2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

Florenceem

retiredinfrance - that is why I am eating at lunch time before hospital visiting. Doing myself fried eggs and chips today - what I fancy.
Been to the second charity shop now.
Also been to SA - returned plates and bowls.
Up to 7,200 steps now.

redofromstart

daisy_1571 said:

ETA - I've copied in some other folks ideas too in case its helpful

Welcome newbies and friends from previous threads.  Cant sleep so I'm going to do a brain dump of a any of the general tips that have helped others in the past that I can remember.  These come from the collective declutterati consciousness, from books we've read, podcasts listened to, things our granny taught us, youtube videos watched.  Pick and choose, some methods brilliant for one, would be awful for another.  Some folk use a combination,  some start with one then move to another as their circs change.  



Never leave a room empty handed.


Start putting like with like rather than little bundles all over the place.  When you see you have 20 of something its MUCH easier to get rid of the broken, non working ones and select out your favourites to keep from the rest.  The ones left over you know can go.


If you are overwhelmed and have no idea where to start, literally start where you stand.  What can you reach by stretching your arm out.  Sort that.


Don't gather huge boxes or bags for your sort, sell, donate.   If you can't lift it when its full, it will sit there.  If it will take too long to fill it, it will sit there.  If you have to move it cos its in the way, it becomes another receptacle of random stuff you will have to go through later to see what it is.


Use small boxes and don't wait on finding more, get it out the house every single time you leave the house.  Carrier bag of charity shop stuff?  Take it with you.  Recycling?  Take it with you.  You get the idea.


If you are seriously hoarded up with no room to move, get a bag, set a timer 5 minutes, 10 minutes, maybe 15 minutes.  Start in the hall.  Look for rubbish.  Genuine this is an empty envelope type rubbish, old takeaway leaflets etc, bus tickets, single shoe, broken umbrella.  In the bag, timer goes, get the bag out in the relevant buckets as per your council's bin types.  Stop at your allocated time.  Decision making is hard.  You'll get better at it but don't overwhelm yourself.  Do this once a day, twice a day, every hour.  Whatever works.  Move onto a room. Then you can start sifting the next layer of stuff.


Main thing is, once the decision is made, get it out your house.  You don't want to be holding the same thing in your hand again next month making the same decision. 


Same goes for selling.  Are you genuinely going to wait on a bright day, photograph it, list it somewhere,  keep track of it whilst it waits, if it eventually sells find it, package it, take it to the post office, deL with the no-shows, the missing in post feedback etc.   By the time you've done that will it be worth the money its brought in to you?  Some people would do all that for a pound, others for a fiver, others wouldn't do it for a hundred.  Which type are you.  No right or wrong answer.  If its worth something do you have a relative or friend that is willing to do all the work and give you a percentage of what they make ?


Similarly if the thing is broken, missing pieces, stained, not fit for purpose, downright dangerous - don't pass it on to a charity shop rather than make a decision yourself.   They get charged for their rubbish to be picked up.  You aren't helping them if you are making a perfectly nice volunteer waste time looking through your rubbish and sorting it for you.


If you are trying to sort out some drawers for example, the contents of a drawer can fill all the surfaces in a room if you spread them out.  So don't empty the whole chest of drawers at once.  You'll have 5 lovely tidy drawers but you'll turn round and see a huge mess of stuff that needs dealt with.  Overwhelming when you're tired.  Do one drawer and see the job through.   Only when everything from that drawer is dealt with should you start a new drawer.  Might seem counterintuitive when you think there's bound to be more stuff in here that will ll need to go to the understair cupboard so I'll just start a pile over here and take it all at once.  No.  That pile there will fall into that other pile, the phone will go and suddenly its time you were leaving for an appointment and the room looks like paddy's market.  If you put it away as you go, the room won't look worse and you'll feel achievementrather than despair. See basketcase note below for better info on this one - it was Dana I first saw it but I couldn't remember at the time.

Container method - see basketcase below but its helpful to remember if you have 'a space' (ie shelf, drawer, cupboard, your house) the items have to fit that space, you can't make the space magically expand to fit how many items you would like to keep.


Designate a box/drawer/shelf/room to - Things That Need To Be Decided On.  Label it clearly so you don't later wonder what it all is. Don't derail yourself if you're in the zone by stopping and having to decide on a tricky thing, a sentimental thing, a toy you need to find 2 more bits for etc.  Pop it in there and keep going.  Those 2 bits will turn up and can be amalgamated later.  The tricky stuff can be looked at later.


Sunk cost.  A tricky one for lots of us.  Lots of ways to look at it.  You spent the money.  Its gone.  You aren't getting that money back.  Now you have A Thing.  The Thing doesn't care.  Having The Thing won't put the money back in your account.   Not having The Thing won't put the money back.  However, you won't have The Thing any more, reminding you, forcing you to store it, give it house room, take care of it, drain your mental and physical energies.  The money and The Thing are not the same.  If its useful, keep it.  If its not useful to you but could be to someone else, let someone else have it. 


Another tricky one is "I hate waste".  Well thats no reason to keep it if thats the only reason you are keeping it. You don't live in a warehouse or storage unit (unless you do of course).  You live in a home which should service your CURRENT life.  You aren't not-wasting it by keeping it on top of your wardrobe not using it.  You will be not-wasting it if: you actually use it, if you set it free to let someone else use it, if you break it down into its component bits and recycle as much of it as you can. You are especially not-wasting it if having to decide how to get rid of it makes you think twice before bringing more stuff in beyond what you need.  Even in storage things decompose, they go over, they waste.  Countless stories on here talk about us keeping something for good, for when it will fit, for when we have time for that book/that hobby/that life but when we go to use it the sole disintegrated from the upper, moths ate holes in it, it smells stale which never comes out, you pass on and no one knows who is in these photos etc etc. 


It was given to me by...... again no need to keep it.  It was someone else's memories, not yours.  The purpose of it in your life was to be gifted to you with love - thank it for being a gift given with love and pass it on to someone who will love it and use it.  Lots of ways to reframe the thoughts.


Lastly if you have lots of little kids so lots of washing and sorting of clothes.  An American lady, mother of 9 i think, i watched just amazed me with such a simple solution by just turning the whole task on its head.  Usual routine, gather clothes, separate as preferred whites, colours etc.  Wash.  Dry on line/clothes horse/tumble etc.  Sort out whose clothes is whose, put sorted clothes into relevant rooms/wardrobes etc depending on kids ages.  This took her ages trying to keep track of whose socks, whose shirts etc since so many were similar sizes.  Complaint is how long all this takes, endlessly week after week.  Husband watched the routine, his job was some kind of time and motion man/engineer or something logic based like that.  He said problem is sorting the clothes, you need to stop that.  She said in exasperation, that's literally what washing clothes is darling, how on earth can I stop that?  The elegant solution - enough clothes in circulation for each member of household to make a machine load, a dirty washing basket for each member of household, allocated days for each member of households clothes to get washed.   On allocated day, any kid old enough or mum if not, takes their basket to washing machine, once done their stuff goes into dryer (and next member's clothes into washing machine if 2 needs done that day) (dryer obviously makes the process quicker but same principle applies if line or horse dried) their basket sat on top of dryer till clothes were dry then all clothes returned to that member of household.  So clothes never mix to begin with so never need sorted !!!  Flippin' genius!  Bang, all that time saved at a stroke.   

I mention the above story partly in case it genuinely helps a large household, but mainly I try to remind myself that just because we've always done it one way, doesnt mean there isn't a far better simpler way that I just haven't thought of yet.

Daisy xxxxxx

From dnd

May I add, get a roll of cheap masking tape and a permanent marker pen.  I have found it invaluable for making temporary labels.  My ex made me feel I had to get everything right first time; as a result I spent so long trying to figure out the right size box for everything before I ever got round to sorting. 😞

Now, knowing I can either move the label or write a new one for a box I'm liberated. 🤣🤣
The masking tape is also great for freezer labels - cheap as chips and easy to remove when required.

I find letting go of things hard, the logical bit of me says let go but there's a part of me that wants to hold onto the memory and also a large part of me that wants to collect and complete sets of things!   I really want to get back to all my hobbies and try new things.  So, I take it slowly and get myself to the place where I'm happy with what's going, and it is slow going, but I know that if I don't do that I will feel regret when I've got rid of some things and guilt when I go out and replace them.  The human brain is a bizarre place, at least mine is. 🤣 Dx

From basketcase
Anyway, I've found Dana K White 's blog A Slob Comes Clean resonates with me. So I bought one of her books, Organizing for the Rest of Us, and I've been trying it.  It seems to work (so far!), so I think I'll see how far I can get with it.

In this book she has a chapter called Declutter Without Making a Bigger Mess. All the equipment needed is a binbag (plus recycling if you do it), a box to donate and feet (yours, someone else's or an acceptable equivalent!)   

She has a kind of 5-Step strategy for doing 1 area at a time which, if interrupted, doesn't leave a pile of stuff everywhere and has still made a difference.  You don't get everything out, you deal with one item at a time - from start to finish. I do recommend the book, but to summarise the process (Which I think of as "Do you suffer from Piles?" 🤭):

Step 1 - Trash: straight to the black bag/recycling 

Step 2 - Easy Stuff: the things you know have a place (clothing, crockery, books etc) take them there. Straight away. NO 'PILES FOR LATER'!

Step 3 - ‘Duh’ Clutter: things you know you shouldn’t have kept – eg your primary schooler's toddler-sized coat (Hence the 'Duh').  To donate if in good condition, bin if not

Step 4a – Ask Question 1: "If I needed this, where would (not should) I look for it first?" (Even if it was a surprise you had it!) TAKE IT THERE.  Again, straight away.

Step 4b (ONLY needed if you don't have an answer to Q1!) - Ask Question 2: "If I needed this item, would it occur to me I already had one?"  If it wouldn't, donate.  (You've already put the ones that have a home somewhere - even the surprises!)

Step 5 – The stuff you'd look here for if you needed it: This should now fit in the available space.  If not she recommends what she calls the Container Concept - Contain doesn't just mean 'hold', it also means control.  Consolidate and purge items until only "container-worthy" items remain. (eg if there are 10 pens and you only have room for 8, donate your 2 least favourite.  You don't buy a new container that holds 10!

From moorviews

I am easily overwhelmed and need to see some successes quickly. My technique was to pick a visible area that was not too daunting and put everything away/recycle/bin, or with like with like, even if that meant squeezing it into a cupboard or drawer. I then kept that clear (visible success) but turned my attention to the full cupboard (on another day) and would do a shelf at a time. Gradually, I found that I could put pretty much everything away that I wanted to keep. It is quite an organic method with one thing naturally leading to another. 

Really useful summary on this @daisy_1571 post  @julie777

Hope this helps.

WickedLady4

DH and I have just spent at least 30mins decluttering lots of brambles growing by the side of a walk through bit near our house. Some of them needed a saw they were so thick but we've now filled our green bin so will leave the rest for another day.

Brie

WickedLady4 said:

DH and I have just spent at least 30mins decluttering lots of brambles growing by the side of a walk through bit near our house. Some of them needed a saw they were so thick but we've now filled our green bin so will leave the rest for another day.

Interesting - our council thinks that no gardening happens from Nov to end Feb.  And we're south coast so the grass doesn't stop growing and things hold their leaves much later.  Obliviously a bin department run by someone who lives in a flat! Or wealthy enough to have gardeners who take all their cuttings away with them!!!

Duchess2

What a pretty doll @Florenceem. I wish I had half your talent. I do hope you have better news of MrF today. Please don’t spread yourself too thin. I love egg & chips too. Thank you for bringing together all the tips @redofromstart. Very useful to those like me who have lost their mojo for decluttering. You have inspired me to set a timer and clear and put away as I go. I’m a devil for sorting into piles and then moving the piles around!!! I have got up to date with my washing and ironing this week so alls not lost. I just wish I had more energy. The spirit is willing but the body is less co-operative. Success to all those struggling and virtual hugs to those that need one

diminua

I'm down to just two more things to go before I'll declare myself on maintenance - realistically though I've had a sort through and still have this for the tip/recycling centre.
Old laptop
Old radio/cd/tape player (CD hasn't worked properly in about 15 years and the radio isn't brilliant either. I only own 1 tape which is the one accidentally left in this player when I moved in)
Extra nozzles and things for old vacuum cleaner (which went to the tip last year)
A carpet sweeper (bought for the period I didn't have a vacuum) 
A broken electric heater (stalwart service for 30 years but now switches off within seconds of being switched on). 
Some shears and a large saw (might wait until I can get a lift to bring those. They don't seem a great idea on the bus. They date from my allotment days and weren't new then). 
Old battery-driven kitchen clock (dead as a doornail, new one has been bought and put up). 

retiredinfrance

Thanks,@redofromstart, for all the wise words in one place. I need to reread them again and again to keep me going. Especially, @Daisy_1572, sunk costs, my mantra”The thing doesn’t care.”
Another bag to be offered to my daughter!If she doesn’t want it, she can give it to a charity shop.x

WickedLady4

@Brie
I live in Milton Keynes and we have our green bin emptied every week. It also contains food waste.
We're obviously one of the lucky ones!

redofromstart

Thanks but @daisy_1571 did the hard work collating it not me, I just had it bookmarked as a reminder.

I spent a very cold hour decluttering the remaining contents of the garage freezer (my outside electrics failed a few weeks ago so it has been running off an extension lead for a few hours every day) into the inside fridge freezer and the bin as appropriate.  

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks
2. Concerted effort to sort out sleep patterns - Realistic targets: bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 10:00 a.m 
3. Continue dealing with mail & email on a daily basis
4. Don’t put it down, put it away + deal with mini tasks as soon as they are noticed e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc
5. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter
6. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed

Nodded off for 30 minutes whilst watching old episodes of Tipping Point 😉 I didn’t realise but I have completed the 16th & am now starting on posts dated the 17th 💃 

Dizzycap, isn’t it lovely when you wake up raring to go 😊 Excellent decluttering of tasks 👏

Florenceem, I hope you managed to get a restful night’s sleep even though you woke up so early yesterday 🤞More items going out - hopefully yours rather than unsold Vinted items 👏

Excellent decluttering of jeans foxandflowers 👏 Shame about the unplanned decluttering 😔 I will add my crossed fingers that the Estate Agent has given you a choice of moving dates 🤞

ruby_eskimo, thank you for my 💐 although I do feel a bit guilty accepting them as I still haven’t quite caught up 😉 Excellent decluttering 👏 although not sure your DH has quite understood the difference between ‘decluttering’ & ‘recluttering’ 😂Hope you enjoyed your meal out last night 😊

Great decluttering CRANKY40 👏 Pleased to hear that you had a lovely lunch out with the student 😊 New York - how wonderful 🥳 Just realised that it has been 32 years since DH & I were there 😱

Liverpool_Anne, you still managed to get such a lot done even though you were still tired 👏 Very pleased to hear that you have your car back 🙂 & that it is still going strong even at the ripe old age of 15 👏 Hope the blood test was painless 🤞Lovely cheerleading & thank you for my 💐 😊

Another great day of decluttering Florenceem 👏 This “One side of my craft room is looking a lot better - we won't mention the other side.” brought a smile to my face especially the 2nd part 😃 

Florenceem, more great decluttering & well done on restricting items ‘IN’ 👏

Well said foxandflowers 😊

Gradually catching up, but need another drink 😉 DH has been industrious & made a soup - used up all the limp vegetables & los. I do hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday 😊 Cwtches for everyone 🤗

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