The clutter THE CLUTTER arghhhhhhhhhhh

[MrsMattie]

I have 5 whole days to sort out my entire house. I have no real budget for buying new storage solutions, although I am willing to blow a small (very small) amount on my credit card at Ikea on cheap storage boxes etc if you say it will help me.

I need to:

• Find a way to stop the surface in my kitchen becoming swamped with shit within 24 hours of me clearing it

• File all my papers - I have got into a completely dysfunctional state, with bills and documents all over the gaff. I have a filing system. I just need to quell the lurching feeling in my stomach and FILE.

• Find a way to get out of the rut I am stuck in with the endless cycle of laundry not put away. I have two children, me and a DH. Four human beings. That's all. So why is my whole house swamped with washing all the time?

• Clear out and reorganise my wardrobe and drawers in my bedroom. Very scary thought, as it's chaos at the moment.

• Reorganise all the dusty old shit I am 'storing' (ie. hiding) under my bed.

• Organise the piles of plastic shit in the play room

-Organise the piles of plastic shit in DS's room.

• Turn our 'dumping room' into a suitable room for my baby DD who is a year old and still sleeping in our room

• Figure out a way to stop my entrance hall being a dumping ground for shit, bags, shoes, bits of crap etc.

Can I do this without resorting to FLYLADY? Can you help me? PLEASE?!

I can get a bit swamped by clutter as well

I am on top of the cleaning but I have to really work at the clutter... it's a nightmare if I let it go because our space is quite small

I would start with your clothes. Try everything on and be brutal about what you want to keep/get rid of. Bag it for charity and take it to the nearest shop straight away. This could be Day 1 maybe?

You should hopefully then have generated some space so you will have potentially more storage space for paperwork etc? Maybe then tackle the filing on Day 2?

How does that sound so far, or am I on the wrong track

I generally find that you have to alternate decluttering and reorganising ie if you declutter one area, that frees up space that you can then reorganise. Crucially, you need to stay on top of this reorganisation while you get on decluttering another area and reorganising that. It's a sort of virtuous circle.

IMO you should start with your filing - having papers around the place is very annoying, and once they are in files you can store them and be done with them (you don't have to use the files daily as you do with, say, a kitchen or a wardrobe).

I would use the opportunity to then have a blitz on all printed paper and declutter magazines, books, newspapers etc.

Then move onto clothes and blitz your wardrobe and put lots of stuff out for recycling.

Decluttering and reorganising kitchens is, IMO, a huge amount of work. I wouldn't start with this or you won't finish in your five days, which will be very discouraging!

Thank you - both!

I think I will start with the filing tomorrow, as have a few hours in the afternoon free.

THANKS! I needed a lkick up the arse.

Post again to let us know how you get on! Kicks in the arse come free on MN

From IKEA I can recommend the trofast range to organise the kids toys, which is just fab. I did picture labels to stick on the front of each so everything can easily be thrown back in the right place at the end of the day.

My hallway used to be awful too - with a table/trolley thing with boxes for post etc (it was a vain attempt to get organised but it never got filed or put away and made coming in depressing cos it was always such a mess). So I got (again from IKEA) a 8 cubby hole shoe rack/bench seat and matching wall unit that has hooks for bags and coats and 4 cubby holes for scarves, phone chargers, other bits and bobs that end up in the hallway. The top of the bench does get stuff dumped on it, but its not too hard to keep it clear and all the post now gets looked at immediately and binned or put in the 'filing cupboard' and I file it every few months, but at least the clutter is out of sight.

Good luck!

I second the Trofast range

Lifesaver for the DCs' room - they share

One of the keys to decluttering is realism.

Make sure your filing system is accessible. However good your intentions are, you will not file incoming post if your filing cabinet is in the attic or the cellar. The reason your post ends up on the kitchen counter is that it's the easiest place for people to put it - do you have (or could you clear) a kitchen cupboard to take a couple of concertina files?

I agree that frequent trips to the charity shop are a must. Get the boxes and bags straight out of the house (even in the boot of the car if you only want to make one trip in your week off). It honestly feels like there is more oxygen in the room once you've cleared out a few boxes. It can be encouraging to take before-and-after photos. Also good for ramming the point home to intractable DHs/DCs.

The next step is making sure the clutter doesn't creep back in and take over. Stick to Christmas gifts that were definitely needed (DH and I are buying each other half-shares in a sofa), and politely get it across to PILs etc that you would love everyone to go minimalist on the present front. One of the threads around at the moment has a list of presents people are buying for their DCs, and I did think blimey, unless some of you have GIGANTIC houses, you're going to be moaning on the clutter threads by 1 February.

mrs mattie....are you me????!!!

i have the same problem..am reading with interest here....

good luck!

I've spent the last year decluttering, and never ends!!

I had a car-boot sale, got rid of loads of stuff and made money.

Filing cabinet - I got one really cheap (and already built - ex-display) from Ikea Bargain Corner.

If you have any outdoor space get a cheap shed (tin or plastic, but with a floor) box up all the stuff you want to clear out, but can't bear to chuck and put in shed. Resolve to sort this shed out next spring. When you do so you will realise you don't need or want any of it, and sell it at the car boot sale.

Vacuum bags from Lakeland to store your old clothes.

Get rid of the plastic shit. They don't play with it.

I spend bloody hours and hours yesterday 'tidying'.

Step one - go round room by room and move stuff to its proper room.

Step two - one room at a time, sort it out. Don't stop until its done. Phone for pizza if necessary. Christmas is looming, it is only going to get worse!!

The washing? Either do it one day a week and keep one set of clothes for 'Sunday best' as they used to in the old days or accept it is part of your life. We are a family of 6 and I loath putting the washing away. Its a massive job with no sense of satisfaction at the end.

Good luck!

Our DCs are all getting wardrobes for their main Christmas present! Decluttering and keeping tidy is a major priority in this household