Decluttering one item a day thread number 18 – quickly stashing our clutter in charity shops now we can let people back inside our houses

[stealthninjamum]

Here we are again, still decluttering and still chatting and sometimes getting rid of some clutter.

This is a group of mumsnetters who aspire to live in a lovely clutterfree environment, usually scuppered by husbands, children, dogs and in my house ‘valuable’ bits of twig and stone or origami versions of aardvarks and komodo dragons.

We are slowly decluttering our houses, chatting and updating each other on our slow progress as we go. We only aim to get rid of one a day but often manage more. Newbies are welcome to join us.

Since the last thread charity shops reopened and things got closer to normal. I’ve now invited friends over for the end of June so have a month to get the house ‘guest ready’.

Previous thread here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4183135-Decluttering-one-item-a-day-and-counting-down-til-the-opening-of-charity-shops-thread-number-17?pg=38

Some information on getting rid of items that have been asked about on previous threads.
If anyone has anything to add to this list could you please highlight it in bold and hopefully I can update this post for the next thread.

SELLING THINGS

Ebay
Facebook sales sites
Shpock
Gumtree
webuybooks.co.uk
musicmagpie.co.uk (for CDs, DVDs, Games, Books, iPhones, Games Consoles and LEGO)
ziffit - for books, CDs, DVDs and games
Sellitback
Zapper
GAME / CEX for phones and games and electronics (CEX in particular)
Apple Store credit or recycle old phones.

www.thrift.plus is a second hand clothes site where you can sell your clothes. It’s for more high end clothes than www.isecondthat.co.uk which will take Tu and primark.

Also someone on the thread has recommended the Vinted app for selling children's clothes.

TO GET RID OF THINGS FOR FREE

Freecyle has a good app called trashnothing
Olio is a site for giving away food and other household items.

Charity shops. Some will collect which really helps if you’re just starting to declutter and have a lot of stuff to go.

Animal shelters like towels and carpet squares and sometimes bedding and duvet covers.

Homeless charities will often take warm clothes and coats, especially in the winter.

You can advertise things on Nextdoor

Some council tips have a place to drop off quality stuff to be sold.

Some charity shops will take rags if you label them as ‘rags’, this could be materials or clothes that are too scruffy or dirty to sell or donate to someone. Also some councils will collect rags (but you’ll need to contact your council)

Supermarkets are getting better at recycling. My local Tesco has recycling points for batteries, toner cartridges, glass bottles, books and and light bulbs. My local Sainsbury’s has razer blades.

Bras. Oxfam shops take bras and so do some smaller lingeries shops. Bravissimo do a scheme whereby they send good bras to Africa and strip down those that are too old for parts as well as donating 70p per kilo of bras to MIND. Also smallsforall.org take brand new knickers and good condition bras and send to Africa

Some charity shops will now arrange collection of clothes and other things – these are some links depending on your area.
www.heartuk.org.uk/other-ways-to-give/clothes-recycling

www.bhf.org.uk/shop/donating-goods/time-for-a-clear-out/donate-your-items/arrange-a-free-collection
(BHF also collect toys, puzzles, books, CDs, DVDs as well as clothes)

www.mariecurie.org.uk/donate/charity-shops If you live near a shop

www.icollectclothes.co.uk/ will collect your clothes in some areas.

Nurseries and preschools will often take old toys, games, books, craft sets and/ or stationery. They might also take clean (obviously) underwear and clothes to keep as spares for when children have accidents.

Soft toys. The Teddy Trust

and

www.lovedbefore.london/donate

Foodbanks take all sorts of food (if it is within date) and sometimes half open packets of nappies.

Rymans take old pens

Oxfam take old phones

John Lewis also have a make up recycling scheme:
www.johnlewis.com/our-services/beautycycle

And a small number of Boots stores www.boots.com/boots-recycling-scheme

IF YOU’RE HAPPY TO PAY FOR MORE BULKY WASTE

Clearabee have been recommended to get rid of more bulky garage – type waste and Hippo Bags can be bought from some DIY stores.

Also www.clearwaste.com is apparently a site to get quotes from registered waste disposal firms (but none of us have used it).

If you do use a company to remove this sort of rubbish (eg a man with a van) please make sure they have a license and are officially registered. Too many dodgy people offer a cheap rubbish disposal service on facebook and just flytip. You are liable for their flytipping.

This gov website tells you who has a license Waste carriers, brokers and dealers environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

Thanks for the new thread, Stealth! Just checking in.

Thanks for the new thread Stealth. I've been away for a few days so no decluttering done here. First on the list is going to be the massive pile of laundry and all the weeds which have appeared in the nice weather!

Off to catch up on the old thread now!

I’m here and attempting to wake up after going to bed in the early hours again . I’m trying to gather energy and motivation to clean upstairs a bit and then go look at the contents of the under stairs cupboard so I can add to the dump load going in the morning ...
I also moved winter coats from the hall cupboard to people’s wardrobes upstairs the other day . I know at least DD has several now too small ones so they’re going once I’ve moved to topfloor with my efforts . Need to finish a few cupboards and drawers in the kitchen and that under stairs cupboard first on ground floor . There is still the study but it’s DH domain really which he has decluttered and organised when we moved here ,his cupboards are full of labeled boxes . I want to go through it quickly again before we move but other than checking the piano books in a basket for any that can go I will leave it last until after topfloor .

And thanks for the new thread Stealth !

Today’s update. Since my last post I have gone through more photos. I have just chucked out 15 from dd1s 4th birthday party. I also found a niceish wooden box in the Room of Doom which is going on the charity shop pile.

Checking in to the new thread!

I never really thought about that re the laminator @stealth. Going to be a bit more conscious about what I'm using it for. If you decide to get rid of yours, how about asking local nurseries/preschools if they would like it? They often rely on donations for new equipment and so many are struggling after this last year. (Obviously ignore if you are selling or decide to keep it!!)

About to list stuff on olio and going to tackle the entry bit (way too many coats and shoes balanced on there!)

I did buy a beach trolley yesterday in lidl, been eyeing them up for ages. We don't drive so this will make shopping so much easier (fits more than my shopping trolley) and going to the park/beach will be easier as can all go in there rather than many bags!

Dipping in. I got rid of soft toys (black bag full and resisted buying a lovely octopus Teddy on my supermarket run this morning)
I am about to tackle the dcs clothes again and put them into a clothes bank on my way to do the school run.

Didn’t sift through all the cupboard contents yet but I looked through 3 big storage boxes and managed to add to the 3 pairs of shoes and the cycle helmet DH took out earlier that are going to the dump tomorrow ;

• 2 walking shoes and 1 kids trainers to shoe bank
• old Ugg boots to bin
• a new football to charity

-1 mini football to bin

• 1 to the puppy
• old wrist guards to bin ditto helmet inserts
• a broken box lid

Need to look through the rest then wait for more storage boxes coming next week before putting things back into the cupboard . Then I’ll try to do the few kitchen cupboards that are left after which I guess I’ll move to the topfloor where kids rooms , a spare room, two bathrooms and a storage cupboard are. We are getting through it !

Thanks!!! Just placemarking!

Thanks for the new thread Stealth!

Yesterday I managed five minutes to sort through a pile of stuff on the dining table - filed this years P60 and put some junk mail in the recycling.

DH is taking DD out this afternoon, so I’m hoping to get some decluttering done while they’re out.

It rained most of the day yesterday so didn't get far with laundry or weeds! The sun is shining this morning so hoping to try again! I did shred a pile of credit card statements from 2017 instead. Also went through by t shirts. One or possibly 2 to go, plus I can now see everything lined up Kondo style.

Nordic the amount you are getting through is inspiring!

Good job on the photos Stealth, not an easy job.

Thanks Raspberry ! I appreciate the kind words especially when I often procrastinate so much and do nothing when feeling crap . I think today I’ll try to go look at rest of that cupboard stuff but I suspect there isn’t anything but maybe some more shoes that I can remove and I’ll just have to except that . Kind of can’t wait for the new double garage where we’ll put storage cupboards in to keep most of this stuff . We will still have an under stairs cupboard too but it’s smaller . Also need to clean in the first floor which I didn’t do yesterday when all I managed was those few boxes all day . I’ve been increasingly tired and depressed . Today DH has gone to the dump then he’ll go join the kids at his moms for the weekend with the dog and I’ll have 2 d of quiet . I think I’ll do some reading etc besides the possible cleaning and a bit of decluttering . DS will have two more weeks at home post GCSEs but DD will back to school on Monday . Boys are planning to go out to do a sport on Monday so then I’d pick DD up from school for the first time in a year ! DH who drives and is healthy has been doing all school runs in the past y while I have been hiding before getting vaccinated after doing the school / nursery runs with both kids for the past 10 y . Was odd first but now I’m used to it so will be strange . It’s picking up from an aft school club so won’t really see many people unlike normal pickup time .

I need to take some things to the dump. I forgot yesterday. Might do it later this afternoon.

nuggetnugget well done on not buying a cuddly octopus toy! It’s great when you stop buying something because you realise it will eventually be clutter.

nordicmom it never sounds like you procrastinate, you seem so dynamic. I can’t remember if you’ve said before but do you have a cleaner? I think you should have a cleaner to be doing more physical cleaning, then you could focus on lighter stuff.

Once again I am up before dc. I have thrown away 5 old catalogues from the Room of Doom and another dozen or so photos.

Stealth , we have somehow managed always without a cleaner or any help with the kids despite my poor health . DH can’t wait to get one since now he’s having to do a lot of it . I’m more worried about privacy but I’ve been so much more poorly in the last few years and now we are moving to a house that’s more than twice the size of our old one I don’t think I can manage anymore . I am
actually dreaming about some sort of invisible part time housekeeper / nanny who’d help with DD future school runs and the house but I can’t imagine having a stranger in my house daily so I think we’ll try’s weekly cleaner ,and a gardener first .

nordicmom I had a cleaner after dd1 was born and I instructed her to just do the ‘public areas’ ie kitchen, dining room, sitting rooms, bathrooms. It’s so lovely to have the house clean once a week then you can topup the hoovering / toilet cleaning in between but it’s less work.

It's the little things.. I am going to re read my favourite magazines over the next few weeks (home styling type such as home improvements) and photograph my favourite pages and send to charity shop (they sell magazines)

I have cleaned the first floor now feel half dead and haven’t yet had dinner also need a shower but it’s done . Tomorrow downstairs

Hello again! I used to be on these threads, then fell off spectacularly in Thread 13 and have only just got my decluttering mojo back.

Over the last few weeks we have:

• Emptied a downstairs bookshelf due to a leak though the ceiling, and given two boxes of books to charity
• Emptied two Trofast units in DS3's room, resulting in a bag of rubbish, another box of books out and two Trofasts downstairs for reuse elsewhere
• Emptied the Lego Corner, leading to two large boxes (one Lego, one Bionicles) waiting to be disposed of
• Made space in the loft for suitcases so our bedroom doesn't feel so full.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reclaiming space. Looking forward to keeping going with the thread!

So the bags of clothes from my room all went on olio today. 3 bin liners worth! And a bag going in the morning.

Got a rag bag to drop off tomorrow.

Emptied my keter seat unit, was leaking and listed on olio. Hopefully being collected tomorrow. Did the garden today, so lots of weeds decluttered. Stones put down (finally did it after a year of saying I will!) Then making a wildlife area at the end. So bricks, rocks and wood being repurposed to create a bug hotel (dd2 is over the moon, shes super excited that the woodlouses are going to have a special home!)

All the rubbish is now in the bin, no longer at the end of the garden! Loads of boxes put in the recycling, no keeping for ebay (it all went on olio! Haha!)

Still a long way to go, but making small changes each day is helping. Especially focusing on one room/area. I love my garden now and my kitchen is pretty much perfect too. Just the rest of the house 🤣

Ended up cleaning in the downstairs as well . I couldn’t help myself ,if I see something that needs doing I have to do it if I’m physically able to . Hence I also cleaned the flight of stairs going down on my hands and knees . It’s normally DS job once a week and we vacuume daily so I don’t understand why they were so awful except that DS hadn’t yet done them this week before going to grandma’s .they’re now nice and clean but I will have to ask someone else to do the second flight leading to top floor . I also did a bunch of laundry and had a cursory look at the under stairs cupboard pile . Adding to the dump and charity piles ;

• 2 too small kids tennis rackets
• a bunch of old tennis balls
• 2 more pairs of walking shoes to shoe bank
• a DD small rucksack for charity

Decluttered enormous filthy cardboard box from shed. Stuff got dumped in there because too lazy to put away. Now shed is tidier, and box is binned. It took about twenty minutes max. Had been bugging me for years.

Did quite well yesterday, the laundry pile is now manageable and four buckets of weeds have been decluttered from flower beds. DH also went through the shed where garden toys are kept. I don’t think he actually got rid of anything but it is a lot tidier in there now. Sounds like yours looks a lot better too MrsTidy.

Welcome back Willow! Hope things have been going well for you. I remember your house always sounded busy!

I often fantasise about having a cleaner. Although it’s the tidying that mostly takes up the time here. DH feels similar to you nordic about a stranger coming in. We’re both working from home at the moment so do have more time to keep on top of it but it does get a lot dirtier!

Dumped my dump things. Finally.