Anyone decluttered their whole house & when did you find time to do it?

[Littlemiss74]

House is chaotic which makes my mind feel chaotic. So much stuff but alot of it needed. Probably too many clothes for us all. Kitchen cupboards never been properly organised since moving in a year ago. So much stuff received by dc’s for Christmas.
I’ve spent the last few days off work tidying, sorting and washing. And then I go back to the room I started in and it’s a shit heap again!

Has anyone managed to declutter and organise their house and keep it that way? If so, please tell me how and when you did it around working and dc’s. TIA

If you really don't know where to start just bin 10 things each day.

The trick is to do it all from start to finish in the allotted time

That is one technique, not one that is the most effective for me though.

I prefer a slow steady approach over time. One drawer at a time, one shelf at a time.
Never make a journey in the house without seeing what can be moved nearer its place.

So I may see a nail file in the lounge, I pick them up and place it on the bottom of the stairs as I pass. Next time I go up to my bedroom I grab that and put it in my bedroom drawer. While I am there I see an empty water glass and take that as I go back downstairs.

Just a 3 second glance around a room as you leave for items out of place and grabbing them makes keeping things tidy easier. You don't have to put everything away immediately, just move it to the correct room or near where you will see it next when you move about the house.
Saves a lot of effort.

I'm doing it at the moment, the amount of shit I've hoarded is unbelievable. It's mainly clothes, shoes and makeup, I'm being ruthless and just getting rid. It definitely takes time but I know it's worth it, my mind is feeling clearer already.

I'm trying to declutter 5 things in two or three minute bursts, a few times a day. So spending no more than 15 minutes per day. This will go down to a couple of times a day once we're back in the school run mode days.

Go for the easiest stuff first, keep chipping away at it.

I try and take opportunities to do a bit at a time. DD emptied the soft toy chest earlier so when I put them all back I filled a bin bag for the charity shop at the same time. I don't know how anyone gets round a whole house at once with DC around, they're horrified at the suggestion of getting rid of happy meal toys

I have a massive walk in wardrobe/dressing room with three hanging rails.

At the start of September I cleared one rail, then wore everything on the other two once, then it went onto the empty rail - unless I decided I didn't like it in which case it was given away.

It took me until late December to wear everything!

Much de-cluttering took place & it also focused my mind marvellously on not buying any more bloody clothes...

I'm on a group on facebook about decluttering and there is so many people on the decluttering journey with good advice.

People often say on there that the clutter didnt get there over night so it wont just go over night. Its definitely an ongoing process.

A lot of them on there mention not to get storage just to hide the clutter, but to clutter and then find the correct storage solution.

You have to be ruthless, many mention Marie kondo and also the wardrobe - have you worn it in the last year, does it fit etc.

😊

Sorry, also remembered
Alot on the Facebook group advise to take sections rather than rooms at a time. Or get rid of a certain amount a day.

@mangomama91 bloody hell, there's stuff I've not worn in 15 years but for some reason I am hanging on to it, just in case!

@userxx some of these are hardcore declutterers! 😂
Some of them say if you haven't worn it in 3 months!!! But that just seems silly with seasons weather changes!

Is it worth trying to sell your old stuff?

Do not even think about storage until you have got rid of stuff. ALL the stuff! Then, and only, then, start to think about what storage suits what's left and how/when you use it. Stuff expands to fill the space available. Trust me on that!!

We have spent the last year clearing PIL house. DH is demented trying to work out what's worth selling, what just needs chucked out (charity / bin) and what he wants to keep as mementos. He's finding it hard, as MIL had many lovely things. For example she had loads of Christmas themed items (table runners, little mats, candle holders, random plates etc). You can only use so much Christmas stuff - it only comes once a year after all, and we don't have a house big enough to use it all, even in rotation! So we have kept a token few items that we like and will use and are getting rid of the rest.

It's made us look at our own stuff in a new light, so we are culling it too there's a long way to go

I recommend the book Swedish Death Cleaning. It's not a 'how to' like Marie Kondo, it's more about the 'why' (spoiler alert - you clear out before you die!)

I started last year but fell off the wagon a bit. What I did was do easy stuff first. So each day I would literally just scan the room, and find stuff to bin/charity shop or put away in its proper place. After a couple of weeks the difference was amazing.

My plan this year, is to do one segment at a time. I'm probably going to start in the bathroom, going through all the towels, bedding and toiletries as I know that will make space to put sone other clutter away (hair dryer etc that live on my bedroom floor atm).

That's going to be my focus, clear and area so other stuff can be put away

It's a bit difficult as I still have a load of stbx stuff in the house. I cannot wait for that to go!

Nottalotta

Yes. That's an excellent starting point.

Last August l had a big clear out and it felt amazing, l need a little tidy of the wardrobes now after Christmas but oh it was life changing.

I became more organised after this which saved me so much time, l now meal plan and l am usually ready for birthdays in advance. It has saved me so much money as l know what l have in the cupboards.

I sold stuff that was like new, donated things to charity and took loads and loads to the tip. It took me 2 months, one weeks holiday then every Wednesday for 4 weeks as this was my day off and my little one had started school.

I think it’s just a case of wanting to do it and being determined and just not being attached to everything.

But “things” don’t make me happy the way “things” make others happy l don’t need a bus ticket to remember the first time we went on a double decker bus.

I started before Christmas but then fell ill and fell behind with my Christmas shopping so the decluttering went out the window whilst I caught up but I have 5 days next week where my dh is working away and dd will be back at school so planning to crack on with it
The main areas I need to do are utility room,under stairs cupboard,my wardrobe and dd’s bedroom
I also have a couple of bookcases I need to clear as I have far too many books especially cook books that I never use

Newuser123123 I’m super impressed. I need to do this. I currently have a Velcro 6 month old and a 3 year old and feel like it’s an impossible task. Both 3 yr old and DH try to keep stuff. I can’t do my clothes as I still need to loose my pregnancy weight and I can only wear clothes I can breast feed in.

First you need the mentality. Read Marie Kondos book. Then you will be ready! And do it properly. Good luck

It is hard. Had a massive clear out before and after Christmas and my tip would be to go on a mission to “look” for stuff one weekend and then get rid the following weekend so-

1. all toys no longer played with (if suitable)- give in to The Entertainer shop this month. I’ve got 2 bags.
2. old blankets/ towels- prepare to take to local animal sanctuary.
3. any broken toys/ appliances etc- fill your boot for the dump.
4. old clothes (yours and kids)- bag up for local women’s refuge.

You will feel so good about the clear out and the paying it forward- trust me!

I've done my whole house bar my bedroom (still need Ex to collect the last of his crap) and honestly, I used my evenings and DS's nap times. In 2 days I chucked away/donated all the spare bottles in my bathroom, I got rid of a cabinet in there that took up too much space and reorganised all the drawers/cupboard shelves.

I did my sons room the next day during his nap (1 hr). I moved all his furniture around, got rid of the falling apart bookshelf and made a reading nook. His bedroom looks so much better.

My living room I moved around that night whilst he slept. I declare red the bookshelf of old candles/ex's stuff/anything to be filed and put my DS's toys in fabric boxes. The big toys don't fit but most of them do.

The kitchen I did the night after and went through cupboard by cupboard, then tackled the sides. All DS's stuff he no longer uses has gone into under the bed and the steriliser was breaking so got chucked. All that's on my sides are kettle/toaster, his two cups of drinks, his dummies in their boxes (3), some Pepsi bottles and bread.

I'm very organised anyway, hate clutter and cannot stand hoarding. I use storage solutions like fabric boxes, using high spaces, ottoman bed, under the cot. But all wardrobe bottoms are basically empty (besides one huge box of baby wipes in DS's . Honestly I'd just rather clean than sleep most nights.

When I rewired 2.5 years ago
Starting again now

I used the Marie Kondo method and it does take time, but it's also addictive when you start to see the space emerging. I stayed up late many a night, just getting it done,
One thing i found, was to get rid of the stuff as quickly as possible. If it hung around in bags waiting to go to the charity shop, or to be sold on ebay, i would talk myself back into 'needing' it.
By the end, i had a pile of stuff that i was going to sell, but i just didn't have the time or headspace to deal with it all. A friend suggested taking it to a charity shop and considering the couple of hundred i might have raised as money spent on the therapeutic result of actually getting shot of it all. I think there has only been one thing I've missed, as in needed, after i got rid of it, in the years since i did the original de-clutter.

I've done the wander about and pick out the odd things I don't want into a charity bag method, and last year I started using the Marie Kondo scoop out EVERYTHING in a category (books/kitchen tools/kids clothes etc)ing and sort through what you love and what you haven't used for donkeys'/doesn't fit/don't like but feel guilty about.
The second method definitely works the best.
It does feel a bit weird at first to be holding something and thinking 'does this give me joy?' but it kind of frames your focus in a really productive way.
My kitchen is starting to look the way I want it to. My wardrobes have space and I wear everything in it regularly. My bathroom is easy to clean - not too much clutter on the surfaces!
And I'm not known for my natural tidiness...

I did it when I moved working through each room methodically and to a timetable.

Twillow

Doing everything is not practical for everyone.
Too many rooms, too many people.