The decluttering on thing a day thread - part 11

[StealthNinjaMum]

We’re still here.

After 10 threads my house still isn't tidy!

So join me and a lovely group of mumsnetters who simply get rid of one thing a day and report back. Gradually we’re developing good habits, reorganising ourselves, often improving our mental health and having friendly chatter along the way.

So newbies are welcome, just check in with your news and join in the general chat about recycling, organisation and housework.

Previous thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3760076-Decluttering-one-thing-a-day-part-10-the-countdown-to-a-clutter-free-Christmas?pg=1

ALSO many of us have set a target to get rid of 2020 items this year and will report on that.

Welcome to all our new folks! It's so lovely to read that people find us friendly on here. I know I'm biased but I'm quite sure this is the best thread on MN.

Lane, don't worry about counting your outs - just do whatever works for you.

Interesting name choice, Jigolo! Though I think you will always be (secret, old name) to me, even if only in my head. And, well done on clearing that immense hoard! I think you might have won the thread with that lot.

Alex, we've had a mouse in the house too and we actually managed to catch it and put it nicely back outside. It was, admittedly, a harrowing few hours but, we did it, so it's definitely possible.

Had a few outs today and 2 ins. Was working on sorting out the shed.

Outs:
💚 paper bag full of old dried up bulbs.

💜 cheap tatty scarecrow decoration.

💚 pool attachment we never used that looks cracked and broken.
💜 dirt and cobwebs that was in the shed.

Ins:

💜 lavender plant from ILs (it's mother's day in US tomorrow- Sunday)

💚 chest freezer (that went in shed) we really needed some more freezer storage and they have plenty! Very grateful they could let us have it as we really can't afford to buy one right now.

Not too bad today. Created a lot more space in the shed than we thought we had, moved things around that made more sense. I'm very happy with what we accomplished today. Still have the garage to do and there's lots to go in there!

Welcome back Sydney I had forgotten to add that on my last post. Good progress today :)

That is some epic decluttering Jigolo! I decluttered 4 items from our garage yesterday...straight back into the playroom as DD has suddenly decided to like a toy that she had never previously been interested in. I suppose at least it's getting some use. She did agree to take an equivalent number of toys out but then suggested all her brother's stuff. At least she tried!

Papergirl you have reminded me that I need to go through my odd sock bag as there are a few which have been there ages. DH seems to have a blind spot when it comes to putting socks on the wash together so always has loads of odd ones.

Laneboy I don't count either as like you it's often tiny things and I'd get bogged down on the details. Yesterday I went through an old file and chucked some ancient payslips and P60s but if I counted them I'd be dithering about whether it was one thing (the file) of 10 for the individual documents!

That’s the same reason I’ve never got on with calorie counting - got obsessed with trying to be exact about it!

I love seeing everyone’s lists.

Hi everyone, is it ok if I join please?
You guys have done amazing amounts of decluttering!

I have been following your thread with interest for a couple of weeks as it had the word de cluttering in it and I really, really need to declutter my whole house.
I have a sofa of doom in my dining room, which has been driving me crazy. Piled high with stuff. I made a start yesterday, each time I go past I removed a few items. So it was a start.

I finally got around to taking photos if the pushchair collection I have. I am desparate to sell them. Do you think they would sell?

I need some support, I have baby bouncers, changing mats, sleeping bags, baby blankets, bedside cot, toddler bed. I am finally ready to let go of them. Its been nearly 4 years since they have been used. I am so annoyed with myself for holding onto these things. Now I just want a tidy house. Sob.

I have been piling up bags of stuff in the hallway ready for the charity shops. Really wishing they would open.

Wishing everyone a lovely sunday.

Hi all not much to report from here. Chipping away at the usual recycling etc, managing to keep on top of that but no real big progress. Although I did go through a pile of school books that had been kept from primary, one or two funny highlights have been photographed then all books out in paper recycling.
Actually thinking about it OH has virtually finished reading and getting rid of his massive stash of hobby magazines AND has sorted through a big crate of electrical cables and chargers. So some progress after all.
Welcome to all new folk this is indeed a lovely supportive thread. I’m often inspired to delve into areas I hadn’t thought about by other people mentioning them

laneboy I’m not counting individual items because it takes too long when I should be decluttering.

Waves to sydneycarton

Welcome dancingtomusic keep us updated on the sofa of doom and make sure you read a book or actually sit on it when it’s done. In terms of baby / toddler items I think we all hoard them - emotionally they’re hard to get rid of but also when you’ve got very young children it can be hard to find the time. The good news is that when they’ve gone your house will feel instantly bigger. I would try to sell your pushchair but set yourself a date and if it hasn’t gone by then give it away. I think it’s a recurring theme on this thread that we have a pile of stuff on eBay / Facebook sites that just never leaves the house.

Yesterday I discarded a pair of scruffy boots and 7 school shirts.

I think charity shops will be among the last shops to open because so many are small : cramped and also their volunteers are often pensioners.

Thanks @stealthninjamum, I take things off the sofa of doom...other people add things...lol.

Thats a great suggestion thank you. I will give the pushchair a month then its got to go.

This is helpful as I need to plan what to do with all the charity shop things in my hallway, right I need to put it all somewhere else.

Sand, call me whatever you want! There are enough usernames that abbreviate the same as my old abbreviation on here. The new name is just what happened to be playing on my phone while I was trying to think of something new!

No decluttering today unless you count dust off the curtains that I hung on the line for a blow! I think we've worn ourselves out.

I did the draw with all the kitchen Utensil in got rid of about half of it and gave it a good clean, then did the drinks cupboard not much went out there!! Though I have noticed that the gin is just disappearing!! Can’t imagine were it’s all going in lockdown😀😀😀

Welcome dancing sounds like you have made a great start to decluttering your sofa. Maybe you need to call a family meeting and tell them they need to stop using it as a dumping ground. As for the baby things, could you bundle them as a sale such as bouncer, pushchair and playmat for a set amount? Definitely set a date to get rid though. If charity shops aren't open at that time could you put them on Facebook as free? Or on your driveway/ front of your house with a free sign? If the charity shops aren't open at that time, that is.

No outs today, unless you count a few weeds. Yesterday I decided to get rid of a large picture that we've had for about 15/16 years now. SIL might like it, if not I'll try to sell it at our yard sale this summer (if we can have one) and charity shop it if it doesn't sell. I also rearranged stuff on my desk and put less back up.

@Dancingtomusic - I've been thinking about your sofa of doom and wondering if people might need help to break the habit of using it to store/dump stuff. I was also reminded of something I read about graffiti and litter - that it needs to be cleared straight away or it attracts more.

So, with all that in mind, I wonder if it would help to clear the whole lot off and into a box? Just do it all at once and make it clear to everyone that the sofa is now to be kept clear.

Moving forwards, maybe you could keep a container of some kind nearby for people to use instead of the sofa?

Freegle has started up again in my area. I have freegled towels, jigsaw, blankets, leather bound books, lamp, tea towels and pillows. The lady who collected the bulk of recycling was/is helping the homeless. We asked her to wait and added extra to her bags to take away. The living room is still a tip because I've emptied a bookcase so there are over 200 books ready to be bagged for charity on the couch. The cupboard that was locked shut is also full of books. I know I've decluttered loads -even posted 40 books to friends - but I still feel we're drowning here in belongings. Lots of encouragement and support gained by reading this thread. Thank you all.

AbbieLexie

I try and get banana box’s from the supermarket and put the books in them that are going to charity shop . It might be a good idea to leave a box of books at the gate every day with please feel free to take. I did that the other day and they all disappeared as people are running out of a good read at the moment.

If you have a car you could but a couple on boxes in the boot of the car to get them out of the house ready for the charity when they open.

Those are good suggestions about the sofa of doom, I like the idea of clearing things away into a box. In my house the box would probably stay there but it would make the point!

This morning I was separating rags and clothes to be recycled as they’d got messed up. Normally i’d be pleased as it’s two big bin bags but there’s nowhere for them to go. We have clothes banks locally but they’re probably overflowing and I don’t think they take rags.

I’m annoyed, also, that our ‘open’ tip is only for hazardous waste. I think I have only taken gardening chemicals and a barbecue gas canister once in fifteen years so I wonder how much use it will get. I understand that we need to socially distance but I can’t believe they can’t take some non essential waste otherwise people will jut throw stuff away. I don’t need to but if I lived in a flat and my rubbish was anonymous I would be tempted. Anyway rant over.

Hi all. Didn’t get rid of anything yesterday, but we built and partially stacked the Kallax. I’ve written a list of the next games to come up (the plan is to move the Definitely Keeping ones into the bedroom (away from toddler) and leave the rest for now as we then have to focus on playing/making decisions about those ones. We have a fair few we’ve never even tried!

Hello to all the new people!

Everyone seems to be doing well, especially Jigolo. I think she has definitely won this thread! The garage is on my radar for this summer, but I'm definitely not looking at it until tips re-open here in Scotland. We did the front half of the garage a couple of years ago when we got the main garage door replaced, but we really need to do the rest... along with the shed.

I have done bits and pieces over the past few weeks. I am still aiming to average one item a day. Last week I did list another item on eBay... and sold it, along with another one. The visits to the Post Office were much better than the one earlier in lockdown, so I think I will continue to list some more bits and pieces. I also got round to checking over a Meccano set at the weekend, and have decided there is only one piece missing, so have ordered it. I think I will advertise that locally, though.

I have emptied another box that was packed up for the living/dining room carpet fitting. I have also attacked a corner in the kitchen. It is a right-angle corner on the work surface between the cooker and the sink, with units above it. It is like some sort of eddy where things drift in, and circulate, but never come back out. Anyway, we had beaten back the front of the recycling that needed to be washed, so I started to sort that corner. Some it was kitchen stuff that had come from my mum's house. I cleaned a roasting-type oven tray, which was something we didn't have, and put it away. I found a new home for a large pan and I chucked out a casserole dish as I still hadn't found the lid. I also washed some pet stuff that was sitting there. There is still quite a lot to do, but it is now sitting in neat piles and I'm trying to deal with some of it every couple of days.

I recycled an old game that was well used. I cleared out a cupboard and dumped some old juice bottles. I have a large collection of plastic bowls and bottle - I need to reduce this down further.

Jigolo that's an amazing amount of things! Everyone is doing so well.

Dancing welcome.

We have caught a little mouse in the trap every day for three days. Haven't caught the Mummy Mouse yet (the one that we have seen), these look like teenage mice. They have been released in the local park. Thinking of trying to tempt Mummy Mouse with chocolate as apparently they like it and peanut butter isn't cutting it.

alexthelittlecat gald to hear you've caught some mice, let's hope it won't be long before you reunite the Mummy Mouse with her babies.

purplefrog lucky you actually get stuff out of the house. I have piles of stuff waiting to go and it's really annoying.

I spent more time with dd2 today and yesterday helping her to tidy her room, mainly Kondoing - putting lego in one box, arts stuff etc. We have a bag of stuff to go - more plastic tat from party bags and magazines I think. I'm hoping that by working with her she'll see that I don't just throw stuff away and will learn that it's nicer to live in a tidy room. At the moment she says she likes living in a mess.

Two black bags out with the rubbish collection today, as the wheelie bin was otherwise almost empty. For some reason DH had been hoarding loads of polystyrene and other packaging in the garage - not any more!

Stealth your DD sounds very much like mine who anyway tells me she likes things messy. Complaining that she's isn't a servant when asked to tidy up is another favourite refrain. I'm hoping she grows into being tidier!

Good luck with the mummy mouse Alex! Glad you're having some success.

Morning all! DH is hoping to get to the newly-opened tip with paint cans etc today and the moused-stuff as keeping the dog out of it all is getting increasingly hard. Black bins tomorrow, but it's full of polystyrene and packaging (Raspberry, are we married to same man? It's a question we should consider ), so I can't empty the kitchen bin. I suppose I could get DS3 to jump up and down on the contents to squash it down!

The person collected our bedframe has been buggering us about for over a week now. Don't know what we're going to do with it.

Does anyone know how to dispose of kitchen knives? We've got a cheap one with a bendy blade that is no use for chopping, and a very good one that the handle has shattered on. I'd rather not get the police called, turning up at the tip with them...

Got rid of some board books today, pretty much gathered all of them and went through to recycle any super tatty ones. At some point we will move onto the picture books (we Kondoed them when I was pregnant and the older two decided which ones they’d keep for their baby sister so we have some ready that we do read her sometimes) but I’m clinging on to the board books as she’s still rough on them when she’s looking by herself!

I’ve put them in a Kallax basket in our room - we have a little book box in the living room and the plan is to swap them every week.

No other decluttering done, I do have a few little bags of random crap next to my bed that I could get on with really but I’m in a very static mood today

laneboy that’s still a big achievement, just one thing a day does make a difference over time.

I have got rid of more plastic tat from Dd2s bedroom and some pictures she’d done.