Since all the cleaning type threads seem to have a lot of action, want to start a general one for all our cleaning and tidying and decluttering thoughts and triumphs and woes? I can stop blathering on in the Marie Kondo thread 
How are your New Years projects going?
nectarine / 2400 posts
Well as you know Iāve been doing the slob comes clean and my house is WAY more under control. Iād like to focus in now on our linen closet (which is just stuffed with crap) and getting the remainder of our baby stuff out of the basement
pear / 1642 posts
Iām going to have to check out the slob comes clean. DH and I watched the first 3 episodes of the Marie Kondo show and that first couple was uncomfortably close to home for us, except their house was cleaner
So today we are starting wth clothes according to her method.
Is the slob method something that we can also pick and choose and combine with konmari?
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
For me Iāve been inspired by A Slob Comes Clean- I got the how to book out of my library before Christmas. As luck would have it, there is a drive in my area collecting clothing for a womenās shelter and some kid clothes and toys. Iāve gone through about 3/4 of my clothes and have a big laundry basket full of clothes to donate and space in my drawers. But the tops of my dresser and corners of my room are still a mess.
My biggest sticking point is what to do with donations otherwise. Iāve read about giant piles of ādonationsā ending up in landfills and making it harder for workers to actually collect items that are needed. So, I would hate for my bag of donations to do more harm than good. I try to be thoughtful about where I donate (plus it helps me part with items when I think someone else will actually use them- oh this is a perfectly good sweater, it would be a waste to toss it, vs oh this is a nice sweater that Iām sure a woman in a shelter would like to wear). But that can be paralyzing so I try to limit my thoughts like that.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@MrsRoo: I have watched two episodes of the show and I think you can combine them. But as a āslobā I identify more with a slob comes clean. If I pulled every item out of every drawer and closet, Iād never get through it. But I pulled every item out of my short sleeve shirt drawer, went through each one, put the keepers back and am donating the rest. THEN I pulled out the long sleeve shirts and did the same. That way whenever I get interrupted or lose steam I donāt have a gigantic mess.
And yeah that first couple reminded me a lot of my house. Their living room was cleaner but otherwise pretty close. Complete with annoying little ones who wonāt let you finish a sentence.
persimmon / 1023 posts
@Foodnerd81: yes! I saw a video about the donations in the landfill a few months ago and it scarred me! Now I have no clue where to donate because in the end of the video they were like, āthe answer is to buy quality clothing that lasts for years so you donāt have to get rid of itā which is helpful in the future but not for the piles I have now! Someone in a FB group did similar before Christmas where they went around collecting so we did an emergency purge but we still have LOTS in our basement that has to go. Itās kind of frustrating there isnāt an easy way to recycle/donate, etc a huge amount of stuff where you know itās not going straight to a landfill 
and for kids clothes there are really not a lot of options either besides hoping if I list a bag for free on Facebook someone will take it ALL.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@muffinsmuffins: exactly! Going forward Iām trying to be more mindful- but also, kids need clothes they will eventually outgrow, whether itās clearance from the childrenās place or Hanna Anderson and they will outgrow their toys no matter how high quality and open ended they are. But for now I have lots of stuff to get rid of and I want to be thoughtful without getting stuck. My compromise right now is all the stuff for the women and family shelter is separated, the rest can get picked up by the epilepsy foundation next time they are in my neighborhood.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@Foodnerd81: I think you mentioned in the other thread about your donations having a destination and that really inspired me to think about where I can give things that have impact as opposed to just dropping them off at a donation point.
I am going to give 2 strollers and an entire set of duplos/trains to a friend of mine expecting a baby this year. That's really all we have left of outgrown toys, the rest of it my son still uses (we long recycled the play kitchen).
pomelo / 5084 posts
Following! I have to check out the slob method!!!! We saved the Marie Kondo show to our watch list. I need help lol.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@looch: 
I actually had just recently texted my younger sister to see if sheās want our double stroller in the future, and thatās how I found out I have a new niece or nephew on the way!! So if itās a girl I have a final destination for all our girl clothes 
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
LO helped me clean up the garage and I consolidated his bike, balls, and summer fun toys into Amazon boxes we already had like MK says to do.
pear / 1718 posts
Sign me up! We've been at this project for several months, but the New Year adds motivation. Slowly going through each area of the house and paring back possessions and organizing. We invested in a high quality shelving system and bins in our garage. We are super thoughtful about what goes in the bin (either seasonal, holiday or future child) so that we don't end up with hording carefully organized in bins.
It would be fun to use this thread for accountability. Today I will clean out the bins on top my fridge and I will clean off my dresser.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: DH is putting up shelves to organize the garage today (after he puts up shelves to organize the bedroom closet/ pantry)! Yours looks great. Good idea to use the boxes you already have.
@SweetCaroline: today Iām going to drop off the bag of donations in my trunk. Iām not sorting or anything because itās been an ongoing bag for months. But Iām already out, Iāll find a bin now!
pomelo / 5258 posts
I am listening to the Marie Kondo's book. I tackled my clothes first. I think I need to do another pass though. I knew I had a lot of tops but I was surprised by the number of pants I have - and hate. I am taking two to the tailors and hopefully that will turn those into pants that bring me joy. I donated to Savers. I haven't seen the video though.
DH and I started on the garage yesterday. That's. not Marie Kondo's order but it was in a state of emergency and I didn't want to pass up a weekend day when DH was on board. I got rid of a lot of things for free on a FB Buy Nothing group. It's been really easy. DH is selling some of our bigger items but that is more slow going. We gave our Double BOB to our neighbor.
All our remaining baby stuff is going to a local organization that's having a giant baby shower for women from local organizations in spring (shelters, refugees, etc).
I hope we keep working on the garage today but we totally used the TV as a babysitter yesterday and I don't want to do that two days in a row.
nectarine / 2280 posts
@Foodnerd81: for donating kids stuff my favorite place is Room to Grow. Itās a really nice setup.
Havenāt found something similar for adult stuff yet. Usually just do Goodwill or a church nearby that picks up.
pear / 1718 posts
@Corduroy: I've been so shocked how when doing a 2nd or even 3rd run through of areas, I still find things to part with. As such, when I've been doing my first run through areas I find I'm better at it now!
nectarine / 2400 posts
@MrsRoo: Mari kondo the book gave me a lot of inspiration like only keeping things that bring me joy and also gifts having done their purpose by being given so donāt keep stuff for guilt etc but a slob comes clean has helped me actually change my house as far as getting and keeping stuff decluttered. So after I read Mari kondo book I went through clothes etc but a slob comes clean has helped me deal with dishes, wash, papers coming home, cluttered areas etc
pear / 1642 posts
@Foodnerd81: awesome, I will definitely look into that- just started perusing her page.
@gotkimchi: thank you for that rundown. After purging, paper clutter is our biggest ongoing issue. Like, I donāt even know where to begin, so it sounds like a slob coming clean is going to be a good resource for me.
My goal for today is to get trough my clothes and have donations loaded up and ready to be dropped off.
pomegranate / 3113 posts
Does anyone have particular episodes of A Slob Comes Clean to recommend? There are a LOT of episodes and thereās no way Iām going to listen to them all.
Also, Iāve watched a few episodes of Tidying Up and Iām wondering if they ever discuss paper! They all seem to focus mainly on clothing, garage, and sentimental items so Iām hoping some of the later episodes will give ideas for Lessons 2 and 3.
pomelo / 5084 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Ooo she says to do that? Weāve already done that in our garage! Looks indentical. Go me (by accident)!! Haha.
nectarine / 2400 posts
@PurplePeony: I think I would start with the very beginning because I think she sort of explains everything like 1-5 and then see from there.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@SweetCaroline: same even before discovering KM a week ago through here I thought I had done a bang up job in my bathroom. Using the ideas of has an item served its purpose meant parting with a bunch more useless crap.
@wrkbrk: Iāve been devouring articles and bloggers real life KM journey (maybe Iāll get the books one day myself) and she thinks going out and buying storage encourages clutter...if itās organized and pretty might as well keep it!
My big project has over the next week is going to be LOās books and toys. I think itās going to be hard to part with some items because LO is still close to the recommended age for some things. Heās taken a temporary paired down version of his things as I had to do an edit for the real estate photos.
@looch: @Foodnerd81: I kept a bunch of my dadās books after he passed. Totally sentimental, but no joy. He would want some to read them. I found that Vietnam Veterans of America loves to take books. My dad was a Vietnam vet so thatās going to be a perfect place for his books to go.
pomelo / 5866 posts
I did my office area last night. Now just bottom of my closet.
DD won't part with her toys unless she knows it is going to be donated. I just finished her area today. The categories I have for her stuff in bins under her bed are: Toys, Treasures Made, Treasures Received and an art bin. Then by her desk, she has a 3 drawers with these: Tools, Materials, Projects. Oversize/overflow supplies go in a cabinet. Two big play toys are 'on display'.
If you google Marie Kondo paper you can find some blogs. Basically she recommends keeping virtually no paper. There was an action file and a forever file and don't keep mini files. The MK blogger did: Forever, short term, action, identification and taxes by year. Maybe I will do Forever, Now, Finances. I didn't get inspired to work on it yet. Maybe tomorrow. Paper is the worst for me but everytime I do it (every other year) it gets better.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: sentimental stuff is so hard. Im glad you found the perfect spot to donate them so someone else can enjoy them.
@PurplePeony: I got this book out of the library. Itās a good place to start as itās all in a logical order and tells you what to do step by step. On the blog I noticed she has a āwhere to startā section, although having read the entire book before visiting her blog, I didnāt bother.
How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House's Dirty Little Secrets https://www.amazon.com/dp/0718079957/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_D5MmCb7EJ2D8K
nectarine / 2436 posts
You guys should see me lighting up my local FB garage sale sites with shit for sale. Blender, maternity clothes, dishware, bridal sashes I made it for an Etsy store that never worked out. TAKE IT.
nectarine / 2436 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I agree about the storage containers. I try not to even use them but for Xmas stuff and seasonal (scorching summers and cold winters so I have like huge winter boots and also pop up tents for parties, I out stuff only in clear, labeled containers and if I haven't used it in a year (lanterns, floral vases, sweaters) out it goes. I see all these home organization websites with these beautiful boxes of storage and I'm like seriously, do you know what's in there? Sometimes out in the open but tidy is a better way to do things.
nectarine / 2809 posts
Iām loving the Marie Kondo show. Havenāt been able to convince DH to watch with me yet. He is WAY more sentimental about THINGS than I am. My wardrobe is currently very small. I got rid of anything and everything that doesnāt currently fit and/or I donāt love. There are a few things I wish I had kept. But, oh well!! Iāll try to buy higher quality and keep it next time. Itās hard when our bodies change so much having kids. My size has changed many times in the past 4 years. I went from size 12 to size 4 back up to size 12-14. Itās hard to know what clothes I may or may not need/want down the line based on weight loss/gain.
Another subject is our garage. It is FULL. Itās a two car garage and itās jkst crammed with boxes of crap. Many of them are toys that DH doesnāt want me to get rid of. Some of it is stuff from my childhood that my mom gave me (š). And the rest is DHās clothes and stuff from my office that was turned into a nursery. Iām hoping to tackle parts of it later today and this week. Itās a major source of stress for me.
Keeping only things thatās SPARK JOY is easy for me. Not so much for DH or DD!
pomelo / 5866 posts
@CatchAFallingStar: Ooh the Empty Nest episode is pretty good for garage issues. My husband watched two...the first one and that one and was super motivated.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@pachamama: we actually have a big storage room in our basement that is only partly finished, so the insulation kind of makes everything be coated in a gross dust. So literally every item we put in there has to be in a cover box or bag (like we put the Christmas wreath in a garbage bag to protect it from the dust). But to your point I always try to use clear boxes and label clearly. We have two big blue bins and Iām always forgetting what is in there.
Also the big storage room was a big selling point when we bought the house- and itās the room where I said āif we run out of storage space in this house, thatās completely on us and we need to fix it. This is more storage than a family of 4 should need.ā
pomelo / 5866 posts
@Foodnerd81: A long time ago I tried the Paper Tiger system. You make a spreadsheet with the following columns: Box number, box description (what box looks like), exact location, contents. Then instead of looking around, you just look at your spreadsheet in a glance. Super effective..I just didn't continue it when I got married. I think I might use that for the bottom of my closet though.
nectarine / 2400 posts
@808love: does anyone have more details on what paper I need to keep? I think I only keep taxes and government docs - I toss almost anything else
kiwi / 500 posts
Night of the Slob ebooks are on sale for $2.99 each!
The original Slob Comes Clean:
https://www.amazon.com/Manage-Your-Home-Without-Losing-ebook/dp/B01CXE9M5E
The sequel, Decluttering at Speed of Life:
https://www.amazon.com/Decluttering-Speed-Life-Winning-Never-Ending-ebook/dp/B072TMNCBH
pomelo / 5866 posts
@gotkimchi: I'm thinking birth certificates/licenses/bonds/insurance policy (easier in case of death). Keep only what you need and is not online and/or you can't store a picture. I didn't watch all the episodes and I read the books years ago so memory is fuzzy. Your post is getting me motivated.....
ETA: just tried to do paper her way. I dumped a bunch of paper but Nope canāt change my categories. What works for me is these categories: Finances, Health, Home, DD, Important papers, Personal (sentimental), work, travel. Taxes are in another location. I do keep a slim short term action file on my desk. I have a drawer that keeps supplies like labels, etc.
pear / 1718 posts
Ok so today I cleaned off the top of the fridge and the top of the dresser. Unfortunately, I already shifted other crap on top of the dresser. HOWEVER, I do have one bag and a box waiting to be donated in the garage, so that's a win.
kiwi / 500 posts
@gotkimchi: Yep! It uses some of the same principles of the first book, though it takes you room by room and holds your hand through what you should do to declutter. It also highlights how much you can actually get done in a surprisingly little amount of time (which of course, we all know but choose to ignore). I found it to be more of a cheerleading book than anything else, but encouragement is always a good thing. Getting motivated to act is like 75% of the battle.
The only qualm I had was that a big chunk of the book dealt with people who hoard specific thingsāitems people want to resell on eBay, lots of crafting supplies, old furniture they want to repaint, etc. and I guess Iām weird, because our family doesnāt have any one major focus like that. We have hobbies, but the hobby supplies arenāt really a problem. Itās the billion little things floating around. She does talk about that too, quite a bit really, but the specialized clutter doesnāt really apply to me.
grapefruit / 4361 posts
@pachamama: My garage is ALLLL clear containers with labels, stacked on shelves. I love it! Clear is the key, for me. We bought most of the containers when we moved 10 years ago and they've lasted us through 4 house moves and 3 classroom moves.
We purge the garage every Fall & Spring, over Fall & Spring break. We've gotten babysitting for it or done it after bedtimes / during naps. I don't consider it mostly clutter, it's mostly useful things that have a specific season in our house. Also, my husband has a side business and he stores all of that stuff in the garage.
nectarine / 2400 posts
@Hypatia: ok I think that would actually be great for me because Iāve actualky found myself sort of frozen and thinking what next now that my house is caught up on the daily stuff
grapefruit / 4361 posts
During my pregnancies in 2015 & 2017, I nested by decluttering. I just did it room by room - had a list and checked off each room as we went. Garage, pantry, kitchen, living room, 3 bedrooms, 3 closets, 2 bathrooms.
My house currently is ok but I'm going to have my babysitter go through the toys tomorrow and take out anything LO1 doesn't play with during the day, stash it in a clear box in the garage for when LO2 hits this age. A couple of de-cluttering ideas that have been helpful for me:
- We had success this year encouraging family to buy "outside toys." Some of them did "experience gifts", which is even better, but the grandparents really like to do physical items.... "outside toys" was enough direction but not too demanding, you know? So they gifted us a swing, a toddler excavator, a balance bike, and swim floats. Previous years it was a bike trailer and water table and sand box. All of the items have been hits, so, not clutter in my mind.
- A new first-time mom or a group home for teen moms in foster care could benefit from your kid hand-me-downs. Between 5 friends of mine, my kids have been clothed through age 3 with no money out of my pocket, plus a bunch of toys, books, and "baby supplies." I'm *forever* grateful to those friends.
- Use OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace. I've sold literally hundreds of items on there for probably over $1000 at this point. Take pic, post description, price at 50% of retail value or less, when people contact you, ask if they can confirm a pickup time today or tmrw, and bam you've got money and less clutter.
- I REALLY try to do directed donations towards people / orgs I know could use it, but for the "I don't know" stuff, we always keep a "Goodwill box" in our pantry. We have a Goodwill literally 1 minute away from us so despite their CEO's ethical issues, it's the most efficient way if we have no other ideas.
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