Decluttering and organising thread 8 – it’s nearly summer

[stealthninjamum]

These threads are accountability threads for mumsnetters who are decluttering and organising our homes.

We’re all at different stages of decluttering from the beginning to the maintenance phase and use different techniques. Join us for support and chat .

We discuss all things to do with decluttering, the things that stop us decluttering, how to get over them, where to dispose of our clutter, how we can encourage our families to join us, and pretty storage solutions which is the fun part.

I’m doing one last big push to get rid of loads of stuff before the long summer holidays when it’ll inevitably turn to chaos again.

Useful tips
Some of us have found the Toss app (on apple) a great place to start with decluttering.

Many of us love Dana K. White (A Slob Comes Clean) on youtube and podcasts.

Many of us at the start just take a timer for 5 or 10 minutes to just make it seem less daunting. I used to start by clearing surfaces.

If you want to make a big impact quickly then increasingly charities will pick up your furniture, books and clothes so you don't even need to leave the house. Or if you have hundreds of books / CDs it's really easy to use the Music Magpie, ziffit or We buy books apps to get them taken away and earn a (very) small amount of money at the same time.

The BBC TV Program Sort Your Life Out is particularly inspiring.

When I do housework I listen to podcasts from a Slob Comes Clean, Clutterbug, the Declutter Hub and The Art of Decluttering. If you think you have ADHD then Clutterbug talks about this a lot as she has ADHD, and Amy from The Art of Decluttering did an ADHD season about 8 or 9 months ago which gave some good tips. My dc have ADHD so it’s something I’m very interested in.

Really really really need to have a pre summer holiday purge of kids stuff!

Me too, but I think it's too late for me now,as there's only one who's still got days left at school now. I will have another check of clothes this week, but toys? No chance now

Donated all outgrown school clothes, shoes, jackets.

Two bags of clean textiles to recycling.

Some toys and children’s books to DD’s house and she can keep or sell as she wishes.

Got back into it again today after losing motivation for a couple of weeks… some old Bras, holey tights in the rubbish bag and listed a few things on vinted one of which sold immediately so that’s been posted.

Sadly need to clear my office to home and not sure where all those books are going…!

Two leaflets yesterday.
Total is 2401

Listed a load of things on Vinted

Tip trip yesterday

Total year to date 1,020 - won't make 2024 but my target was 1,400 so am getting there!

Both dc have broken up now so the house is chaos again. I spent an hour doing housework and it’s clean and tidy again.

My outs are a pair of trainers (but I have replaced with a new set so it doesn’t feel like it counts but years ago I wouldn’t have thrown the old trainers away) dd2 has found another 4 or 5 teddy bears. I took four bags of her stuff to the charity shop last week. I also shredded some paperwork about dd1s school that had been sitting around for a while.

Someone mentioned getting rid of small electrical items. I take mine to Currys but also you can take them to Argos if it’s similar to something they sell.

Two massive bags of outs to charity. Feel much lighter now. Threw a broken toy in the bin. Got a funeral tomorrow about 90 miles,away so not done much else today. Just cleaned out my junky washing machine draw, got ds haircut, two loads of washing and getting my hair done tonight

Recycled an old instruction manual for something I no longer have
Shredded an old journal
Used up a trial size shampoo

Total is 2404

Binned - a broken toy army tank.

I have a free day to do some decluttering and I am already totally overwhelmed.

I've areas in every room that need tackling.

2 things listed on facebook marketplace which will hopefully go today.

Few pairs of shorts added to the charity bag - will be so glad when kids have all stopped growing! @Vinorosso74 do Sainsburys take all hangers or just their own? We have lots of kiddie ones that are too small (that growing thing again!)

Posted too soon, in the past I have taken slightly fancier coloured plastic ones to chairt shop but we now many have a motley assortment from all the usual kids clothes buying suspects.

I've binned a load of plastic tat, given away several toys, and posted another toy I sold on Vinted. Doesn't feel like much for a days work but I've cleared out quite a lot of rubbish so its very pleasing!

Yes Sainsburys take all plastic hangers.

Sold a book . . . One book and one envelope out. 1,022!

Haven’t posted on here since the end of June, and there hasn’t been much decluttering since then either! Maybe one bag of shredded bank statements. The house looked so nice when I did the big tidy up in June as we had guests, but has been sinking ever since. Stuff left on the dining table and never put away, not quite enough storage space, still haven’t contacted the charities about the baby clothes, no further progress on dealing with the stuff in DD’s room and finishing improving her room.

It’s the school holidays now, but as I’m working for most of it, that’s not the lovely block of free time that some people seem to think it is. I’ve also been ill over the last week which meant all the day to day stuff built up too.

I’m frustrated with myself and need some motivation. It’s also annoying that it’s always me driving it - DH is great on doing his half of cooking, childcare, and has looked after me while I’m ill. But I’d really like him to be the one to say ‘right, let’s put this winter duvet away’ as it’s been sitting in a corner for three weeks since it was washed because putting it away means clearing space to get to the shelf where it’s stored in a plastic cover. One of those things where it if I cleared the stuff in front of the shelves, and decluttered/ got better storage for the stuff on the shelves, the job would be easier and I wouldn’t put it off!

@Gassylady yes all hangers, it's just a big box at the end of the checkouts in yje one I went to. They were all crappy ones from kids clothes.
It's been too hot to achieve anything today so I sat and did some colouring! Binned 4 too small pencils.

I did a flustered rush around the house, collecting too-small polo shirts, jumpers and bottoms. I think there's more (definitely more in the laundry that can go) but getting some to school today was better than nothing. Used up and got rid of a few other small things too

Out:
13 clothing items to school collection
Book bag
2 magazines
2 kids sticker sets
Election paperwork
Set of sticky notes
Handful of kids party bag crap
Beauty soap bar thingy used up
T-shirt sold on vinted - got it posted immediately and was proud of myself

Total is 944. DC came home from school with do much crsp. I mean art. Will try to sort it tomorrow plus drop off some stuff to charity shop

1 face wash used up
23 books ready to donate
1 pretty but not needed box I'm going to use to put the books in
2 leaflets

Total is 2431

Thanks to these threads I am continuing to declutter an overwhelming amount of stuff. I'd really appreciate some advice about my next move.

[ I have moved home combining the contents of my very cluttered 2 bed home with the contents of my late parent's 3 bed home. Currently Room A is useable Room B is 50% useable 50% storage/clutter and Room C is a storage area]

I'm currently working on decluttering room A and have done about 75% of it with Dana K White's method. It feels a lot better.

At this point I want to move out a big bookcase (full of books I want to keep) and move in a desk which is currently full of my parent's bits and pieces.

I need a useable desk asap.

Perfectionism says ' you must finish decluttering room A then declutter room B, making room for the bookcase then declutter room C and empty the desk'

Pragmatism is thinking 'Declutter a small area in room B, box up decluttered books, move books and bookshelf to Room B. Declutter/box up contents of desk. Move empty desk to room A.'

Does this plan make any sense?

Confronted by all this stuff my sense of proportion and trust in my own judgement flies out of the window.

Hi @GloomFighterNC that plan makes sense to me. You’ll be getting a usable desk and decluttering some of the books in room B. It sounds like a stressful situation to have to deal with the all the contents of your parents house, but it sounds like you’re making progress.

Thank you @EllieQ

Gloomfighter I like your pragmatism plan. Makes sense.

EllieQ my DH is totally blind to clutter. It's all "mine" apparently including the 3ft high pile of paperwork in his office. Then when i tidy up, about 3 months later he will wander around saying "I'm sure I put the sander and screwdrivers on the kitchen table" . . . Yes you did and you have also been eating at the kitchen table for 3 months so where did you think it had gone?!

Goal for today is 10 things to the charity shop.

Good to know im not the only one with a DH who is blind to clutter!

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself last night but will try to be more positive today. I also remembered that this week I decluttered two of our stash of gift bags for teacher gifts. But I’m also glad that we had a stash (to save money) and that I was able to find them straight away.

This morning I have finally emailed the charity that might take the baby clothes. It took me about one minute!

I need to make a decision about putting some coats and an unused pair of school shoes on Vinted - I’ve bought from there but never sold anything. Previously I would have just donated them, but could do with the money.

I think that sounds like a plan @GloomFighterNC it sounds like you are in quite a difficult situation and there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking some easy wins.

I've cracked on with decluttering the Living room and think I'm about 80% there. Need to do around the fireplace and the corner where we have CD's etc but I've gone through all the toys and chucked out loads of UPO (unidentified plastic objects). Hoovered under everything and dusted, feeling quite accomplished tbh!

3 Shoeboxes and 4 cuddly toys given away this morning too.