CLUTTER!!!

[NewMum0512]

Hi all,

My house is so overwhelmed with "stuff" and I can't live like this anymore.

I've tried tips like start small do a cupboard at a time etc but I often get lost down rabbit holes and it just ends up making more of a mess than getting rid of any of the clutter. I also find it really hard to know what I should throw out and what I should keep in case I never need any given item in the future.

How do you keep on top of clutter and do you have any help, advice or tips for me trying to get on top of it all?

I would love someone to come and blitz my house, even offering them 50% of anything they sell etc, I'm just so lost as to where and how to start!

Yeah I really wish I could move next door, but leave all my stuff here for a year. I'd go back and forth and only bring to my new house anything I needed. Anything left in my home a year later would be adios!!

That being said I am moving in the new year. Maybe I should leave everything in the garage and only unpack it when I need it 😂

I’m exactly the same. It’s utterly soul destroying isn’t it. I feel sorry for my family. How do people chuck stuff tho? I feel physically panicked by the thought that it’ll be needed or could have been sold for funds. Not that I’ve ever sold anything in my life however! God it’s depressing. Definitely a weird obsessive compulsive thing I’m sure. Love to be unconscious for a month and have my family just chuck everything without me knowing.

I saw something they called the poop test. If the item got poo on it, would you want to wash it to save it, or just get rid of it 😂

The Minimalists 'packing party' technique would suit you! Seems you pack everything you own as if you were moving, then unpack things only as you need them ( or if you really want the thing!) If you like a party you get people in to help pack, and provide pizza and booze, or whatever.

Sounds fun if the babystep approach doesn't work.

It's very hard to feel like that 💐

I'm trying to wade through years of clutter and god it is soul destroying. I can spend a whole day doing a big cupboard and absolutely nothing looks any different! How to keep motivated? It's really hard going

Read Marie kondos book, you’ll easily get rid of half your crap

Decluttering is like cleaning it needs to be done regularly and you need to stop what you can to stop too much dirt/clutter in the first place.

You need to read up on the sunk cost fallacy. If it’s in your house then the money has gone and at some point it will end up in the tip.

Book these people in and gather up as much stuff as possible

anglodoorstepcollections.co.uk/

That Anglo company are a business that ship stuff to developing countries and only donated half a million to charity. The charity shop I work in raised almost 100k last year just by itself. It’s a medium size charity shop. Some charities such as air ambulance will collect at the door. If anyone ever has a bag come through for door step collections double check it’s a genuine charity and not a business that sells stuff on if you want stuff to go to charity that is.

I have been trying to declutter and it’s a never ending job. There have been times when I have got rid of 6 black bags of stuff from my house and it’s really disappointing when you walk back into the house and it’s unnoticeable.

I second Marie Kondo’s approach but I also find that the Stacey Solomon programme on BBC1 is quite motivating.

One thing that’s helped me massively is Vinted. I have a target of listing one thing a day. That’s it. It’s a really slow burn but I found that selling has given me a little dopamine hit which stops me seeking it in buying online so it’s helped kurb my buying too. I’ve been really consistent this year and have made a few hundred pounds which is great, and finally I have started to notice that I have some room in my wardrobe.

This is brilliant

Here you go! I made the list after reading her book.

The trick is to “discard intensely and completely, following the exact order below and crossing off as you go”.

Clothing
Tops & bottoms
Dresses
Pyjamas
Jackets
Handbags
Belts & scarves
Shoes & boots
Hats & gloves
Socks & underwear
Jewellery
Costumes
Athletic clothes & swimwear

Books
Cookbooks
General
Kids
Magazines
Reference & textbooks

Papers
Coupons & receipts
Taxes
Files
Warranties & instruction manuals
Important documents
Bills
Greeting cards
Wrapping paper
Lecture notes & handouts
Business cards
Recipes

Misc (General)
DVDs & CDs
Video games
Cables & remotes
Craft supplies
Coins

Misc (Kids)
Toys & bath toys
Outdoor toys
Sports equipment
Board games & puzzles

Misc (Office)
Gift & reward cards
Office supplies
Appliances & computers

Misc (Cleaning)
Sponges, scouring pads, rags
Cleaning equipment
Mops, brooms, vacuums
Buckets & rubber gloves
Pest control
Laundry & ironing supplies

Misc (Kitchen)
Pantry & slices
Fridge
Coffee/tea/alcohol
Supplements & vitamins
Utensils
Cutlery
Knives
Trivets & oven mitts
Pots, pans & baking trays
Serving tools
Baking accessories
Crockery
Glasses
Cups & mugs
Travel cups & water bottles
Paper supplies
Tea towels & aprons
Misc (straws, packet clips)
Small appliances
Storage containers
Mixing bowls, steamers & colanders
Chopping boards

Misc (Decor)
Picture frames
Artwork & mirrors
Collections
Furniture
Lamps
Candles
Cushions
Throw blankets
Vases

Misc (Garage)
Tools & hardware
Garden maintenance
Gardening supplies
Light bulbs & batteries
Torches

Misc (Bathroom)
Sheets & bedding
Duvets & blankets
Towels & flannels
Medicine
Skincare & shaving
Makeup & brushes
Hair supplies & brushes
Samples & travel sizes
Oral hygiene items
Soap & body wash
Perfume
Feminine supplies

Sentimental items
Photos & albums
Journals & diaries
Memorabilia & souvenirs
Scrapbooks
Personal letters
Heirlooms
Trophies

You need Dana K White / A Slob Comes Clean and her decluttering without making a bigger mess.

I just listen to the podcast while I clean and it helps me. I have read her books too but the podcast is enough.

Love this thread!

It's actually not though - some examples.

We had so many board games that I had kept and stored in DS's room "just in case" even though we never ever played them and probably never would, we have younger children and I thought maybe they'll grow up and play them or maybe a guest will come over etc.

When I eventually had this epiphany that the games can just be bought again if I need games in the future - I took them all out. Checked which ones had all the pieces. Some of them didn't (and I kept them through a house move but they didn't all turn up) so ended up needing to be recycled anyway. The ones which were playable but we wouldn't play, I donated. So somebody else can play them and enjoy them.

The room, though. THE ROOM!! I could not believe how awful and dusty it was in there. It was so horrendous and sat on my chest and I don't have any allergies that I know of. There were also insects breeding in the dust 🤢 and they had damaged some of the cardboard, which meant things ended up needing to be thrown away.

I kept all that stuff so long which caused some of it to actually get damaged from being stored and never moved, and I dread to think of the effects on DS' health.

If I want to buy a board game in the future, I probably would have bought it anyway and if I do re-buy one of those specific games that I already had, it is worth it - I can always buy second hand. But it's worth it not to have stored 15 unneeded games for an extra 15 years and lived with all the dust and stuff. We gained so much space in DS' room - space that we were effectively paying rent for, but couldn't access. And what if me hoarding that item in a room and never playing it caused someone else not to be able to find something they liked in the second hand shop and buy a brand new board game?

Holding onto stuff but not using it is not being environmentally friendly.

The other example which bothers me - DH had a load of old cables and I suggested going through them and donating/recycling. He got caught up in "but we might need that one day". He bought a brand new, €20 plastic crate from IKEA to store them in!! So he has actually bought something new to store what is 99% rubbish in. We have used I think two cables from that box ever. We probably could have replaced the two cables for less than €20.

Buying new stuff to store the "just in case" stuff is definitely not environmentally friendly and may not be wallet friendly either.

I didn't know that about Anglo, had a collection from them next week that I've just cancelled, thanks for the heads up

Yes that's very true!

Decluttering aka recycling I do once a week. So on Friday, thanks for the tip, Dunelm has a bin for fabric, and I bagged up old but clean holey socks, tights & pants and some knackered shoes. I returned some trial contact lenses to opticians and dropped off old make up supplies to Boots (couldn't be bothered with their complicated recycling scheme for points though).
My DH in his wisdom had a secret spare cooker in the shed which was great when the old one stopped working (induction hob packed up, had already had fan oven repaired) - although we still have the old one in the kitchen now for weeks... and for some reason we have 3 unwanted flat screen TVs and an office chair in the lounge. Hopefully a friend will take some of these off our hands next week.
It's endless! Some if this is legacy stuff from clearing parent's houses pre-covid. Furniture though is a nuisance and hard to get rid of.

I think I need to do this - just declutter and take to a charity shop.
However I feel guilty for not selling on Vinted. In the last year I have earned a lot on there and haven't need to buy any clothes for the children out of my actual bank as I buy it from Vinted. But... this stops me from declutterring and I feel utterly overwhelmed by it.
Tell me - will I just feel better if I do it and move it on to charity shops? Surely I can feel good about making charity donations and the space will help?
I love books but should I just shift them on if I'm never going to read them again or at all?
Help me get started everyone please 🙏 😅

It will help enormously to get it into a charity shop . I had a few dresses from Boden, Planet etc and kept thinking I'd put them on Vinted. I'm not going to though, I'd prefer the local hospice shop to benefit from them and that way I can also just let them go with relief. I've spent all day decluttering because the weather is so awful and I feel like I could stay up all night doing it now. I must have ADHD or something because it's taken me years, so embarrassing to pull out a chest of drawers to hoover behind and find it covered in thick cobwebs! How the hell did I let my house get like this??

This thread has been brilliant for helping me focus and keep on track, if I can do it anyone can xx good luck!

Air ambulance only takes clothes in our area and that’s not what I’m getting rid off. They’re are charity out there but not ones that take as much or door stop collection.

I’m happy to use Anglo because

• they always take my stuff on a pre arranged date
• my stuff isn’t going to go straight to landfill
• some more money in the economy
• some money to charity
• most importantly they take my clutter away