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?

[Ditsy4]

Well I have about half done.
I forgot a man was coming over to do DIY. DH hasn't sorted some jobs for years so about six months ago I contacted a chap that does DIY on a Saturday and now he does all the jobs that DH " I'll get around to it." doesn't do. It is great. Actually asking a man to do a job and he does it. It is quite empowering. So he has now finished a job which DH botched and has always annoyed me. So I had to clear the kitchen previous to his arrival.
I have done ALL the ironing. The gardening that I had planned. The washing AND ironed it! Had a chat with an elderly neighbour and sat in the garden reading for half an hour because it was so lovely and I kept looking at it thinking about it raining tomorrow. I've cleaned the table but not the floor because I will need to wait until tomorrow because of the work done. Will get about half the bedroom done and the rest tomorrow.
Bought myself an easy tea from M&S :)
Might do a bit more after tea.
I'm determined to do these jobs by next weekend. I also sorted my RE file for school and chucked out half of it. Might sort and shred tonight :)

[Trickymoments]

Hi I've been reading all your posts with interest. I am overwhelmed by stuff in our house, there's just so much of it but it seems to be mostly things we do actually use.

I'd like to know how do people actually manage to do anything with dc's around? Mine are 8 & 4 and very demanding. I feel like if I start a job I will have to keep stopping to amuse them or break up their constant squabbles! Either that or they add to the chaos by getting more stuff out &'then wandering off or deciding they want to keep the stuff I'm trying to get rid of! It feels like I'm fighting a losing battle trying to get things in order.

[RhubarbCrumbled]

Hello, I'm cracking on with Kondoing as the house is going on the market and the photos are being taken on Tuesday Reading this thread has got me going again and I'm at the point where I've got rid of enough stuff that I'm noticing the difference in tidying up.

Tricky - my two boys can be quite demanding but I've got to tell point of totally putting my foot down. They both get shouted to take they're own stuff away and arguments and demands have been ignored! They're now starting to actually play with each other...famous last words...

[RhubarbCrumbled]

And the reason I actually came to post but forgot! My mum has just decided to give me all the stuff she saved from when I was a baby. Things like christening cards, the christening cake topper, every last one of my childhood books plus a load of hers...the list goes on! If I get rid of them she's going to get upset but none of it really means anything to me and it's just boxes of 'stuff'.
And now I'm worried that I haven't been saving much for my DSs in the future. Should I be saving everything for them and am I weird in not wanting to? I don't want to dump loads of stuff on them in the future like my mum has done to me.
Help!

[MrsHathaway]

The stuff I save from my DCs' "firsts" are largely for me.

I don't think most people are interested in stuff they had, but stuff they did. Photos are interesting, and the odd school exercise book or drawing.

First shoes? Don't care. Babygro they wore home from hospital? Nope.

Keep it if you want it, but recognise it as a souvenir of parenthood.

[SharonfromEON]

I have been to the tip today with a car full of junk scary how fast it seems to grown..
Stopped at Home bargains on the way home and bought a carrier bag full of things I didn't know I needed till I got in there..

[Leeloo2]

Thanks for the advice NickNacks. I have Trofast too (1 stepped unit and 3 of the tall ones, plus 2x2 kallax, a load of the huge Simla boxes in the hall, plus the dc's toys upstairs...). I find the kallax a bit too big for most toys so I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it?

I have been 'loosing' toys I didn't want to use and duplicates (eg we had a happyland dolls house, a wooden one, a duplo one and now a sylvanian one! Argh!), but I'm still drowning in toys...

Eg, for construction I have some baby duplo, a load of 'sets' of regular duplo (zoo, train, house, circus, vehicles), octagons, magnet blocks, sticklebricks, wooden blocks and huge community playthings hollow blocks. Plus ds has a tonne of regular lego. Oh and we have a couple of cogs sets and a marble run. I look at it all and just do not know what to get rid of (except the hollow blocks, I love those). I tried to get rid of the octagons, as they're my least favourite, but then dh made some cool rockets with them with the dc... So I'm none the wiser! :(

[MrsHathaway]

We have Kallax (and predecessor Expedit) for toys. Two times 4x2. Each cube has a different type in it - eg dinosaurs, cars, craft, Playmobil, kitchen etc. You take the whole box out to play with, then slot it back in afterwards. Love it.

[Leeloo2]

I'm wondering whether to lose the big playsets (pirate ship, garage and rocket), but then again I only have 2 yo mindees at the moment, will they play more with that stuff when they're 3???

Honestly, fretting about this stuff makes my head hurt.

[Leeloo2]

MrsHathaway - thanks, but don't you find that the toys just nestle forlornly at the bottom of the super deep kallax boxes? Or that if they're full it's an overwhelming amount of toys when they're out? Eg they have to tip it all out to find the 1 bit of playmobil they were looking for in the first place? Or do you have containers inside the bigger boxes?

[MrsHathaway]

I guess we have the right kind of toys. Things like cars get played with all at once; ditto train track or Playmobil tbh.

However you can get half-height drawers for the Kallax (example) which could be used for littler bits if necessary. Not removable ad hoc, mind.

[grumpypug]

What are everyone's plans for today?

I've finished sorting my clothes (4 bin bags to the clothes bank and 1 bin bag of shoes to the shoe bank). I still have my mountain of hats / scarves / gloves to go through.

I have a huge basket of washing that needs to be done and the children's rooms are desperate for a sort out.

[Littlemissjt]

My plans for Saturday went out the window as it was a nice day so we went to a local street festival instead.
Baby clothes and costume jewellery worked through yesterday.
Today is my clothes, living room ( only a small unit and not too much junk in it) and tonight's plan is to paint living room after baby is in bed!

[OneArt]

Can I join please? I'm off work for most of the rest of the summer (just doing the odd day here and there), and planning to do some serious de-cluttering!

Today I think I'll start with sorting out the DC's clothes.

[building2016]

Sorting through craft cupboard while kids do crafts. Suddenly the possibilities are endless since we have time to play, so I won't throw out much right now.

[user7755]

Got rid of 5 bags of clothes to clothes for cash yesterday (£14). Got another 7 in the car to go and a further 7 still in the house. Just done my books, (Daren't touch DH's) scans at £41 worth - got another three boxes that they don't want so they will be going to a charity shop. About to put away the washing and clean the kitchen - waiting for delivery of ds new bed.

[MrsHathaway]

Sorted old clothes last night including things the previous owners left in the loft five years ago (!)

Took four bin bags of clothes to the clothes bank today. Also tipped pfb's original pram which has been in the garage so long it's now mouldy in places.

[Leeloo2]

I managed 2 bags for the charity shop today (outgrown shoes, clothes, some folders and about 10 assorted shapes and sizes of kids' balls). Plus I sorted out medicines - a carrier bag full of packaging and out of date ones gone means the cupboard looks a lot neater. :-)

Oh and I'm trying to scan the house hard for actual rubbish. I always think I don't have any, but hidden amongst clutter I found a box of receipts, 3 plastic drinks bottles, 4 free magazines, pages of notes about what to pack for a holiday that's been and gone now and some empty packaging.

Overall the house must get better with each item removed, but I'm not noticing a difference yet.

[itshappenedagain]

Today I'm onto the kitchen...a miracle has happened as the laundry basket is empty, but now my table is full of clean washing which needs sorting and ironing.
Plus the kitchen needs a good clean, I've done all the cupboards this morning but the drawers need clearing out. It will take all day.
Kids are happily playing so may as well keep on with it.

[SnugglySnerd]

I'm not doing too well but DH took a load of old wood and cardboard from the garage to the tip so that's progress of sorts.

[building2016]

Sorted weird outbuilding where the tumble drier lives.

And craft cupboard, ish. Not going to get much done tomorrow but the cleaners will make everything smell nice anyway.

[Equimum]

Over the weekend and yesterday, we sorted all the boxes that had been stored at my mum's house for a couple of years. They were mostly books, DVDs and CDs which we had felt unable to get rid of when we last moved. I have just taken two bags to the charity shop and we have made over £80 (hopefully!) selling some of the stuff. There were some things we did want to keep and we have re-stored a couple of boxes of books which we don't currently have space to keep out.

Today, I am planning to sort through all the stored kids clothes and decide exactly what I want t I keep for DS2 and what can go. So far, I have found that about a third of what I kept from DS1 hasn't been used for DS2, so there's not much point keeping so much. I can then also be more specific in my purchases.

[Ditsy4]

Have completed more than half of kitchen and same for bedroom. Should really just concentrate on one but to and forint with washing. Have completed washing and ironing. I hate putting it away so was down to a bit every time I went in only have skirts to hang in wardrobe today. Need a new rail as it has bent. It is pine so I need a meta l one or less stuff! It is just an old, small pine one. Sorted some craft stuff last night and need to do that today. Have four bags of school stuff in kitchen I threw some out but collected more from around the house. At least if I go in to finish declutter there I should be able to take and leave all the school stuff from home to school.
So today's aim: put ironed clothes away.
Finish dusting bedroom and under bed mopping.
Start off craft project.
Coffee
Re-home what is left on kitchen table so it is clear.
Clean the rest of kitchen
Lunch
Wash up including dirty grill pan that DH left. Discovered!
More craft for afternoon.
Wash kitchen floor, vacuum.
Hope I don't get any interruptions which has happened this week. What is your aim for today?

[Leeloo2]

I spent 6 hours last night and another 3 this morning cleaning and attacking the toy mountain! 1 bag of rubbish, 2 huge bags went to the charity shop this morning and most other stuff is either cleaned, better organised and 'thinned out' so it's more usable as we can see what we have.

The dc have been really positive about it - my 2 yo came in this morning and said 'this is a very tidied room!' Bless her! we played with some bits I'd forgotten we had and they've seemed really happy. It feels very positive. :-)

Less positive is that on the way home we passed someone who was putting a load of stuff out to take, 1 dc picked a football and 1 asked for a tent for the garden! Oops, we very clearly do not do well on reducing what is coming into the house! Although there was masses of stuff we didn't take...

[Leeloo2]

Oh and whilst the living room toy mountain is improved, there are further ones in the hall and upstairs to address next!