I've let my home become a tip

[TomasztheWankEnginegoesToot]

I've sent DC away as it's disgusting and I have to do something.

Only posting to make myself get on with it really. I'm utterly ashamed and want them to come back to a sparkly home and better mum.

I know you're not meant to do KonMari in one go but should I just bin everything in my way to get rid of the clutter and on top of things? I'm overweight and overwhelmed, maybe just binning anything that I don't love and doesn't fit would reduce the work involved in fixing this?

@TomasztheWankEnginegoesToot have faith you can get on top of it - don't forget if you can't get to a charity shop some will come and collect if you have a lot of stuff, alternatively do you get those charity bags put through the door most of those will take clothes. If you have a freecycle community in your area those are good for offering things that you would give to charity - I often offer clothes etc. on ours and they are usually snapped up quickly if in good condition, local free ad's papers usually have a free to collector sections

I have low energy at the moment and can't be arsed - it all seems too much. My friend said to 10 minutes then chill on sofa for 10 minutes and repeat. It's been quite good, so did the dishwasher then sat down then gathered up crap to take upstairs then chill and next I'm going to go upstairs and put said crap away.
Not much but feels manageable for me today. Might be worth a go. Sorry you're feeling overwhelmed. It's such a yuk feeling.

I can't stand mess or clutter and I often bin stuff . My dh goes mad at me as I'm a neat/clean freak and he keeps things for years . I'm of the opinion if you haven't used it for 6months it goes in the bin. My advice for sorting through your home is to do one room at a time

If you are feeling overwhelmed, a good tactic is to time box.

Set yourself 30 minute or 1 hour intervals and simple tasks within those. E.g. for this 30 minutes, I'm going to sort out this bookshelf/chest of drawers/pile of clothes.

Set a timer on your phone and then walk away and come back to it. Keep at it!

Good luck OP.

I second the advice to do it in short chunks, 10 - 30 mins at a time. Makes it feel less overwhelming, and it’s surprising how much you can do in 10 mins sometimes.

So far a wash is in, dishwasher on, bleached loo, taken down one full bag of rubbish and just about to take down a bag full of clothes that are definitely unloved. A bit over the place but a starts been made.

I was going to clean the living room rug too but I think I may just bin it actually. I have some washable ones that will do and it's what stops me mopping/sweeping properly?

Well done OP. Keep going. Bin the rug!

If you're anywhere near me I'd love to help! X

Rug binned, bedding changed, more washing on, more rubbish thrown away, starting to feel less overwhelmed

Thanks for the offer of help @BirthdayKake but I don't think I'm up to letting anyone through the door yet...

Least I'm making headway!

Op post anything big you can't manage but want rid of on freecycle - give your number and specify people text you. It's very good for large items even ones you cane imagine people will want they often do!

My house is a disgusting pigsty, I've been working so much lately and husband also works very long hours. I've just come back from a week's holiday(just me), before I left I did a quick tidy up, but I got home yesterday and husband has literally not done anything in the last week, dishes not done, takeaway boxes in the living room, bathroom disgusting, no laundry done. Today he wanted me to pick him up after work so he could work from home, I told him to stay in the office with his work as I needed to get done tidying and cleaning done and that wouldn't happen if he was around. It might be unfair of me but he would literally come home and sit down in the middle of all the mess to do his work, then huff that I was in his way while I was cleaning. I'm giving myself till the end of the month to get this place in shape. Can't live like this anymore

I am making a start on mine tomorrow. I have had a very bad 18monthsand work and trivial things have gotten in the way. Its mainly clothes that are washed and folded yet seem to live on the floor/coffee tables/sofas etc and a shit ton of cobwebs EVERYWHERE. No one knows where anything is. Yours is the second thread that has inspired me to do mine. Good luck op x

No worries - if you ever get to that stage let me know! My flat was horrendous when I had my first baby and lived on my own. I cringe when I look at the baby album

Well done for making a start. My DH has mountains and mountains of junk. We'd just reached a point where we'd thrown away a lot and managed to tidily stash the rest and his mum starts talking about him collecting the rest of his stuff from her loft 😣 I swear that furniture aside I could fit everything I own in the back of a 3 door hatchback.

You need Flylady.
Very American, very Christian and very annoying terminology but see past that, stick with it, work her system and I swear to god it's actually life changing.
I still go back to it after 13 years and it really helped to house-train me.

Flylady is very good for compartmentalising things, so, not just a room at a time but tasks within that room. makes things manageable. A whole house is overwhelming.
I always say start from one corner of the room and work round in a systematic way til youre back where you started

Sell stuff as car boot loads on Facebook. Go to the local cash for clothes place with all the stuff that you no longer wear. Some also take bedding and soft furnishings. Make your stuff make you some money.

Freecycle and Freegle useful stuff, no need to lug it to the shops, although you could take a bag full when you go shopping.

There are the charities that leave bags for you to fill.

I don't rate KonMarie, but do find inspiration from Joshua Becker, you can do as much or as little as you like. www.becomingminimalist.com/

Obviously it's best to either sell or give away things you don't want. It's more environmental for one thing and it's nice to see things being used but sometimes it's more work and can get in the way of getting the job done. However, I suspect that it might be better to not worry too much at this stage. The main thing is to get on top of things.

I heard an interesting programme with a morbid-sounding name: Death Cleaning! It sounds terrible, but the gist was older people doing some of the cleaning that their bereaved relatives would have to do, in advance and under their control, and got me to thinking - what would I be embarrassed for others to find after my passing?
I'll spare you the details, (and my blushes) but it got me moving.
Still far from perfect, but I also agree with the "time chunking" - by the time this radio programme is over, I will have done x and y, helpful, plus something to look forward to - when the living room is fit for visitors, I can invite a friend I enjoy seeing in for a cuppa (admiring noises from visitor optional but welcome).

Op you’ve inspired me to get my arse in gear and I’m doing and deep clean and clear out today and tomorrow.
Clear home clear mind 🤞🏻

OP I need to get moving too. It's just awful isn't it? Really gets me down. It's so bloody hot but now I'm thinking well whatever I do indoors will be hot anyway! SO am coming off here and off my arse. Lots of cold drinks and away go. It's like a dirty secret sorry for the pun. Will check back on here later to see how everyone is doing. Have put washing out this morning but loads more to do. Catch u later clutter buddies!

Oh god that death cleaning is a good point I'd be mortified. Actually I'm mortified if anyone ventures outside my living room and kitchen

You can do it op!! I just filled three 240ltr bins the other day with crap we don’t need/use/clothes that too small. I still feel like we have too much stuff we don’t need but the house looks a 1000 times better.

My approach is that you didn't get into this mess overnight, so you won't clear it overnight. However, if you can change your mentality and throw things out little and often, you will soon begin to see the rewards. The key is to learn to be quite ruthless, and not let all this stuff mount up again