where does all this junk come from?
It's not that long since I had a major decluttering session here.
Less than a year I'm sure.
Yet this week finds me once again spending time chucking out "stuff".
I'm sure I don't collect this stuff. I toss junk mail into the recycling bin as soon as I've flipped through it.
Real mail gets read, answered and shredded.
But there it is; drawers crammed full of .......things.
Paper, twistie ties, empty envelopes, pictures that have torn themselves out of magazines and hopped into the drawers to join the clutter gathering there.
Recipes.
Lots of recipes that I'll probably never try.
Rubber bands, pencils, pens that don't work. Huh?
Oh yes, I meant to buy refills for those.....
So I started in the bedroom.
Take one drawer completely out, empty it on the bed.
Put back the things I need, ditch the rest into the bin beside my feet.
Replace the drawer. Repeat process until all drawers have been done.
Move into the laundry. Haul that box full of stuff out from under the sink.
What is all this? When did I buy it? Why did I buy it?
Chuck it out. I haven't even looked under there for six months at least so clearly I don't need all those bottles of whatever.
Bathroom, ditto.
Spare room, hmmm, think I'll save this for last.
This is where things get put until I can find a proper place for them.
Moving on to the lounge/dining.
The bookshelves are okay, just books and photos.
But the drawers where I keep printer paper and connection cords?
Full of junk. Again.
Sort, tidy, toss.
There, that's better.
Kitchen?
I did that last week, while I was feeling depressed. It helped me feel better.
Okay. Time for that spare room.
*opens door, looks inside......no, not today.*
Time for coffee instead.
Less than a year I'm sure.
Yet this week finds me once again spending time chucking out "stuff".
I'm sure I don't collect this stuff. I toss junk mail into the recycling bin as soon as I've flipped through it.
Real mail gets read, answered and shredded.
But there it is; drawers crammed full of .......things.
Paper, twistie ties, empty envelopes, pictures that have torn themselves out of magazines and hopped into the drawers to join the clutter gathering there.
Recipes.
Lots of recipes that I'll probably never try.
Rubber bands, pencils, pens that don't work. Huh?
Oh yes, I meant to buy refills for those.....
So I started in the bedroom.
Take one drawer completely out, empty it on the bed.
Put back the things I need, ditch the rest into the bin beside my feet.
Replace the drawer. Repeat process until all drawers have been done.
Move into the laundry. Haul that box full of stuff out from under the sink.
What is all this? When did I buy it? Why did I buy it?
Chuck it out. I haven't even looked under there for six months at least so clearly I don't need all those bottles of whatever.
Bathroom, ditto.
Spare room, hmmm, think I'll save this for last.
This is where things get put until I can find a proper place for them.
Moving on to the lounge/dining.
The bookshelves are okay, just books and photos.
But the drawers where I keep printer paper and connection cords?
Full of junk. Again.
Sort, tidy, toss.
There, that's better.
Kitchen?
I did that last week, while I was feeling depressed. It helped me feel better.
Okay. Time for that spare room.
*opens door, looks inside......no, not today.*
Time for coffee instead.
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I am in awe. I/we really, really need to declutter. Unfortunately we packrat different things so what I would consider trash he considers treasure and vice versa. Nonetheless a serious garbage tossing session is required. You wouldn't like to come down here when you finish your spare room would you?
ReplyDeleteIt's a never ending cycle isn't it. Trouble is when you start in one room, you end up doing the lot! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, those twistie ties, bread clips and rubber bands breed in drawers when you're not looking, I'm certain of it :P
ReplyDeleteAh yes. The spare room. But hey, the rest of the house is just sparkling from your cleaning and decluttering right?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! You did great! xx
EC; I try to do the drawer clean out on a fairly regular basis. Mostly because I really hate sifting through a huge pile of junky stuff just to find that one item I know must be in "that" drawer. Make it a joint effort at your place. Empty a drawer onto the kitchen table or somewhere neutral and each of you pick out the treasures to keep and chuck what's left. Then maybe put them away in separate drawers?
ReplyDeleteBaino; ha ha! I actually made a list and was going to tackle rooms on separate days. But once I got started I just kept going. All that's left is the top of the wardrobe and that spare room. I even cleared out accumulated junk from under the laundry tub.
Jayne; twistie ties are the most useless things ever. I've heard people actually collect bread tags and have bags and bags of them. Not Me! Rubber bands live in a jar with a screw top lid.
Kymmie; the house is looking pretty good. I've shut the door to the spare room. I might just leave that until hard rubbish collection time, because there's big stuff in there that won't fit in the recycling bin.
You have done a fabulous job. The "hoarder" TV crew will not be knocking on your door. And relax, everyone has one room that is sort of a vortex for unwanted "stuff". At our house that's my ha ha office.
ReplyDeleteWell done :)
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of decluttering to do. I know I'll feel better when I do it, but getting started is so hard. I need to take the 'one drawer at a time' approach....
There's nothing like a good un-cluttering.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend that will COMPLETELY empty a room -- haul it all out into another room -- and sort through it, clean the empty room, and put it all back. It's quite the spectacle but damn if that room isn't spotless.
If at least for a little while!
Pearl
I used to buy goods from auction rooms for my stall at the weekend markets. It was mainly deceased estate. When someone dies the relatives get in there and dump everything from kitchen drawers into cardboard boxes. They do the same with ornaments and other small stuff, sweeping it from shelves. I had to buy a whole box just to get maybe one good thing I wanted from it, and there were personal letters, old gas bills, Christmas cards, birthdays, diaries, and even wedding photos (how odd to see the bride and groom smiling among all that clutter). I'd look through all the personal stuff, read it and ponder over it. My favourite is a 1952 diary. It was written by a young woman on board a boat from England. The captain invited her up to the bridge during the early hours to see the lights of Cairo. She was enormously delighted. And there's lots more of course: humdrum, fascinating, the whole thing. Too good to throw away, I only do that with fiction.
ReplyDeleteHi River,
ReplyDeleteMrs PM would have me hurl all of my "junk" into the nearest skip - if I let her have her way. My theory is that if I bought it and it serves a purpose then it stays. I have a lot of crap that satisifies that criteria (much to Mrs PM's disgust).
:0)
Cheers
PM
I'm decluttering this week too. I have house guests coming and have to turn one of my 'spare rooms' into a 'bedroom'. No easy feat, I can assure you!!!
ReplyDeleteDon't delay declutter your spare room right away you'll feel better for it :-).
ReplyDeleteDelores; my house has never been "hoarder" material. Never will be either. I couldn't stand it. My sister's house.....well, I'm pretty sure that would qualify.
ReplyDeletesleepydwarf; one drawer at a time is a good way to start, as long as you then move on to the next drawer.
Pearl; I used to do that too, even washing down the walls and sweeping the ceiling. Now I only clean to that extent when I'm moving house and I get someone else to move the furniture out. Then I'll go back when the place is empty and clean before handing back the keys.
R.H. I couldn't buy whole boxes of stuff just to get one item. I'd prefer to go to a secondhand shop if I'm looking for just one thing. It's a good idea though for the market stalls.
Plasman; make Mrs PM a deal. If she throws out some of your stuff, you get to throw out an equal amount of her stuff. That should keep your conversations going for a good few years.
Emma; if the room is going to stay a permanent bedroom it's a lot easier. But when it will revert to spare/junk room it's harder to toss out stuff that you know you'll want to put back in there.
Windsmoke; it's done. I did it this morning before breakfast. I wandered in there to plan the course of action, thinking I'd get started as soon as I'd eaten, but then I moved one thing and couldn't stop. Eventually had breakfast about lunchtime!
Yes well sometimes among all the knives and forks, letters and old bills ect, there's a collectable that will bring good money. Or it might be something I'd like to keep for myself. I've got a little museum here: lamps, electric fans, toasters and so on, going back to the 1920s.
ReplyDeleteAnd you'd be surprised what people will buy, especially in a cultured joint like Camberwell, I've even flogged old wedding photos.
ReplyDelete