anybody started their spring clean yet?....

couteaux · 12 May 2006 at 9:44AM

Hey all

I am having a spring cleaning session today, and really need to get rid of clutter, but I have a bad habit of just moving things from one room to another, or promising i'll sell loads on eBay, but with a 9month old, don't always get around to it.

Do you have any suggestions for getting on with a really good clean, and actually getting rid of stuff?

I have lots of clothes that no longer fit,and really need extra money, so must get round to selling, I suppose it is the sentimental stuff that I need to get under control.

One last question.. would you just give some to charity to get it gone? I gave a stack of things a couple of weeks ago, but there is always more!

Thanks all

mamaoba · 12 May 2006 at 9:58AM

bubs is going to creche this morning so i'll have 2 hours

I've located another mum on the estate who is about to drop who needs a few things - like ds's old car seat

I've found a charity locally that takes away big items (a chest of drawers and a chair)

Then I'm gonna set my kitchen timer for 15 minutes in one room and just bag up junk to throw it out. Doing it in 15 min bursts seems to work well for me (esp when bubs is around) cos I achieve something. I start in one corener of a room and work my way round. If I manage 2 15 min bursts a day I'm doing well - it's how I cleared that chest of drawers lol!

Today i'm continuing in the kitchen and making a start on the living room.

I'm not trying to make any money as i badly need to declutter to sell my place and if I try to sell things on that just delays things. When I get to the bedroom i'm gonna look for a charity that collects the clothes so i don't spend months intending to take the stuff to the charity shop. Knowing when someone is coming to collect things acts as a further spur to getting it down for me.

For cleaning I stick with star drops as it avoids running to and fro to get more cleaning stuff which also slows me down.

Good luck - lets motivate each other !

Pink. · 12 May 2006 at 9:58AM

Hi couteaux,

Some of the ideas on these older threads might help you:

What Exactly Is A Spring Clean?

New Challenge? Organisation...

Pink

couteaux · 12 May 2006 at 1:54PM

Hey mamaoba! Hows it going? Your plan sounds great, I like the 15 minute idea, I can take far too long debating over things, so setting a timer would prob work wonders for me too!

My next door neighbour just came and gave me a hand for a while, she is an angel! I have got rid of 4 bags of clothes for charity, I need to sort through ds's old clothes now too. I wont get rid of much though as we are hoping to have another next year.

Also love your idea of having charities collecting, esp as I don't drive. I'd get rid of tons more if it was being picked up.

My son is at a clingy stage at the moment, so i'm not able to get as much done as i'd like. As soon as his dad is home from work, i'll get right back into it.

Let me know how it goes!

Thanks for those links pink-winged! I'll have a quick read now

Threadhead · 12 May 2006 at 4:56PM

You could try posting your "junk" on freecycle. You' d be amazed how delighted people can be with stuff you are fed up of.

Hermia · 12 May 2006 at 6:22PM

Good luck with the spring clean! I live by the William Morris quote. "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." When I am clearing out I look at each thing and ask myself, Is it beautiful? Is it useful? When did I last use it? If it doesn't fulfil any of these criteria out it goes.

I take anything that won't sell immediately to the charity shop. Anything I think might sell I put in a box with the promise that I will sell it within a month or give it to charity. Sometimes the effort involved in selling something is not worth it and I will just give the item to charity. But it's all worth it just to have a clutter-free existence.

bluemoon_3 · 12 May 2006 at 6:43PM

The British Heart Foundation will pick up donations for their shops - the national number is here: http://www.bhf.org.uk/helping/index.asp?secID=13&secondlevel=441&thirdlevel=446&artID=1557 or I think you can call your local shop.

Threadhead · 12 May 2006 at 7:11PM

Hermia - your avatar looks like my avatar on a good day:rotfl:

Hermia · 12 May 2006 at 7:15PM

Threadhead wrote:

Hermia - your avatar looks like my avatar on a good day:rotfl:

Oh, your one is cute! My avater looks very like me, I often have this expression on my face!

Threadhead · 12 May 2006 at 8:06PM

Hermia wrote:

Oh, your one is cute! My avater looks very like me, I often have this expression on my face!

...and I often have this hairstyle

sorry for hijacking the thread. Just seemed funny when the two avatars were underneath each other

[Deleted User] · 13 May 2006 at 6:03AM

I found that listing on ebay takes too long when I am battling house clutter. Ok I could make a few ££ but I figure that the local community shop would benefit and so might some needy people. I need to clear the clutter out of the house asap so that I can see the impact that day. I also get concerned about me putting the stuff away again

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

anybody started their spring clean yet?....

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