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.

I'm going to divide my decluttering total into months, week and days to stay more on track and even through the new year.

Daily 6
Weekly 39
Monthly 168

I'm also going to decluter in the rooms Team Tom suggest each day. I need to

1. keep tidy the things I have cleared.
2. empty my storage unit one box per week
3. bring my bedroom under control 4)sort out the games room.
4. find a sympathetic cleaner for some big deep cleans

I'm not going to set more goals than that. Got to make sure it's not overwhelming.

I have also joined the low spend thread again for this year

Good idea Incessant. I usually aim for 100 per month, some months it's a struggle and others I completely smash it. Might try 150 a month for the year ahead to get closer to my 2026 target.

Tempted not to throw anything away for the next 2 days to make 2026 look better . . .

I have been on a mission. Not the most organised of decluttering of one place, more of a kangaroo declutter which shows how my brain often works I think 😬

Sold:

• 27 books to world of books

Charity:

• 4 handbags not been used since about 2018
• 4 pairs of shoes
• 2 skirts bought the wrong size and didn’t take back to get refund in time
• A hoodie

Binned:

• Old dried up mascara
• 2 uncomfortable lumpy pillows
• 30 receipts from weekly shop
• 5 pens that don’t work
• Nearly empty dry shampoo not been used in over a year
• 2 pairs of shoes with holes in sole
• Off cuts of embroidery threads that aren’t long enough to us
• 2 cards from Christmas 2023
• A cheese knife which is really rubbish and we never use
• 4 teaspoons that have the metal coating coming off
• 6x material samples
• 3 work t shirts
• Old cracked plant pot
• 2 hanging wardrobe racks - took them out to move them and the material was falling apart
• 2 empty packets of hand wash refills (cut in half and used up the soap left inside them)
• A chipped mug
• 4 pairs of socks with holes in - wore them and binned. (2 of mine and 2 of DH)
• 1 Pj set with holes in - worn and binned
• A one long sleeve top with tiny holes. Feel a little bit guilty about this as I “could mend it” but I know I won’t and then it will just sit around in a pile of things so it’s gone.

I’ve got more to wear and bin. Cutting down on the washing one step at a time.

In to the Outside Recycling Box:

• Reed defuser bottle
• 50 toilet roll insides (which had been in the smaller recycling box in the bathroom)
• Used up a body lotion put it in recycling
• 2 boxes from chocolate Santa
• 1 empty bottle of wine 😁
• 2 fridge door egg holders
• Amazon box being kept ‘just in case’
• 2 wine bottle bags that I won’t ever give to anyone as they’re creased.

Items out: 170

Not bad going for a start. Feel loads better and even though I’m sitting down with a cup of tea, I’m thinking about all the other things that can go and wondering if I’ve been ruthless enough. 🤔

Back from Xmas hols and I too am wondering what (if any) kind of challenge I should set for 2026. Any ideas, let me know...

I think my last declutter day was Tuesday, so I needed 6 outs to get me to today. Out went: Bundle of kids tiny pants (3-4y - didn't even realise I still had those!), pair of my pants (also tiny, lol), a CD, very old pj bottoms, tarnished earrings and a painting I did c.2005 which is truly pretty bad.

Day 363, can't quite believe it!

had a lot of grief with eldest yesterday actually decluttering/house organisation related so went to the beach today with the others. didn’t bring anything back except some sand on our feet

I think I need help. I know I need to declutter my house. I intend selling it later in 2026 so I need to start ASAP.
The biggest barrier for me is the huge guilt I feel taking anything to the LA recycling centre or worse still landfill.
I have tried selling items on vinted, ebay, marketplace or donating on freecycle or freegle but my problem is, they are still here, in my house, waiting for someone to buy/take.
What tips can anyone give me to get the items gone from the house quickly without the landfill guilt trip?

There are some charities that will collect from the home, British heart foundation used to be one. Worth trying :)

We have a local BHF but they only do furniture

I've put the little boxes from my advent calendar in the recycling and tidied up some other packaging recycling from the bedroom. I've also given away some console games and a backpack on our local free site. I've got a bag together for bits to go to the charity shop which I'm adding to as and when I find things.

It was back to work for me today where I binned a load of junk mail and ticked some stuff off my to do list.

I also made my first sale on Vinted which I will post out tomorrow.

@SarahatherwitsendWould you feel ok taking things to the bay for the reuse shop at your local recycling centre? If you also have this? makes me feel better at least 🤷🏽‍♀️
we seem to have lost a wanted and not old scooter so that’s a neutral coz we’ll replace it plus a lock

@Sarahatherwitsend look up.Anglo doorstep collection.

https://anglodoorstepcollections.co.uk/

We also have local clothes banks run by voluntees on Facebook. You can either list things to be collected from your house.. or a few central volunteers collect your items then list them on FB. Or a church run a clothes bank. I love our local FB clothes banks as during covid I had 4 kids at school. They have nicer clothes but mostly primark. I couldn't afford to kit the boys out and got so many free clothes. Really handy as my kids needed to go into school during lockdown and they was all non uniform growing out of clothes fast. It was prohibitively expensive to kit them out via online shopping.

Decluttered - four ancient bottles of lotions and potions into recycling trolley. Bedroom is a lot nicer.

The bin men came today & emptied my full-to-the-brim recycling bin, so I can start again.

Today I am going to tackle all the ornaments in one room & decide what goes and what stays.

May even venture into the loft too

Out - two sets of children’ books and several randoms. For donation, perhaps Oxfam bookshop.
Lovely nearly new shoes for DD to put on vinted.

Also unearthed about ten items of kids’ new clothing that had been misplaced. Try for fit, vinted if outgrown.

Onward with the tidying and sorting.

I’m up for a challenge for 2026 too! I liked the idea of the app which gamified the decluttering but I felt quite strongly it didn’t actually optimise things for me. Has anyone else found a thing/app/method that is better than this?

2026 items per year is 5 or 6 things per day…

I’ve thrown out another pair of socks and another pair of pants! And lots more little bits of things/rubbish in the bin. I think some Dana K white method - starting with the Ds and then the container method - will be helpful. Room by room.

I’ve got to get rid of some games and toys too.

Today’s out:

• BBQ sausage holding device
• A stir fry pan for bbq (we haven’t had a bbq for 5 years)
• An old fire poker
• 4 cake forks
• 3 empty candles jars
• 3 small tins that had tea in them
• A weird cup thing that came with a bottle of gin
• A bar of soap which smells awful and I’ve kept ‘just in case’
• 4 Half used birthday cake candles and holders
• 4 pairs of trainer socks that are holey
• Empty foundation powder holder with puff thing
• a full notebook

Total: 195

Still doing the scattered approach and just thinking of random things in random places that I can bin as I’m doing jobs round the house. It’s working well but probably need to get more organised and do a room a time.

@HappyhettieRoom at a time seems sensible, but for now I’m going with the quick and easy wins!

We have tackled the games room. Brought back a hoover from clearing out my mums house last February and have been meaning to replace the split hose. Well mum had bought it it a new hose and that was in the box with it! Feeling a bit more motivated as talking to my friend about clearing out the family home and how she said various neighbours have filled many skips with their parents household. Who wants that? Or to leave that job to their kids?

I'm so close to my 2025 out in 2025 that I really might still make it on the last day. One final push. Only 130 items to go!

So today has added

30th out hoover box, hoover hose, Halloween bucket, computer mouse, 19 hangers, under bed box.

----

Out = 460
In = 0 ( this is lie as I didn't count any presents in)

--
Total for year
In = 169
Out = 1895

sold a packaway hold-all type thing on vinted yesterday so posted that off this morning.
have however bought some “congrats on being a teen” type stuff in preparation for the boys birthday.
got rid of 2 destroyed dog toys & the black bin goes tomorrow so I can work on refilling that on Thursday.
a few coats still on vinted that have been on for a month so will take them down & donate to the charity shop at the weekend. Also went through the food cupboard & got a carrier bag of nice bits we won’t use to go to the food bank collection next time I’m in a supermarket.

I have dug out everything that dd decided she wants rid of in her wardrobe before Christmas. Doing a quick pass of things I can sell or do ate. Do feel quite confident I can find those 130 items yet!

One shrunken top. Total is 4218

You have been absolutely phenomenal on this, so impressed!

We had a family day out yesterday which was really nice.

I have been to the tip this morning and am going to start decluttering for 2026 in about an hour. (We are out visiting family tomorrow)
I have been thinking of a challenge and I am going to work on 52 laundry baskets of stuff over the year so, 1 a week.
I am hopeful that by decluttering that much and hopefully not bringing much in the house due to a no spend in lots of categories and a low spend in others will make the house a lot easier to manage. I have got some things that I know we need to get but am hoping to put them off for as long as possible. I need new trainers but will get some insoles to make my current ones last longer and eldest dd needs some clothes for her residential in the spring. I also need to lose the best part of 4 stone so new clothes will be needed once that has shifted but that is a way off yet!
Happy new year to you all and I will be back on the 2nd with decluttering results!

Can I join you? I really need to get on top of my house. I have adhd and due to a few horrific years I have not been able to keep on top of the house. I have not read the full thread yet but saw a few posts and you guys have made an unbelievable amount of progress. I threw out 5 black bin bags of old toys etc before Christmas and I will continue today.