How long to organize this room starting now?

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How long to organize this room starting now?

(10 posts) (7 voices)

Started 7 months ago by lifekeepshappening
Latest reply from lottielot
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lifekeepshappening
Member

Starting as soon as I post these photos and message, I shall organize this room. I’ll post After photos as soon as I’m done. This is a tricky room: paperwork and collectibles are my only two clutter issues. The rest of my home does NOT look like this!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderwizzy/6195940227/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderwizzy/6196451272/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderwizzy/6195938911/in/photostream/

The paperwork is mostly filing waiting for a new file box. The collectibles inside the boxes are sorted and purged, ready for resale. Last weekend’s sorting and purging (and lack of hauling a 43lb fire safe up the stairs) is how come the room is now messy.

I’m curious how long it will take me to pull everything out of a junk room, vacuum and wipe down, then put everything back in an organized way (this does not involve dumping stuff into random boxes to hide the mess in the “after” photo!)

Wish me luck. Hope to see you again in a few hours!

Posted 7 months ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

Are you done yet? ;)

The doll house is gorgeous, btw.

Posted 7 months ago #
lifekeepshappening
Member

Everything is out of the room except the two big tables and the two big dollhouses. They're too heavy for me to carry alone so I slid them on the carpet to vacuum. Now I'm taking a quick break and wishing an antiques dealer would just knock on the door and give me a fistful of cash and haul all the boxes away. lol.

Dollhouses are gorgeous. That's the pitfall with them. I've probably owned over 50 of them in the past. Actually... probably a lot more than 50... Too much sweet goodness though. Now I'm downsizing to a collection of one :)

Okay, back to work

Posted 7 months ago #
Zora
Member

It might take you years to declutter. You can probably finish the first pass in a few days but ... I guarantee that if you wait a year and revisit what you decide to keep, you will realize that you can get rid of even more. It may take several passes to weed out everything superfluous, Actually, it's never finished, because what you need changes over time, so that stuff that was once useful is useful no more.

However, you will be so happy with the results of the first pass that you won't regret having done the work, even if it isn't a done-for-all-time result.

Posted 7 months ago #
lifekeepshappening
Member

Finished with this project. The aim was to clean and straighten the room. I did go through some boxes and condense the storage. I barely filled 1/2 a trash bag with junk. I got rid of 2 empty rubbermaid totes, 4 empty cardboard boxes, a basket, a shadowbox, a metal stand, and a letter rack.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderwizzy/6196233313/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderwizzy/6196744794/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderwizzy/6196745334/in/photostream/

Almost everything will be sold off, so I've already let go of it emotionally. Unfortunately it's too valuable to be donated or I'd be running back and forth to the thrift store this weekend. I now have space (and mental clarity) to set up a table for photographing and packing items for sale. Perhaps I should see how fast I can sell it all off? ;)

Posted 7 months ago #
Another Deb
Member

I love the picture of the blank wall. What a great feeling!

Posted 7 months ago #
lifekeepshappening
Member

lol Deb, I keep admiring the blank wall too :) The rest of my home is very empty and ultra organized, but this room has been insane due to the emotional nature of the contents and my efforts to figure out the optimal way to downsize the collection.

Posted 7 months ago #
bandicoot
Member

wonderful before and afters...and speedy too!
but what is truly killing me is captain sag's tattoos and pegleg and earrings and and and!
he's gorgeous!

Posted 7 months ago #
Mimi
Member

congratulations, you did a great job and the speed is impressive :)

one remark: you said your goal was to clean and straighten and organize the room- and you really reached that goal! but i wouldn´t call the room uncluttered- not because of the content of the room but because of the things in the boxes, because you said you would like to sell them. karen kingston sais, that unfinished projects are clutter and to sell all the things in the boxes is an unfinished projects or even more, many unfinished projects. don´t get me wrong, it´s no critizims, just saying... (i have had a very tidy and organized but nontheless cluttered home for a long time)

Posted 7 months ago #
lottielot
Member

Great job! But I'm sure Mimi is right, selling the stuff will be worse. You seem pretty organised though, I bet if you focus and do it fast it will be less painful.
Even the least cluttered rooms in my house look worse than your before photos btw :)

Posted 7 months ago #

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