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.

@SqueakyDinosaur I definitely feel my mental health is linked to the state of the house. We did a big tidy-up for a visitor the weekend before last, and the tidiness has lingered and improved my mood.

You could pop some things on a garden wall. I shift all sorts of things that way.

Maybe review your listing and take fresh photos?

284 outs in June, up to 884 total - bit annoyed not to hit 900!

Target for July is to break 1,000 although (I probably always say this) most of the easy stuff is gone.

Keep it up folks!

Absolutely is my mental state linked to the state of the house. Tidiness or cleanliness, if it looks a mess I feel frustrated and fed up. I’ve said before I almost used to dream of it all burning down just to get rid of stuff! I am over that stage at least and I know my house isn’t really bad compared to some but it just teeters on the brink of what I feel is out of control.

EG kids and DH back for approx 12 hours (most of which was sleeping) and yet there are mucky handprints on the fridge door already. Sigh

When it come to selling but not shifting stuff, I eventually give up and just get rid, usually to a charity shop and feel so much lighter for it. You have to ask yourself if it’s really worth it in financial terms, or could it just be your charitable donation for the month/year/whatever.

Jobs:

1. Hang up framed pictures
2. DS2 paperwork: started blue badge
3. my British passport application (have an Irish one but life sometimes easier with a UK one and I’m allowed both)
4. must sort through too many mugs with DH as too many for the cupboard

Not quite outs yet:
10 cds/games to list on FB: 4 x games collected ✅
3 x old duvets to find a home for - need to contact local dog charity place
craft stuff listed on FB; colouring books due to be collected soon?
Running leggings to go to a friend

Out:
4 x games
3 x freezer blocks given away as we have far too many
1019+7=1026

My mental state is definitely linked to the state of our flat. I feel overwhelmed when there's lots of stuff lying around and nobody else is making any effort to tackle it. When everything is tidy and there's no clutter, it makes everything else easier.

One face cream used up. One gloopy nail polish binned. Total is 2344

Please may I join in? I'm a teacher and the summer holidays are stretching in front of me - I'm determined to get a grip on the clutter. The plan started yesterday. An injury several years ago meant that I can no longer wear any of my old shoes, but they have been languishing under my bed ever since.

Day 1 - 8 pairs of shoes to bin, 5 pairs of shoes to my daughter, 3 pairs of shoes into the charity bag.

I'm aiming to re-home at least 10 items a day all summer.

Right, a few outs this afternoon. Tidied a kitchen cupboard shelf, binned some out of date meds and have sorted through a cupboard in the bedroom we are planning to get rid of. I filled a bin bag full of textile recycling and half a bag of rubbish plus a few small bits for recycling. Started another charity shop bag.
All quick wins but wanted some stuff to go!

Love the idea of 10 items a day @qwerty1972 seems more manageable

5 pairs of dd shorts, two swimming costumes and a lot of outgrown ballet kit earmarked to go. Nothing has gone yet but it will. I could also get dd to try on lots of uniform. She turns,10 soon and it's 8-9 and 7-8 so I'm sure,some won't fit. I'm not going to rush to replace any of it as she is again on the brink of exclusion.

Had a family death which is heartbreaking. So mil is flying in soon. That will force my hand to jump back on a big declutter too and she will need ds bedroom.

So much to do! I should never have taken a break. But it's OK, once I earmarked stuff the rest is normally easy ish.

I used a stored bag for a posh event last week and it's started to perish. I should get rid of that too.

Using up lots of toiletry too right now which is tidying up the bathroom a bit.

I think I need a maintenance target for the weeks where dealing with sen stuff takes over.

Not much cleared out due to ongoing house renovations and work.

14 Vinted sales
12 eBay sales
25 dvds, 23 CDs and 6 books sent to music magpie.

Total for year 1241

DD starts primary school in September so I need to find space somewhere to store all her uniform.

I have a huge pile of clothes to go through as I've now lost 4st so I want rid of all my fat clothes.

Sorry for your loss @IncessantNameChanger 💐

Binned - digital watch beyond repair. Ratty dishtowel.

Recycling trolley - four yogurt tubs. I was keeping them for planting seeds in the greenhouse, but realistically that's not going to be ready for another year, and it’s too late for anything this year.

@PissedOffNeighbour22 congratulations on your weight loss! Clearing out that stuff will be the most wonderful feeling. I'm quite jealous! I have an entire wardrobe in size 12, 14 and 16 including winter and summer, evening wear, ski gear, beach wear, coats etc. Bags and bags and bags. I keep promising myself ill get into the size 14 stuff and chuck out all my current 16 wardrobe but never seem to get there. Good for you!

Good morning. Can I join?

DH and I have always been fairly good at keeping our stuff under control but DD (3.5) is another matter! She becomes very attached to things even if she doesn't play with/use it and it makes it hard to declutter. If I hide things she will ask about them and get them out but then not use them. We have space but I really don't want everything to end up cluttered with stuff that isn't used. We have baby number 2 due in October and I really want to get a handle on this. I've also become a lot more emotional about "things" since having children and find it harder to get rid of stuff than I used to. Where do I start??

@Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong thank you :)
I have the same issue - I've hoarded multiple sizes over the years and have sizes 14 to 20/22. Im about a size 14 now and I'm aiming to get rid of everything above a 16. I know I'm likely to put some of the weight back on, but surely not several dress sizes.

I have 3 wardrobes of clothes plus 4 sets of drawers so I HAVE to sort it out as we just don't have the space to keep all that furniture. I still have 2st left to lose so if I can keep the weight off long term, the aim is just to have a small selection of clothes that I wear more often and replace when necessary. I have a real problem with clothes hoarding and not being able to resist a 'bargain'.

I think a lot of us hang on to clothes for a lot of different reasons. I have masses, including ones which I bought as smart work clothes for a previous job. I love a lot of them, but there is no reason in my life to wear them now. And yet they represent a part of me that I feel very ambivalent about losing - I am genuinely glad I'm not working in that environment any more, but part of the reason I didn't go on to a similar job is that I was seriously injured and then found to have cancer, so sorting myself out from that has taken a long time, and the clothes are a connection back to that different me. I'm lucky in that I have the storage space to keep them as long as I want, and with things like evening clothes and smart interview clothes, I will often lend them to other people so they're not entirely useless. But it still bothers me. I'm waiting for a reconstructive operation which I hope will allow me to wear some of the less formal ones again - it feels like unfinished business.

Hi everyone, its been a while but There Is More To Do. Since I first joined these threads over a year ago we now have much more clear areas of the house. The garage has been converted into a guest room and not refilled with junk. However other areas are still lacking unfortunately. Just back for a bit of accountability really!

I got rid of some of dd outgrown dance shoes today. Listed some of her shorts on vinted but not much interest again. I will get rid of most of her too small Ballet kit tomorrow to. I'm taking note but totted up number just yet. I might have lots of hangers to go as well at this rate too

Welcome Brie and Qwerty.

Sorry for your loss Incessant.

I have a real problem with clothes hoarding and not being able to resist a 'bargain'.

Same with me PissedOffNeighbour.

I hope your operation comes through soon Squeaky and that you can wear your clothes again. It must be difficult to be in limbo, unable to replace your wardrobe because you don't yet know what shape your final body will be and what will fit it. Those clothes from another life are the sort of thing I'd take photos of and make a scrapbook page for, then let them go.

Out today:

Two leaflets
Some 20+ year old paper eyelets. Some of you won't even know what I'm on about here. They were from before everything was computerised and before plastic sleeves were commonplace. You'd hole punch your paperwork to file in a ring binder and attach a small plastic sticker of an eyelet, front and back, around the hole to strengthen it, so your paper wouldn't get ripped at the holes when the pages were flipped through in the file. I found a half used box lurking amongst the stationery stuff.

Total is 2347

bagged up plastic juice bottles and two bleach bottles for recycling

I remember those plastic eyelets! Used to enjoy keeping my project folders nice and neat, its all on the computer now.

@IncessantNameChanger im sorry for your loss. Don’t feel bad for taking a break. Sometimes we need a break. Hopefully you’re finding time to enjoy your dc’s having fewer clothes and the benefits that provides.

im in a similar boat with clothes of many sizes. It’s best to just get rid of the bigger (or smaller clothes!) that don’t fit because fashions change over time often so subtly that we don’t notice it but even if you did lose weight you’d realise that there’s something not right about the old clothes now. I chucked out some size 8/ 10 jeans a few months ago. I would like to fit in them but it would probably take a year to diet into them but they’re skinny and dark and even someone unfashionable like me can tell that they’re dated. So when I do lose weight I’ll buy new things as a treat.

Welcome newbies, it sounds like everyone kinda knows what they need to do - it's just getting there!

Sorry for your loss @IncessantNameChanger, you really need a break!

I've been a bit absent, but I have actually decluttered. i got rid of a few large items, like a spare laundry basket which I thought I could eventually use in DC room when they are older - then I realised I really didn't like it and probably wouldn't want it anyway! I also listed and got rid of a few kids bundles and toys. Yesterday I did a whole house(ish) clean and got rid of all the small lingering stuff.

So out this last week
Ikea laundry basket
small self-standing drawer unit I didn't really need
a large playmobil set that DC just didn't take to
6 kids books
3 birthday cards
kids outdoor ball, ragged
6 toys (stuffed animals, jigsaws)
bottle of bubble mix that didn't make bubbles
pin badge
old debit card
cat harness
10 paper items from DH
kids t-shirt that DC hated
5 bits of paraphernalia from birthday loot bags
cardigan, given to a friend
small storage pouch

41+835= 876
Annoyed that I'm really behind the 2024 goal.

Thanks for the kind words. Huge pile of things to go as pictured, but due to my 'rules' some is on Vinted for the next few days. The old Brownies kit will be listed on Vinted as that kind of thing always sells, and the profits will buy a new guides top.

I have a pile of things for dd to try on from her school uniform. I'm not buying any new uniform as I really think she could be expelled at any moment.

My wise friend has told me to just focus on paying privately to help my dd with things that camhs should be doing. Everything else will be mentally Binned. I won't even be able to go my cousins funeral because of dd in all likelihood. Dd was a nightmare this morning so I screamed full volume driving back in the car and now hurt my throat 🤣 anyway I'm back on it and I still has to sorts ds wardrobe out this afternoon too. His stuff will all straight to charity. I don't need to ponder over any of that.