Having a full house clear out this week come join me...

[mamadiva]

I'm basically a lazy bugger but want to get myself and my house into gear!

Have decided best way to get it done properly and to keep it so it stays tidy with minimum effort is to have a clearout, I have so much stuff to get rid of. Hoping to tackle a room a day!

Need people to keep me motivated through the week!

Urk, isn't it easy to get sidetracked?! First thing in study I picked up DS's toothbrush and took it to the bathroom, and nearly started tidying in there. Have managed to sort behind and on top of tall book shelf, and put fishcakes in the oven for lunch. Just heard DS but think he has nodded off for another 45mins. mmm, really don't think I should heat up the fishcakes again later, he'll have to have them cold.
I am in awe of Buda, I would love to get to the stage where I'm sorting out lego! Just keeping the cobwebs/tidemarks/bathroom bin under control is my goal.
Thanks for the empathy/encouragement wme and mamadiva

Oh audley please don't be in awe of me!!! The only reason my house is clean is that I have a cleaner. It is still a mess. The cleaner just tidies my piles of clutter into tidy piles.

The Lego sorting is (1) because I enjoy it, (2) we are getting a puppy on Sunday so it can't be left around and (3) DS has a new lego car kit that I am dying to build help him with and we need to sort the other stuff out first!

OK, today I washed all the ecloths and dusters. I filed away the big pile of bills and letters, shredded loads of crap too. Put all my jumpers into a suitcase to give me hangers for other clothes that were piled on the spare room bed. Also emptied and cleaned out the hoover for tomorrow

Tomorrow I'm going to clean the windows and move all the garden stuff from the porch to the shed.

So come on ladies, spill? Gimme the progress reports? Plans for tomorrow? Mamadiva?

audley Get a box for stuff that belongs upstairs, and one for downstairs and have them (plus bin and box for recycling) in the room with you. At the end of the 15 mins, go and put the stuff in the boxes away.

I also keep a notebook and pen with me so that I can make a note of any jobs that need done - for example - if I come across a pile of paperwork that needs attention I put it in a folder and place it somewhere safe. I then make a quick note of the paperwork and location on the notebook. When I have a few mins (maybe when sitting watching tv) Ill lift out the notebook and see what I could do while sitting down. Similarly, I might write down a "quick job" like tightening a loose screw or spraying wd40 on something, then in the break of the tv show, I go do it. If I tried to do it when I noticed it, I would get distracted on way to tool box / cleaning cupboard!

Hi Mousey, love the notebook tip, will try that one out tomorrow!

Can I join too?

I sorted out the downstairs on Tuesday, looks so much nicer, no clutter to be seen. Friday I am going to do the same upstairs.

I long to have a house where there isn't piles of stuff laid about everywhere, we always seem to have 'stuff' everywhere and I realise I need to
a) put stuff away straight away
b) throw away alot
c) not bring more stuff into the house.

at the lego, we have it all in a lidded toy box out of sight.

Wow SammyK, the whole of downstairs in one day?! You didnt just move it all upstairs did you? (You may laugh, but I used to do this and the stuff stayed in storage for weeks or months...would be over a year if I hadnt moved house in last 12 months.)

Im in maintenance mode today. After having the mindees all day, it takes the last of my energy to clean mindees mess nevermind start other stuff.

I am, however, starting to list books to sell - plan is one a day. If I do more, thats great, if not, well I never planned to do more than one anyway

I cant be bothered to photograph and list clothes so its all bagged up for friends or charity shops. My time is worth more than what Id get for the stuff!

I haven't done much more, but I have big plans.

All this 'stuff' is clogging me up.

I can't wait to get shot of it all!

I'm going to do the cupboard in DS room shortly where all his not used/too small baby stuff goes. There's loads in the loft too which we're going to do in a week or so, but there's plenty in the cupboard. Loads of linen that never gets used too.

The stuff that I'm worried about is books, DVDs and CDs.
I'd love to get rid of most of it, but then we've built up this collection. And if I chuck my stuff and DH won't chuck his stuff then that wouldn't be fair.

have emptied drawers and cupboard in dining room.sorted out toy boxes and thrown away broken and stuff that wont be missed. Have made a start in childrens bedroom. does anybody know where i could get toy hammocks for soft toys?.

No I didn't honest Mousey! I used to cm, so can totally relate to you there, when I stopped I had a major clearout, was very cathartic (sp?). Downstairs was more cleaning, organising and putting away as most of our storage is upstairs. Upstairs I need to hoover and my hoover is broken , sort all the beds, and go through DS' toys.

My hurdle is simply keeping on top of the tidy as you go mantra.

Hello everyone, just wanted to give myself a big cheer for finally sorting out the cupboard under the stairs. Hooray!
Have similar issues regarding my book collection wastingmyeducation, I am great at throwing things out but not so with books. I really must though because we hope to ttc again soonish and the study may have to be turned into a nursery!

SammyK I find tidying as I go really hard with DS needing my attention or a change of activity, or the tea needs cooking etc before I can put away. Either I must plan to do less each day and tidy as I go or I carry on sorting everything out again once DS naps or is asleep for the night. If I did tidy as I go what would I do with myself during DS nap time? Hmm, the possibilities!

audley, my husband is a bookseller, which makes the book problem quite awful. I have become extremely ruthless wth my own books, and given lots of good reads to charity shop on basis that I will be able to buy the same again or take from library if I get desperate. I would say that book clutter is the worst problem in our house, much worse than any other item. The only thing that helps is that an enormous box of books wll dsappear to almost nothing when you putthem on a shelf

Tidying as you go, is something I never did, feeling it somehow distracted my attention from dcs, but now realising not tdying meant they had less attention n long run. I really have had to learn to mulitask wth lttle things like puttng mlk bottles out straightaway, just emptying bin n middle of somethng else, rather than leaving a "clear run of housework" for nap time which was what felt more focused.
Other thngs that bogged me down was belief I had to sort everything properly, when wouldhave been better just to bung everything n a big box in corner of room so that it FELT tdy, and to give ds the sense of what tdy was!

Right then swanriver if you can be ruthless then so can I! WIll box up some of my books. Thanks for the motivation
Multitasking may take a bit more practiced, think I'm really a man in that respect!

Great!

I'm doing a room/area at a time. It is starting to make a real difference and is so much easier to keep clean. The joy of being able to find things!

This morning i did a big clear out of the wardrobe. Got rid of FIVE binbags - one with stuff good enough for the charity shop and another four that are not! DH resisted strongly (a hoarder) but we got there in the end.

I plan to do the bedroom drawers as well today and give the bedroom a thorough clean.....then on to the kitchen (which I have partially started before giving up!).

Everyone seems to be doing great!

My mum took my DD from 9pm last night and will get her back tomorrow afternoon. I managed to fill another 4 boxes of toys for charity (inc checking they were complete!)and 3 bin bags of rubbish as well as filling recycling bins. Now I can actually see the floor in the "storage room".

Im also detoxing this weekend, and made a big batch of soup. While it was simmering I sorted and cleaned out all the kitchen cupboards (and filled a small box of stuff to give away) and while it was cooling, I cleared out the utility room.

Not clutterbusting, but I finally finished decorating dds room...guess the bits for it was clutter though!

Its amazing what I can get done with no kids in the house. Strange feeling being here alone though!