Decluttering one thing a day part 8 - the one where we de-tetris the cupboard of doom!

[WoogleCone]

Welcome! This is thread 8 of the declutter one thing a day challenge!

This is just holding the discussion open until @stealthninjamum gets her computer sorted and back in action :)

Everyone is welcome here, new and old. We implore you to join us on our mission to clear the cupboards, swipe the sides and declutter all debris!
We recycle, reuse, give away, donate or just plain chuck it out to help clear our spaces.

If you're new, start with a small mission - can you tackle one small area at a time? Be it a bedside table, a bathroom cabinet or The Kitchen Drawer?
Just one thing a day is all we ask and report back here with your outs for the day, or week at a time. It's very easy to get the bug when you start small and have success!

Will we find any more big bags of change? Can we sell more big ticket items? Will the school books all get returned? Will the happy meal toys ever stop multiplying and just how many books can we say goodbye to?!

Previous thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3525812-Part-7-of-the-decluttering-challenge-can-you-get-rid-of-one-item-a-day?msgid=87790915#87790915

I did the Home Office Desk of Doom [tm] yesterday. Unfortunately as I progressed it became obvious I was going to have to move the "needs to be kept, just not here" to the cupboard under the stairs... which was more than a little "tetrisy".

I am a broken woman and my recycling bin is heaving under the strain.

That's what happens when you do 4 house moves in 6 years and can't face trawling through paperwork...

I don't have clutter, I am a minimalist with a few collections that I have special shelving for.
Yet I still have "that" kitchen drawer. I went through it yesterday and there really isn't anything in there I can throw away,.
Someone needs to come up with a kitchen drawer plan, it's driving me nuts.

Hi everyone, isn't this weather gorgeous? Slightly too hot here in London at the moment but on the plus side I've decluttered 3 loads from the laundry basket into the washing machine today, and two have line dried already! This will help me declutter the utility bill by not using tumbler in summer.

I have also decluttered a load of old bath toys and two years worth of old bank and credit card statements. They're all available online and I've been making electronic copies so don't see the point in keeping the paper ones.

Today's plan is to try and tackle a couple of the kitchen drawers. It's too hot for anything else!

Hi everyone! I'm back after a few days away. I'm behind with the thread, but still here! Today's items are a broken thermos flask, a pair of shoes, a bag and a box.

Stealth - I've just read that you were considering buying some boxes! (Smh)

Sounds like great efforts in the face of the heat. Duvet taken to tip, joined by a pillow. School uniform sorted and lots for rag bag as school has changed logo for next year 🤬😡

Escaped from school Fahrenheit without the kids buying any plastic tat this year - so that’s a definite win

School fete even - but it was very hot 😬🌞

Out today to the tip was the two bags of crap including the umbrella and the bag of textiles too.

More paint stripping done too, actually reached the wood today!

So...I managed to get rid of some random bits of paper on Friday, including, weirdly a library membership form. We all have cards already so not sure how long that had been hanging around. It was way too hot to do anything here yesterday and DS currently wants to spend his time practising walking while holding both my hands and screams every time I put him down. So it’s all still slow here!

Haven’t had chance to read the whole thread yet but hello to everyone especially newbies. I hereby promise to be more productive next week!

Can I join?
We have moved "stuff" with us for 25 years 😳 - never had time to sort/file/bin and added to it year on year.
Now slowly and finally clearing out......
June got off to a great start with multiple charity shop and recycling runs but have stalled again.

Welcome, @2919HereWeGo ! You're in the right place.

Today's items so far:

A broken, retractable, lip brush.
A DVD.

I've also started 'dieting' (I hate calling it that) due to all the fat mirrors when I was on holiday. So, I'm planning on decluttering a load of weight. My diet's actually pretty good. I think I just need to move more and cut the additional crap. So far, I've had a walk and eaten all-healthy food. And I've made a lentil & veg stew for dinner. (It even has kale in it!)

Welcome 2919herewego!

You sound exactly like the rest of us! Were all about the slow burn, low pressure tactic that gives results. Well done on what you've achieved so far, do you have a specific problem area you are desperate to tackle?

Today I've stripped more paint, its sooo messy! Takes so long to clean up each time too. DH is cutting the hedge out back now to fill up the brown bin which gets collected this week. He also dug up a massive dead plant yesterday so got some good garden decluttering going on.

Well done, Woogle! I've been gardening too but have had to come in because of the heat.

I've also decided to re-home my last big, outdoor, potted plant. It's just a case of finding it a home.

Today’s items: several empty glass jars I’d saved for my mum for jam but she no longer needs, a couple of bottles of elderly stash (we have loads even though nobody drinks it ) and a plastic container that used to contain dishwasher powder. I used to decant the boxes of powder into it but have given up and buy tablets which can be stored out of reach more easily. Also blitzed the playroom table so it is visible again. For now, at least.

Woogle your house is going to be amazing with all this decorating!

Today’s ins a big bag of bedding and the accompanying toddler bed 😱 I’ve said I’ll sort through and list it for the grandparent. Out a pair of jeans with an unpatchable hole.

wooglecone I'm exhausted reading about your efforts. I started painting the spare room before Easter and haven't finished!

Welcome MrsBobDylan we will NEVER get bored of hearing about your clutter . Consider yourself one of us now.

I started to empty the coat cupboard yesterday. I washed a load of winter coats to either donate the ones that no longer fit dd2 and put the others away in our wardrobes where we have more space. I am also getting rid of a pair of my slippers.

However we have a million pairs of shoes. I tend to keep most of my shoes / boots in my bedroom but the girls keep theirs in the coat cupboard in a messy pile. I wondered how people store children's shoes as this is a problem for me.

Watching with interest on the childrens’ shoes as we follow the messy pile approach in this house too. And DS is too small for shoes yet so it’s only getting worse.

Stealth when do you plan to donate your winter coats? I have a couple to go but didn’t want to dump them on the charity shop in the middle of summer when it’ll be hard to sell them.

May have a buyer on Facebook for an item, they’ve asked for some more details so fingers crossed...

We do the messy pile thing as well, they're stacked in between a bookcase and a freestanding wardrobe and then sort of blocked in with a boxed set of Beatrix potter books . Anything seasonal or currently too big is in a cardboard box on top of the wardrobe, so no elegant storage solutions here.

I responded to a Facebook request from a local charity for grobag baby sleeping bags and a lady is coming on Friday to pick up four. I've never really got on with them, the babies seem to get all tangled up and I'm never sure what they can and can't wear underneath so we'll stick to sheets and blankets

Today's outs: a bag of children's books to the baby bank, a lightbulb and a broken electrical kids toy to recycling. Turns out you can recycle lightbulbs in Robert Dyas, and electricals in PC World, as they're not supposed to go in household waste. I'm scraping the barrel a bit at the moment, as a lot of the clutter is DH's, and he doesn't want me to sort it for him, but nor will he do it himself. In the meantime I'm just vicariously decluttering, and getting inspiration from Instagram women with clean houses!

I thought I'd killed the thread last night with talk of tidying children's shoes. My question is whether to sort them by person? Or by season? There probably isn't space to do both. In theory I could move the out of season stuff somewhere else but there is a period between March and May when you potentially need both. I include hats, scarves and gloves in this too. I will go on pinterest for inspiration but the ideal would be to move the coat cupboard door but that involves knocking a wall down, filling in the door and moving a radiator. That sounds excessive just to tidy shoes away!

raspberry a couple of winter coats are rags so can go now but I might just donate them now just to get rid of the clutter.

Shoes are a nightmare here too, it's just me and DH though as miniwoogle only has 3 pairs currently. And wooglette doesn't have any. We have a sort of wooden shelving thing but they're all just piled in in a mad messy array of straps and laces.
Knocking a wall down is an extreme response though stealth

No outs today I'm afraid, too many errands being run and taking DDs places. I did however get some new pjs today and they're the comfiest things I've ever put on my legs!!
Miniwoogle at nursery tomorrow so I'll be back on the paint stripping while DH watches wooglette. I should be able to get a few rounds done :)

Place marking for the holidays when I can actually do some of this!

One month until the Packers arrive.
It's the final countdown...