Need help with cleaning and decluttering...

[withaspongeandarustyspanner]

DH is unhappy in our relationship and wants to leaveand has cited my housekeeping/lack of ability to get rid of stuff as a factor. I'm overwhelmed. Don't know where to start.

Any tips?

When tidying up and putting the toys away tonight I've taken out two digger/ tractor things that never get played with and also a jigsaw that's been outgrown. They've joint the rest of the charity shop stuff
We have a downstairs toilet that is unusable (loo needs replacing) and it's just been a junk room, am clearing it out so that we can actually make it a working loo in preparation for potty training ds2.

I am starting to think it is joyful to realise that small changes can make a real difference to how we feel every day. Pigeon all that money for charity from items sitting unloved in your home is great - no wonder you are pleased.

Morning!
How lovely it has been not having to spend the weekend doing housework, no crap lying around, so just a general hoover, dust and wipeover keeps the house neat now. I feel this is going to benefit my working life immensely, working from home there are distractions caused by mess, hard to concentrate when there is junk lying around, so maybe, just maybe I will earn more money, the more I work the more I earn so perhaps all this decluttering will have hidden benefits

I have a slight dilemma in that I have a large drawer which holds a picnic rug, Tupperware, flasks and drinks bottles. My daughter is preteen now and I think the days of picnics are over, this makes me a bit sad. I am not sure whether to donate my picnic bits for another family to enjoy in the summer.
Anyone have plans today?

Hi all. I'm still pottering about. I started my bedroom during the week but it's still a work in progress. Three bags went though.

Bought some storage baskets in HomeSense last weekend that fit into some awkward long drawers so I have one drawer done with underwear and socks. Another drawer will be tshirts and tops. Have two baskets sorted in wardrobe of sports wear. Who knew I have 18 pairs of sports socks!

Decluttered the ironing pile again yesterday. Lots of shirts for DH and some bedding. One more session should mean it's all done.

Sponge - I'm sorry things are still not great with DH. Hopefully you'll unsafe feeling more in control of you ur surroundings though and that has got to help in th long term.

I want to do a tip run, charity shop run and finish my bedroom this week. I'm having surgery on Friday so will not be up for much for a week or so. Went for a routine mammogram last month and after a recall and a biopsy it seems I have a pre-cancerous (hopefully!) area that needs to be removed. No vacuuming or lifting or a few other things that I can't remember for a couple of weeks. And then I'm having three weeks of radiation therapy in April/May. So I want to be fairly organised this week.

Grumpy do you have a women's refuge nearby to take all your picnic things to? We have one nearby which sometimes asks for specific things from time to time.

cider Gosh, I am sorry to hear that, how worrying for you, sounds like a precaution thing so hope very much it is just an indicator rather than anything sinister (I hope that comes across as I mean it)

How are you today sponge? Not sure if there is a refuge near me, its a good idea and I will check. I am wondering whether to keep my picnic stuff though as maybe there will be festivals ahead soon rather than playing in parks for hours every day in the summer.
Just off to put a towels wash on and that's about it as OH has tidied the kitchen and the house is in pretty good shape. I am ready for the working week ahead, hope I get plenty of work in or I will be bored (and broke!)

Never too old for picnics, surely :)

I saw the thing about the baggy rotary line. It took me about 20 minutes to redo mine last year. Another 20 minutes to run a cleaning cloth, sprayed, the length of the line, but it's pretty easy job once you get going.

When on maternity leave, I got really overwhelmed my stuff. I got into a '15 things' habit. Do 15 things - pick up 15 things off the floor, fold 15 bits of laundry, put 15 things into the dishwasher. Usually, within 5 minutes it looked like I'd done something but in a manageable chunk of time.

Never too old for picnics - I agree and they are staying, but I have tidied that drawer and found around 120 tealights all out of their packets. Now, I have a really pretty tin clogging up my food cupboard - a fancy biscuits for cheese tin, which unfortunately wasn't tight enough to keep loose biscuits fresh, I like it a lot and didn't want to bin it, so it has become my tealight tin and I am very happy with that! Nearly done with kitchen decluttering and what a result, 5 minutes to keep it pristine!

Grumpy I agree that grown up concerts in parks or festivals often require picnic bits. I might be tempted to keep but then I have not reached that cupboard in the kitchen yet. Do know that the boxes without lids and the lids without boxes must go when I get there.

Cider well done for getting things organised ahead of Friday. That is something I am conscious of - if I am out of action could home function for the short term relatively smoothly. Hope that the op goes exactly as you anticipate.

No decluttering today but bathroom wiped round and washing up to date. Roast lunch made and going to spend the afternoon trying to wrestle with paperwork etc for the week ahead.

I think that the whole decluttering process is to break it down into manageable chunks. I'm a great believer in lists and when I first started I had an A5 piece of paper for each room which I then listed everything which needed doing and what so that it was easy to offload everything and then deal with it.

Having done probably 80% of the work I now have one general list in the kitchen which everyone can add to and work from.

Sometimes we have an extra weekend list of everything which might need doing over the weekend from homework to cleaning shoes to cleaning the oven and then everyone pitches in. It's working well as there isn't the excuse of 'I didn't know what needed doing'.

I just decluttered a chocolate doughnut - in manageable chunks!

Grumpy I like that sort of decluttering!

I decluttered a roast beef roast dinner. I was very efficient.

Glad you all had such efficient and satisfactory decluttering experiences yesterday. Another busy day but I have sorted the cutlery drawer before the day starts and i am determined to fit some more in later. Hope everyone is starting the week feeling positive.

I am feeling pretty positive today - first load of washing done, dishwasher on. Kitchen still sparkly gorgeous
Ready to work and do my admin. I need to tackle my paperwork and drop off yet another bag to the charity shop but that's about it.

We did loads in the garden yesterday and today someone collected an old car roof box that had been sitting on our drive for a year as we'd bought a new one and done nothing with the old

Feck Sponge , this thread forced me to declutter the small mountain of stationary and chargers/leads littering the house last night. Then today I uncluttered my wardrobe to seasonal 35 items and completely rearranged my bedroom. I made a trip to the tip and offloaded 4 bags to the charity shop, with another trip to both again tomorrow.

I am now shattered but considering going through my extensive paper/bills horde.

Why Sponge, why?

Ha - it's catching!

ifitsnotanarse Shattered but feeling positive I bet? It is so worth it.
I need to do paperwork and planned to get a shiny new file to hold just my essentials, in the midst of decluttering a drawer I found one, brand new and unused, I had no idea it was there, so this decluttering lark actually saves money too!

I have a lot of work on today, I don't think I will make it up to the charity shop, I think most of the stock in there at the moment is from me, it's nice to think they are raising some money and other people are benefitting from my outgrown odds and ends.

Quiet day here - so my aim is to get as much of the kitchen as I can done and the surplus items off to the charity shop.

Grumpy the last time dropped to the local shop the window display was made up of items I had donated. I donate to a shop which is close to my heart as it helped my sister for many years and it made me feel so happy - the clothes in my wardrobe never had.

Sponge I hope you are still coping.

I made it to the charity shop, 3 x more bags gone, and all but one of my kitchen drawers organised, nearly there

I think I need one more energetic go at it and I will be pretty much done. Now I have empty cupboards and drawers I need to guard against allowing crap in the house again. I think I will always be one to stock up on toothpaste, loo roll etc. but now I have places to store them and not just cram them in here and there.

Sponge hope everything is ok with you?

Anyone else still out there? Grumpy I only have one kitchen cupboard left - never got that far before. Cider thinking of you ahead of your procedure on Friday.

I'm here! But haven't achieved much apart from the fact that despite the fact I work from home I'm managing to keep my desk tidy!

Was supposed to take our old (dead) printer in to DH's work tomorrow so he can recycle it but he's not around when I was going to get there so that puts paid to that!

I am still here and I still need this thread, but as I'm back at work, unsurprisingly, that's been getting in the way.

I am still keeping on top of the bathroom, downstairs loo and rooms. The laundry is fighting back so I need to tackle that.

I did attack our bedroom - not sure if I mentioned that. Still some way to go, but a vast improvement.

Things are not brilliant here. Everything's very uncertain and I feel constantly sick. We had a very bad argument over the weekend. I saw therapist and she is urging me to gain some control by deciding to let him go. She knows him too (in a slightly different capacity) and says he doesn't sound like the person she knows. I daren't let him go because he has said it will be permanent. I feel I am over a barrel.

But strangely, getting the house in order is helping me feel slightly more in control.

Hi Sponge Well done on keeping on top of the bathroom/loo - most important rooms IMO.
I am sorry things are so uncertain at home, it must be so hard on you. Is a therapist who knows him the right person I wonder?
Control - yes, I understand that, it is important to have control in at least some areas if life when things are up and down. Keep on keeping on and take good care of yourself
Cider wishing you all the best for your appointment tomorrow

Pigeon I too work at home, now the house is calmer I am not so distracted by "I'll just do this and that" More work done = more money. So it is win-win.
Well done everyone, I think we are doing great.

sitoff sorry, didn't say, well done on your kitchen, one cupboard left is great. Here, you have some too!