Decluttering 24years worth of stuff. Tips?

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Decluttering 24years worth of stuff. Tips?

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Started 1 year ago by Coedy
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Coedy
Member

Hi,
I have never decluttered my room (still live with parents), and have 24years worth of stuff in there.
I have visited various blogs and sites looking for tips on how to get started...and today was the day!!

I thought I would do something a little different and instead of saying why I wanted to declutter, I thought I would show why with a video tour of my room pointing out all my shameful clutter ridden corners.

http://declutterchallenge.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-1-room-tour-and-plans.html

I am just after any tips really, either on blogging or on decluttering, where I should start, etc.

Looking forward to some input! I plan on updating the blog daily, or every two days if its a busy week.

Thanks,
Pete/Coedy

Posted 1 year ago #
minimalmaya
Member

Ay! I feel your pain. Having a lot of stuff is bad, but on top of it such a small space must feel really cramped.
From the first glance, I think you could free a lot of space if you would bunk your bed up on some bricks and use proper underbed storage drawers that utilize all the space. Then, there are some threads in the forum that deal with DVDs - as their resale value is probably very low, organizing them in ring binders would free almost the whole black shelf I saw.
However I wouldn' invest too much in storage bins or new furniture - if you keep on reading the forum and uncluttering you might come to the conclusion that you don't need a lot of your items anyway.

best
Maya

Posted 1 year ago #
Another Deb
Member

What a delicious challenge! We're with you, Pete!
I lived in an attic room with slanted ceilings for years, so I know you are crowded!

The first place I would begin would be those things you say are "going". Your car speaker, the old TV, skateboard, old car parts, the penguin. Also: Get rid of your old university papers. OUT, today!

Then, you really need to get that large pit behind your Ikea "closet" opened up. That is great space! I can't see how the Ikea units are convenient for storage at all. No wonder you don't want to put stuff away. Take all the clothes out and purge what you don't wear.

Although I typed most of this before I noticed your floor plan under your video, I am making the suggestions as optional ideas. I would hang a closet rod on the tallest side of the pit (Left wall behind the staircase side) for your clothes. The ceiling is not tall enough to do a double rod above and below, so either hang the rod low and add shelves above, or hang the rod high and put your Ikea storage units below. If you hate looking at it, hang a curtain across the whole area.

This leaves the right hand side of that pit bare. Place a strip of pegs along the knee wall and use them to hang your photo equipment, tripods, cables, spare things from the opposite corner you got on e-bay (sorry, couldn't make out the item name)

Purge those DVDs, then put in some storage that fits the size of the DVD boxes that remain. I have a tiny closet that holds hundreds of CD or DVDs because of the shallow shelving I bought <http://www.technooutlet.com/at081.html?mr:referralID=cf3f5cc6-3e0a-11e0-a86a-001b2166c2c0>

I believe these would fit against the wall on the other side of your stairwell.

Get rid of the table on the corner to the left of your desk. Put the bookshelf there and use it to house the boxes you have stored under your bed. Remove the stuff from under the bed and the things behind the knee wall next to your bed and dump them. Looks like these things are not critical to your current lifestyle.

The drawer unit under your desk is in a place you can't access. Place it in the dormer cove and use it for the electronics such as the old XBox and cables.

Let us know how you're doing.

Posted 1 year ago #
Coedy
Member

Thanks both! =D

Minimalmaya -
I plan on actually get some slim line see through boxes to hold my bed sheets etc so that they can slide under my bed. I would like to try and avoid raising it up if I can because I occasionally do bash my head in the evenings/mornings on the slanty ceiling!
I would like to keep my DVD's really.. I know they are 'clutter' but my social life revolves around going out with mates to watch a dvd or back to mine for a dvd (especially now that Ive grown bored of going out drinking!) so my plan is to actually build in some shelves behind a fake wall with the door in it. That should in theory hide the messyness of loads of different coloured DVD boxes stuffed in the corner while I will still be able to just grab one at a moments notice before heading around my mates. (I will probably get rid of a few of the..not best.. films though!)

I already know I don't really need most of my items =D, I plan to remove around half of the items in my bedroom but am open to keep removing stuff until I no longer feel claustrophobic!
As far as I can tell there are only about 40-60 items I actually use each month! (excluding my DVDs but including my camera equipment) so there is plenty of scope for me to remove stuff I don't need.
Thanks again for the suggestions and be sure to keep them coming! =)

Another Deb-
Well I have emptied out my bedside cabinet so it will be easier to move about as needed. Next up I plan on sorting out under the bed. After that it is the dreaded corner behind my 'Wardrobe'. I will be leaving the car part corner until last though, for all I know I will find more spares elsewhere in the bedroom, then I can put them with the others and take a long hard look at what spares I will need and what I picked up 'just in case'.

I plan on getting rid of almost all of my clothes if I am honest. I went through a skateboarding phase so as a result 90% of my clothes are big and baggy (I weigh 10stone or 140lbs so look stupid in those clothes.) my idea is to use the situation to my advantage, and ask one of my mates who is a girl ive liked for some time to come shopping with me to guide me through finding 'grown up clothes'. =D

My main problem with hanging stuff on the walls is they are plasterboard so couldnt really hold anything =( that is why I am going to make a nice chunky movable false wall, I hope to have a clothes rail on the back of that. with deep tall book shelves along the knee high wall for my teeshirts and jeans. Then I can walk/shuffle about in the tallest part then.
I will also steal your idea of storing my camera gear down there though! Didnt think of that!

I have had a look more closely at my drawer unit under my desk and it is actually on rollers. So it is now right at the front of the desk. I am fighting the temptation to sort through it now!

I would like to keep the Dormer window clear so that I can open the blind more often, the fact that entire corner of my room is always so dark (hence the lamp on in the video) could add to the claustrophobia. So being able to get some more natural light into the room could only be a good thing =)

I am glad to see how welcoming people are! was worried for a bit that everyone would be so busy keeping their houses tidy that there wouldn't be enough time to help out me and my one single room! =p

I plan to do another video once under my bed and a few other parts are decluttered. But in the mean time I will post in this thread every so often and will keep the blog going! =)

Thanks for the tips again both!

Keep them coming peeps! =D

Posted 1 year ago #
Another Deb
Member

Cool stuff, Pete! You are well on your way and I was anxious to hear about some progress. Can't wait for the pics!

Plaster walls are a pain. Are you going to paint at all? That can be a great motivator to clean it all out! I see the problem with the dark room as well. You can hang/ lean your mirror on an opposite wall to reflect the light.

I have a similar rolling cabinet as the one under your desk. It can be a handy extra surface . I brought it forward, flush with the desk and use it constantly for office supplies.

Posted 1 year ago #
Coedy
Member

Yeah it is painted at the moment, everything is cream except for the wall by my bed which is chocolate brown. =D (although some bits need a touch up so will do that the same time)

I am trying to talk my parents into letting me change my carpet while everything is being thrown away (less stuff to move means hopefully less reason to say no). Trouble is I want either light cream carpet, cord carpet or fake wood flooring. but that may be loud and echo-y bad when you consider my parents room is beneath mine and I go to bed a good few hours after them...

I don't really use office supplies, so Dont know what can go in there really, unless I use one drawer for my Xbox games and controllers =)

Here is a quick and dirty knock up of what I plan on doing as a new wardrobe area.
http://i55.tinypic.com/14v3gw5.jpg
The main wall section and the storage bins will have rollers on for me to slide the entire section out so I can go in and get at the clothes. hope that makes sense... I'll add these sketches to my blog tomorrow after work, I should really go to bed now though, its 2:30am here and I have work tomorrow until 9pm! eep!

Posted 1 year ago #
Another Deb
Member

Wow, this is a tiny space! I looked at your video again and was going throw out a few other ideas:

Have you tried turning your bed 90 degrees? It might utilize that long wall better while making the space between the desk and the bed less cramped. You could place the bed up by the radiator side in order to get to that storage space, then move it in front of the storage space door to hide it. (Don't store stuff in there after you move the bed to the outside wall)

Also, I like the idea in your plan to build a bookcase or shelves in that nook by the radiator. If it is possible, you might make the shelves deep enough so that you can extend that unit all the way over the radiator. Then the shelves in the nook can be deeper and there can be shallow shelves over the area where the radiator is. I'm not describing it well. Each shelf would be shaped like an L, with the part in the nook wider than the long part over the radiator.

Have you tried putting your desk into the nook by the stairwell on the left? I don't think it would fit, but stranger things have worked out for me. And yes, I would put the gaming stuff in that cabinet on wheels.

Also, re the inaccessible operation of the window blinds. Is it possible to hang them upside-down so you can operate the blinds from the high end? They make blinds that rise from either end.

If you make a rolling wall, do you have space to roll it? I really like your idea of a storage unit on the knee wall so you to can get at the stuff in the dreaded pit.

My closet has lots of shelves for jeans, etc, but if you pile clothing more than 3-4 high, they really tend to get messy when you pull from the bottom. Try it for awhile and adjust the shelves if you need to. Or, you could put bins in the storage unit for easy pull-out access and then lay folded or rolled shirts and jeans in them.

A lightweight spring-tension shower curtain rod might just fit into the back wall of the closet nook for the few things you have hanging. It could fill a narrow spot between your new shelf and the taller wall.

I put spare bedding and pillows in fabric cases that can be used to lounge around on like oversized pillows.

Posted 1 year ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

I like your video.

My advice would be to get everything that you don't intend to keep out of your room before organizing or buying anything. Approach it by sorting through like items first: car parts one day, clothing another, etc. Seeing the things you keep with open spaces around them instead of clutter can be very inspiring.

BTW, those of us who are mostly decluttered don't have to spend a lot of time tidying up ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
Irulan
Member

Pete, you mentioned on your blog that you're asthmatic and frequently have respiratory illness. Have you had your room checked for mold? The carpet issue also feeds into respiratory problems because carpet holds onto dust. If your parents are okay with it, there are good self-install alternatives available at home stores.

Regarding the shelves you're going to build, please make sure that they end at least a couple of inches/cm away from the heater for fire safety. It can be tempting to use all of the available space, but you don't want anything wood or anything that can melt to touch the heater.

I like the ideas above about installing a clothing rod and open shelving. You can take a look online at retailers that specialize in college dorm organization for ideas of what to put in some of those spaces, as well.

Posted 1 year ago #
lottielot
Member

cork is a good sound insulator, would make excellent flooring for both you and your parents :) Cheap as well, and quite warm compared with other alternatives. Plus it's a renewable resource, check out the link: http://www.corkfloor.co.uk/
I love your plan of asking the girl you like to help you shop for clothes, I'm sure a better-looking room would impress her :)

Posted 1 year ago #
chacha1
Member

+1 on cork flooring. It can be a little tricky to install, but a good choice if you have respiratory problems. AND you can install it over sound-insulating underlayments like WhisperWalk or QuietWalk (US brand names). Anything that cuts down on the wheezes is a good thing.

Also a fan of your clothes-shopping plans. Very clever!

Posted 1 year ago #
Coedy
Member

Wow this seems to have taken off a bit more overnight!!
Just finished work and Im done for tonight, On the plus side i have the day off tomorrow to continue decluttering =)

Another Deb-
The only problem with spinning my bed is that it would be under my large skylight then, This actually drips in the winter (my room gets to 3degrees C in the winter, and my radiator means the condensation forms on the skylight, rolls down to the lower edge and drips off). I plan on trying to sort out this issue when I address other little problems, and when it's fixed I will definately move my bed that way! good idea!

My desk doesn't fit in the nook area's =( I have tried, when I had a smaller desk it fitted but I got a lot of glare on the screen from my large skylight so will probably keep my desk where it is.

The Blinds idea is amazing! I am going to steal that idea right now! its written down and ready for when I can get to it. In fact I may use my day off tomorrow to tidy out the dormer window area so I can get to the blind and flip it around. Thanks! So simple! (just have to hope that it will physically fit upside down now..)

JuliaJayne-
I am aware of some mould on my skylights, it isn't proper mould though, it is just where dust has settled and taken route by the looks of it. I usually wipe it all away with anti-fungal every spring and then hoover the area, the problem doesn't seem to come back until the Winter then.

I forgot to point out in the video that the radiator by the wall is actually on wheels, when it is on I roll it into the middle of the room (it seems to be more efficient then) I just place it under my canvas for storage. Actually once it is clear it could probably go where I intend to put the shelves (under it) as it looks there is enough room there.

Lottielot + Chacha1 -
Thanks! I will definitely look at that. Any further information on the sound insulating underlay? sounds a good idea!

My argument with the parents is that the eaves of the roof are open (in the crawlspace) so a draft comes up between the paneling of my floor (under the carpet). I would like to rise up the carpet, seal up the joins on my floor, fit under felt, then use my existing carpet as a pattern to cut the new carpet (could cut it in the garden then to make fitting the new carpet into the room easier).
They didn't seem too keen on my idea though, mainly because I can not easily remove any of my furniture because of my stupid stairs =( grrr..

Also the clothes shopping plan, Im glad it was so happily received, I was worried at first it may seem underhanded... =p

Posted 1 year ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

Coedy - I was making a little joke about tidying up was because of what you wrote in an earlier post:

"was worried for a bit that everyone would be so busy keeping their houses tidy that there wouldn't be enough time to help out me and my one single room! =p"

Posted 1 year ago #
Coedy
Member

No problems, =) I did spot it lol, just forgot to pick up on it in my reply, Burnt out after work, sorry!

Oops!!! Just re-read! sorry! The part aimed at you in my last reply was actually aimed at Irulan! Sorry for the confusion. I should really get to bed!

Posted 1 year ago #
Coedy
Member

Day 2 post is now up!
http://declutterchallenge.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-2-drawers.html

Does anyone know how to remove Yellowing from grey TV remotes? I think it is sun damage as bleach didn't shift it?

Im still not too happy with the drawers... =(
But come the weekend I will give it another quick sort through in case there is anything I have missed...

Posted 1 year ago #
themusiclivez
Member

It will take a few times to get things just right - don't lose faith! I have been decluttering for two years now and am just starting to feel really satisfied. Each time you do a sweep of an area you will reevaluate what is left and will continue to find more things to get rid of!

Posted 1 year ago #
Zora
Member

If you're asthmatic, you should never have a carpet -- unless it's something you can pick up and wash frequently. The only way I can keep my asthma in check is cleanliness and tile floors.

You do need to stop the drafts and muffle the sound of feet on the floor, but carpet isn't the only solution.

Posted 1 year ago #
Coedy
Member

Thanks for the tips Zora.
Weirdly my old room's carpet never seemed to give me any problems (mind you the room was half the size), the carpet was more like a felt sort of material so didnt have a pile to it. The carpet in my room now seems to build up a static charge so actually seems to cling onto the dust more =(.

I don't think I would get on with tiles really... I am really looking at the cork flooring system though! Looks very good!
If you have any other Asthma tips please feel free to post them =) I am just doing under my bed now and am horrified by how much dust there is under there...most of it seems to be hair!!! ew...

Thanks for the pat on the back 'Themusiclivez', I feel a real sense of accomplishment already, I've been saying I would make a start for the past few months so to actually be at the start of making it all happen is really good! =D

A sneaky update for you people here before I update my blog in an hour or so,
It seems like almost all of the items under my bed will be going into the "give away/sell" pile! =D
My 'Holding box' has now turned into my 'Holding area'. Going to list some of the items I want to sell on Ebay tomorrow with no reserve, see if I can get anything for them. And will keep the rest ready for Saturdays trip to the Charity shop =)

Posted 1 year ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

No problems, Pete. It happens to me too when I'm sleepy.

I think you did a great job on the drawers, but I also agree that it can take a few passes sometimes to "see" the unwanted stuff.

As far as the yellowing on the remote. A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is the best product to remove yellowing and stains from plastic. I wouldn't use it unless you can separate the case from the electronics because of the way the eraser breaks down. You can find Mr. Clean Magic Erasers in stores by the household cleaners. Your mom might even have one.

Posted 1 year ago #
Zora
Member

Besides non-dust-catching flooring (need not be tile) and cleanliness, it's important to put your mattress and pillows inside dust- and dust-mite-proof coverings. You can buy plastic mattress covers, then top them with mattress pads that you wash occasionally. Wash the pillow if you can (obviously NOT if it's feather or down) and then buy a protective pillow cover that stops skin flakes, dust, and dust mites from migrating into the pillow. Wash the pillow covers frequently. Wash your bedding frequently.

I haven't had an asthma attack in years, not since I slept in a guest bed while visiting relatives. The mattress and pillows were full of dust, dust mites, and dust mite feces and I was soon gasping for air.

If you spend a lot of time in the rest of the house and the rest of your house is full of stuff and things and dust, you're still being exposed to allergens. If you live in a big city or next to a freeway, you're still being exposed. BUT you can limit your exposure, and perhaps keep it at a level your immune system can handle.

I'll never forget visiting the house of a family with an asthmatic dad and a housekeeping-challenged stay-at-home mom. The house was filthy. The carpet was filthy. No wonder he kept ending up in the emergency room! I think she might have mended her ways if either of them had any clue as to the damage being done by their environment.

Posted 1 year ago #

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