Please help, overwhelmed with mess!

[whatdodos]

Can I please have any tips and tricks from anyone to help me sort my house out? I live with one toddler DC in a smallish two bed with a garage. My house isn't filthy but we have SO much stuff and I can't clean everywhere properly because I have no room to put anything anywhere. I'm feeling really overwhelmed and it's really getting me down that my house is in such a state. Every drawer and cupboard is full and I'm constantly losing stuff because of it and all the surfaces and under furniture is dusty/crowded. PLEASE HELP!!

How do I get started??? I want to cry.

For full disclosure I work full time but I'm off this week. I have 2 hours to myself this week for DC's first day of school so want to make a dent in it then. Thank you!!!

Good point re replace.
I have way too much sentimental stuff.
Plus unidentifiable cables.

@whatdodos

look up Dana K White on you tube watch her videos.

she 'gets it' because her house used to be a mess and she'd tried lots of 'things' but nothing worked, she had to find her own way and she's blogged her method over 13+ years & written books.

you will not regret it. It's decluttering without making a mess. Progress & only progress so you can stop & start without leaving things in a bigger mess than you started!

@oakleaffy

please read my previous post.

OP I don't know if this advice will be any use, but here goes!

I find it easier, when confronted with a really messy room (either bedroom or living room) to put a throw/dustsheet on the bed or sofa and put all the 'stuff' from other surfaces on to it - just dump it all on there - at this stage, don't get side-tracked trying to sort it out etc.

Then do the cleaning, once you've got a clear run. Vacuum and dust.

Then, with a duster or damp cloth (whichever is appropriate) sift through the stuff on the sofa/bed and either put it back in its rightful place or place in the following categories: charity shop, recycling, rubbish.

Take out the unwanted stuff for Oxfam or the bins.

Your room should now be clean and tidy and you'll feel a massive weight off your shoulders.

I need to do this too OP, exactly the same situation (just me and one small primary age DC, 2 bed house but no garage, not able to have more DC). Mine remembers everything and wants to keep everything. Still asks about random bits of tat acquired at 2yo. I just don't have the space!
I was actually thinking about throwing a bit of cash at it because I find it so hard and it's negative impact on life is increasing- what might I need to Google to find a declutterer helper?

This is what I do too for general room clearance.
I put everything in the room that is in the wrong place onto a chair and work from there. I hadn't thought about putting a throw or something down to make it easier to take away so that's what I will do this week when I start on my dumping ground spare room.

All of the above but don’t sit down and start looking through old photo albums, you’ll get sidetracked and next thing you know it’s school pick up time. Don’t ask me how me how I know.

I take the laundry basket round from room to room, collecting and depositing as I clean.

OP. just start any where. Even if it's clearing the coats, or things off a chair or a surfaces. Once your surfaces are clear, you'll have a place to empty a drawer onto and then you'll get addicted.

You're going to find stuff you need, stuff you were going to buy. Also if you get selling, it will motivate you even more.

You need to read a book called "How to keep house while drowning" by KC Davis

It has everything you need.

Dirty House SOS was unbelievable!

As others have said start small. Even if you do 1 drawer in 2 hours. Take a before and after pic and it will motivate you.
If you get time listen to the declutterhub podcast. On their website they sometimes have free courses as well. They're professional declutterers and have really helped me declutter.
Good luck. Small steps.

Marie Kondo the shit out of everything
Be ruthless
Bin or donate everything that doesn't get used much

My rule of thumb was if in doubt asking myself what it would fetch at a charity shop? Suddenly the slightly stained baby clothes with a button missing and jigsaws with a piece missing etc. were way easier to get rid of.

If you aren't using something and the clutter is getting you down but you're a little afraid just in case you might need it again but you can look at it and say I guess it'd get 10p then it becomes easier to see how the space is worth more than the money it'd cost you to replace it if you needed to.

For me I like to Marie Kondo by category starting with clothes.

1. Clothes (with the option to chuck something out of the clothes category and into the sentimental items category and thus deal with it later)
2. Books
3. Papers
4. general stuff
5. Sentimental items

With a 2 year old I'd be tempted to add toys to books.

sorry that was supposed to be a quote at the start

Here is the declutterhub as i mentioned earlier. They have a FB group. Great motivation. declutterhub.com/

I’m decluttering anything not used now gets binned and that’s included bags (before I get slated for not taking to charity shop I don’t drive) I don’t know when leaving so getting rid off now before I go so not rushing the last few weeks I need the space in wardrobe in a container for kettle toaster etc for new home.

@whatdodos sympathies I remember feeling like that all too clearly. I think things tend to be at their worst in most houses when kids are around that age. It’s peak toy playing age, you often feel you need to keep every piece of paper they scribble on or craft item they bring home from school. In my house there were still big(ish) baby items around too. Is there a baby bath in your bathroom that you have just stopped seeing? There was in mine!
I also like the approach from “Slob comes Clean” aka Dana K White I have recently reread her books for a decluttering mojo boost. You don’t have to pull everything out all at once and leave yourself potentially feeling worse which is a real danger with the kondo way of doing it if you will only have short bursts of time.
If you really only have a two hour window then just pick one small area and make a start there. Get rid of obvious rubbish like magazines you wont reread or a pile of post tucked on a surface.
Good luck you can always come and join us on the very friendly decluttering club/one thing a day threads in housekeeping 😁

Have a look at the declutterhub. They have really helped me. Started by listening to their podcasts or youtube. I got hooked on decluttering. Iv still a lot to do but feel so much better. declutterhub.com/

Have you watched the Stacey Soloman show Sort Your Life Out? That always motivates me to get rid of stuff 😂

I love the message behind KC Davis - How to keep house while drowning - she is incredibly gentle and positive. I have her book on my Kindle but you can download onto a phone or tablet - you don't have to have a Kindle. She also has videos on TikTok.

Marie Kondo. Just get rid of EVERYTHING! Once you left with the things that you really need or love, then you need to make sure you have very good storage. Everything that you own should have a place that it lives.

Can you get some wall cupboards put up anywhere? I had a big six sectioned wall unit thing put up in my daughter's bedroom. Some days all I have is the energy to just pick stuff up off the floor and shove it somewhere in the wall unit, but at least the floor is then clear and I can hoover and its easier to see where everything it.

Take out all the contents of one drawer and sort through - rubbish / keep (if so designate a specific place for the item). Put back only what you need in the drawer. Do one draw a week if that's all you can face, but keep doing it.

Can you get shelves to store books on? I'm a big fan of getting stuff up off the floor, and I love seeing books on shelves. It makes me feel homely.

Use plastic sandwich bags to store toys with small parts, or marbles etc.

Do a small amount of clearing out every day as part of the routine. So after getting the breakfast dishes cleared in a morning, go in a kitchen cupboard and find one item you don't need / want / use anymore and sling it. And if that's all you have time for in the day its fine. Slow and methodical.

I can't reply to everyone but honestly thank you so much all, not only have I got really good ideas from everyone but you've really motivated me! The marie kinda idea does sound good but I just never have the time by myself to sort it out in big goes like that but I will use the principle. Also the groups you have mentioned I will go and join too. As an fyi my house isn't quite like the stacey solomon show nor is it particularly dirty jist dusty and things in every nook and cranny. I'm a but reluctant to put shelves or cabinets up as it gets so dusty in my house (coach house style on the second floor), there is no shade so the sun streams in making it worse.

Thank you again and I hope the thread has helped others too!

I’m a terrible hoarder. But every now and then I go through the house and gather anything this isn’t used and put in a box then it goes in loft. After a year if I haven’t gone into the loft to get something from the box then I donate it.

As previous posters have suggested, start with the kitchen and bathroom. We’re usually less sentimental about pans and bottles of shampoo than we are about clothes and toys. Empty everything, be really ruthless and only keep what you use and need. Group like stuff together, so all spices etc in a box together. An ice cream tub is fine. Don’t be tempted to buy fancy containers to decant stuff into because it’s just more stuff you don’t need.

Only keep what you have room in cupboards for. Do not buy extra storage and definitely don’t box stuff up and put in your garage to go through at a later date. The later date will never come and you’ll end up with the same amount of stuff, just in a different place.

Once the kitchen and bathroom are done and you see the benefits, you’ll hopefully be inspired to keep going in the rest of the rooms.

Leave anything vaguely sentimental until last as that’s always the hardest stuff to go through.

Good luck.

Start on the DC stuff while you know you have that child free time. It's best to have a clear out of toys before Xmas, to make room for presents.
Put time aside, say an hour week, concentrate on one cupboard/room/set of drawers, whatever you can manage in that hour. If garage is clear enough Put throw stuff in there until you have a decent enough pile to take to the tip at once. Put donations in the car, to take as soon as you can.
Be ruthless, if you haven't used it for more than 6 months, get rid.
Anything you don't use often, such as tools, carpet cleaner etc store in the garage to keep the house storage as uncluttered as possible.
You don't have to buy fancy containers or jars, I use plastic takeaway tubs, empty tubs of chocolates and small cardboard boxes for inside cupboards and drawers. I did find a couple of nice storage things in charity shops, might be worth looking if that's where you're planning to donate.
To keep on top of it always double think before buying or taking anything. Keep a little time set aside for clearing out, just one room at a time.
Once it's gone it's much easier to keep on track of.