Anyone want to join me for a school holiday decluttering thread?

[NickNacks]

Slowly but surely our little house has developed a problem. She's run out of space!

Added to the problem that we are all a bit crap about putting things away after we are finished with them and I am a childminder, something has got to give and some serious getting rid has to happen.

I have a fairly quiet school holidays approaching so plan to sort it out in time for a stress free start to the school year.

Would anyone like to join me?

[Leeloo2]

Yes, I completely share your frustration! Perhaps it shows that toy rotation would work well with their ages/stage of development?

If you think they just have too much though, then on the marie kondo theme of keeping what you love, I'd overtly make a point of saying to them, that you'd thought they'd outgrown these toys, but as they are really enjoying and loving them then they should stay for now. BUT that they need to have a home so that they don't get damaged. Then I'd do a dramatic glance towards the toy shelves and ask which toys can be put away, or are 'too young' for them and 'can go to the poor children with no toys' (eg the charity shop), to make a lovely space for the ones they are enjoying so much.

They might surprise you with what they all willing to cull, but if not, at least its instilling the idea for the future that they can't keep every thing that ever comes into their lives, because there just isn't room!

[OneArt]

Yes I agree with you Leeloo. Although it's a bit frustrating for my decluttering aims, it's really nice to see them enjoying their old toys again. Novelty value hasn't worn off yet this morning!

[Leeloo2]

OneArt, my kids are the same as the put aside stuff suddenly has a novelty value. I see it as a last hurrah with the toys, let them play for a few days and then they either lose interest pretty (usually) so get rid of them, or they still play with odd bits, so keep those.

In a way I quite like it, as it feels like they're getting one last use out of whatever I've previously purchased. :)

[OneArt]

Arghh! DCs are now playing with the toys I'd put in a pile to give away and having a brilliant time. They haven't played with these toys for ages!!

[OneArt]

Got back from holiday on Sun, so haven't posted on this thread for a while. Was at work on Mon. Did the DC's craft stuff on Tues. Currently tackling the DC's toys, which may be a 2-day job!

Well done everyone!

[itshappenedagain]

Today I'm on the final stretch! I will be doing a tip run tomorrow morning. Plus I've convinced my dd that she needs to downsize the collection of dolls and doll beds...so far she is getting rid of 4 doll beds and 8 dolls. Now I just have to convince her that millions some of the soft toys need to exit too.
My ds's room has remained clean but will need going over again today to make sure it's clean.

[building2016]

I have done this before too! But my daughter has actually developed a bit of a problem with hanging on to stuff like rubbish so I have had to take a 'training' approach to this with her. And my son is a chucker not a keeper so it is easier with him anyway.

[Onlytimewilltell]

I find it easier to declutter my 8 year old's room when she's not there, I asked her if she still wanted to keep her big lalaloopsy dolls which had been sitting untouched for months. She said she wanted to keep them. They sat untouched for several more weeks until I put them in the loft when she was at school and she hasn't even noticed/isn't bothered that they are gone from her shelf. I normally use the loft as a holding bay as occasionally I move something that they actually do really want so I may have to get it back down.
If not missed the stuff gets sold on facebook at Christmas time.

[building2016]

Just a quick admission - I have not actually made the children have a sort out as I thought I would. I have two weeks left to make this happen.

I want a cuddly toy audit and I want them to just go through their things and see what they don't want. They are 9 and 11. I just know it is going to be difficult so I am avoiding it. Urgh.

[grumpypug]

Everyone seems like they're doing really well - last leg now as school holidays are almost over .

I've continued to keep my bedroom tidy and decluttered which is a miracle for me!! The bathroom is looking lovely and the kids bedrooms are much better. My living room is now a toy free zone (apart from one box of toys which can be brought in, played with and returned).

Next on the list is the boxed games. We have loads and they are never played with (apart from pop up pirate).

DH tidied out the garage last week and has decided he needs to do his clothes. He's noticed how much better mine fit into my wardrobe and he's jealous!!

[Leeloo2]

Good luck with the bedroom Francine, have you tried doing a Marie Kondo style sort of your wardrobe if there's too many clothes to put away? So you get all your clothes out (start with just your pants/sock drawer) and only put away what you what you really love. It's an effective way of sorting the wheat from the chaff. :)

[Leeloo2]

Trickymoments, my kids are similar, in the leaving a trail of crap behind them way. I think the answer has to be having less stuff, helping them to organise what they have/use and removing what is not respected.

So I've sorted my (almost 8 yo's) toys, as I think children need help to organise themselves (i know I do!) and I'll be on his back about maintaining this - if necessary with promise of eg no TV/screen time until xyz are back in their boxes/homes.

I'm reducing what the dc's have to manageable amounts, with their help where possible (as per my post above about ds decluttering his cars) so they aren't overwhelmed with playing /tidying. I am finding the they seem to play better and for longer with less choice.

I'm also getting rid of stuff which I thought were 'quality' toys / books, but that the dc don't play with, which means giving up slightly on who I'd like them to be/what I'd like our relationship to be. But keeping the stuff doesn't change that, just gives the illusion off it, whilst filling the house with more unused crap! So I should just accept they /I am who we are.

I hope this is making some sense... It's been a long day!

If I was you I'd tell your ds his room is too cluttered. So you're going to have a big sort out together. Take everything out and ask him to choose what he loves and would 'really like to display properly'. Then (depending what you think he'd accept), you can ask him to sort out a box of things that are 'too young for him' (this works well with all my dc's, even the toddler), and another box that are either to ebay /charity shop that he doesn't like anymore, or if he wouldn't accept that then it can be a box of stuff that is to 'put away for now' to make more space.

Good luck. :)

[FrancineSmith]

I'd love to join in please!

I'm struggling with depression and a bad back so things have got pretty bad lately. There's also a possibility we might be moving soon to somewhere with less living space so really need to declutter to make that easier.

I've had a good few days and DH has helped over the weekend, so living room is looking pretty good at the moment and so is conservatory (which is all DH's stuff anyway.) the garage is half way there too.

I'm going to try and focus on our bedroom first as it's the worst room in the house. It's small and lacks storage so we need to be smarter about what we keep in there. Getting the washing finished and put away often goes wrong as ours just ends up in a pile on the floor.

Going to start with my bedside table as I've got 3 good sized drawers in that and it's massively underused. Will add more if my back is OK after that one.

[1AngelicFruitCake]

No idea on that one but hopefully someone else has! I'm going to try and keep the habit of tidying away properly each night so it stays organised.

[Trickymoments]

Thank you Angelic, that sounds good. I have tried to separate toys into categories before but it never lasts, all ends up jumbled up again!

The other thing is ds who is 8 is more interested in electronics now. He has a room full of toys, lego, starwars stuff that is never played with. Some of the lego is unopened! I haven't got rid if it in the hope he will want to do it sometime but he just never does. How much longer should I hang on to all this stuff? If I say to him can I get rid he says no, but it's pointless just cluttering up his room.

[1AngelicFruitCake]

I've got a baby and toddler so not the same ages as yours but I've found making an appointment with myself each evening to declutter is the only way I get anything done. I'm in the middle of a major declutter but once it's done I'm going to organise all toys by type e.g. Bricks, soft toys, train etc and I'm using the tip someone else gave on here which is once you've filled the box of that type of toy then that's it - pick the best to keep and get rid of what you don't need.

[Trickymoments]

I am overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in my house. I try everyday to tidy, declutter & organise but it's basically like chasing my tail!!

What is the answer when you have children who just leave a trail
of 'stuff' throughout the house? Their stuff is in every room and no amount of me asking them to put things away, not drop things, put rubbish in bin etc makes any difference! Clothes everywhere, I feel like I'm always playing catch up with everything.
They are 8 & 4 and I seriously want things to change when school starts. I work part time but every day so not much time
for serious decluttering as they are always around.

Any tips please, it's really stressing me out🙁

[building2016]

Hello all, back after my holiday and determined to clear some stuff out! I have things ready to go to the tip, I have piles of hand-me-downs to pass on, I have donations ready and I just need them to go out out the door please. :)

I also want to actually contribute to the 'out' pile but not sure how much will get done today.

[Leeloo2]

Oh and ds went through the mammoth box of vehicles I'd sorted... He kept 1 car transporter and about 5 cars/trucks! I had to work hard to restrain myself from encouraging him to keep any that had been special due to xyz, but I managed it and he now has a usable number of cars if he wants to play with them. :-)

[Leeloo2]

I gave the bags of toys I'd sorted to my mum for a refuge she knows and she asked if I had any kids' clothes... So I pulled the vacuum storage bags out of the attic to look through. Some brought really happy memories (tiny, tiny vests!), others I remember loving at the time, but either looked at and thought 'meh' or was sad to see they had dodgy stains on them! Some even brought back a slight feeling of desperation and panic, that first dc was outgrowing clothes, I didn't have much money on mat leave and was stressed about the whole parenting malarkey!

So a few special tiny things from each dc are being saved and couple of huge sacks to go to the refuge, via my mum, next week. It feels great that things will be going to a good home.

[Leeloo2]

I hope the conservatory is going well three and glad to have helped motivate you. :-)

[hopefullyoptimistic]

Itshappenedagain - I completely agree - hearing that others are decluttering is massively motivating :)

I have finished moving sofas into the lounge, moved the dining table into the conservatory and started clearing books. We have hundreds of pointless books. And hundreds that we have read. I'm the book hoarder -
and I have decided to stop as of today. It's quite liberating!

So, furniture is all moved. Need to hoover - will do this when I have collected DCs. I also need to order a new bin. It's an exciting life :)

Then I have to decide what to do with the enormous utility room I have. At the moment, we aren't using the space well... I want that to change but not sure what to put in it!!

[itshappenedagain]

I always feel better when I know I'm not the inly one who has clutter. Today I tackled the airing cupboard... It has nearly killed me!
I have found loads if cot sheets and baby blankets that I thought I was rid of but have set aside a pile to donate!
We're going away for the weekend so next week will be the final push and the last tip run. Think my house my breAth a sigh of relief

[threeislovely]

Wow Leeloo! Your post has really inspired me. I was feeling a bit low - but now I feel like if just sort things, I will be able to rehome everything. Thank you! Off to deal with the conservatory!!

[Leeloo2]

I made more progress yesterday. I don't know what has changed in me (maybe the 'practice' I've been having) but suddenly I seem to be able to see areas of what needs doing, whereas before I'd look at a cluttered, messy room, despair a lot, feel depressed that it was insurmountable and sadly ignore it.

Now I'm starting to be able to separate out items of mess from the whole - so kids books/tat/cars etc. And by doing enough little areas, overall it's making a big difference.

Yesterday I tackled my ds' toys downstairs -a big help was resorting the nano bugs, that had overflowed their many small boxes and containers into 1 bigger box (that had been liberated from some clothes I'd charity shopped upstairs) and they look much more usable now, and so much tidier! I sorted like-by-like as much as possible and then had a box of 'random crap'.

Then I went to his bedroom and did the same there. Stuff was everywhere so some lenses for torches were upstairs/downstairs/in kitchen... So by gathering it all together I managed to put random bits together instead of assuming separate bits week rubbish iyswim. For a kid who doesn't play with cars anymore he seems to have about 60, so they're all collected together now for him to go through and decide if he wants to keep them or not. Then I disassembled all the half broken lego models (thanks toddler dc!) that were in different boxes, and they're all sorted back into the separate pieces boxes I set up back last year sometime. It's freed up loads of space and about 6 storage boxes!

I'm also finding Marie Kondo is really right when she says the house will provide storage. Twice I've almost gone to ikea to buy new trofast boxes, but haven't had time... Well, in collecting up all the newly empty boxes from round the house yesterday I found 5 empty Trofast boxes - crazy!

Oh and with the space I created from sorting the tat, I've set up a 'special things shelf' for each dc! As how can I expect them to appreciate their stuff and look after it amongst piles of crap? Toddler dc is very excited, so hopefully it'll be maintained.

The kids' bedroom is the clearest it's been since ds was a baby 8 years ago! This is working!