Decluttering Thread 12

[TidyClutterIsStillClutter]

Whatever your speed or method, whether it’s a few shelves, a couple of boxes or entire attics, rooms, or garages, come here and share both your successes and your struggles. There’s support and commiserations, and lots of good ideas.

Yesterday evening as dinner was cooking I went in the garage and organised a bin bag in a box and threw five things away, two tubs off some strange gone off as was rock hard wood filler, an almost empty oil and an empty can of yellow car park paint, and something the label had wore off and have no clue. .was out to dinner tonight so tomorrow I will chuck ten.

planning on filling the bin bags half way and knotting then they can go in the domestic rubbish bin if there’s a bit of room left when next the bin is due for collection, and if not I will take to the tip when I next go.

I’m a newbie to this thread, but it’s time I finally start dealing with the clutter. With spring in the air I do really feel like getting on with it (unusual!)

How do you all count what you’ve got rid of? Individual items? Boxes and bags?

I’m thinking I’ll aim for 2026 items in 2026…

Welcome @SeriouslyGotTheTshirt ! I count every item, unless it’s something like getting rid of paperwork where I’d count one file/ pile as one item.

I’ve also starting counting items coming into the house, and realised that there’s more coming in than I realised, which is part of the problem 🙈

1 x dress wrong colour
1 x jacket with annoying hood
2 x pairs shoes too bag/small
1 x conditioner used up
1 x pair tatty pyjamas recycled
Total is 4537

I count everything from a paperclip to a piece of furniture, T-shirt, because I'm curious about the total numbers of excess items in my home. About the only thing I don't split into individual bits is shoes, because I'd never have just one shoe when I've got two feet, so a pair of shoes is counted as one thing. I'm actually quite horrified at my total, which should have another 1000 at least added to it because I started before I found this thread. I'm still a long way off finished too.

Has this really happened that sounds like a good plan for the junk corner. If you have any wood, I'd do a bonfire on 5th November and have your children's friends and their parents for sparklers and mulled wine, if you have DC young enough, maybe older ones wouldn't be interested.

From the laundry -
2 x trousers too small
2 x tops not the best condition
1 x dress too small
Total is 4542

I've got a whole stash of ancient laptops to declutter but I'm worried about them - is it ok to just throw them in the electronics section at the tip? Is it possible my data can be stolen from the hard drives still?

Thanks @EllieQ and @IndianSummer78 - I will get started in a small way this weekend. I find if I go in too hard and do a big declutter session I get overwhelmed and don’t do it again for weeks.

@SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter I would want to wipe those hard drives, just in case.

Various pairs of too small or too rubbish trainers I've saved incase of unexpected trainer emergencies!
Lots of old dvds gone.
Cookware that has passed its best.
I have filled up our wheelie bin so on hold until Tuesday for binning things.
But definitely saw a lot of things I need to bag up for charity in the junk room.

Sold quite a lot on Vinted recently, including a ring that cost me a tenner for £48, but then couldn’t resist trawling the charity shop yesterday & spent £65! Still, I should make a profit on most of what I bought. I’m also going to advertise a Nobody’s child leopard print blouse - I opened the parcel quite some weeks after it arrived & discovered they’d sent the wrong size. Too late to return now. I need to take a Quiz dress back to the charity shop as I noticed some of the sequins were a bit rusty & I have added more to the bag. Discovered some clothes on my bedroom stool to iron which can then go on Vinted. One of the things I bought yesterday was a Whistles t shirt for £2 which is very crumpled so that can go in the pile to iron. It’s a lovely neon yellow. DH & I have to choose a new iron first! Haven’t decided yet but I might sell a Joe Brown wiggle dress that I got on Vinted as it turned out to be an 18, not a 16. It’s a gorgeous cherry design.
Got rid of some odd kitchen bits including tea/coffee/sugar containers that DH had when I met him. We have loads of mugs. I did get rid of some a while back but must be ruthless!

That’s reminded me that I put aside some DVDs to go on Vinted. Need to clear out the CD cupboard too as I have loads, some never even taken out of the wrapping.

I'm struggling.. Does anyone have tips for getting rid of stuff you’re not using but still want to keep? I'm paying for storage. Some of it I haven’t used in years but still like. Collectively it's worth more than the cost of the storage.

I'm trying to start with stuff I'm not attached to. I'd still like to get rid of some of the stuff I do still like.

Snuggly with the computers, I'd manually delete everything from everywhere, anything I'd saved or downloaded, any photos stored on it. Sign out of anything you're signed into on it, any apps like YouTube, Facebook , email or banking etc. Empty the recycle bin on there. Also go to your Google/Apple/banking account etc and look for any linked/trusted devices, deleting the one you're about to get rid of. Then reformat the computer. After that someone would have to be looking very hard to get any data off it, if it's even possible after all that. It wouldn't just be a case of finding the device, charging it up, cracking the password and rifling through the contents of your hard drive - they'd need the sort of skills the police have.

T-shirt I'm finding small and consistent is the way to go.

Two pairs of too small shoes. One embossing crafting thingy that I can't make work. A pair of too big leggings. Used up a sheet of sticky gems on a craft project. Total is 5447

I'm having good progress getting everyone to wear everything. Anything that gets moaned about goes, anything that's got any faults (too loose, too itchy, having to constantly pull it down, anything stained or that needs mending or whatever) it goes. I'm being really ruthless with what gets put away after the laundry is done and what goes into donations or recycling. I've come a long way from looking at something bobbled and wondering if it's too bobbled to keep, now if it's bobbled it goes, I don't have time for de-bobbling things and I don't want to look tatty. I've reframed it as self-care for us all and that's helped enormously with the guilt of getting rid of things that "still have some life left" (ie they're not actual rags yet).
Books, I've realised that since I keep buying new ones I'm not rereading the old ones. So unless it's an antique, sentimental or a favourite, it's donated or recycled after one reading, based on condition. I'm not against rereading books and frequently did in the past when I couldn't afford to buy them, but although I'm working on being less of a shopaholic I've accepted that if things are coming in then other things have to go out, it's the only way I'm going to regain much needed space.

Today I’ve given away

2 swimsuits
11 books
A large toy
2 bath toys

total 252

I've started listing the clothes I sorted through a couple of weeks ago. So far got rid of

Charity shop: 2x tops
Bin / recycling: 3x shirts, 3x trousers, box
Vinted: Jacket, cardigan, 2x dresses

Total: 1089

This afternoon's pottering about yielded a terrible quality t-shirt that didn't survive even one wash, a dried up bottle of kid's paint and an ancient Christmas CD that must have been designed for people's long dead great great grandparents. Total is 4550

Fell off the decluttering wagon back in January due to injury. Not easy to move things around when you need crutches just to get about 😫

Anyway, almost better now, up and about and ready to get cracking again.

I have sorted out another pile of stuff for Vinted and DH has been making regular tip runs so stuff has been leaving the house. I have been able to sort out some paperwork while sitting down so not completely useless 😄

I’ll go and find my last post and see where I was up to and then make a start on counting what has left the house (I have kept notes!). I have kept up with the thread and there is some serious decluttering going on! Pats on the back all round 👏

Good morning - just wanted to share my joy on having a completely clear draining board! Honestly, it gives me such pleasure every time I go in the kitchen. I also threw out a load of odd lids, straws etc that had been sitting there for months. It even makes the room lighter.

Two Vinted listings sent off along with the box of books. Glad I live near the InPost locker as I was checking to see when it had space. People clearly don't hurry to collect their parcels!
I need to relist some things on Vinted this week.
Small bag to charity shop yesterday.
I went shopping yesterday as some of my summer clothes looked a bit past their best. I have kept some for now as they'll do if I'm just at home. Three new tops and a pair of trousers in.

Shifted a load of clothes off one settee & just clearing one side of “ my” settee as it’s turned into an armchair! I haven’t chucked much away but it looks a lot tidier.

Very slow here. Total this month so far is one holey sock and half a dozen books. Two pairs boys’ underpants for ragbag, a handful of leaflets.

otoh, I have emptied a wall press of all the weird homeless odds and ends that ended up in there years ago, and am gradually working through the contents. The stuff is on one of the shelves I cleared in the living-room, it’s not all over the floor and the chairs, so I’m pleased with that.

Hello all! I've been awol for a few weeks because life got very busy in March, and then we had a holiday trip over Easter and were away 12 days, which was lovely, but since then all I've done is laundry and trying to get the cat to like me again 😄I did keep notes on my phone of the few things we have decluttered, and the stuff we have bought, but what seems to have happened is that there are small bags and piles of stuff nestled in the hallway and living room. Things like post to return to sender, bag of school jumpers to a school mum friend, shopping bag with trousers DH bought but were too big and need to be returned, a spare kettle I want to take to our office, huge pile of library books... before we went away, I tasked DH with going through all our leads, cables and adaptors and bagging anything we didn't use - at least those got dropped off at electrical recycling this morning. I need to get rid of the piles this week - they drive me nuts!

Things that have come in during these few weeks: 8 books, a plant (gift from a friend), 2 scrub mitts, gym set for DH, trousers for DH, compact mirror, swimming ring for DC

Outs: Old credit card, kids booket thingy, 4 pairs of pants, 5 miniature travel toiletries used up on trip, small toy and 9 charging cables/adaptors

Total ins= 102
Total outs=219

Need to up my game again, particularly on getting rid of some of the toddler books. I have already culled them twice; I think I am more attached to them than DC.

Glad you're feeling better Dare
Fingers crossed the cat stops hating you soon pigtails

One pair of shoes that rubs my heels and a vegetable steamer that melted in the microwave (I don't think it liked me making popcorn in it). Total is 4552

STOP THE PRESS! DH has thrown away a box of random wires. Wires which don’t attach to any electrical equipment and we have no idea what they were used for.
A whole big box of wires that has travelled from house to house with us over the last 17 years has been thrown away. Previously these were things that MUST BE KEPT but due to unforeseen circumstances, now are now NO LONGER REQUIRED. 😃

DD17 has asked me to help sort her room again so there will be A LOT to go!! Just got paid over £80 from Vinted & have over £30 pending so well chuffed. I’ve put another load of stuff on & have more jewellery, dvds & potentially kitchen items to post. I want to finally clear the stairs as stuff always gets left on there, ready to be taken up. There are still some Christmas decorations that DD insisted I buy for her tree which she never put up! The hall needs sorting again too - I swear shoes & coats multiply! Really want DH to clear his office but not sure when he’ll get round to it. It’s in a right state!

Got in the shed today, threw away an impressive number of light bulbs away from when DH changed oooooo a good ten years ago to LED’s.

Filled pretty much a black bin bag with random junk and mice eaten plastic bottles of slug killer and more. Umming about a huge tin of screws and nails, I think that’s going to the tip. I can never find what I want so I bought a selection box a while ago.

didn’t feel I even made a dent on it but at least it’s a start.