My dudes. I did so much MESSING AROUND with clutter and dirt today, I didn’t even stop every few minutes to Twitter what I’d done, it was THAT MUCH messing around! But it’s too bad I didn’t Twitter it, because when I post on Twitter I can go back and remind myself what I did.
Big project of the day was cleaning the floor of our closet. …I think I did mention before that my cleaning is not always RATIONAL, and that oftentimes I go with it anyway? Yes. So I hauled out about six brand-new sets of king-sized sheets bought at 75% off; maybe ten pairs of shoes including “tags still on” and “Why aren’t these long since thrown out?” and “Whose ARE these?”; a box of maternity clothes; several shirts that had fallen off hangers without us noticing; scraps and coins that had slid under the door and gotten shoved under everything else; empty Target bags; a wadded-up down comforter we only use in winter; a pint of dust and lint and cat fur and sand.
I gathered up one bag of shoes to donate and put one set of sheets in the donation pile too. I put the comforter back into the zippered vented bag it was sold to us in (which I also found crammed in the closet). I filled another bag with shoes too worn out to donate, plus the sand/fur/etc. And I used the dustbuster.
Then I put things back in: sheets in a stack, comforter next to them. Three shoe boxes, each holding a pair of shoes I’m keeping but don’t need in regular rotation: winter dressy, summer dressy, and shoes that go with a particular skirt I wear to baby showers and tea shops.
I threw away a pair of bee slippers (bee-shaped, not bee-intended) I like to wear to the maternity ward because I can slip them on/off easily and they’re cute. I dug them back out of the trash, because I could be in non-maternity parts of the hospital sometime.
I put the box of maternity clothes in the basement. I should donate them but I want to keep them a little longer.
In general, though, I’m trying NOT to get caught in little eddies of clutter that no guest should ever have the opportunity to notice anyway (if my mother-in-law goes into our bedroom closet, we have deeper problems than previously realized). But I did get rid of a vintage suitcase (matching ROUND carry-on) I never use because it’s hella heavy and smells bad. And when I went to put away something on the Gift Shelf, I pitched out two toys I bought long enough ago to be pretty sure I’ll never give away.
Here is something I’ve noticed: there are many times during the day when I am standing around gazing into space, and I can use those times to play “Is There Anything Here I Can Get Rid Of?” So, for example, while I’m brushing my teeth I would normally be staring at myself in the mirror and wondering if I have tongue cancer, but instead I open the cabinet and see if my eye alights upon anything I can toss. I got rid of a lipstick, an expired bottle of cold medicine that didn’t work anyway, a barrette I don’t like, a tube of eye cream I never use, and so on.
And while I’m giving the cookies another minute in the oven, I would normally be staring at the countertops and wondering what the CRAP is that weird yellow stuff and why am I the ONLY ONE who EVER cleans countertops, but instead I open a cabinet or look around at the counters. I got rid of a mug, some baby spoons, lids that came with some baby bowls but I never use the lids anymore, a box of cereal nobody likes, a box of tea bags I never use, and so on. Not all at once, but like the mug went one time and the lids went another time.
I find this is putting me in the nice beginnings of a clutter-noticing habit. Mustn’t get one’s hopes up when one has a lifelong reputation for cleaning binges rather than consistency, but I AM finding that things are gradually disappearing and that it’s adding up to pleasing changes—whereas usually I’d think, “What’s the point in getting rid of ONE MUG? Besides, we have room for it.”
Now for those of you not following on Twitter, here are the other things I’ve gotten rid of:
- broken postage scale
- hand-knit baby blankets
- baby hats and baby coats
- baby bath seat
- half-used workbooks with all the fun parts done
- Easter door hanging
- gross instant flavored coffee
- expired Jell-o in non-favored flavors
- bits of trash (bread ties, foam craft shapes) on top of microwave
- little decorative nest with 5 eggs in it; I’d thought it would be sentimental but it was hard to display and impossible to dust
- fridge magnet paper doll that was insufficiently magnetic and so was always stripping her flat little clothes right where they’d get kicked under the fridge
- Tide with Febreeze (used up, not tossed)
And here is my current mantra: “You can’t clean clutter! You can’t clean clutter!” It helps me to continue through the layers in the hopes of someday seeing the wipeable flat areas underneath.
Yay! That sounds AWESOME! You’re really getting a lot accomplished!
I’m happy to report that I’ll be giving MY cleaning report tomorrow! I started typing it up tonight, but I’m going to finish in the morning. I was very pleased with my progress too. You are so right — knowing you want to come BLOG ABOUT IT definitely helps keep you DOING IT.
Hurrah!
I don’t Twitter, but yesterday went to where you Twitter (which I never do) because I am apparently so interested it what it is you are doing in your house. Because it is exactly what I need to do in my own. And your OMG I went for a run? I actually took my dog out walking tonight instead of just thinking I should. So you are motivating to me through your own motivation. Keep going! For my own purely self-serving purposes!!
I haven’t even finished reading the entry yet but had to tell you I think I just fell in love with you because you have a skirt JUST for baby showers and tea shops AND shoes to go with it. I am picturing you in that outfit now. Ah, bliss. Ok, back to read the rest.
Yay you! That is a LOT of unnecessary shit gone from your life!
I was forced to do the major clean before the dad came, so thankfully the boyfriend jumped in and we tackled it all in a marathon hours-long cleaning fest. The hallway was lined with three bins of recycle (mostly papers and old mail that stacked up) and a full sized trash bag of cluttery crap, plus a box for donate.
You don’t realize it as you’re in the moment, but you’re right – when you look back it’s a great amount. You’ve only been at it a few spurts and already you’ve gotten rid of TONS of things on that list and what you’ve told us/twittered. It all adds up in the end, and is 1 less thing to clutter something up, collect dust, or be buried beneath other things.
Good job!! :)
I think I love you. Mostly because when you’re brushing your teeth you’re wondering if you have tongue cancer.
you’re the best!! LOL
Oh yeah, and good job on the cleaning.
I love these posts. Getting rid of clutter, even vicariously, is teh awesome!!
That’s awesome! And I have to admit, I tittered when I first read your “does this ‘bless’ me or oppress me” post – but I’ve found myself saying it in my head, and it’s helped me clear out a TON of crap. (We had to move everything from our room and the girlie’s room into the boys room as we were having the hardwood floors refinished, and it was too good an opportunity for tidying and tossing to pass up.) So – thanks for the inspiration and the great tip!
You can’t clean clutter–so true.
If you’re getting rid of the baby stuff, you really should get rid of the maternity stuff. Should you have a new pregnancy, the baby will get new stuff now, so you might as well have pretty new maternity clothes. And if it doesn’t happen, then you’ve already got the use of the extra space the maternity wear took up. JMHO.
I’ve been doing a major clean sweep of the kids’ closets in preparation for back to school. The one thing I couldn’t yet part with? My enormous stack of cloth diapers. Isn’t that a weird thing to be attached to?
I love these posts, too. It’s totally inspiring.
I am so inspired by these posts. Just like when you did the Digging Ourselves Out posts. Love.
I realize I’m a sick freak but i LOVE LOVE LOVE cleaning/organizing/decluttering talk.
I’m a super cleaner organizer and declutterer and am constantly redoing rooms, drawers, closets to make them less. They would be much less but occassionally Mr. Bella catches me and brings his items back in. :)
Anyway….reading your breakthroughs makes me ready to clean and organize and go again! woohoo!
Keep up the cleaning talk!
Wow, I’m almost inspired! Keep it up!
i think you’re awesome. i’m going to try and make ‘you can’t clean clutter’ my mantra too.
Wow… Just WOW! Are you a momentum person? I am TOTALLY a momentum person, especially when it comes to cleaning and decluttering. Once I start, it seems I get more and more done, and then the more I get done, the more interest/energy/motivation I have to get MORE done…
I can *feel* your momentum rising!
You’re doing so well! I find I am doing more “what can I clean/ declutter while I’m here?” too.
Hmm, maybe I’ll try this out as I am staring off in to space.
First I would like to say, go you for cleaning! But I would also like to tell you that sometimes staring off into space is a GOOD THING, something I need to do more of. I have a tendency to be somewhat manic about clutter in that I can’t stand it. Sometimes, I do the “what can I get rid of thing” and the next thing I know it’s 2am and I’m cleaning out the pantry for no good reason. Sometimes it’s good to just brush your teeth and live in the moment.
VERY productive!
You are doing a great job! Way to go! Clutter sucks!
Right on! I’m also in the middle of a cleaning binge. I’m going room by room. Today I was in the kitchen and even though it looked like my cabinets and my dog had exploded all around me, I decided to clean the snack cupboard. And I’m completely happy. I got rid of stuff, I cleaned, I took a photo of it, and the rest of my kitchen still looks like a dollar store, but I have a clean cabinet and I’m thrilled.
You have found your new calling, I think.
Congratulations!
“expired Jell-o in non-favored flavors”
I love the idea that you kept any jello that wasn’t expired, even if it was in unfavored flavors (Who cares if it’s black licorice, we still have three months!) or kept it even if it was expired, but int was a favored flavors (Who cares if it says 1991 – it’s LIME forgodsakes!)