FORUMS

Connect with people who understand what you are going through, seek advice and surround yourself with support. We're free, anonymous, and professionally moderated 24/7.

  • 47,612Members
  • 1,358,869Posts
  • 1,400,000Visitors
Friends, families and carers

Decluttering and home maintenance

Decluttering and home maintenance

When MI crisis happens, keeping house can take low priority. But having a messy house can further dent what is often an already low self esteem. Build up of grime follows and rodents have a field day in inaccessible places.

Getting that 2 minute job done (that has been annoying you for years) can lift ones spirit.

I have slowly been decluttering and tidying up our house. The progress made thus far has been achieved primarily by persistently dealing with one item a day.

What has often kept me going has been the encouragement from others @Faith-and-Hope, @Smc @Determined @Shaz51

This tip passed on to me today. Hang all your clothes in the wardrobe with the hanger back to front. As you wear them, return them with the hanger the right way round. In 6-12 months review all items that remain on back to front hangers with a view to donating/selling them.

1400 replies

121 - 130 of 1,400

In response to: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Am finding the big clean up a difficult job.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

@Former-Member, any specific reason/s? Beyond sheer scale...

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Do you have anyone who can help @Former-Member

I find for myself sometimes just company can be the biggest help when embarking on a project like that. It is a big job to tackle alone especially if Mr D is finding things stressful.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

As we have been decluttering for a while, volume is much reduced and manageable. It is fly sh*t and marks on walls and doors, cobwebs, some ceiling mould in one room (just had roof replaced and gutter fixed so source dealt with). Our split system got damaged by an unknown person (think someone reversed into it) so waiting on parts/repair. Garden needs a little more tidying.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

@Former-Member, one of the best cleaning hints I've ever come across is let water do its work. You know how if a plate has food stuck on it, you leave it in the sink to soak for a few minutes... (Presuming you don't have a dishwasher.) Same trick with walls, benchtops, whatever. Wet them down with the soapy water, leave them for a few minutes, then go back and scrub or wipe down.

An accompanying hint was to have two buckets and two cleaning cloths. One bucket of the clean sudsy water, and a clean cloth to apply it. Another cloth to wipe off the grotty sudsy water, and a dirty water bucket to wring and rinse out the wiping down cloth. That way you don't get to the point where the cleaning water is carrying more grot that the wall.
It's a massive job, but I know these hints have been valuable for me, and I'm not usually a "fan" of household hints. All the best with it.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

We really don't have anyone who we would feel comfortable asking to help us @Determined. Will see how we go and if necessary will call in a cleaning service.

Have perhaps made more progress than I give us credit for, thinking that seeing our place through a prospective purchasers eyes and how much of a "renovators delight" it is has been disheartening.

On a positive note, donated a heap of biscuit shapes to a family with a lot of kids = another drawer clear 😀.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Three ornaments donated today and a bag of clothes added to the collection to go to the op shop.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

@Smc

The "spray and wait" before wiping down method = 👍 works a treat.

Am tackling the first of a few cupboards that need sorting. Cannot believe the stuff we have that we are not likely to use. Came across some more unwanted gifts tucked away out of sight.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Bless his heart, Mr Darcy took the stuff to op shop today 🙌.

In response to: Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Re: Decluttering and home maintenance

Glad it helped @Former-Member . 🙂

121 - 130 of 1,400