Decluttering - where to start

[weleasewoderick22]

I really need to de clutter every single room in my house ( terraced 2 bedroom) but don't know where to start.
Do you do one room at a time? Should I empty the whole room then bring stuff back in? What works best?

Sorry about all the questions, but I need real life advice rather than Marie Kondo etc

Many thanks.

Possibly take all clothes downstairs, try them on & take the good ones back up?

I need to do it, I did read the book years ago but I will do room by room.

Look online at rooms for inspiration. That makes me at least start.

If you have Netflix, Marie Kondo has a new show which is quite inspiring as it has real families following her advice.
She always starts with clothes as it’s the easiest to do.

I'm doing the same just now, I'm a bit of a pack rat and have lot of stuff everywhere. I'm trying to look at things and think about if I would want to replace it in the event of losing everything. If not why am I keeping it. It's helped me really start to tackle the mountains

This sort of thing, makes me at least aim to live with less shit

I need to paint today, but Im MNetting.

Thanks for replying. I have a huge bag of old clothes that's been in my car for ages, I just haven't got round to going to the charity shop! Until I do I haven't really got anywhere to put even more old clothes.
I think I'll give myself a kick up the arse and do that first on Monday ( procrastinating!). I'll use the weekend to watch the Marie kondo thing on Netflix

Funny I was just sitting on MN thinking “what shall I tackle?” I think I will do one cupboard at a time, a whole room seems a huge amount of work

I like the Marie kondo category system rather than room by room if you have ‘stuff’ all over. I also think having a ‘vision’ of what you want it to look like when you are done is helpful. I’m a tightarse and by biggest problem was getting rid of stuff that I thought I could sell, or I had paid £X for so felt guilty about chucking. Getting over that was HUGE for me.
I did dd1s bedroom recently by emptying the whole room, cleaning it properly, and then sorting through it in catagories and putting it back neatly. She’s a very messy person with crafty/arty hobbies but she’s doing a really good job of keeping on top of it now. It worked much better than just trying to tidy up when everything was still in there but it took nearly 2 days

I focused on one room at a time, and one cupboard at a time. Some nights you’ll only do one, others you’ll get through a few! Feels so good and once you start you really get into the swing of things!

Some thing of Marie Kondo are worth doing

1. write down what your life will be like without all the clutter. You can keep looking back at this when can’t be arsed to continue or feel overwhelmed
2. Rather than looking in a drawer or at your clothes and think what do I want to get rid of think what do I want to keep.
3. Dont keep stuff that makes you feel bad eg expensive clothes that you don’t wear can’t make you feel guilty if you don’t keep seeing them in your wardrobe. Be thankful that you have learnt to buy clothes that don’t suit you. Only keep things that improve your life.
4. You need an exist strategy for the stuff you want to get rid off. Don’t think collect bags and bags of stuff you don’t want with out a plan of how and when you will get rid of it.
5. Catergories are helpful when looking at some things. Looking at all your tops in one go can be helpful.

I would start by doing a quick swoop around the house - is there anything you known you definitely want to get rid of or any rubbish. Then do the areas that upset/annoy you the most for me that’s clothes, pan drawer and toys.

Oh and be ruthless too! Forget the ‘eBay pile’ just get it out of your house!

You can gift aid donations to charity shops and they send you reports on how much money they have made. It’s very uplifting to receive the letters in the post.

I’ve started with a Kondo type clearout since the new year, although I’ve not read the book. The Decluttering in categories works so well - when you see all your tops or shoes in one pile for example, it’s so much easier to judge what to keep and what to purge.

I’ve been absolutely ruthless, and charity shopped all those piles of outgrown kids clothes etc that I’ve been keeping to eBay. Although I’m not exactly rolling in cash (read: skint!!) it’s been a sanity saver to just let the fuck go. I urge you to do this. Just let it go - the money’s already spent and the emotional cost, as well as the physical and mental effort, and the time it takes to sort, photograph, list, post etc...imo it’s just not worth it. Just get it out of the house ASAP!

A surprising outcome for me is that my slightly shaky mental health hasn’t improved a hundred fold already. I feel so much lighter! And it’s shaved HOURS off getting ready to go anywhere or do anything since I know exactly where everything is, and only have clothes to choose from that fit and that I like.

But do be prepared to get in a right mess before things start to come together. It’s not a tidy process - but you have to commit to chaos before change can happen!

Thankyou all for your replies and advice.

I think I'm setting myself up to fail by trying to do too much too soon, but I've got ADD and always want to go at something at 100 mph then get fed up really quickly and not really achieving anything.

I'm ok making lists, so I think I might do that first, then hopefully be a bit more methodical in my approach. I also need to stop being so hard on myself.

Thanks again

I'm doing the 15 minute a day declutter.

It's more gradual than Marie Kondo and aims to prevent getting overwhelmed by the process (for example, don't pull out the contents of every cupboard if you know you don't have time to sort and put it all back).

It's structured as a year-long calendar of tasks, but the individual missions are listed too, so you can pick and choose what you want to start with, if that suits you better.

www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/declutter.html

I go to my DMums and declutter (it is a work in progress and feels like the Labours of Hercules crossed with Painting the Forth Road Bridge) !

I'm sure she has things hidden that she brings out of cupboards as soon as my back is turned

DMum is a hoarder and DDad doesn't like throwing things out just for the sake of it (I have to persuade him that "No, the Charity Shop do NOT want that , no-one else will use it . They will just throw it out which isn't fair on them so we will bypass it" ) . Not 'rubbish' but just things they will not be able to sell.

So:
Three Bags
Bin
Recycle (paper/plastic)
Charity Shop

Pick something up, decide and put it where it has to go (even if this moves later) don't just put it back where it was if it was in the wrong place.

Be ruthless but be sensitive that some things ( sentimental value) you want to keep. Can these be used ? Why keep something for best when you can use it now .

Once the bag is full, either put it in the bin or the car (so my DMum cannot go through it and empty it out over the kitchen floor )

Vacuum, dust, clean with a (nice smelling) spray and cloth .

I did blinking loads last time I went , I am confident it will be a repeat next time.

There's a programme on Netflix at the moment called Cluttered which I'm loving - worth a watch to inspire you!

joining in.

Too much furniture, none of which fits. Need bookcases!

I did however, cull my craft stuff. If I've had it for 30 years and never used it...I'm never going to use it.

I’d recommend starting in the bathroom, it’s a small room and seeing it tidy is inspiration to move to the next room.
For every item I purchase I take 2 to charity, so slowly towels, kitchen gadgets and clothing gets thinned out.

Dr has just decided she wants to switch her bedroom to her play room...ffs! When she says SHE, she clearly means me. Have just discovered the drawers in her 8 drawer chest do not come out. It was a nightmare to get in there too!

Anyway I was interested in JamAtkins post 're messy girls room - where did you put the stuff while cleaning/sorting? Dd is 7yo and still thinks we should keep most of it (for her kids if it's too young for her!). I've been smuggling things into the bin but any detailed advice would be greatfully recieved!

OP I usually find going around with a pack of baby wipes helps 'get me in the mood' . I don't get out much. I find wiping down main furniture (coffee table, bed frames, cupboard doors) makes me want to tidy the room a bit at a time. It's quite addictive as you want to make the most of each wipe before throwing it away!

Start with whatever is annoying you the most. Just before the holidays, I did all the toys with the kids - pulled them out of every where into a massive lounge filling pile one evening and then we cleared it all out the next morning with a few bags of rubbish and quite a few boxes for donations. A few weeks later, we did the kids clothes - took all day, but it's under far more control. I need to do the same with my spouse and mine's clothes so I have a clothes shopping list. I'm planning to do electronic stuff after that.

Personally, I do it by item category rather than by room, otherwise I have things like the toys that feel never done when it's all going from room to room.

Don't use baby wipes for dusting, whatever you do!

lonely it was EVERYWHERE. All her books stacked up the stairs, clothes in her (tidy) dbros room, art stuff on the landing with’crap’ And makeup etc. We didn’t move furniture except to clean behind it so that all stayed in her room

Don't use baby wipes for dusting, whatever you do

Why's that? ( Not that I would , I have no babies in the house so no wipes. But I thought they were good on leather sofas .... I don't have leather sofas either )!

Bathroom is good to start - I sometimes do 'Clean It Like I'm Going To Sell It " and gut the bathroom till all that's there is the unmoveable stuff. Shower curtain in the wash, I have glass vases and bowls for the toiletries on the windowsill. They go in the dishwasher .
Steam the floor , empty the cupboard , clean the radiator . Soda crystals down the plug holes and spray all the surfaces ( I used OzClean but I've bought some Method now which smells lush)
Clean the windows
Get the loo seat off and soak in the bath with bleach. De-scaler in the loo, then put the loo brush in bleach

Wander off for 30 minutes to have coffee while the spray works and the dishwasher / washing machine run

Rinse , wipe , buff . Get the loo seat on, shower curtain up to dry
Short out the nearly empty bottles and make everyone use these up before the full ones come out .