Who's up for a summer holiday house sort out?

[Snap8TheCat]

As usual my house needs a good declutter and clean

I am a childminder by day and so will be out and about a fair bit but can also fit in some house chores whilst they are nicely amused and encourage them to help me with things like sorting the playrooms out.

The summer holidays and starting the new school year off with a fresh start seems like a good idea.

Would anyone like to join me?

I'll join! I'm busy this weekend so won't do much but next week I'm hoping to get cracking especially cos we are 3 weeks down of school holidays here...

Fwiw I did major decluttering at the end of last year and it has helped SO much in keeping on top of things - my top tip would be if you're getting rid of stuff and don't need the cash you'd get by selling it then take it to the charity shop THAT DAY.

good tip @spiderbaby thanks! I'll post an 'after' pic later, hopefully that will hold me accountable to get it done when I get home!

Yes please! We have loads to do in preparation for DC3 arriving in November... and possibly moving house! We have been gradually decluttering but need to step it up now

I need to share.
I'm sweating from being half way through cleaning one set of stairs but it's looking so much better.
I'm using a spray made from vinegar and baking soda. Scrubbing, And then the carpet cleaner to rinse and dry.
It's not perfect but still way better than before. I've tried the carpet cleaner alone before and it didn't really shift much.

That's looking much better not. Well done!

I've really not done much today, it's too difficult when everybody dh is at home. I had a general tidy round, but I'll start on decluttering properly on Monday when there are fewer people in the house.

That looks excellent Nelly! Will try that. Do you mean a Vax or similar carpet cleaner for rinsing?
In the spirit of Marie Kondo, I'm going to gather all the pens and pencils in the house in a box tomorrow and sort them out - I predict we will have 4 million of them, 95% of which don't work!

I had a look at how much it would cost to hire a skip, and found that there's a local "man with a van" type alternative to a skip who would be half the price, and charges for the actual amount of stuff they take rather than having to guess what size of skip is need. And they collect from anywhere on the property, so I might stuff loads of stuff in the shed and book them to come and remove it from there later in the holidays.

Thanks.
This is the cleaner recipe of anyone wants it:

www.popsugar.co.uk/smart-living/Homemade-Carpet-Cleaner-41201702

I have an old Bissell with an hose thing that sprays and sucks. (Sorry that sounds rude 😁)
Nearly finished.

I know what you mean about pens and pencils Porcupino
Dragon I've done a few trips to the council dump. Much cheaper if that's an option.
If you do get a man with a van try to get someone recommend.
I have two friends with bad experiences.

I am in! I only have one day a week when DD is in nursery but I am seriously trying to Kondo. I have done my clothes and so random categories but I think I need to do them again.

Wow nelly that is fab. Having movie night with DDs age 6 and 4. I am decluttering / tidying the toys in the living room while they watch the movie / help. Amazingly we have got rid of a few toys .

@Snap8TheCat I won't be doing any set missions either, so prefer not to do prescriptive methods. It just doesn't work for me with chronic illness TBH. I tend to prefer just getting what I can done when I can, and the mutual support here will be great I'm sure. :)

I need serious help with my house. I'm 14 weeks pregnant with HG. On medication now but feel exhausted and grim
The whole house is a cluttered messy tip and I don't know where to start

Nelly, I'll be taking stuff that fits in the car to the tip, but we're currently storing a broken washing machine, a double bed frame (disassembled), a single bedframe (also dismantled), a cot (also dismantled, youngest dd is 7!), 3 fallen down fence panels, and a gate that has not been in use since before we bought the house 8 years ago. Those things are just the ones of the top of my head that don't fit in the car and therefore I can't get rid of them without hiring some sort of help, which is a lot of the reason they're still here, none of them are of any use to anyone as they're broken so charity shops don't want them.

The normal stuff that can be donated to charity will be, anything I can take to the tip myself I will, but the man with a van will be cheaper than any other way of getting rid of the other stuff.

We don't have a car at all so will be getting a skip for all the big stuff (there are cupboards etc so definitely will fill a big one). My dad used to do tip runs for us when he visited but he can't drive anymore. We are throwing out whatever fits in the normal rubbish, and we've been doing a charity shop drop every Saturday as there's a shop next to one of DD's clubs, so DH takes a bag or two on the bus each time.

Wow Dragon That does sound like you need waste removal help.
Ice Being pregnant is going to make it harder. I do remember though every time I was pregnant getting on a silly mission like decorating. I hope you feel better soon so you can do some bits round the house. Can anyone help you?

Cagliostro hippo bags are slightly cheaper than traditional skips, according to my research today. We had one when we had our kitchen fitted, and it was all very easy to book the collection online.

Nelly yes I really, really do need help. This is not a minor decluttering, this is a major house overhaul that is needed, and that's before I even think about any of the decorating that needs to be done.

Thank you I've heard of hippo bags but are they smaller? We have 3 bed frames, a huge unit and a couple of other big bits

They do big ones. Ours was big enough to fit an entire kitchen in, including all the cupboards and a couple of appliances, plus all the packaging from the new kitchen. It certainly looked the same size as an average skip. Maybe look them up and see if the biggest one looks big enough.

Dh has been great and helping lots but I can still see the mess piling up

I'd had so much fun last week though buying cleaning stuff (very unlike me!) and I had planned this weekend to blitz the place but HG has decided to ruin my plans

Success!

Wow giraffe .

Well done Giraffe.

I'm actually really pleased- once the cupboard was all sorted and my yarn neat I actually started knitting a jumper for DS because it was tidy! So more productive as a direct result of tidying!
There were four carrier bags in the bin and one for charity- I took the opportunity to sort through paperwork etc too and ditch stuff we no longer need.
I'm working on the principle that if I would be happy for the removals men to come in and pack that cupboard then it's done. Onwards and upwards- going to tackle one or even two kitchen cupboards tomorrow if I can. I need to take everything out, and give the cupboard a good clean before sorting and putting stuff back. Should make the cleaning easier on moving day is my theory, even though no doubt they will get a bit messy again before we go.

Yy @drinkswine good tips on kitchen- I have lots of lovely matching crockery and cutlery we got on our wedding list- and yet I've still got the crap old stuff in the cupboards 'in case'
Viva la declutter!