What’s the best thing you did to declutter?

[OmgImSoTired]

Have 2 small DC and a modest 2 bed home. I also WFH. It feels like there are things everywhere.

what’s the best thing you did or bought to create storage or help you declutter? I feel like as soon as I throw a load of stuff out I’m swimming in more.

Pick one cupboard/shelf/wardrobe. Empty all contents then sort into piles:

• regularly used, put back
• Broken - throw away
• Nice but never used - donate or sell
• Unsure - put in a box and mark with todays date. If you don't use it eg 1 year later donate or sell

One cupboard at a time.

I stopped buying stuff until I had used what I had. Alongside tackling the bulk reduction in small chunks eg a few cupboards or a shelf every week or so. It’s taken a few years but I’ve instilled really good habits, and have empty/spacious shelves and cupboards.

I think storage is useful. I got over the door shoe storage because the shoe rack isn’t big enough and there’s no room to make it taller/get another. I’ve culled shoes too, sold or given to charity. I’m about to do the same for clothes, I’ve recently bought far too many (weight loss related).

Because we’re planning a move soon, I’ve been through the sheds very thoroughly and found 3 lots of screenwash (my DH is doing a project in there, so everything is shoved in a corner.

I’ve just binned various plant pots or put seeds in them. I sat in the garden and had a good look round at the unnecessary crap and binned it. I refuse to buy household stuff. I also went through the dog stuff and gave lots away to charity/binned old beds stored in the loft.

Following with interest. Considering re-homing my husband and kids, who seem to accumulate so much stuff and mess it’s unbelievable.

I will add that DH spent 2 weeks with his Mother about 2 years ago when she had an operation, this is happening again next week as she is having another op
He realised just how much stuff she had that was just totally useless and I am not sure if it’s the right word but it sort of scared him that he could end up like that.

There was a thread where some poor woman was having to go through her dead parents house. Lots of people chimed in with the same stories. I feel very much that we have been doing a sort of Swedish death clean since then.

It’s also troublesome if you haven’t moved house for many years, house and sheds now fine we just have part of the loft to go.

Don't try to do too much too quickly or you can burn out. Remember it took some time for your home to become cluttered so it's okay to take a while to declutter. 15 minutes or a commercial break at a time. Take out of house quickly so you don't start doubting yourself. Everything needs to earn their place, deserve to be able to stay and not be decluttered.

I’m desperately trying to do this. Both freezers are jammed. I stupidly bought another pizza for tea, then saw that my Dh had put 2 in the freezer! 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’m determined to empty the cupboard before buying more to go in there.

@CherrysoupDH does this! Just don’t cook for a few weeks.

It's really hard with kids because they grow out of things fast. I kept a laundry bag in the bottom of the airing cupboard and clothes that were too small, not used went straight in it. Regular donations to people with younger kids if good enough or the recycling bank if not. Ditto toys, sell or give away....bit relentless though. Teen ds is showing no signs of growing out of things and there is a monstrous pile of disorganised school work / paper / crap in his room he says that are his revision notes for next years gcse's. Dh isn't any better with his tech graveyard and cable collection. Best tip is probably to live on your own.

Worked on my attachment to money and spending and fear of letting go of things which cost money. Tried to visualise the next part of my life as me going travelling and what do I actually need/want to take with me or come back to. Had to be ruthless. Asked myself if I'd used the item in the past few months and promised myself if I really found myself longing for a puzzle of the Taj Mahal in the future I'd buy a replacement. (I didn't really have a Taj Mahal puzzle, but you get the gist)

He tends to do the cook once, eat twice, so he cooked loads of chicken which goes well with salad. There are several anonymous containers, lots of burger buns, loaves of bread, shame I’ve totally gone off bread! Virtually everything can go with chips/salad or easy veg.

What is it with some people and cable collections?! We have 4 drawers in the TV stand, mostly full of cables, none of them mine!

What especially helped me was getting someone in to do a deep clean & they had to move a lot of stuff rather than just clean around it. I was then able to see more clearly what needed to be chucked. A pp mentioned all or nothing & that definitely tends to be me so I make myself sort one carrier bag or one storage cube or one pile at a time. Unfortunately my efforts have come to a halt since I broke my arm 😢 Good luck OP. Slow & steady wins the race!

Get rid of half of everything. After that: one thing in, one thing out.

Oh like the Stacey Solomon television show? I always imagine it would be so (cool and) much easier if can carry everything out and start with an empty room.

Sort by categories.
For example toiletries, get all the stashes of them all over the house into one place, lay them out then you know what you have and get rid of any you’re not using.

I have too much stuff and lack motivation however I am likely to be moving soon.

I need to go through each drawer as I wear about 10 pairs of socks but the drawer is full so I will tip it onto the bed and be ruthless
same with other clothes.

I had a tidy up when house went on the market and moved a lot of toys out of bedrooms into the loft. No one has missed them so they’re going

Something I learned here was the monthly cycle of getting rid of one item on the first of the month, two items on the second, up to 30/31 items on the last day of the month.
It made the process a game rather than a chore. We did this for three months in a row. I really need to do it again.
Items can be as small or large as you like!

Do you have a date you need to declutter for? Could you create one? e.g. invite a very critical relative over for the weekend?

We are moving in just under a month and the pressure of a set date is really helping!

Downsize to a smaller house! 😂

Seriously, it did concentrate the mind, knowing that there wouldn’t be space for everything.

My revelation was realising that this is probably our forever home and so I wasn’t going to end up with more storage. I have a drawer for bed linen- it all needs to fit in that. I’m never going to have more storage and never going to suddenly have ten beds to cover so it’s being realistic with what I need. I don’t keep things for best.

Kids toys are a pita though. We get memberships or experiences as presents from family which limits it a little bit.

You just have to be ruthless with donating stuff you don't need, I think. What's the Kondo thing? Something like, hold it I your hands and if it doesn't give you a spark of joy, get rid of it, even if it is something you wear all the time .......

The best thing I bought was a metal coat/some rack from IKEA for about £50 - in my old house the costs and shoes used to cascade everywhere in the hallway and look fucking awful; the rack really contains the mess - and if we have too many shoes and coats to fit on the rack, the surplus are either stored under our beds, or permanently donated......

The fact that the hallway is tidy makes a huge difference to me psychologically (I appreciate that sounds a bit mad but it's true). I want the first impression of my flat, as I shut the front door behind me, to be one of tranquility......

I sort of did that. Emptied closets and drawers and moved it into the living room. That way I had to finish the room I was decluttering because I wanted a reasonable living space. Boxes for keep, get rid, donate. Dispelling the idea that I'd ever get around to selling stuff really helped.

Chuk it out