A Slob Comes Clean

pollypenny

Another one who has better things to do than hoover or sweep daily!  That flylady stuff terrified me!  No way!  

I sweep the kitchen and dining floor when needed, ie if there's loads of crumbs, fluff balls, bits of onion skin etc which have fallen. I hoover about once a week, the bedroom even less. 

The places where clutter breeds are the dining table, the stuff can be pushed back now it's just the two of us, and the side table where OH sits. Full of stuff put there 'for now'. 

purpleivy

Well, I've achieved something at least. I have done a weekly wash day, sometimes putting one lot of 'big stuff' (i.e not many items to hang) on a Sunday night, either sheets or hub's work shirts, so can iron them Monday and get put away). I even missed a week when I was away and just did it all when I got home. Hub did one batch of socks and undies while I was away, that is all. It's really nice to have one day to concentrate on getting it all done, then I'm not hanging/washing/folding/ having anything 'festooned' about the place every day. I like it and will stick with it till something happens to stop me. 

I have been putting the dishwasher on almost every night. If I can see there is room for tomorrow's stuff, as it's been a light day, then I will leave it, but  that has only happened a couple of times. I am much more careful about selecting kitchen ware to use, in order to be able to put everything I can into the dishwasher and avoid using the sink!  Then when I put the kettle on in the morning I race to unload it. So that is working well. 

I'm trying really hard to keep the kitchen and island clear too. 

Tomorrow will be interesting..........Cellar is on my list of quarantine jobs!  

Nelski

She has definitely got inside my brain for the good
Monday is washing day so one day and its all done.  Dishwasher is nowhere near full every night but does get loaded every night and on maybe twice a week  so surfaces always clear.
Big thing for me is her point that slobs don't see things like normal organised people do and I think that was me. Im starting to open my eyes more I guess ...cobwebs over pictures, dust thick on bedside cabinets, things just "in the wrong place", too much stuff and no real routine
Anyway I will never be perfect but things now being slung (8 mugs just today and still way too many left unless I can plan a very large tea party soon) garage is getting there and lots of clothes to charity. More importantly the house looks ....dare I say ....tidy 

doingitanyway

Nelski said:

things just "in the wrong place", too much stuff and no real routine

This is the heart of it. Dana explains you cannot get anywhere until you begin to get rid of stuff and create routines. Since listening to ASCC I have cleared lots of things from my house. I would have preferred selling things but in the end I just gifted it all to the CS as the goal was to clear clutter and reclaim my space!

Nelski

Agree....sometimes it's just not worth all the hassle selling for a few quid. Charities rely on slobs to keep their shops full  

PollyWollyDoodle

Yes, I’m very aware that I also suffer from this inability to see mess or things in the ‘wrong‘ place. I also just have too much stuff. 
 

I must say that my kitchen floor is staying cleaner, I sweep it every day although after the rain we have had it definitely needs mopping - eight soggy paws in and out multiple times a day, I don’t know why the cats feel the need to go out in the rain at all as they come back in to use the litter tray!   

I didn’t think dishes were a problem until my dishwasher broke last week 😬 i’m really making an effort to do them every night, and counting the days till the new one is delivered.  My next project is to tidy my lounge up and make it a cosy place where I want to spend the winter evenings. Some dust bunnies need to be hunted down and evicted.  

Apintplease

doingitanyway said:

Nelski said:

things just "in the wrong place", too much stuff and no real routine

This is the heart of it. Dana explains you cannot get anywhere until you begin to get rid of stuff and create routines. Since listening to ASCC I have cleared lots of things from my house. I would have preferred selling things but in the end I just gifted it all to the CS as the goal was to clear clutter and reclaim my space!

This is the only answer, you have to get rid of "stuff"

A couple of years ago I made a promise to myself I would declutter and I mostly have.

It has taken me those two years - and it is ongoing - still

But getting rid of possessions that you have paid money for, or have been gifted, really is difficult. Im sure none of us give a thought about throwing out something thats broken, but to get rid of something that is new, just been worn the once, read the once, played the once - whatever, is just so difficult

I started small, and I mean small. One bookcase. A bookcase that no longer resembled a bookcase as it was cluttered with so much other "stuff".So I cleared one, took off everything that didn't belong on a bookcase, then really ruthlessly decided on what books I was not going to part with, dusted them all off and sorted them - charity or keep, then done the next bookcase. I now only have one full bookcase  All the other stuff that was on them, handbags, jewellery box, photo boxes, papers, pamphlets, glass cases - even the dog clippers ( dog had been dead two years ) I left in a heap on the floor and sorted that the next day. 5 pairs of glasses and cases went to the Opticians for their charity. Three boxes of books went out. The charity shop also got half the contents of my jewellery box as I went through that ( just costume stuff ). Then because I had these handbags to be put away with the others, I sorted those. I had probably 12 handbags, beautiful handbags, handbags for all occasions, but I cant carry one now so why was I keeping them? So I kept my two designer ones and one small black one - and the rest went to the charity

So thats how I went one, a drawer or shelf at a time. 

My wardrobe was the hardest thing to do. All that money spent on clothes over the years and the majority of them never worn anymore - too big, too small. it took me a full day but now a year on, I can still hang up my clothes, nothing is just shoved in out of sight out of mind. No piles of ironing waiting to be put away because I have space to put them

Its far from over, theres still lots of areas that need decluttering, but the areas I have done, have as a whole stayed tidy.My biggest success has been my undies. I fold and stand my socks and knickers and nothing is fighting its way out  

purpleivy

My plans have been scuppered!  Hub complained that the D.W went on when he was watching telly/listening to music. So I am going to have to modify that plan. I can do Monday/Wed nights when he has choir zoom.   I didn't put on last night but as soon as I came down this morning. Takes just over an hour, so on days when evening isn't possible, I will put on when I come down and then unload when the kettle/coffee machine is on. 

Sunday is a day with not a lot happening, started out with one or two loads on a Sunday night, but I'm quite happy just putting the odd lot in through the day. Leaves Monday uninterrupted when other things are happening. It will become weather dependent I'm sure, as I prefer to air dry. 
As for the rest...... been doing odd bits of clearing out.  

PollyWollyDoodle

Like you, I prefer to dry on the line and so if there’s a good day in the forecast I’ll plan washing around that. I’ve never found laundry to be a problem, probably because I live on my own and don’t have huge loads, so doing it all on one day doesn’t work for me. I have kept to sweeping the floor every day, somewhat to my surprise. It’s having a knock-on effect, because I am sweeping it every day I’m not letting clutter build up like shoes and shopping bags, because I want to keep it clear. I also succeeded in keeping the kitchen table clear, the adjacent worktop is a work in progress however! 

Apintplease

PollyWollyDoodle said:

Like you, I prefer to dry on the line and so if there’s a good day in the forecast I’ll plan washing around that. I’ve never found laundry to be a problem, probably because I live on my own and don’t have huge loads, so doing it all on one day doesn’t work for me. I have kept to sweeping the floor every day, somewhat to my surprise. It’s having a knock-on effect, because I am sweeping it every day I’m not letting clutter build up like shoes and shopping bags, because I want to keep it clear. I also succeeded in keeping the kitchen table clear, the adjacent worktop is a work in progress however! 

Its amazing how just keeping one job going, how the knock on effect takes over without you noticing isn't it?

I wipe all my kitchen down whilst Im cooking, I don't need to be watching saucepans boil or meat roast for example, so a quick spray of the cabinets doors and they are done, same as the worktop as I load the dishwasher