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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Keep on getting rid of one thing a day decluttering challenge!

992 replies

StealthNinjaMum · 13/03/2018 13:23

After a thousand posts our homes are beautiful, decluttered places of harmony and relaxation….. or perhaps not?

We’re still trying to recycle, freecycle, sell our unwanted stuff and most of all clear out our houses, garages and sheds.

It’s easy to get involved, literally get rid of one thing a day and report back for support (and sometimes finger wagging if you’ve ‘accidentally’ bought a load of new clutter!)

Please join us and a warm welcome back to

@SandSnakeofDorne @PenelopeFlintstone @MajestyRoyal @Cupoteap @Gibble1 @SandAndSea @Medwaymumoffour @Rainbowqueen @Namethecat @lljkk @CapricornWithAUnicornHorn @Helsingborg @Panda81 @abitoflight @fannyanddick @AbbieLexie

(Apologies if I missed anyone out)

Original thread here

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
AdaColeman · 09/04/2018 19:33

Oh great! Into the charity bag it goes. Thank you!

namastayinbed · 09/04/2018 19:50

out 3 DC tshirts, 2 photo frames, 3 storage boxes, 1 set fridge magnets

in 6 DC tshirts, 2 vests, 1 jacket, 2 pairs flip flops, 1 nail varnish, 2 toys. primark made me fail

3 out this month in total. Must do better tomorrow!

lljkk · 09/04/2018 19:57

2 items sold on Ebay, one item given away at work.
DH ordered some sport shoes for middle DS.
I found a box of pavement chalk, am eyeing up who could I give them too. Perfect for 6 yr olds and neighbours who don't mind colours on the tarmac.

Wow on GivemePiracy's medical organisation!

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 09/04/2018 22:38

Twister's a great game, someone will love it

I have half cleared out the cupboard that the mouse went into. It was a food cupboard but mainly full of oils, vinegars, herbs, spices and a plastic tub of peanut butter which it did an amazing job of eating through. So I have just taken a big bag to the bottle bank. Tomorrow I need to dispose of the peanut butter tub. As peanut butter is crack cocaine to rodents I will be throwing it away somewhere off my property for fear of feeding a rat! (We have the occasional rat in our garden)

Very jealous of the medical organisation, I should do something like that. A couple of weeks ago I sorted out our old medicines in the bathroom and put a load of stuff on a tray for dh to sort through. I haven't yet disposed of it but I need to take about 8 years worth of dh's beconase hay fever spray bottles to the pharmacists which will be really embarrassing - I'll look like a mad hoarder woman Grin

OP posts:
caringcarer · 09/04/2018 22:44

I am really poor at decluttering but have turned out childs drawers and packed up clothes a bit on small side to Salvation Army collection. I need to go through toy box as it overflows and we can't close lid and pick out toys too young for dc. I will try to do that tomorrow.

SandAndSea · 10/04/2018 00:09

I'm still here! I've been on a bit of a 'go slow' tbh - have reached a point where the things which are left are also the things I've tended to get stuck on. I have got rid of something today though: a bolster cover thing for pillow storage which has a broken zip. It had a pillow in it which was also going to go until DP decided to rescue it. I'm watching it though! If I get any sense of it being spare it will be going out! Grin

You guys have insired me as I also need to do my medicine cupboard. It's bad! I'll think about that for tomorrow. (No promises.)

AlbaChick · 10/04/2018 00:15

Oh god, one thing a day? I’d need to live as long as Mattheuselah (so). Perhaps if I got rid of OH I’d stop much of the clutter in the first place 😄. I’ve armed myself with plenty big bin bags!

SandAndSea · 10/04/2018 00:17

Tiddlywinks63 - I think it really helps if you can get all your clothes out and go through them all at once. Start by pulling out everything which is past it. If it's holey, stained, smelly, tatty etc, pull it out and bag it up. Then pull out anything which doesn't make you feel good when you wear it and anything you haven't worn for a couple of years. See what you've got left after that.

I've also found Kondo's folding of my tops really useful. It maximises drawer space and means you can really see what you've got.

Hope this helps.

Middleoftheroad · 10/04/2018 08:38

Productive day yesterday with paperwork (I find this harder to chuck - just in case- but it's organised).
Sorting spare room.and thrown out random.items that have been hanging on to for years for no reason.

I too have taken Twister to charity as kids don't play it anymore and I don't want to put my back out....

Feel bad as we took a poof to recycling place and cat is desperately missing it, so now have to buy poof (in right colour this time) as she keeps circling around looking for her own seat in the lounge.

Maybe I can loan her out to sort mice issue?

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 10/04/2018 10:33

I have very quickly gone through my scarves and gloves. I have put about 4 scarves in the charity shop pile and have put a pile of dh's hats, scarves, gloves on his side of the bed for him to sort through ignore later.

I sort of have an aim to do my bedroom while dc are off school but it's quite a big job so haven't really set a target for it like I'd do in term time. We have three double built in wardrobes and something like 33 drawers to sort through! I have done about 4. As well as chucking stuff out I need to organise them so now I have some empty drawers I'm intending to slowly put postit notes on the outside of drawers to indicate where things go and then just shuffle things about until it feels organised. I think dh probably owns more clothes than me so there is a limit to how much stuff I can get rid of but he is getting better at throwing things out.

middleoftheroad we have a lovely pink leather poof we bought in Morocco we could swap for the cat! About 10 years ago I stuffed it with dhs hideous TopMan cardigans and he never noticed. I feel slightly guilty about that

OP posts:
Olivo · 10/04/2018 12:26

Givemeprivacy, that medicine cupboard is amazing. I was just wondering what I might do with my smaller plastic boxes when I switch jobs, now I know!

lljkk · 10/04/2018 13:41

Hands up, who has some boxes of 'stuff' that is residue from their childhood? I am thinking of facing mine. If I don't want to look at it today, then safely I think I'll never want to look at it, again. Old diaries, bits of art work, I dunno, stuff I used to love but I can't remember the feeling now.

DD is (a hoarder) sentimental, though. I could save some items for her, but she won't ever look at it, either. Just likes idea of holding onto stuff forever.

SandAndSea · 10/04/2018 15:12

@lljkk - My hand's up. Grin

PurpleFrog · 10/04/2018 15:23

My hand is up! A couple of years after we bought our first house, my Mum packed it all into boxes and made me take it back with me after a visit home. I have sorted out some of it, but I really need to do the rest. My sister is 4 years younger and I was forced to pass things on to her when I was deemed too old for them, so I didn't have any toys or small kids' books left at that point. It was basically the contents of my bedroom that were left behind when I went to University. A couple of years ago I got rid of a pile of course notes from school, a number of books I had as a teenager and sold some stuff on eBay including Rubiks puzzles and some recorders. I need to have a rummage through what's left...

lljkk · 10/04/2018 15:26

Displacement activity... I have tackled several other clutter areas so far this afternoon, but still not gone near my "memory" boxes. They will continue to glower at me from the Loft for a while yet.

DD had kept things like "Amy and Sarah are allowed to revise during period 3 today" notes. Hmm

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 10/04/2018 15:49

Sticks hand firmly in air. I have some old toys and some boxes of letters / cards from friends as a teenager / uni student. I know I will find love letters and a letter dumping me by My First Love complete bastard 20 years ago and even though I am happy with dh I will still get irrationally upset by that letter. Don't know whether to shred it without reading it.

OP posts:
CiderwithBuda · 10/04/2018 16:00

Just shred it! You do not need to go back there!

I have done a partial charity shop run. Couldn’t get parking near so just took what I could carry easily. Still two boxes in the car.

SandAndSea · 10/04/2018 16:07

I've got old letters, cards etc too but don't count them as clutter. I mean, I might need them one day, you know, for my autobiography... Wink

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 10/04/2018 16:27

Thanks Cider I might come here in a few weeks when I start going through the box to ask you to repeat that or I may ignore the box for another 20 years

OP posts:
Clutterfreeintraining · 10/04/2018 16:32

Good afternoon!
Just finished work (early!!). I’ve had 6 children here since 7.45 this morning Shock and I am absolutely zonked.
I have very little from my childhood here because my (hoarder) dmum probably has it at her house. Although, now it’s got me thinking, she must have a hidden room in her house because I can’t recall seeing anything of mine there Confused
Three of my eBay items have sold over the last couple of days so I’m going to go and pack them and pop them up to the post office before I collapse in an exhausted heap on the sofa Grin

Tiddlywinks63 · 10/04/2018 16:34

Thanks Sand and Sea, I've spent today so far doing just that and there are four bags for the charity shop and an even bigger pile for DD to look through.
I've tidied drawers as Marie Kondo, binned lots of ancient makeup so perhaps getting the hang of it now!

AdaColeman · 10/04/2018 17:26

I've got rid of three cookery books today, so only a thousand or so more books to go! Grin
I now very rarely buy paper books since I got a Kindle years ago, but people still give me them as gifts, so the piles aren't diminishing much.

I've got a box of childhood trinkets, and still got my teddybear!

(I couldn't possibly throw Bumbo out!) Smile

CiderwithBuda · 10/04/2018 17:40

I got rid of two packets of stale crackers from the cupboard.

I don’t have anything from my childhood I don’t think. I have a folder of old photos etc but I got rid of quite a bit last time we moved I think.

My mum kept lots of stuff from when we were kids but my dad is gradually getting rid.

One of my sisters keeps taking piles of books home -much to her husband’s annoyance!

ememem84 · 10/04/2018 17:43

Haven’t gotten rid of anything today but haven’t brought anything new in either.

Middleoftheroad · 10/04/2018 18:40

Stealth I like the sound of your poof and am in awe at 33 drawers!

Today I gave a slightly broken (yet all pieces there) Lego model to a family member whose little boy will love this. We now have boxes of Lego to sort. They're 12 soon and only interested in one build big models (i.e. Star Wars) so we have bags of Lego City stuff. It's all mixed so only suitable to give away. I'd say there's a few thousand £££ of bricks there Grin