KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Fen1

GQ, is there any possibility of borrowing a dehumidifier to speed up the drying process? I know that some builders merchant type places do so for building/restructuring work. Could the council supply one as it is their property ( that would be a first.....)?

I lived in a damp house for many years, so my huge sympathies to anyone who is going through it now.

VJsmum

Mins game day 19, 20, 21

2 trade magazines read and recycled
58 old bills shredded

I'll do 60 digital photos tomorrow..

milasavesmoney

My DS2 and I tackled the top shelf of the hall cabinet. Half the stored items went in the trash.
Potassium pills from 1990 that were my dad's. :eek:
Hair color that has to be 13 yrs old because that's how long my DD3 has been in Pennsylvania.
And lots more elderly half used items......no joy there >>>until they were in the trach can.

We have lived in this house 32 yrs and raised six children. Sooooooo much stuff!

I'm glad the source of the leak was found Cuz. At least that's a good beginning. I just hate that smell. When you mentioned it, I had flashbacks to my Granny's old wooden garage in central Texas. I can still recall that ghastly smell.

I'm sorry for your work friends SB. The atmosphere in your department will be unsettled for some time to come I would imagine. Who is supposed to do that work now? Just awful!
Are you going to continue being in the same country or is there still talk of being moved around?
Wine and chocolate help me in times of unrest. (Also dinner rolls but I have been trying to give bread up)

A lot of excellent work done by this group!

GreyQueen

Fen1 wrote: »

GQ, is there any possibility of borrowing a dehumidifier to speed up the drying process? I know that some builders merchant type places do so for building/restructuring work. Could the council supply one as it is their property ( that would be a first.....)?

I lived in a damp house for many years, so my huge sympathies to anyone who is going through it now.

It isn't bad enough to merit such a measure, but it's a good thought. These places are on a communal heat and hot water plant and are normally bone dry so I am presently unaccustomed to dealing with damp, although I have had to cope with it in some places.

I went outside yesterday and the big wet patch on the outside wall is already looking and feeling slightly less wet now the leak has been staunched at source. The drying process would have been faster if we could have sorted this out last week, when we had temps of about 30 c here, but the wall will give up its moisture slowly over tiime. I've been up since 6 am and the kitchen window is open now.

I detest damp and am a fresh air fiend with the windows and am scrupulous about ventilation and cleaning. When I had a leak down into my airing cupboard, I waited several weeks to be utterly sure it was bone dry in there before putting my linens back.

mila, if you hate damp, stay in the desert and never visit the UK. With our mild maritime climate, we are damp central, it really is a problem for a lot of people and effects health and spoils decor and possessions.

If you read old housekeeping manuals, you find that they keep banging on about airing houses. In my 1960s childhood, babies were also aired, in all weathers other than fog. You wrapped LO up and put the pram outside for half an hour, even in winter. You'd get social services called on you if you did that these days, although I believe the scandinavians are big on fresh air, an young children get wrapped up and put outside there.

I've often wondered if the rise in respiratory diseases like asthma (never came across an asthmatic child in the 1960s or 1970s) is related to modern lifestyles. Such as fitted carpets, central heating, double-glazing, densely-furnished and cluttery homes, children spending far more time indoors than ever before, more and more varied household chemicals....

If you read the zero waste home blog, Bea mentions that her family's health, particularly in respect of colds etc, improved when they went ZW and chemical free.

So, by kondo-ing, we could well be improving our health as well as our wealth and peace of mind? Happy thoughts.

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all.
Dh came in from work last night and said the lounge looks bigger. I've actually relocated a small table to in here and put DGS's now trimmed down toy box under it. The only thing I've Kondoed is the baby bath and various toys and bedding that were stacked behind the settee. They are still in the lounge but under the front of the piano awaiting a CS run at the weekend.
I've also relocated a basket to in the hall so that instead of throwing shoes off in a pile they can go in the basket. I'm hoping that works especially when we get the new lighter carpet fitted on the stairs.
A few little bits from the mins list will go to school with me today, hoping I to finish the ironing pile later and mils card and presents will be taken round hers today.

Have a joyful day all

oceanspirit

Siebrie, sorry to hear about your work situation.

GQ, hope your flat dries out soon - you have our sympathies. Have had damp here (all sorted now, rain was finding its way in) and OH's rented flat smells horrible all year round despite using dehumidifier and windows open.

Serendipitious wrote: »

I think I've got the hang of not buying anything other than consumables, but there's still my previous accumulations to contend with. As GQ says, minimalism definitely has its attractions.

That's the key isn't it, no more stuff coming in. I seem to have money left over at the end of each month now and I didn't think I was wasting it before. Anyway, have been able to book a week's holiday that I wasn't expecting to have. Less stuff = more fun.

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

There are lots of those about at the mo VJsmum, I'm sure they are the ones they were talking about on radi four the other night that actually eat house spiders by throwing web over them! EKKK!! I saw a Daddy long legs snared by one in our lounge at the week end bits of it were dangling off the clock wrapped in web, it looked minging - didn't realise spiders ate other spiders

Saw a spindly one do something to a big black one on kitchen floor a couple of nights ago, then it grabbed a bib and cutlery ready to tuck in. Dispensed with spindly one with size 6 slipper and removed them both. Yuk. Never used to kill any spiders but now kill spindly ones whilst continuing to remove others alive.

Mins game been slow due to other things happening however 5 things added to the list yesterday including two perished pencil erasers. So, 419 items still to go in the next 1 1/2 weeks.

mrs_Badger

On airing babies - I was a 70's baby and I was joking with my mum on how we were put out in the front garden in the pram every morning, left outside shops in our pram, ... jeez, unthinkable today! She said if it was raining, she would put the pram in the garage and leave the garage door open so I could get fresh air.

We moved to this flat last year, and damp was a massive part of why we moved out of the previous place, it was a nightmare. Found a leather belt in DH jean's drawer covered in furry mold once!

loocyloo

Floss wrote: »

I gave DS2's Cashs embroidered name tapes to his new wife

MIL gave me DHs and they've now been used to name DDs & DSs clothes!

loocyloo

GreyQueen wrote: »

If you read old housekeeping manuals, you find that they keep banging on about airing houses. In my 1960s childhood, babies were also aired, in all weathers other than fog. You wrapped LO up and put the pram outside for half an hour, even in winter. You'd get social services called on you if you did that these days, although I believe the scandinavians are big on fresh air, an young children get wrapped up and put outside there.

I've often wondered if the rise in respiratory diseases like asthma (never came across an asthmatic child in the 1960s or 1970s) is related to modern lifestyles. Such as fitted carpets, central heating, double-glazing, densely-furnished and cluttery homes, children spending far more time indoors than ever before, more and more varied household chemicals....

If you read the zero waste home blog, Bea mentions that her family's health, particularly in respect of colds etc, improved when they went ZW and chemical free.

So, by kondo-ing, we could well be improving our health as well as our wealth and peace of mind? Happy thoughts.

I air my house all year round, and being a childminder, all 'my' babies sleep outside until they are too big for the lie flat pushchair ( usually between 18mth-2 yrs ). we are usually outside playing too, whatever the weather.

GreyQueen

loocyloo wrote: »

I air my house all year round, and being a childminder, all 'my' babies sleep outside until they are too big for the lie flat pushchair ( usually between 18mth-2 yrs ). we are usually outside playing too, whatever the weather.

:T Excellent woman!

I was a semi-feral child and usually outside (often up a tree). Old style child-rearing like my Grandma's was to say; Yer neither sugar ner salt! when children whinged about getting a bit wet. Unless it was absolutely tipping it down, you were expected to be Out; mothers had stuff to do and, once you were past the youngest years, you weren't expected to be under their feet.

I think I may have had an epiphany. Or summat. Or a severe case of Woo. Let me explain myself before you start thinking I've taken a one-way trip into the sidings at Loopy Junction.

The surveyor who came this morning had to take photographs. This I knew ahead of time. Said photographs will end up on the council's system. They will be seen by people who I work with and I won't know who or when. Therefore, my flat was about to go public.:eek:

I hustled about a bit, got all the dishes washed AND put away, rounded up the usual stray items which float about in kitchens etc, and put a few other items more tidily than is the norm. Effectively, I 'dressed' my own rooms for the camera. Or, rather, undressed them of some of their usual carp.

And you know what? It looks brilliant and I love.love.love it!

Which has made me think that I wish all days could be this way, and wondering how I can achieve it. Staying out of charity shops would be a a start as, apart from grocery stores, this is about the only kind of shop I frequent.

:j oceanspirit, so happy to hear about a week's holiday being affordable. Less stuff = more fun. What a brilliant quote. I think we should bear that in mind when tempted to acquire more Stuff, we could say to those pressing us to take, to have, to hold; I'm sorry but those Things would get in the way of Fun, and Fun is my mission for the future.