SUSTAINABLE DECLUTTERING-top tips here please

[majorstress]

my arms are aching from yesterdays decluttering efforts , and I feel guilty for doing it instead of interacting with DDs. I can't do it when they are asleep because I'm doing their rooms mainly.

What I really want is it for it not to come back! HOW do I organise the cupboards, drawers, the MESS? I don't want to spend all my time doing this-it makes life seem pointless.

One thing I've realised is that I have put things we use a lot in hard to reach top cupboards, and little used stuff taking up the prime positions. So need to move stuff as well as chuck more out.

I want dds to be able to dress themselves and soon put away their own clothes-but the drawers are too crowded. But I find it hard to work out HOW MANY of each sort of item they need. SUGGESTIONS PLEASE.

Here's another tip. When trying to sort out an overcrowded drawer, then pulling the knob off because it has been so mistreated over the years of cramming, then getting out the tools and finding screw, fixing it and then not being able to get drawer back in, do NOT lose temper and kick it so that part of the the bottom falls out.

It did go in though, will mend it with a bit of card and hope dh doesn't notice, not that he ever bl**dy tidies out drawers.

Actually if he did, he would throw out everything that a) fit b) matched c) was the right weight for the season.

how many drawers are we talking and do you put all t shirts and things in or just underwear?

How about:

You take all their clothes out of the drawers and put them in a box.

As they wear stuff, you wash it, then put it away in the drawers.

After a couple of weeks, you know how much/what type of clothing they're actually wearing. Arrange this logically in the drawers and take the stuff still left in the box to the charity shop/bin it/store for next child as appropriate.

That's a good idea about the box. But I think I will have to work out of the box-my dds are 4 and 7, and so far would wear the same thing every day if possible, usually the grottiest handme down from my friends that doesn't fit and is wrong for the weather, dirty and stained from the floor is just fine! . They don't care, but I feel bad discarding so much stuff especially if it has hardly been worn(like most people). they have a lot of (excessive) nice clothes from relatives and are happy to wear them if I suggest it.

There are lots of drawers, some are built in and very shallow. The dresses are all hung up as is the more formal uniform for juniors school. I prefer hanging tops and trousers too but there isn't enough hanging space and the dds can't reach it either.

So there are endless tshirts trousers (uniform and civvies) underwear tights pyjamas. The fleeces and jumpers are the worst, I think I'm change them to hanging. I've just created a low rail for dd2.

get rid of most of their stuff, and just dont let it come back
dont buy every plasticky toy on the market
dont buy a ton of clothes fot them
just dont buy stuff. and it wont clutter up.

I think I'll have to do the box every school holiday break, we always get more clothes at Xmas, Easter and Summer when we visit the rellies.

They are kind, but I suspect they get much more pleasure from buying this stuff, that dds wearign it, and especially me dealing with it all!

My decision making segment of my brain dropped out sometime recently, it's all too much.

we 2 rails in ds wardrobe one normal high one and dh put in a low one. so he can have all the stuff he wears often on it and everything else can go on the top.

get something like this for drawers and so socks, pants, vests etc stay in their own spaces

I don't buy anything for them, it's the relatives and friends.

I need to say no more to hand-me downs and unwanted stuff people give me. Someone even left a puzzle under my desk at work-no one is owning up. I've been trying to find time to cart to charity shop, but why should I!

I will bin it!

don't bin it! Please take give it to a charity shop or playgroup

thanks furball, do you have these drawer organisers?

Maybe my shallow drawers are an asset really, otherwise the dds would have to root through and destroy the existing order-no wonder they just don't, I am so stressed about this stuff, they daren't!

Not good for their own education either. Don;t want them to end up like me!

no I haven't, but I should.

Best advice is to get rid of stuff - charity shops are really grateful for good quality clothes, toys etc. Have a clear out at birthdays, Christmas etc when things tend to accumulate. As far as clothes are concerned if they have grown out of them or are unlikely to fit in them next year (eg summer shorts etc) then get rid. Be ruthless!!

I take endless stuff to charity shops, I'm just fed up of someone dumping stuff on me at work that I have to cart myself.

I've realised that if I did exactly what I ought to with every item I will never get to the point to identify the root of the problems and STOP it coming in.

That would be greener in the end. I'm going to start refusing some gifts and returning things that don't fit dds, instead of thinking oh that will go straight to the charity shop.

ok here's a stickier problem-dds are possessive about their toys.

Just possessive, they never play with most-same as the clothes MUM has to get them out and encourage them to play.

That means I can't get them all out and LOOK to decide what to keep, because they will stop me getting rid of a single item.

That why I'm only doing clothes right now!

I can't do the box thing there are way too many.

I think the main problem is my mind has melted down and I just can't decide anymore about anything.

I guess I put the wrong title on the thread, I didn't mean green I meant so it would be easy not to get cluttered again.

I see your point but I'm not sure that refusing gifts is the answer - you might run the risk of upsetting relatives (work colleagues leaving things on your desk is a different matter though - maybe they have the same problem and its their way of decluttering!!).

It seems that its clothes that are creating the biggest issue right now. I think to start with you need a ruthless clear out of whats there now. If there are times when you know relatives are going to give clothes try to pre-empt it by explaining that they don't really need any more and suggest something else instead . A friend of mine always asks for people to give to a childrens charity instead although IME relatives can be a bit put out at the suggestion.

but while we're on the subject...

freecycle - it's great because people come and get stuff from you so you don't have to take it to the charity shop.

sorry, cross posted. If they are not that bothered about clothes then should be quite easy to have a clear out - although probably best to do it when they're not in the way. Empty all drawers, wardrobes etc into one massive pile - start by putting back the favourites that fit and are in season and once draws and cupboards are full, one trip to charity shop/tip/wherever with everything else - one huge haul and all done!!

I got my friend round to help sort dd's toys because I can't do it alone I keep everything and I want to stop. You said DH would throw things away, can you both sort the toys whilst dd's are not there? How about getting all the toys downstaris before bed and then you and dh sort them? Do you have a friend that could come whilst they are at school?

I totally empathise with you as I am rubbish at throwing things out and often take things from others that I really don't need, then end up getting rid of myself.

I, like you, am trying to be better. I do not want a cluttered house.

I might get my friend back round soon as she is ruthless She has a 6 month rule. If you haven't used it in 6 months you don't need it. She is right but I just haven't got time to sort and charity shop things. I can't bin perfectly good things. My mum trained me too well

I have had a MAJOR clearout of my kids toys, as I couldn't keep on top of them, yet they hardly seemed to play with anything!?

I was ruthless, cleared out anything with bits missing, broken box, hardly touched toys, and kept JUST what I knew they would play with. They did not miss anything.

Now, if they get anything new, an old toy has to go to make room for it.

I ask rels to give money for presents if poss. Then we can pay it into their account, we will still buy them toys but at least we know what they want.

It's just STUFF. Never mind who gave it to them. Set the timer on them and get them to choose 5 things they are prepared to give away. See if it works!!

majorstres, Just do the clothes one step at a time ...

I know you feel guilty about taking time away from your dds to declutter. But it is very stressful to live in chaos and be reminded of it day-after-day. I suffer weeks of this when there is a birthday or christmas and the dcs get tons of toys and gifts which lie around my living room until I find the time to organise and put them away.

I use my social conscience to lubricate the dreadfully boring task of decluttering.

For clothes, block out a morning. Take everything out of drawers and closets.

One bag for clothes to be thrown away.

One bag for clothes to the charities that collect from your door - do you get this whereby you can put the clothes in a bag and leave it outside your door for them to collect? Granted it might be some company (rather than charity) selling to Eastern European people, it is still better than throwing into the tip. This lies around until the leaflet for the next charity collection comes around. In this bag, put all outgrown clothes, all clothes which are out-of-season and soon to be outgrown, in reasonable condition.

Another bag for nicer clothes of the above description. For these, I take them to Oxfam (who sell them in their charity shops) or sell on eBay. If you have designer clothes in good condition (Next, Monsoon, Gap, Boden), don't underestimate how much you can get for them on eBay. But it does take a bit of effort to sell on eBay.

What you are left with, organise into piles: Clothes in season - split into clothes for each dc. Clothes out of season - to be grown into - again split into clothes for each dc. Then put them into draws closets in this order.

I put all small items like socks, tights, hats, scarves, gloves into one drawer.

After every laundry, make sure you put away clothes in the system you have organised.

Going forward, you have to do this everytime you get a load of clothes. Hand-me-downs contain a lot of dross. You should not even put them in the drawers before sorting them out in the above system.

Now exhausted.

maybe your kids have too many clothes?
when dd1 started at school she need far less clothes as she was in a uniform for most of the day ( I didn't make her dchange out of it after school) she has about 3 pairs of trousers, about 6 long sleeve tops, maybe 1 sweater and a few skirts. and a few party dresses
They reallyh don't need many!

hana, i have just come to realise that my dc have far too many clothes. Not so much ds I guess as at 6months he needs quite a few changes per day because he is sicky but dd had far too many. Not so bad now as cleared her bits out the other day and put in the bigger stuff and there's not much of that. Now dd is at preschool 5 mornings she tends to wear the same few outfits over and over so am going to be more restrained with buying.

This thread should help me too I hope!

brisih homes, or at least the one we're in, don't have lots of storage do they?! my kids have enough clothes (baby has more b/c of getting dirtier etc etc) but then are smaller as well! we just don't have the room to have lots for them, and I hate 'spilling over' when there isn't a place for everything. it's excessive as well - my sil has great big closets for her 2 children who are 3 and 1, and they literally have dozens of jackets/coats/jeans/sweaters - it's crazy. (but she has a faulty shopping gene