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Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Housekeeping

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

131 replies

BeCool · 02/04/2013 11:25

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She emptied and cleaned every kitchen cupboard, chucked everything out of date (2005!!!!), reorganised the cupboards, got my entire bench area cleared, and the entire place sparkles.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)

OP posts:

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Flossbert · 03/04/2013 20:45

The towels and bedding thing is a great idea - totally logical. I wish I could get DH on board with decluttering: he's got soooo many clothes he doesn't wear, and lots of them are in a plastic crate outside and have been for absolutely yonks.

Sunnywithshowers · 03/04/2013 20:57

My DH is a bit of a hoarder. I used to live in a tiny wee house so got used to chucking things away.

The house is pretty damn full at the moment - time for a purge... :)

HollaAtMeBaby · 03/04/2013 22:15

I would go for 2 towels per person, enough facecloths for everyone to have a fresh one every day between loads of laundry, and a couple of sets of naice towels for guests. I am fairly minimal but I think not having guest towels is stingy and rude, sorry!

Jan49 · 04/04/2013 00:14

I have 2 sets of bedding per person and enough towels per person for one set to be in use and one set in the wash, plus some spares for guests or if anyone is ill. When we've had to buy new beds, we've bought beds with drawers and all the sheets and pillow cases go in the drawers.

I have a blanket box and I use that to store towels and keep spare blankets in a storage bag in it too. I used to have lots more towels and nowhere to store blankets until I got rid of lots of towels that weren't actually being used (some were huge sheet bath towels that my teenage sister used to wrap herself in to spend hours on the phone post-bath in the 1970s - did somebody really post that towels last only 2 years???). Nowadays, instead of trying to find enough storage space to fit what I own, I try to cut down what I own to fit the storage space I already have.

Bonsoir · 04/04/2013 08:10

It is wrong to burden future generations with the detritus of the past. Make sure that anything you pass on (material things or ideas) are meaningful!

Personally, I like having a few bits and pieces of family furniture but I also love recipes as mementos of my forebears.

BeCool · 04/04/2013 09:55

I have a pair of linen/cotton bath sheets I brought in a sale from JL in 1998. Have used them constantly and they are still in fantastic condition, though the colour (pale pink) is a little faded. They are amazing.

Edited my towels last night. I have 2 pp, plus 2 'spares', plus DD's hooded Dora towel I just couldn't toss. I have 3 hand towels. I edited facecloths on the weekend but now realise I still have too many so more of those will be going too.

All my "clothes/toys to ebay" that have been clogging up the hallway are in the boot of my car to be dropped to charity shop at lunchtime.

WOO HOO!!!

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GwendolineMaryLacey · 04/04/2013 20:50

Yay yay yay! I cleared out two kitchen cupboards. The most problematic ones full of baking trays and crap. The doors wouldn't even shut! Two binbags full of crap going to the dump tomorrow unless any of you want 274 fairy cake tins?

Now just persuade me that I don't need 3 colanders...

BeCool · 05/04/2013 00:09

Go Gwen!!!
Can baking stuff go to charity shop?
You know you can only use one colander!! Pick the best one and charity shop the other two! Free yourself from the burden and clutter of excess

My new toaster arrived. I spent £50 on it and it is a beauty (gift vouchers). Previous toasters ugly and £6 from tesco. This one is lovely and functional. I hope it lasts longer than the tesco ones.

I had friends over tonight but I still sorted facecloths (5 more out) and a stack of papers (more to do there).

OP posts:

Bessie123 · 05/04/2013 09:53

I would quite like 274 fairy cake tins

I may have some work to do on my attitude...

GwendolineMaryLacey · 05/04/2013 10:30

Sorry yes, baking stuff is going to charity shop. That's not actually crap, just surplus to requirements. I mean, no one makes those flat little fairy cakes any more

Bessie, you're welcome to them. As long as you have the other two binbags full of shite too :o

GwendolineMaryLacey · 05/04/2013 10:32

And which colander. I have two clear and one red. And do I need a wok, a flat pancake frying pan and three normal frying pans?

GwendolineMaryLacey · 05/04/2013 10:32

Oh and a sandwich toaster and a spare sandwich toaster . Oh God I have issues.

BeCool · 05/04/2013 10:43

re colander, perhaps think function and storage? Which will work best? If they are all equal, which is prettiest? Which do you like the most?

Oh the horror of a spare sandwich maker - you are going to feel so good when that is gone. Do you use the non spare one?

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GwendolineMaryLacey · 05/04/2013 10:47

I've just put two colanders, two frying pans and the non spare but on its way out sandwich toaster in a bin bag and dropped a used tea bag on them :o

Yes DD1 loves Brevilles so need to keep one.

BeCool · 05/04/2013 11:02

OP posts:

BeCool · 05/04/2013 11:03

I need a WOK!
I'm making a list of things I need. If I still need them after 30 days I can think about buying them.
This is a brave new world!

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Bessie123 · 05/04/2013 22:43

Fairy cake tins are good for making Yorkshire puddings. I also find 2 tins are useful because fairy cake mixture often makes more than 12 cakes and it saves the time and faff of doing one batch then another after. I also keep2 colanders so I have one for eg washing shellfish when preparing a meal and one for draining veg without needing to wash up. I have a few cake tins so I can make a triple layer cake in one go.

Someone help me, I am never going to get rid of all the clutter

GwendolineMaryLacey · 05/04/2013 23:49

Now you tell me :o

Well it's too late, they're gone! And so is the George Foreman and the 16 squillion jars of dried herbs that expired in 2003. My food cupboard looks like Mother Hubbard's a show home :)

Bessie123 · 05/04/2013 23:55

Go Gwen

GwendolineMaryLacey · 05/04/2013 23:58

It's actually very satisfying Two kitchen cupboards a night, empty, clean, purge and refill neatly. Little enough to not feel bogged down by it but enough to make a difference.

Baking cupboard tomorrow.

Bessie123 · 06/04/2013 00:02

You're almost inspiring me to get started.

Almost.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 06/04/2013 00:06

Go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on :o

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Bessie123 · 06/04/2013 00:37

GwendolineMaryLacey · 06/04/2013 23:33

Has everyone given up on their kitchens then?

No cupboards tonight because...I scrubbed the kitchen window sill! That might not sound much but I had to remove 4 years of cleaning products, old wine bottles, bars of soap etc etc that had become superglued to it. Fecked them all into the bin. Kept one bottle of Mr Muscle and some washing up liquid and that's it.

I am going to buy flowers tomorrow to put in a vase on my beautiful new window sill.

BeCool · 07/04/2013 00:05

Tomorrow I'm doing the fridge (didn't have time last weekend) and some living room decluttering, and OCDF is tackling the hall shelves (thousands of kids books & misc shit) and hall cupboard - eeeek!

Window sill sounds beautiful - what a difference for your eyes and mind Gwen

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