Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

The big declutter!!

218 replies

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 28/12/2013 16:41

Today is day 1 of my big declutter and so far I have done...nothing Blush

Actually, that's not true. Ds and I went to town and bought a new shredder (I broke the last one by accidentally putting a plastic decoration in it!!).

I did have a head start and cleared a couple of cupboards last night but I really need to get off my backside and get decluttering.

I have 5 days 4 now to sort out my house. It has to be done.

For the next two hours, I am going to declutter the bathroom and get the washing on.

Anyone with me?

OP posts:
lostinteaching47 · 04/01/2014 14:58

Sorry for typing errors.

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/01/2014 15:10

Welcome, lostin Smile.

Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I also had things that haven't been touched for years. Infant, there's a box upstairs, in a cupboard, that is still packed from my last move (6years ago!!!).

I don't really have any tips or suggestions. I've read threads like this, over and over again on this section but nothing really helped me until I realised that I just could not fit a single thing more into my home and something had to give.

The biggest thing that helped me was having 5 whole days off work, with no plans at all. I've got a very long way to go but am so much further than I was before Christmas.

I started this thread to keep myself focused and to find others who are in a similar position so that we could encourage eachother but there are loads of useful threads in this section which might make it feel like less of a daunting task for you Smile

OP posts:
NK5BM3 · 04/01/2014 15:42

Yes I would agree with hiccup that the thing that helped was having time off this Christmas. We both work full time and the kids are still young (6 and 3). I felt that the younger one has kinda outgrown the really babyish toys and so have brought those to the charity shop/bin depending on the quality.

With the time off, we didn't have to rush to work/school/pack lunches/activities/ which really helped. In reality it took perhaps 2 days to break the back of things in terms of putting them in boxes/trays. We created lots of boxes even things like 'plastic animals' and 'ponies'! So every thing (more or less) has a place to go to. We found enough lollies, chocolate and little bags of haribo to fill a celebrations box!!!

After the 2 days of blitzing (not all done in a stretch though!) we are now motivated to clear/tidy away little cupboards/bookshelves etc.

I think we still have a way to go but I feel alot happier about the 'mess' because I know that they all belong somewhere. I will tackle my clothes in a bit. I'm umming about slightly tired looking tops (eg grey/black tops that used to be black) as they are good to layer under sweaters and things like that. I think i might hang on to them till we are out of this cold and will dump in spring!

JayneJam · 04/01/2014 15:46

I do paperless billing as far as I can be NK5BM3. The less crap falling through my letterbox the better. I have one box of paperwork. When it gets full, I sort it.

Of course we have broken toys, but they get chucked straight away, not left to lie around in bedrooms for years. My dd's are only 3 and 6 and know to put things in the bin or the recycling. They wouldn't dream of just dumping a toy that had broken and walking away from it. Who teaches their dc its ok to break toys and then just leave them?

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/01/2014 15:48

Woohoo!! Another FB buyer has just been and left with two more bulky items Grin. Fingers crossed that the third buyer comes this evening because her item is currently taking up half my kitchen table and its home has already been filled with other things!!

Right, I'm going to finish packing away the decs!

OP posts:
justtired · 04/01/2014 15:58

I need some moral support!!
Today I started on the DCs bedroom....it started well ive sorted lots, organised it and have 2 bags of rubbish/charity.

Although ive now lost my ooomph and its looking worse than when I started, im having 5mins out of there and am then hoping to get the rest done Smile

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/01/2014 16:06

Yay! Well done!

I had a similar experience in ds' room a couple of days ago and eventhough I didn't manage to finish, it looked so much better. Also, I can clearly see what's left to do for it to be finished, whereas before, it just seemed like an impossible task.

Good luck getting the rest done Smile!!

OP posts:
IorekByrnisonsArmour · 04/01/2014 16:19

Hi all!!

Great thread Hiccup

Justtired sympathies, I have been there - concentrate on what you have achieved and that -plus coffee- will spur you on!

Jaynejam life happens sometimes and things don't always happen how we'd hope. I don't believe for one moment that any of these lovely MNetters have taught their children to abandon broken toys.

I have been known to be quite disorganised and someone on another thread posted a link on how to become more organized. The posters on that thread (1 in particular) was super organized and shared lots of the routines she had in place at home. They were brilliant and she didn't once comment negatively on those of us who it didn't come naturally too.

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/01/2014 16:35

Thanks and welcome, Iorek!

OP posts:
Losthearts · 04/01/2014 16:51

Hi Jaynejam. Can you share any good tips with us all? That is a good start, not to buy too much in the first place

SoftKittyWarmKitty · 04/01/2014 17:18

Can I join please? I've got so much stuff to sort out, including boxes of crap in my spare room from when I moved in over four years ago Blush. I actually started decluttering in the summer and I filled an entire Clothes for Cash bag but now their website says they're changing hands, so god knows what I'm going to do with that Hmm.

I've also got piles of paperwork to sort through and shred. It just seems so overwhelming. I know the house will be easier to keep clean once it's all done though.

SoftKittyWarmKitty · 04/01/2014 17:22

Iorek Could you share that thread with us, please?

lostinteaching47 · 04/01/2014 17:47

Thanks HHH, I am feeling loads better.I am just getting to the point where I'm sick of being surrounded by crap.I hate not being able to put my hand on anything, losing things and it taking absolutely ages to find things, that's if I ever do.I know DH gets/is stressed by it all and I know it's not fair on my kids (14 and 11) They do try and keep their rooms tidy.I have read this many times, something along the lines of, it didn't get like that overnight, it's not going to get fixed overnight, or similar.I joined Flylady but got bored, I have the decluttering pop up bags somewhere under a pile of stuff!My bedroom is looking better already, I have quite a nice carpet in there.We have a newish young cat(he adopted us) I put the Henry on the other day and he jumped out of his skin, I don't think he had ever heard it.I want a house that my kids are not ashamed of bringing their friends back to.My daughter is getting to the stage where she might want to bring a boyfriend home.

IorekByrnisonsArmour · 04/01/2014 18:02

Softkitty - this was a while ago I cut and pasted the things relevant to my situation, I'll see if I can find the thread. If not, I could c&p onto this thread the things I have. Would that be ok Hiccup?

IorekByrnisonsArmour · 04/01/2014 18:20

You are in luck - LeQueens advice was particularly helpful for me Smile

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1373827-to-ask-how-you-become-organised-and-together-Seriously-how?pg=2

NK5BM3 · 04/01/2014 19:21

I wrote a really heated message to Jayne but decided not to post it. You can judge away, but you know what? You don't know me or anyone else on this thread (nor do I) and I'm using this thread for support and to help me sort my clutter out...

So you can go be perfect somewhere else, preferably where people actually appreciate it.

NK5BM3 · 04/01/2014 19:28

Iorek - I actually read that thread a long time ago - great to pull it up again. I actually started doing a few of those things, like having a bag of stuff to go (charity shop) so I can just fill it as I go along.. The dh however isn't too helpful in that aspect as he likes to store things away even though they are broken. Eg, his pair of jeans that sprung a few holes... I washed them as they were in the wash basket; hung them then realised that they had holes. Commented on it - did leave it to dry (thinking once they are dry, I'll put them in a bag to go to rags) and he ended up folding them and putting them in his wardrobe again!!!! Bloody annoying.

I've started putting things like school stuff on the fridge, noting things down on my phone calendar. I buy stuff in advance for birthday parties so that I always have a present in the cupboard - same as cards.

I just need to declutter frequently...!

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/01/2014 19:34

Iorek - sorry, went off to cook tea! Of course it's fine...we need all the help we can get Grin!!! I'll have a look at your link now...thanks for posting it.

OP posts:
JayneJam · 04/01/2014 19:42

I can't really help with the decluttering as I can't stand mess - it fries my brain and drags me down, so I haven't really ever built up any clutter.

I'm not super organised though and am well aware of my own weaknesses - spending hours filing paperwork into different household catergories would drive me as insane as looking as at a pile of dirty washing.

So I have to strike a balance - where I create a home I can bear to live in without spending hours everyday organising and cleaning it. Not easy when you have dc.

I've worked out what works best for me. I'm ruthless with crap, if its rubbish it goes. The kids have one draw in their bedrooms where they can keep their crap, thats it. I sort clothes out as soon as they outgrow it. I have a big bag for life in the bottom of dd1's wardrobe (labelled with the size of the clothes being put in it), as soon as it doesn't fit dd1, it goes into the bag. When the bag is full, it goes into the loft. When dd2 reaches that size, I just have to pull the correct sized bag(s) out of the loft. No need to spend hours sorting clothes. I do the same with dd2's clothes which will be passed onto dd3. And when dd3 has outgrown them I will take each bag to the local clothes recycling bin instead of putting in the loft.

When bills/paperwork come through the letterbox I sort straight away. No leaving lying around for weeks. If it needs dealing with then it goes into a file tray which sits on the kitchen side. I clear this tray once a week and do everything that needs doing. The stuff I need to keep goes into one meduim sized box kept inside a cupboard upstairs. I dont file anything - I 've worked out that the hours I spend filing far outweighed the length of time it took to sort through the box on the occasions I needed to find the home insurance documents for example. When the box is full, I go through and clear it out, throwing away old documents etc. Takes an hour maxonce a year, sat in front of the TV with a glass of wine.

I have one box of 'keepsafe' things which I have easy access to, so I can chuck things straight in there that I want to keep( things the dc have made etc) When it gets full, its gets labelled and put in the loft. No need to sort or go through.

I dont use a paper diary. I use the calender on my smartphone which is synced with dh's. Every little thing goes onto this calender. I also keep 'to do lists' on my phone so I dont end up with a thousand scraps of paper lying around.

Both the dc know the rountines. We come indoors and coats, shoes, hats, scarves are put away straight away. In the same place everyday. I refuse to spend hours hunting for things. Everything has a place.

They do not go to sleep in an untidy bedroom. While the bath is running they tidy up the mess they have made that day. Every morning before they get dressed they make their beds (I obv help 3yo dd2).

I've worked out that I do better if I get my arse in gear and do things first thing, rather than waiting till after the school run. So in the morning, I put a load of washing on ( loaded into machine the night before), unload the dishwasher, quick clean of the bathroom (normally while the dc are making beds and getting dressed). This means that when we come down in the mornings, upstairs is tidy, even the bathroom. Unloading the dishwasher means the kitchen stays tidy all day as dirty stuff goes straight in.

I'll stop now as I'm rambling too much Blush

NK5BM3 · 04/01/2014 19:54

Funny Jayne - coz I do a lot of the things you say you do.. Apart from the bills/paperwork which was what I was doing today. The kids' clothes are decluttered quite frequently, and we pass on ds' clothes to a friend who's son is smaller sized. Dd's go to other friends. We get hand me downs from friends too so when they send things down to us, we declutter as we get the 'new stuff'. ATM I have a rather big bag of little girl clothes going to friends soon.

I also put things in my phone diary. So inset days go in the moment they get announced. Birthday invites too. Plus anything I between.

The crap from the kids crafts is what was getting me down so I did allocate 2 boxes to both kids for their stuff. I think the issue is they (or at least the older one) doesn't get the idea of tidying things away.... The younger one who is the girl is pretty happy filing things though. Don't let me get started on the gender difference!

Losthearts · 04/01/2014 20:50

Thank you JayneJam, it makes sense the systems you have in place help to prevent the cluttering

IorekByrnisonsArmour · 04/01/2014 21:40

Yes - to systems and routines BUT if your DH/P is untidy, it really is soul destroying.

I try to teach my DC how to finish what you start + tidy up after. Unfortunately their father is a serial starter of projects Angry

He will start something and out will come tools and 100 tape measures and the 'correct' drill(s) and then he gets sidetracked but all of the -crap- tools get left out Hmm

These can be left out for months on every surface in the dining room

The last time this happened, despite suggesting he/I could put them away he wouldn't or let me do it. I had enough and put it all in a big box. He came in, looked and said how much better it looked Confused

Moan over its Wine time!

HiccupHaddockHorrendous · 04/01/2014 21:42

My third FB buyer has just been, yay!!

OP posts:
SoftKittyWarmKitty · 04/01/2014 23:38

Thanks Iorek, I remember reading that thread at the time but will go back and revisit it again for tips. Smile

lostinteaching47 · 05/01/2014 09:53

I've been reading that other thread and finding it very helpful, thanks for posting the link.