though)

First, grab a bin bag look for rubbish (old DC mags, sticker books, empty glitter gel pens etc) and bin/recycle.

Next look for anything broken/missing pieces and again get rid of, straight out of house, into outdoor bin, or tip or recycling centre.

Next look for outgrown stuff. And be real! Really check stuff out! Take it to charity, next time you leave house so it doesn't end up in big pile in your house. If you simply shift stuff into piles, you aren't decluttering, simply moving stuff around your house. It needs to go.

Next, look for multiples of toys. Does a DC need 20 toy cars or 15 barbies? Probably not. Get the children involved if they're the right age, ask them to choose their favourites. Explain what you're doing. And say you'll deal with the rest (ie charity shop) say they will be able to play easily without so much stuff.

That should be a start anyway.

BIGGEST THING IS YOU NEED THE STUFF TO STOP COMING IN. You're the gatekeeper to your home. Look at Christmas/Birthdays etc. How much does a child really need to be happy? Address this with family. Birthday gifts can be experiences like a day out etc etc or ask for things children have grown out of, like a new pair of nice wellies or something or a new dressing gown. And get rid of the out grown items immediately.

[MinimalistMommi]

BeCool you mentioned the making stuff - I make sure I have only one set of colouring pens, good quality colouring pencils (Lyra brand) and crayons opened. When the colouring pens start to run out, those twelve will get thrown away at same time, and a new box will be opened for DC. This stops the situation of having tons of felt tip pens all slowly running out for example. I have a pair of scissors per DC, one roll of sticky take, one thing of a glue. We have one set of poster paints and one good quality water colour paint box. All our paper is kept in one place. If your DC like to do junk modelling, just jeep one box for cereal boxes etc and when that is full don't keep anything else ready for making projects unless the stuff has been used.

I'm ruthless with their creations (only keeping the really special ones) and the rest get recycled at least once a week (Not in front of DC obviously) I have read a tip about scanning very DC's pics but I don't own a scanner.