Hoarders Anonymous. Thread #8. We Are Keeping On Keeping On. Fighting The Cluttered Fight.

[Solo]

We are a group of likeminded householders who are leading somewhat challenging lives; be that living with too much 'stuff' that we find difficult to deal with, houses that are falling apart (mine is), health issues within the family unit, wider family, or ourselves (me too) that means sorting out our households is challenging to say the least. So...

You are all welcome to join us for support, adding your ideas to help others out, storage ideas, and even tips on actually getting those items out of the house which sounds so simple when you say it, but this part can be so very difficult; we are often attached emotionally to our 'things', afraid of letting things go just in case we need them.

Encouragement and support abound here in our band of clutterbugs. We never ever criticise anyone! We even try not to criticise ourselves as it's not helpful to anyone, but this can be very difficult to achieve.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter, mess, disorganization and generally don't know where to start. If you can't be bothered, but really do want to be bothered. If you think you are a bit lazy, or if you just need to see your highs and lows and everything in between on the screen here, join us, and we will help you. We'll virtually high-five your achievements - small or large, and virtually hug you when the need arises. If you want a hug, just ask because we are here for you, here for one another because we get it. The art of washing up is sometimes our great achievement of the day, but it's still an achievement

Some helpful links. They aren't for everyone, but have a look if you fancy:

• Help For Hoarders by Jasmine Harman (the author/producer of the BBC1 documentaries My Hoarder Mum and Me and Britain's Biggest Hoarders)
• The FlyLady Cleaning Method by Marla Cilley
• The Organised Mum Method by Gemma Bray
• The KonMari Method by Marie Kondo
• A Slob Comes Clean by Dana K. White
• The Getting Things Done Method by David Allen

And a LINK-#7

I'm not sure if The Flylady link is working, but if not, you know what to search for.

Welcome to thread #8 of Hoarders Anonymous. Thread #8. We Are Keeping On Keeping On. Fighting The Cluttered Fight (and winning, one small step at a time).

They were some (of many) old holey socks, I actually threw them away after (so proud of myself!).

Another week of driving stupid amounts.

Thank you @Elleherd @BlueSummerBabyand @FiniteSagacity for the welcome and encouragement. Emailed local RSPC centre in the hope that they'd take old towels, but apparently not. Maybe they need to be turned into cleaning rags as suggested. Today's win was getting rid of some paper clutter. My shredder broke so I keep making piles of ancient bank statements etc. but have just shoved them in a mesh bag and am soaking in water. Apparently you can then drain and chuck safely in regular bin. If this works well and doesn't create ghastly mushy mess then it could be the start of something rather good....

We have a textile recycling bin at our ‘tip’ where I hope to be able to let go of some towels shortly!

Thehillsarealive Well done with the dress. I hear you on the tents. It is often easier with things that are functional because you know someone else will be benefiting and getting use from them.

Sameclutternewname Hang onto that feeling, you've earned it! Chuckling at you and Finites sock synchronicity. And good to hear the side eying the extractors worked. 😀

BlackeyedSusan Sorry, it sounds like it's wearing you. Are you stuck in this situation for the foreseeable, or is it a 'means to an end' thing?

NotdeadyetBOING Generally it's places like Dogs trust and smaller animal charities, horse donkey sanctuaries who are happy to take towels and bedding.
Well done chucking paperwork, hope the bank statements don't turn to messy mush. Tbh dependent on how serious your problems are, but as someone with a lot to get rid off I'd accept buying another shredder as a running cost of creating a better life, for the efficiency of it. The soaking method sounds quite labour intensive, but that could be because I have so many boxes to get through.

Yesterday not brilliant. Got thrown by minor problem at new storage, then a letter arrived saying builders where expecting to arrive and start today!
Letter's dated a week ago, arrived 1st class, and I'm being told it was sent the day dated and not their problem.
Had to tell them not possible, and have to talk to them today, but it's put me on the back foot, and rather than spur things on, ended up not getting as much done as expected.
Trying not to panic but need to somehow manage to speed things up considerably but without breaking myself so I can't do it at all.

Curtain ended up having to be re-soaked after coming out stripey.

Managed to chuck away a few things and did generate a carrier bag of recycling, not much, but pleased to have put a couple of things into it that normally would have been automatically kept. Counting small wins.

There's clearly something in the air with socks - I managed to chuck some odd ones yesterday (still have a small pile of unmatched ones, but it's SMALLER!). All about celebrating those small wins...

End of late lunch break. Storage issue hopefully sorted, curtain sorted and drying, unexpected two hours on phone, but no further on. Off to pack up stuff like life depends on it.

Driving autistic teen to college. Could be a long while until she is able to take a bus.

I am totally overwhelmed by the amount of stuff to do. Progress is slow. I did manage to empty half a compost bin yesterday as we are clearing out the garden as ex is moving house. We also emptied two pots that were growing beans .

Washing is getting washed and hung. DD is helping with washing up and hanging washing.

Yesterday's tasks also included killing a spider and, worse, disposing of the body.

Today I have to wash the compost bin, empty two more pots and wash those as well so I can move it all to mum's house/ex's new house.

I did send the bin down and took down a handful of recycling.

BlackeyedSusan Sympathies with the transport situation breaking up your time and taking energy, but well done to both of you that teen's made it to college regardless of the challenges and great that she's getting stuck in with stuff.
Slow progress always better than no progress.

Managed to get encased window curtain properly clean, dried, and back up into it, but annoyingly managed to tear the bottom doing it, so going to have to try and repair it in situ as it took so blooming long to get in and out, I can't face it again.
Still have to find a way to repair or replace other curtain track and getting that one back up too.

Got another load to storage but tbh, not nearly enough, and I just don't seem to be able to make this work better. Pain is really slowing play and is cumulative, but the pain killers are leaving me brainless and slower.

The situation is also showing up the enormity of just how much stuff has been Tetris'd into every available space here, as well as what was already in storage.

@Elleherd the Tetris! My home is bad enough but hoarding parent had rooms stacked 6ft high and it feels like it must get worse before it can get better there. Goat trails became passable then, to fully clear some areas, others got worse again. It’s harder to let go of stuff when the person is still with us and they wouldn’t get rid of anything.

Then I come home and think I must get to de-cluttering my own house soon.

And breathe. This too shall pass.

It is really helpful to read updates and I often come here when I need to get started, thank you all 💐

Hello everyone! I'm really sorry for not being here. I'm pretty annoyed actually because I had written a long post, addressed many of our members individually - which as you know, I don't really do, and the last thing I said was something like 'Not finished, will be back' and it appears that that post did not post!

I'm trying to catch up with the thread currently, but that may not happen in full.

No progress here. Just treading water with keeping the laundry washed and dried. As you may recall, I had got into the habit of washing up after every 'usage' but I cooked some mushrooms in a pan, but they stuck on the bottom and for love nor money couldn't get it clean, so it sat in the bowl soaking. Then I couldn't be bothered to wash up the next day, which seemed to spiral until after a couple of days I couldn't stand it anymore. It seems to niggle me now, which is a good thing. Isn't it?

The only other things I can think that I have done (there's probably more, but I can't recall them). Cleaned the bath, sink, and loo. Took loo seat off and gave that a good clean. Scrubbed the grout that had become discoloured. Changed bedding and washed the dirty set. I do like clean sheets and pillow cases. Dd does not!

The other thing I did was tidy, organise and clean Mum's kitchen, stove, cooker hood, microwave, airfryer,. It looked so nice when I'd finished. I then cooked dinner for four and cleaned up before I left. I was exhausted. Four and a half hours! I haven't been over there this week yet. That'll be tomorrow. I hope she's at least put things away after using them. I expect I will be doing some more when I go back to hers after yet another funeral.

I will try to post this post properly, and I'll try to get back.

Solo that sounds like you’ve done loads of the short term and mid-term/long term jobs!

ive got another bag for the charity shop but am shocked to realise how much stuff the DC have, uni age so I can’t really address it directly myself.

@Solo sounds like bursts of energy going on. Very hard when life keeps throwing difficult stuff continuously.
Hope your Mun has kept up your good work, but IME don't hold your breathe, just go prepared you may have to do it all over again, and again, until the penny drops.

Thehillsarealive Well done with the charity shop bag. Yep YA's here with hoarding tendencies too. I accept that's on me, but do they really need to rebel by being an untidy hoarder? (Apparently yes)

Yesterday was some clearing up in garden while it wasn't raining, resulting in a small sack of chopped greenery and a sack of recycling out, sorting out something foxes appear to have done, and another not large, but awkward load, down to storage. Ordered stuff to sort broken curtain rail, and some specialist boxes for moving odd stuff.

@FiniteSagacity It will pass. Quite when is the harder one, but it will.
IME clearing and sorting always involves things getting worse before they get better, regardless of if it's a severe hoard or a just a full house.
Tidy or untidy, the more actual stuff has been tetris'd in, even if tidily, the worse it is during sorting.
Give me a hoarded house that when you start taking it apart it turns out there's loads of random unused space, newspapers, rubbish, and empty drawers behind and under it all any day!

I grew up with those floor ceiling goatpaths. They turn up in my dreams a lot with a life of their own. Thank you for finding the updating positive. For me it forces me to be a bit more accountable and helps me spot patterns in procrastination, but also when I may be expecting more than my body can do

Yesterday resulted in another two sacks of chopped greenery out, a lot more sorting, some additional cleaning, and reducing a lot of rolls of large paper to more compact rolls, but tbh very little actual packing achieved. But still ended up in too much pain.

I'm struggling with not enough actual space to pack in and hoping to crack that this weekend, along with a load of other things. Hoping I'm not being to optimistic with plans, but something just has to give. Monday is likely to be painful and scary if I haven't made a lot more progress by then.

@Elleherd I thought I’d update that two wardrobes were mercifully empty!
It took time to access them (and there are other wardrobes that are not empty) but I’m so glad.

We’ve made progress by clearing a ‘holding area’ first, then sorting into ‘can go now’ and ‘undecided’ so at least 2/3 of stuff can go straight away, until we get some decision fatigue. It does mean that we’re building up harder decisions for the future - but we’re also practicing deciding things can go. Which means we’ll hopefully be better prepared for whittling it down again.

I’ve had virtually no rest and neglected my home, family and paid work, but I I feel positive about progress and the end being closer. It has been immensely helpful to work with someone rather than alone.

@FiniteSagacity You uncovered 'gift spaces'! 🙂Yes that system does build up harder decisions for later but as you rightly observe, it is also building up and flexing the letting go muscles, which hopefully will make those later decisions less arduous, and you are automatically getting rid of the bulk that you know is making it all feel harder to deal with.
Really glad you can see the positive progress and a closer end, even at cost.
Working alone over a long period is tbh demoralizing, though I use this thread to remind myself that I'm not alone, and while I often can't see progress here, just the sheer number of sacks of chopped greenery mean there has to have been more progress than actually shows!
It is very hard going trying to keep all the balls in the air while also decluttering, especially when it's more than one house, and your time and energy is subdivided all over the place.

Yesterday saw the worlds quickest clear up at aunts. Worryingly the damp is visibly back there, but have had to say I need to get my problems better sorted before I can do anything more there. Am living in fear of the call that says I have to be entirely builder ready.
Yet another two sacks of chopped greenery gone from here, and managed to fix part but not all of the broken curtain rail. Gave up trying to fix torn curtain in encased window and have disassembled it all again this morning to take the blooming curtain out again to repair later! Two steps forward, one step back.
Got a small amount of bigger stuff down to the unit but exhausted myself doing it. Specialist boxes I'd ordered turned up so badly damaged I refused the package, but delivery driver left it on the doorstep after I'd shut the door!🙄
Have finished paid work for the day, so off to keep on keeping on...

OMG! I've just found the post I wrote but obviously didn't post! Not sure how that happened.

Wow! You're all doing so well!

Susan 85 Miles is a lot! Do you have to do this every school day? That would do me in, so I am in awe of you.
KingArthur congrats on getting done what you have so far. You're doing brilliantly.
Sing ditto above. You're amazing.
Butterflies every little helps! I know it doesn't feel like much, but it's a job done.
Latenightreader a great effort. My living room curtains need cleaning. It'll be an expensive job, so not going to be done anytime soon. Good for you on the change and free cycling.
Talktothehand I think excessive clothing us a problem for so many people. Good on you for planning on getting sorted.
Sameclutter I never put the clean laundry away, either.
roka my Dd is in year 13 and I still have stuff from her primary years. I've thrown most out during a brave burst, but still have a few bags full. Moths! Yes, me too. Mostly my living room carpet which is wool and my Dad's blanket which I treasure. I started filling the holes with felting and then embroidering owers around those, but every moth season I get more holes. The blanket came from India with my Dad and is 70+ years old now. Ideally, it needs washing but sentimental old me doesn't want to. And I'm scared to too. It's wool so will be very heavy and I'm not sure how I'd get it dry. You are not alone.

Not finished, will return.

Waves to Solo. I've done that a fair few times!😀Hope mum kept kitchen tidy, but won't be surprised if that's a no.

Yesterday was the apparently obligatory two bags of chopped up greenery out, alongside a small carrier bag of recycling. Got another small load down to storage, not that efficient, but hoping the space cleared might help speed up things. Am having a lunch break, and a bath (got filthy doing paid work) and then today's round starts.

Solo, the blanket. Put it in a trug, large size, straight out of the washer. Get it outside in the trug and enlist help to hang it over a wall or fence. Probably easiest to pick up the trug, tip it out over the wall/fence then spread the blanket out. Do it on a blazing hot summers day and it'll dry.

Another method for those without washers, sufficient strength, or standing up abilities, but again requires consecutive hot days:
Wash gently in bath. Slide old net curtain under, roll up blanket, let drain. Lift in net (stops it stretching the wool) into trug.
Outside: lay bed slats or chicken wire across bricks, (if needed wrap bricks first) Put netted blanket onto it and unroll. Re roll and turn as appropriate. It's time consuming but gets you there and can be achieved alone from seated position.

Spent too long on yesterday's lunch break, then tried to make up for it and blew it badly enough to have to spend yesterday in a&e until this morning.

Did have the presence of mind to take torn curtain with me and spend the time invisible mending the whole thing, and something I'd been wearing got sorted as well, but that's it!
Have had some sleep and about to gingerly restart with a little more decorum today.

Hello and love to all. Not much progress but house doesn't appear too horific at the moment. I'm trying to keep in the habit of tidying as I go. Hopefully can make a bit of inroads over the next few days as I should have a bit of time spare.

Well done for keeping on top of things and good luck with in roads, TalkToTheHand123. Look forward to hearing progress.

Next doors fearsome dog has trashed our shed, which neighbor of course denies, claiming must be foxes ripped it apart, not her bored 'not really an XL bully.' I thought it had just ripped a couple of panels off that I repaired at the time, but discovered there's a huge hole in the back where it's eaten its way in, and it's successfully eaten and worried a corner support post!

Now being threatened with reporting me to landlord . It's beyond aggravating as it's her dog, causing the issue, but she has form, and a tendency to win.

I can't be be getting into arguments with the landlord right now, so trying not to blow up at neighbor and seeing if I can split my attention and time over the last couple, and next few days.🙄

Got encased window apart and repaired curtain properly back in, with only a tiny tear in the process this time! Then cleaned up coffee dropped whilst doing it.

Managed to go through some stuff and dispose of contents of a couple of boxes, and half a rubbish bin is also full.

Did some temporary repairs on chomped on fence to try and keep dog out. More substantial repairs needed.

Pulled out several big containers from shed through the hole and thoroughly cleaned them. Teeth marks and dried bloody slobber every where. Shelves both sides have been pulled down, and everything is everywhere, so I can't get in the front and will need help. Not what I need to be doing right now.

@Elleherd difficult neighbours who won’t control their animal sound so frustrating.

Well done with curtain and other progress. Also love the genius of your net curtain in the bath and chicken wire drying!

Very little progress here. Did tackle spider nests removal as fear of hatching exceeded fear of handling!