Decluttering / Spring Cleaning

[Diva of Dragons]

I think it takes me less than 6 hours to do the entire house! LOL

'Course, I'm not much of a pack rat to begin with... I can't stand clutter and I throw things away when we don't need them anymore...still working on DH on that one.

Once we have a handle on things, I'm hoping to go back to being more of a tosser than a keeper.

The odd thing is that the bathroom didn't look cluttered. It was all shoved under the sink in cabinets. LOL! Other parts of the house definitely do look as cluttered as they are! LOL!

Part of the problem is that I've only moved twice since I was 3 (I'm 43), so a lot has stayed with me! Plus, I had a ton of stuff in my Mom's attic that we brought here, recently.

I kind of became a pack rat by default. The extenuating circumstances were that I struggled with back injuries and depression for several years (they seem to go hand in hand). I crawled out of that hole only to spend the next 5 years caring for my G'ma, who had Alzheimer's. No regrets! But, now that I'm happy, healthy and have the time, the rest of my life is finally catching up.

 

[MagicalMom]

Magical Mom..only 10 unopened lotions? You're my hero!! My Mom came over yesterday and we spent 6 hours just cleaning out the Master bathroom!! I'm a recycling freak so had to empty all the bottles etc.... LOL!

DH and I are on a very long overdue purge. We have about 60 boxes and bags in storage and still heaps of stuff in the house to get through. Once we're done, I'm hoping my pack rattiness will be cured.

Good luck fellow purgers!

Nope, it was 10 OPENED lotions. You know like B&B works Moonlight path for when I'm feeling romantical, Suave Exhale for when I'm tired, Super hydrating lotion for my uhm ugly, winter feet. The list could go on & on & on.

 

[weregoingtodw]

Freecycle everything. I mean EVERYTHING! Old plastic carryout containers? Someone will take them. Half-used lotions, conditioners, etc.? Someone wants it. Half-used containers of makeup? A drama group will ask for them. Seriously. I kid you not. I would never consider offering up something like that but someone actually posted a "wanted" for it so I gave them a ton of those little Clinique free with purchase goodies. They loved 'em! (They were new, the thought of giving away half-used makeup just totally skeeved me.)

Seriously, I have never had a Freecycle offer that someone didn't take. Give it a try!

 

[MagicalMom]

Looks like I have run into my first emotional decluttering dilemma. It's those darn Disney resort refillable mugs. Do I really need 10 of those? Rumor has it you can't reuse them anyways! I can see keeping a couple to take my coffee to work, but I really don't need all of them. I should take them to Goodwill. Maybe I'll just wait & think about those mugs tomorrow. I can't really convince myself to bag them up today!

 

[McDISer]

I brought in a dumpster 18 months ago. When my kids came home for Thanksgiving break, we cleaned their closests and the basement. We had the dumpster full in 3 days. The only thing I regretted throwing out was my ds heely's. We could of sold them for $150 on ebay. I found out that they are making Heeley's again, so now I don't feel to bad anymore.

We are waiting for the weather to get nice too. No one feels like cleaning when it is freezing out. Then you have to do it before the weather gets really nice, because then no one wants to help either.

 

[Magickndm]

I just spent most of all last weekend cleaning out and purging the closet in my guest room. It's a nice big walk in, which translates into : easy to shove crap in while we figure out where to put it.
Now, it's once again a real walk in. I even went out and spent money on pretty boxes to keep the stuff I didn't get rid of nice and organized.

 

[MagicalMom]

You know what else? I think I have an abnormal amount of chip and dip platters. Christmas ones, summer ones, just plain old festive ones, 4th of July ones, where do people keep these things?

 

[LKLush]

I know it can be liberating to throw tons of stuff away, but I hope everyone's taking the time to recycle those "bags and bags and bags" of trash. It only takes a few moments to seperate things into bins and then take them to the recycling center. I'd be sad to think that so many plastics, papers, and cardboard boxes are being thrown away...

 

[Magickndm]

I know it can be liberating to throw tons of stuff away, but I hope everyone's taking the time to recycle those "bags and bags and bags" of trash. It only takes a few moments to seperate things into bins and then take them to the recycling center. I'd be sad to think that so many plastics, papers, and cardboard boxes are being thrown away...

No lecture necessary for me. Whatever could be recycled was, whatever could find a home at Good Will, did.

 

[sassyat30]

I know it can be liberating to throw tons of stuff away, but I hope everyone's taking the time to recycle those "bags and bags and bags" of trash. It only takes a few moments to seperate things into bins and then take them to the recycling center. I'd be sad to think that so many plastics, papers, and cardboard boxes are being thrown away...

Oh no! We recycle everything we possibly can. No worries here.

 

[sassyat30]

Once we have a handle on things, I'm hoping to go back to being more of a tosser than a keeper.

The odd thing is that the bathroom didn't look cluttered. It was all shoved under the sink in cabinets. LOL! Other parts of the house definitely do look as cluttered as they are! LOL!

Part of the problem is that I've only moved twice since I was 3 (I'm 43), so a lot has stayed with me! Plus, I had a ton of stuff in my Mom's attic that we brought here, recently.

I kind of became a pack rat by default. The extenuating circumstances were that I struggled with back injuries and depression for several years (they seem to go hand in hand). I crawled out of that hole only to spend the next 5 years caring for my G'ma, who had Alzheimer's. No regrets! But, now that I'm happy, healthy and have the time, the rest of my life is finally catching up.

Wow! Well, I guess you have a valid excuse then. LOL

And don't you feel better even after just doing the bathroom?

 

[DAISY DUCK FAN!]

I started cleaning out this past week. I've loaded up the car with toys to donate and have two huge trashbags of clothes to donate as well. I am trying to get dh and ds to help, but I fear I'm in this by myself.

 

[sassyat30]

I started cleaning out this past week. I've loaded up the car with toys to donate and have two huge trashbags of clothes to donate as well. I am trying to get dh and ds to help, but I fear I'm in this by myself.

Daisy, I've found it easier to do it alone. Then I don't have to consult anyone, and *poof* away it goes.

And more often than not, no one even misses it.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Our town doesn't recycle paper or cardboard! Except for newspapers and magazines.
I don't know what to do with old toys either. I keep some in a bin or two for my far-off grandchildren. I give old books to the library. I have considered having a "free toys" sale--put all the old toys out front for a few hours on a summer day and advertise it with the garage sales. My youngest is almost 10 so the stuff is piling up.
All clothes go to goodwill. I will pitch a lot too.
Robin M.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

Wow! Well, I guess you have a valid excuse then. LOL

And don't you feel better even after just doing the bathroom?

It's amazing how much difference that one space makes! The drawers and cabinets are almost completely empty!! Today, I'm tackling the closet well, clothes in general. They're located in a few places throughout the house! LOL!!

 

[solferino]

Our town doesn't recycle paper or cardboard! Except for newspapers and magazines.
I don't know what to do with old toys either. I keep some in a bin or two for my far-off grandchildren. I give old books to the library. I have considered having a "free toys" sale--put all the old toys out front for a few hours on a summer day and advertise it with the garage sales. My youngest is almost 10 so the stuff is piling up.
All clothes go to goodwill. I will pitch a lot too.
Robin M.

check to see if there's a local freecycle group you can join for the toys- the ones I'm on often have requests for toys.

 

[grlpwrd]

I've been cleaning and decluttering since December.

My husband and I have decided that once I graduate that we will be moving. It may be back to Hawaii, Seattle, or anywhere on the West Coast. It depends on what graduate school I attend. I have to get rid of my junk. lol

I have donated and sold a lot plus I have a yard sale planned in April.

 

[DorkyDisneyMom]

Our town doesn't recycle paper or cardboard! Except for newspapers and magazines.
I don't know what to do with old toys either. I keep some in a bin or two for my far-off grandchildren. I give old books to the library. I have considered having a "free toys" sale--put all the old toys out front for a few hours on a summer day and advertise it with the garage sales. My youngest is almost 10 so the stuff is piling up.
All clothes go to goodwill. I will pitch a lot too.
Robin M.

How about a church nursery or something? I know our church preschool is always looking for new toys too.

I got rid of sweaters that I can't wear because they touch me weird. I got rid of a casserole dish that I hate, I got rid of all the mismatched lids for the plasticwear. How many lids do we really need? I was thinking of calling the womens shelter about my toiletries. I have a lot that I don't use. I can't wait for Monday. It will be interesting to see what else there is.

 

[kimluvswdw]

I don't have too much junk around the house. If something does not get used I get rid of it. My husband always says he is afraid to sit down for fear of getting thrown away.

 

[katerkat]

I am going through paperwork today. Coupons that expired last year - why do I not go through this more often? I haven't filed bank statements since 2006. Piles and piles of old bills, even though the vast majority of my bills are online. Why, why, why do I let it go so far?

I have three weeks alone in April without DH and I plan on massively cleaning in preparation for a summer/fall move. That way he can't complain about what I toss!