Cannot declutter my house - big yellow storage beckons!

[BloodshotEyeballsintheScarySky]

My house has a level of clutter previously unseen by human eyes. We have a small 2.5 bedroom house and it has been completely taken over and despite my best efforts I cannot clear it. We have totally lost our dining room and spare room to it and it is creeping in on the rest.

I am currently toying with packing it all up, putting it in storage and then going there to sort it out as I cannot seem to do it in my own home. Everything has a 'purpose'. So, I thought neutral territory and some peace and quiet might solve it. It really is stuff we do not need but I cannot bear to throw.

Is this the stupidest idea you ever heard? I need help!

ripeberry - that is different then and that makes sense. Although you can get fire proof safes which would be cheaper, but depends on how big his stuff is!

Do not go down the storage route, you will end up paying to store stuff you never ever need again. Once it's in store it's out of sight & out of mind so you may as well have binned it in the first place. I speak from personal experience.

I would suggest to the OP that her storage problem might not be all to do with the size of her house and there is a very real risk that if she puts stuff into storage she will simply fill the space up again with more stuff. Then she will still have the same amount of clutter plus all the storage fees.

The stuff he has could fill a whole room! Just wish he would get on with it as my mum is not well and has Dementia and last week set fire to the duvet!
He has a smoke alarm in every room!

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I have seen the light and it is a daft idea. You're right. If I don't make the effort to break the habit then I'll fill the space with crap again. I've sorted my dining room today and have one box of homeless items. Unfortunately that is stuff that really can't be binned (packs of contact lenses, stuff like that) but I know that when I get to the spare room then 99.9% of that can go. Have arranged for my mother to come and look after DD while I get down to it.

I'll also have what we call a clothes amnesty (although I know it's the wrong use of the word but it sounds good!). DH and I put every item of clothing we own in a big pile and go through each item. If we haven't worn it in the last 12 months it's going. Again, I know that will clear most of the junk.

The question is, how to stop it happening again?

I'm a fine one to talk but as you buy one item, have the equivalent old item go out of the house or better still, two to really make an impact. So your DH buys a new work shirt - bin two old shirts.

If you have dcs cull broken or imcomplete toys when they are at school and dispose of evidence before they get home. I've been known to drive old toys of dd's 4 miles to the next town for their charity shops instead of my nearest high street. Try to cull the toys as they get older unless they are of genuine sentimental value or you have younger children who love them.

Think before you buy - the chances are you already have that item or something similar in your house, esp clothes-wise. Don't shop when you feel emotional, or hungry, or in a hurry or when the shops are closing or all four! Go home, think about it and the chances are you won't think you need the item the next day.

Must add that I don't dump broken or incomplete toys in charity shops - they go in the bin! Used but ok toys are donated.

I can't advise you I'm afraid, I'm very much the type who allows stuff to build up and then has a huge sorting out and throwing away session. I find moving house every 5 years really helps as tonnes of stuff gets thrown out in the run up to putting the house on the market. Unfortunately we last moved house 8 years ago and also have a 4 yr old so I'm thinking about having a massive clearout without the move.

I've just reorganised my saucepan cupboards which basically had everything thrown on top of each other. I kept buying baking trays etc because I had no idea what I actually owned.

I'm going for the hotspot idea. It's one of the flylady things I can get my head round. I'm getting into this now!