KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

PollyWollyDoodle

I'm in the fifth house that I've ever owned, and the outgoing owners were lovely, they left it spotless and (it was empty for a few weeks) even came back and oiled the kitchen work tops and touched up paint. It's the first time ever, sadly my previous experiences have not been good, though not on a par with those above.

I think the houses I've sold have usually been cleaner on handover than they ever were when I lived in them! :rotfl:

DawnW

When we were buying our current house, teenage children of the vendors moved in between exchange and completion, and made a dreadful mess (the house had previously been empty). Our solicitor made it clear to theirs that the sale was conditional on vacant possession, and the vendors in all fairness sorted it out and cleaned up. What they DIDN'T tell us though, was that the son had fallen out with some low life, and said low life had set fire to the son's car in the garage :eek:. All the wiring (for the lights and the automatic door) had been burnt out and there was extensive smoke damage. Fortunately the garage is at the bottom of the garden as opposed to attached to the house. We didn't bother with the legal stuff, as it would probably have cost more than just cleaning it up and having the wiring redone, which is what we did

lessonlearned

I sold houses for over 30 years and I have to say nothing shocks me now. Some people simply live like pigs. Actually that's insulting our porcine friends......:rotfl:

In the trade we used shorthand for these houses, we just warned our colleagues by saying "clothes peg job"' meaning they stank to high heaven. Rotting lobster in fridge anyone......garages full of black bin liners of kitchen waste so inches of slime on the garage floor.

I've been in houses that made me retch and I have had to call out enviromental health more than once. This move both the loft and cellar were full of rubbish. And we christened it Bodge City because of the sub standard DIY.

Frankly some people just don't give a damn.

I have learned to always try and have an overlap, if not possible then I have been known to book into a hotel for a few days because the state of the property just made my skin crawl. I now just assume that it will have to be deep cleaned before I move in. We did have one lovely surprise, spotless house, flowers, bubbly and card waiting for us but alas that was a one-off.

I actually always do that for the next person.

Anyhoo, 2 bags of books and two boxes of kitchenalia to the Chazzer this morning. Just going to load up the car again ready for another run tomorrow. I reckon the kitchen will take another couple of days. Whilst I am at it I will take the opportunity to give it a deep clean and oil the worktops, touch up the paintwork, before I revisit my bedroom. Going to get rid of the second freezer. No more stocking up for a siege........;).

I am determined to have an efficient well ordered kitchen. It might bring out my latent inner Domestic Goodess but I'm not holding my breath on that one....:rotfl:

musogirl295

Wow! Some of these moving stories make my sellers seem like angels! I just can't imagine leaving my filth for others to clean up. I would be so embarrassed.

Not much kondoing going on here. Lacking motivation today. Does reading the 2nd book count?! Might push myself to do the tea towels...

Karmacat

I'm really shocked at what people on here have had to go through on purchase of a new property :eek::eek::eek: I was irritated with this one because it was so dirty (just a bit grimy, though) and because the paint jobs were just primed, not actually finished ... but I see I've got away **really** lightly :eek:

I've got a kondo question, actually. Books. I don't put them in the middle of the room and do them, but I do stare at my bookcases a lot trying to see past the habitual, and really **look** at the books I've got. There's one that I've put in the recycling and put back on the shelf two or three times. I've never used it, and it doesn't give me joy, as such. I've tried to understand what keeps bugging me about it, and I think I know - I used to want to be the sort of person who had books like this on their shelves. Academic snobbishness, really It was a school prize, back in 1971 - **thats** how long I haven't used it for :eek: Its hardly age tanned, but its sort of mouldified at the page edges

You know what, just writing this has been a help. I googled it to see if I could show you guys what it was, and not only did I find the 2nd and 3rd editions on amazon (this is the first edition, though its about the 30th printing) I found a pdf of the thing.

Okay, I have to tell you the title. The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature compiled and edited by Sir Paul Harvey. I'm such a twit. I'm so thankful that people on here aren't judgmental, I can let this thing go happily now.

Bliss.

lessonlearned

Karmacat.That's sooo funny.

I have to confess to that too. Guilty as charged, M'Lud.::rotfl:

I was only saying to my son the other day, so glad they finally turned "War and Peace" into a TV serial. I don't have to try and slog my way through it. I always felt guilty for not reading it.

Those Russian novelists might be great storytellers but by crikey their books are hard work.:rotfl: I just dont have that kind of time......

mrs-moneypenny

So glad we moved into an empty new build when we married and plan to leave here in a box when my time is up.

Spent the morning kondoing my purse, I have so many store cards it was rediculous and I could never find the right one in the shop so I've used some of my fabric stash to make a nice store and holder from a tutorial off pintrest. It looks lovely I'm really pleased with it.

pollys

Awful house moving issues. Think I'll stay put!
I've put two shoe boxes surplus to sons requirements to good use. They now hold my t shirts. I konoed my t shirts awhile ago, they tended to slip down when I opened the drawer, but not now. They fit perfectly.
Not much else done today I'm afraid.

Polly

yellowbear

wort wrote: »

Apart from dgs pjs in his next size.

I think I need an early night. I read that as 'the DOGS pjs in his next size!' :rotfl:

dragonette

Goodness! These stories are making me very grateful for renting through an agency, how horrible, can't imagine leaving such filth and grot for someone else to clean up! I'm struggling enough with paying friends to clean for me.

Actually I could do with some advice about that. I've had 3 different friends in, one I'm happy to have do a few hours fortnightly, one who can do the awkward and bigger things - both of these don't need any supervisions. The third one does, things like sweeping the bathroom floor is not the same as cleaning it and asking to clean under/behind the sofas means they need to move the sofas. My issue is that atm I am not well enough to work along side them to show them properly. I could just not have them in again, but they are badly short of money and I would happily give them the work *if* it was done properly.

Cleaning inside the loo and inside the bath but not the sides or sink or floor doesn't equate to cleaning the bathroom to me, especially when you are getting paid to do it! I feel really mean that I don't think I can be bothered or give the energy to teach them, so I'm not sure how best to fix this