When decluttering generates clutter

Unclutterer ForumsWelcomeHello!

When decluttering generates clutter

(32 posts) (22 voices)

Started 1 year ago by candy
Latest reply from Netleigh
RSS feed for this topic

Overall Rating: votes

Tags:

No tags yet.

12 Next »

candy
Member

I have been steadily decluttering for quite some time now. As soon as a batch of stuff left my home, I started a new decluttering project.

As a result of this, I have a feeling that I've been constantly living with charity bags/boxes/miscellaneous stuff to get rid of on my bedroom floor for the past year or more.

This is beginning to feel like serious clutter.

I have made a huge effort these past few weeks to really get things out of my home. I have also dedicated a small cupboard for storage of stuff that is on its way out (a simple IKEA storage unit like this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09837712)

I really want no more visible clutter. Do you thing I will be able to keep my decluttering projects confined to this small unit of storage? I sincerely hope so.

Posted 1 year ago #
Charity
Member

I know what you mean - I always seem to have a heap of plastic bags (for donation) on the sideboard in the playroom. At least I can close the door on them though. There are boxes of stuff piled up in the spare bedroom too that are "for sale".

Posted 1 year ago #
candy
Member

I live in a one bedroom condo, so there is unfortunately no spare room. Or perhaps "fortunately" since it would probably be filled with stuff if I had a spare room :)

Posted 1 year ago #
Sky
Member

I keep my donation bag in the trunk of my car. It's out of my house and when I'm near, I drop it off.

Trash goes out immediately.

Posted 1 year ago #
jbeany
Member

Yes, you can contain the outgoing in one small space! Once you get through the worst of the purging, it's easy to keep things to a certain area. As I was saying in the post about best decluttering ideas - I've got a storage bench I use as my OUT pile. When the bench is full, it gets emptied. When I was doing major sorting, I put everything in the car immediately. I had my station wagon wedged top to bottom a few times when I was getting rid of furniture and other large items. Now, with so much gone, the OUT stuff is much smaller - clothes, books, magazines. I've rarely had anything that didn't fit in the bench. The few stray items that didn't went immediately to the garage and into the car.

Posted 1 year ago #
candy
Member

I don't have a car - I decluttered it years ago when I moved into the center of Stockholm. I think that I'm through with the worst of the purging, so I'll just give this a try for now.

Posted 1 year ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

I would be careful that your storage unit doesn't become a permanent storage.

How are you getting rid of stuff? Is there any way you could schedule a day to get out as much as you can, and have whoever carts the stuff away come on the same day?

Posted 1 year ago #
Ella
Member

Candy: I can sympathize! I have the same problem but on an even tighter scale. I live in a tiny studio apartment, don't have a car, and all my decluttering stuff is piled up in my living space during the process. My hallway, for example, is lined with seven big shopping bags full of papers to sort. It's a challenge, for sure, and the process is often slowed way down by living in and working on the clutter at the same time. Some days it's downright depressing to the point of near-paralysis, but I soldier on and try to keep at least one *area* clean, clear, and livable.

Posted 1 year ago #
luxcat
Member

This is a challenge for me right now too. I spent quite a bit of time decluttering yesterday (almost to my goals!) and ended up with: a large bag of materials to take to haz mat drop-off, a large bag of cassette tapes to take to special recycle center, and two bags of kitchenwares and clothes plus another pile of clothes on hangars to get rid of...also I still have a box of computer CDs and paperwork to sort and a box of business cards to input and a pile of slides to sort for scanning... and oh my goodness it's a mess!

I try to chip away at it all a little each day but I can sure sympathize with you all. I just keep telling myself as I drag all this stuff away... as soon as I get to my equilibrium point I can start with the "one in one out" plan and never have to do this again!

Posted 1 year ago #
Mimi
Member

i created a rountine for my decluttered stuff. after deciding to declutter a thing it goes to my donation box. i bring glass and paper and electronic recycling stuff to the recycling place (we have to recycle these things) every week and the donation box is taken to the homeless shelter afterwards. so i make sure not to keep it for too long. it´s a quick thing to do: "hi there, this is this week´s box, CU next week" :) if they didn´t take everything, i would recycle/toss it immediately.

Posted 1 year ago #
susanintexas
Member

I'm lucky: I have a car and room to store stuff. They've opened a Goodwill dropoff point very near my house -- on the way to places rather than a special trip. For giveaway items, I but a plastic tub with a lid in the bedroom -- when it's full, off to the charity shop I go.

My mess-creator is projects that are too time consuming to do all at once, when it is ultimately more efficient to keep everything spread out until the project is done instead of pulling it out of hiding little by little or packing it back up every day.

Posted 1 year ago #
Anita
Member

I know what you mean. It always takes me a long time to get donations out, because I don't have a car and the closest drop-off point is not within walking distance. My system is: have one bag going at a time, in a closet. When that bag is full, it goes down to the basement (I live in an apartment, but it comes with a small storage unit in the basement of the building) and a new bag replaces it. Repeat until we either rent or borrow a car, at which point I sort through everything and all donations are dropped off in one go.

Posted 1 year ago #
Astreja
Member

My holding area is currently the Once and Future Bathroom, a little room at the back of the kitchen that was built over a very cold crawlspace. The room itself is partially gutted -- The old shower has been removed, the plumbing is partially removed, and the walls are being opened up and reinsulated -- But eventually this little room is going to be a smaller bathroom/darkroom and a pantry.

Advantage: It isn't currently an active room and it has a door, so it's the perfect place to store items that are waiting to be shipped off to the thrift store.

Disadvantage: The giveaways have to be out of there before I can work on the room itself.

I'm hoping that by the time I'm ready to do serious work on this room, our household clutter will have decreased and I won't actually need to use the room as a storage area.

Posted 1 year ago #
Rosa
Member

Candy, I totally sympathise! I have this issue too - the "donate" box in my entryway is a constant fixture, and it often outgrows its box.

Your cabinet sounds like a good idea, too. I have another, if you're a bike rider - invest in a separate set of panniers or basket-sized bags, whatever you haul stuff in. They can be spendy, but having a ready-to-haul version of your giveaway is really helpful for actually hauling it away.

Also, I have really good luck just puting things out near the trash for other people to pick up. I wonder if that would work where you are? Some places have a culture of picking up free thigns and some places don't.

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

candy, i sympathise too.
there really seems to be no good place to store the outgoing stuff.
once i have decided that an item is clutter, i want it out of the house ASAP!
the best i can do is to be conscious about keeping it moving and not allowing it to stick anywhere.
and i try to lighten up on my tendency for "absolute perfection, rght now" and remind myself that life is a work in progress.

Posted 1 year ago #
chacha1
Member

We have more dining-room chairs than we use on a regular basis, so one of those serves as my staging area for decluttering stuff. Right now there is a miniature roombox (like one room of a dollhouse) sitting on it, and a bag for the library underneath it, and a bag for Goodwill beside it.

I am weird but I kind of get a kick out of having an OUT bag going ... enjoy looking around to see what else I can pitch into it. :-)

Even though technically the OUT area itself is cluttered, because I know it is transitory it doesn't bother me.

Posted 1 year ago #
needtocleanhouse
Member

Yes, it seems that there is a storm before the calm when it comes to decluttering.

Posted 1 year ago #
needtocleanhouse
Member

Posted 1 year ago #
mdfloyd
Member

I and some friends are having a yard sale in mid-May -- I've got lots of bigger items (tables, appliances, etc.) to sell as well as lots of smaller stuff. I've been piling it all in my study/office just to keep it out of the way. Which means I'm doing my work at the dining room table. But come mid-May it's all outta here!!!

Posted 1 year ago #
Mimi
Member

@needtocleanhouse. so true...the storm before the calm... and it´s getting stormy again and again :)

Posted 1 year ago #

12 Next »

Reply »

You must log in to post. If you do not already have an account, you can register here.