I may have figured out a way to declutter

Georgiagranny

Georgiagranny

Well-known Member
How about I get some big boxes and just fill one up with stuff, then go through stuff one "stuff" at a time and make a decision about whether it needs to live here or not. If not going to live here, into empty box; if keeping its home, into another box. When it's all done, decide where to keep the live stuff, store the rejected stuff in the garage.

My Best Aunt, who died a couple of years ago, couldn't bear an empty space. Her walls, shelves, floors, were positively awash in stuff and more stuff, resulting in a home that was so busy with stuff that it would almost make my head swim when I visited.

I'd like to see some space, especially in the kitchen.

Has anybody else done a de-cluttering exercise? Any tips?

ETA: Best Aunt wasn't a hoarder by any means. She just had a lot of stuff and couldn't bear to ever part with anything that was a gift. I'm not a hoarder, either, I can bear to part with things that were gifts, I just don't know how to explain why they've disappeared into a box in the garage.
 

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Sounds like you're off to a good start.

You've probably heard the one about getting rid of everything you haven't used in the past year. Of course there are exceptions, e.g., emergency stuff.

Sometimes I set other parameters. For example, I might decide to get rid of 50% of the clothes or small appliances. Or I might decide to only keep whatever will fit it one box/closet/whatever. If I'm not tough, I just end up with the same pile I had before.

I also like to keep surfaces clear so I can clean them easily. So if something won't fit in a cupboard or closet, I probably don't want it.

Your parameters and reasons will be different from mine. But once you decide what they are, it will seem a lot easier.

If you really want to keep gifts (or any other category of items), just accept that and stop feeling conflicted. Good luck!
 
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Georgiagranny said:
When it's all done, decide where to keep the live stuff, store the rejected stuff in the garage.
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Everyone has their favorite decluttering methods. Please rethink putting the rejects into the garage. Years back, when I was getting ready to sell the house, the place that took the most time to empty was the garage. It had become a holding cell for the garbage. (Kind of "sit in the garage for several years before we throw you out")

Do you ever go into the garage to bring something back inside to use? other than holiday decorations? I rarely did, yet the cars had not fit in there for many years.

I find that I cannot declutter on a huge scale. I have to do one drawer at a time, or one shelf at a time or I get overwhelmed and lose interest. Do whatever makes sense and works for you.
 

I've gone to estate sales where it seemed the deceased could not part with anything. When my folks passed and I cleaned the place out, my mother had things pushed into the backs of cabinets and closets, things I had not seen in decades. When I downsized I got rid of a lot but a few items I wished I had not. Right now I have a bunch of socks and towels I should toss but I might need them some day.
 
Making good progress in the kitchen so far. It's the one room where I've surrounded myself with mostly little stuff on a couple of floating shelves and bigger stuff on top of the cabinets. It's all stuff that's decorative and is never used for anything except to look at. I'm done looking at it and only keeping things that I truly love. There are very few things left. By the time I'm done, the kitchen will echo ;)

I need another box, but a bigger one that I can probably get at work tomorrow.

It's all gonna go to Goodwill.
 
My most successful declutter was after Hurricane Dennis flooded the house with 3 feet or so of saltwater.

Not hard to decide to throw away a lot of stuff soaked and in wet mud... Lost about 1/2 of what we owned. To be honest I didn't miss 99% of it. Best part about it was that flood insurance paid me for lots of junk I didn't really need or want.

That was almost 20 years ago, now I need another good flood, or maybe fire.
 
One method I remember reading about is to use three boxes plus a trash can. Trash is obvious. One box is for things you know for certain you want to keep, one for things you know you'll donate, and a third for things you need a little more time to think about.
 
AnnieA said:
One method I remember reading about is to use three boxes plus a trash can. Trash is obvious. One box is for things you know for certain you want to keep, one for things you know you'll donate, and a third for things you need a little more time to think about.
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That's how I was going to start but only had one box. There was no deciding anyway because it was either donate or trash. What's left is too big for the donate box; hence, needing another, bigger, box.
 
@squatting dog That would definitely take care of the problem, but it would also leave me and Maggiecat homeless ;)

I brought home empty boxes from work this morning and put yesterday's stuff in them. Now I have to find a place to put the boxes until our next trip to Goodwill.

Only the kitchen has been done. It doesn't exactly echo, but it's much improved and a good bit of counter space has been freed up in case I ever cook again.
 
I logged on here because I was procrastinating about this very subject. I have housemates and I try to keep the common areas neat. The result is that other rooms are full of unassigned junk. One guy has a rice cooker, a crock pot, and a George Foreman grill on one kitchen counter. He bought an air fryer for Christmas which is still in the box. Hopefully he will be moving soon.

But my main problem is deciding between junk mail and printouts and useful information. My undecided pile is overwhelming. It's nice to know I am not alone.
 
I've seen shows in which professional organizers say get three boxes or containers. One for things you slated for the garbage, one for things to keep and one for things to donate. Of course, that means making decisions about items right then and there. Perhaps you don't have the time or patience to do that, so the box method is a good idea too. For me it's bags. :LOL:
 
With my clients I do a phased approach.

First phase is grab all the stuff you know, without pondering, that you don’t want. This produces some immediate results and gives a sense of progress and success and creates momentum. I immediately take the stuff away.

Next phase is one of introspection, but only AFTER I’ve grouped like items together. If it’s a closet, then clothing is grouped by item..shirts, pants, skirts. If it’s kitchen shelves then it’s coffee cups, glasses, table ware, serving pieces etc and then those are grouped within each category.

Then the client views all the coffee cups together for example and makes a go or keep decision. If it’s keep, my question is why? Do you use it? Is it sentimental? If it’s used, fine. If it’s sentimental, can we just take a picture of it and remove the items itself? Can we give it to a family member? Can it be donated to a cause? If that won’t do, it goes in the “sentimental” box, to be reviewed at a later date.

Pantries are also organized by grouped items but with the additional step of checking expiration dates and tossing what’s expired, perhaps making a note so that client can replace staples. It’s amazing how much room is freed up in a pantry doing this! Same for bathrooms and laundry room, not just medications, but many bathroom/laundry items also have expiration dates!

Once we’ve gone through the cupboards or items we’ve decided to tackle that day, I organize and put away what’s left.

Something that is often overlooked when you’re tackling a decluttering or organizational task is the need to determine what you have more than one of as a first step. That’s why it’s important to group like items together to start out.

The other point is that no matter how good your organization is when you’re done, there is no way to KEEP things organized if you have too much stuff and not enough space to keep that stuff in. So many folks bemoan their ability to keep things straight, when it’s almost impossible given their stuff/space ratio.

Someone mentioned getting rid of something for every new thing that comes in. It’s a good rule when you’re at capacity, one I have for myself. Whether it’s an item of clothing, a kitchen item, a collectible or home goods type thing, something has to go OUT for it to come IN.

Our house and personal items are organized. Open any cupboard or drawer anywhere and you won’t find clutter or disorganization. And the reason for that is because we don’t like clutter so we actually DO the things I’ve mentioned above! 😉
 

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