Decluttering your house.

[Mysterae_]

Has anybody embarked on a serious decluttering of their house of all the crap they've accumulated over the years?

Okay, I admit this is verging on mumsnet territory but please bear with me. I was watching Sort Your Life Out with the other half, that program where Stacey Solomon helps couples reduce the amount of stuff that's getting in the way and also has a splash of home improvement. Those households featured on the program are usually extreme cases but the meaning is there; why hold on to possessions you'll never use, wear or even fit in it again? You'll create space, possibly make some money selling some old tat and thinking a bit morbidly here, be less for your family to sort through should you leave this mortal coil first.

So yeah, I thought it was a good idea. Started with clothes which resulted in seven bin bags going to the charity skip and quite sparse looking wardrobes. Now it's my study's turn, getting rid of computer stuff that's out of date or no longer useful (3x centronics printer cables anyone?!). Next will be the loft which needs clearing anyway for a re-flooring soon. My Kilimanjaro will of course be the garage/workshop but that will probably be the most fun and worthwhile due to how I envisage the final result to be; accessible workspace and tool nirvana!

The other half's start hasn't been so great as sentimentality and wishful thinking ( ) gets in the way of her making any progress but she's keen.

 

[Mysterae_]

Why is it that when you declutter, the stuff that you throw out - that you've not needed for five plus years -suddenly is something you really need, and you have to go out and buy the same thing again! Really frustrates me!

This is similar to buying something you think will come in handy or need and when you think "where should I store it", the answer is of course right next to the exact same item I bought 2 years ago! Says more about the memory than it does the hoarding though...

As some have said, you have to be brutal with some some stuff especially the sentimental collection. Those with children could each fill the Tate Modern with pictures the kids have made over the years most of which the child doesn't even remember doing.

Moving house recently, and have been pretty brutal at throwing stuff away. Damn it feels so good.

Just before you move house is the perfect time to declutter. Makes the house you're trying to sell more appealing and have less to sort out when you move in. Not that we did this of course , took all manner of detritus with us when we moved!

 

[Mysterae_]

@Mason- I think you need to give Stacey a call, see if she'll do a 2 for 1 .

 

[Mysterae_]

My missus 'Dining Room'

Before i got my hands on the place

After (still a work in progress as she's missing a couple of bookcases) but not the most recent.

Her study was in a similar state but I've sorted that out as well. It's ridiculous the transformation but in my mind I could have sorted (read as thrown out) the stuff in about 6 months but we've gone 4yrs going through the personal effects to get it to where it is today.

Well done you, that's quite the transformation!

 

[Mysterae_]

A big driver for me to sort out the garage is that I've got a few DIY projects planned for next year and I don't want to spend ages looking for anything. I also don't want to have buy something that I know/think I already have, somewhere! It's as if I'm putting an obstacle in my way or giving myself an excuse before I even start something.

 

[Mysterae_]

My house is full of clutter too, I'd love to get it more tidy but I find it really daunting and I don't know where to start and then when I do get started I end up with so much stuff that I need or want to keep that I don't know where to put. I end up putting them in a Misc Items box but I have so many of those I just don't know what to do with them and they clutter up the place.

I also think that I have an element of Aphantasia (essentially the inability to visualise) and find that things and stuff help me hold onto memories of places I've been, things I've done, people I've know etc which I think contributes to me attaching memory and sentiment to lots of things as they can bring to mind places, experiences etc, that otherwise have no visual element to them in my head; which makes it much harder for me to get rid of them.

I really want to get rid of about 30% of the stuff in my house and loft because I don't like living in an untidy mess so I'm trying to find ways. I'm thinking about photographing some of the 'things' and filing away the images on my NAS so the photos can jog my mind and I can get rid of the stuff. I don't know if it'll work but if I figure it's worth a try.

I think you have good reason for holding on to the things that you do and if that brings you enjoyment then so be it. It's when the opposite is true that we spurn ourselves in to doing something about it. Have you watched any of the programs that inspired me to make this thread, perhaps it may help?

 

[Mysterae_]

Well done on getting started @valve90210, that's the hardest part.