My home is a mess

hopefulmoneysaver94

:rotfl: Bearcub, OH has just said that just as i read it, Popping over the road to Tesc0s to get citric smelling house sprays:D

grousescot

Posting an update as I've seen many of you on this thread do. I haven't posted for some weeks at least but I have looked in several times. It is reassuring to know you are not alone in the battle against clutter and also to read of folk who are winning said battle!

Having a 2 bedroom flat on your own is IMHO an invitation for clutter to start. My spare bedroom was very much a dumping ground for some time although I had a go at clearing it during the summer. I'm a bit of an amateur musician so this was where I kept my keyboard and sheet music had an awful habit of gathering around it. Shortly after Christmas I bought myself a digital piano to replace my ten year old keyboard (felt very self-indulgent doing this at that time but I had been thinking of it for a few months). It was this purchase that forced me to do some very rapid clearing out.

The shop had the piano in stock and could deliver the next day (last Saturday). It was either then or the next Saturday. I spent a minute trying to think if by then I could get my living space into a state I would feel able to let the delivery guys see and decided eventually to go for it.

Spare bedroom is now clear of clutter and the piano actually takes up less space than the keyboard did. (It's now in the living room but will be going up the loft.) The hall is also clear, most of the clutter there being mail that either needed filed or thrown out.

I even felt confident enough for my mum to drop by later that day. She has been offering to come by and help me clear up a bit but I've declined mostly through a combination of embarrassment and, if I'm honest, a lazy attitude. I think this was the first time in 2012 either of my folks set foot in here so I'd say that was progress.

Some of the clutter from spare bedroom got thrown out, some is now in the bedroom I sleep in so not entirely dealt with. I don't go back to work until Monday so it is my plan to have it dealt with by then. I intended to make an early start today but I slept in very late. Still there is this evening.

What I'd like to have done by the end of today is:

-Washing up (don't ask . . .)
-Laundry (basket is completely full so probably 2 loads needing done)
-Clean bathroom (it's been at least a week since I did this)

I'll stop there because I've spent far too much time procrastinating (does writing this post count?). At least 2013 sees me starting with a more positive attitude that I had in 2012.

Baileys_Babe

Emm-in-a-pickle wrote: »

Hopeful, some smells linger in our sense worse than others. This may sound daft, but it`s as if once that particular smell has got up your nose you can still smell it even if others say they can`t. It seems to be worse if it`s a particular smell you hate. (Mine are bleach, cat pee & car body filler resin) Has anyone else noticed this? I`d definitely go with adding a Nice smell, if only to cleanse your own smell-memory!

That is so true, the smell-memory of a smell you find disagreeable is so over powering.

hopefulmoneysaver94

Emm-in-a-pickle wrote: »

Hopeful, some smells linger in our sense worse than others. This may sound daft, but it`s as if once that particular smell has got up your nose you can still smell it even if others say they can`t. It seems to be worse if it`s a particular smell you hate. (Mine are bleach, cat pee & car body filler resin) Has anyone else noticed this? I`d definitely go with adding a Nice smell, if only to cleanse your own smell-memory!

Really? I never knew that! OH did say it didn't smell as strong as i was saying it to be, But let me go and get something smelling citrus anyway ( got 25p for the pot!) And adding a nice smell (Candle smells delicious!) has put me in a much happier mood

Sounds like you need to get the Borrowers in to give you a helping hand with the shreddings!!

bearcub

Hello again, grousescot! So, it's not necessarily a bad thing to buy something else. :rotfl: Well done for clearing things up so quickly, but isn't it amazing how something like that can suddenly push us into action, when we've known so long that's exactly what needs doing?

HopefulMS, I hope your spray actually has citrus in it, and not just smells of citrus. The latter may help (especially if it's a 'smell in the nose'problem), but it won't sort it at all if it's actually ammonia that's causing the pong.

Well, the wiondow didn't get cleaned, so I must make sure I do the other job I had down to do today, and that's clear the waste paper baskets. How do we accumulate so much paper? The world is full of it! How, when so much is via the internet nowadays?

hopefulmoneysaver94

Bearcub Yes, It says it has Lemon and Lime extracts..that counts as something citrus doesnt it?

bearcub

It does indeed, let's hope it works asap!

donnajt

Hi Messies & Happy New Year, sorry haven't been around for ages but have a week off and desperately need to straighten my house!!! Tonight I am going to take my tree down....

grousescot

bearcub wrote: »

Hello again, grousescot! So, it's not necessarily a bad thing to buy something else. :rotfl: Well done for clearing things up so quickly, but isn't it amazing how something like that can suddenly push us into action, when we've known so long that's exactly what needs doing?

How do we accumulate so much paper? The world is full of it! How, when so much is via the internet nowadays?

Thanks Bearcub. It's perhaps an expensive way of motivating onself however! I have to regularly chuck out gathering paper. Having computers unfortunately makes it a lot easier to print stuff, hence the myth of the paperless office.

Noticed mention up thread of "hidden clutter". This is definitely an issue for me. I have a full length fitted wardrobe in each bedroom the floors and shelves of which are full of stuff, most of which I've hardly touched since I moved in here seven years ago. It's not exactly in the way but at some point soon I need to have a good look through it, bin bag in hand. There's also the drawers in the cabinets either side of my bed, also full of stuff I probably don't need or wouldn't miss if it all went in the bin. I found a university exam paper dating back 12 years once - not only is it totally useless but it must have survived the two house moves I've done since then!

On the plus side, bathroom is now clean, washing up (mostly) done and the washing machine is on its second load. So I can end today feeling I've achieved something.

bearcub

Yes, I can imagine it was a very expensive way of forcing the issue, grousescot.

I'm so grateful we downsized majorly 7 years ago. So much stuff was got rid of one way or another and, being in such a small house, we just don't have space for us, two young cats plus toys, AND lots of clutter. It does get messier than I'd like, though at times, and I'm not houseproud at all - can't be with horses. Others might say that, compared to their house, ours is fine, but we all have our own ideas of how it should be, or how we want it to be, I guess. I have a lot of paper around (1) because I edit a monthly newsletter for local churches (2) I write short stories (3) I do a lot of family history research (4) I'm really into card-making. The first and third need a fair amount of note-taking, the third also has print-outs for files I'm making up for the DDs; I like to keep hard copies of my writings and the last just is paper, obviously. It never fails to surprise me, though, that I produce quite so much that has to be thrown away.