My point is the routine-ness of it, which removes (for me) the 'I ought to do it' feeling
I tie it to fixed points in the day.
An example - I feed the dogs at five in the afternoon. So my routine after putting their dishes down for them to eat is to spend half an hour clearing and cleaning the kitchen, whether it needs it or not. Today it didn't need much so I cleared out the spices cupboard.
Yes - we are late today as I've been writing this. Four eyes are staring intently at me!
Sorry @Puzzler, I wasn't trying to intimidate you. I am actually not very good at executive function, which is why I need the routines. If I once let it get out of hand I would never cope otherwise.
Sorry @Puzzler, I wasn't trying to intimidate you. I am actually not very good at executive function, which is why I need the routines. If I once let it get out of hand I would never cope otherwise.
I appreciate it is different when there are others in the home.
I used to be extremely efficient both at home and at work, but I don’t feel the need now.
Down from the loft is most definitely better than up to the loft, even though I am freshly shocked every time I see what's coming down . There have been far too many years of up to and Things Have Got To Change.
Did down from the loft include taking outside and away from the house?? That would be the best result!
Like @la vie en rouge I have been moving into the houseproud space and find that it makes me happy and contended to look around to see order and tidiness.
Yesterday my city was the hottest in the country and I planned things to be up early and work in the shady part of the house. Managed to mop the laundry and both bathrooms and was amazed at how quickly they dried. I guess having all the windows and doors open for breeze really helped, I am sure! I still have to chase Cheery son as I am sure he did NOT clean the bath yesterday as requested!
Today will be a quiet day and perhaps some tidying in the rumpus room. Officially i's not my space, but I can see some junk building up in there, so might redistribute that to the rooms of the owners for them to deal with, he he.
I still have occasional nightmares about the house I shared with 3 other, completely un-house-trained, archaeologists - the kitchen had to be seen to be believed! I once made the mistake of leaving a tea towel out for an hour, and when I retrieved it, there was a hole burned in the middle!
My kitchen is always wiped down as I go, and everything put tidily away, partly as a result of this horrific experience.
I am one of those people who have all their clutter hidden away in the cupboards. Today I attacked the one in the bathroom, and threw a load of stuff out. I even moved a shelf so now the laundry detergent and associated products can go inside instead of on the floor. After this exploit I cleared two whole shelves of my wardrobe. All the disreputable, ill-fitting and unworn lingerie, pyjamas and swimwear have gone in the textile recycling. I feel very virtuous. Next I need to attack the socks.
It's our boiler service this afternoon. So the coffee machine and the microwave needed to be moved- so now all is very clean and tidy where they belong 🙂
Did down from the loft include taking outside and away from the house?? That would be the best result!
The friend who was coming to help Mr Nen couldn't make it in the end, so whatever's festering up there continues to fester. Apparently the plan now is for it to happen on Monday afternoon. I have not asked too many questions about the ultimate destiny of said car parts but as at least some of the reason for moving is to give Mr Nen space for his hobbies I don't think it is on his agenda to downsize his collection. There are apparently three engines in our garage (none of them in cars), all of which will be moving with us .
We have been out all day so no sorting or tidying has been achieved, but yesterday I did discover our engagement cards in a box, which we will revisit together one evening before disposing of them. I also found a couple of letters from Mr Nen, written long before we were An Item, so we really are going back into Ancient Nen History.
Mr Puzzler got rid of a huge amount of stuff from the basement before we moved, but continued to accumulate all sorts to take its place in the new house, except we don’t have a basement here.
He frequently complained that he had been made to get rid of things he still wanted. You have been warned!
Mr RoS and I have had separate bedrooms for some years, but I often wish we had gone the whole hog and bought a pair of semi-detached properties on our last move!
It won’t improve the tidiness of my house as such, but I am feeling really pleased with myself as I have ordered new curtains for the living room and a blind for the landing window. I’m not exactly being extravagant as the landing curtain hung for at least 15 years in my old house and 12 years in this one. The living room curtains did duty in the previous house too.
Mr RoS and I have had separate bedrooms for some years, but I often wish we had gone the whole hog and bought a pair of semi-detached properties on our last move!
When we had a big detached house we had separate bathrooms - bliss!
My brother and his partner live in separate houses, it works really well for them!
New curtains sound nice @puzzler. When we moved here we went to John Lewis to buy curtains and had someone booked to measure up. We then discovered that the curtain shop here not only had nicer designs the person they sent round was brilliant with his suggestions. Needless to say we cancelled John Lewis. We now have one large curtain in the front room and it works really well. We need to go and see them again to get roller blinds for my study and some nicer curtains for my husband's bedroom.
This almost local company are brilliant. The manager spent ages trying to help me choose and was endlessly patient. They will come out and measure at no extra cost, and until then I do not pay anything. I have used them before as has my daughter. So much better than a faceless enterprise.
I spent the afternoon decluttering my laptop- well, a drop in the ocean really. I used to have it well organised but that went to pot some years ago.
When we had a big detached house we had separate bathrooms - bliss!
I think it was Michael Caine who, when asked what was the secret of a long and happy marriage, said "separate bathrooms".
I think he was right: in both the houses we had in Canada, we each had our own bathroom (with a bath for D, and a shower for me), and it was definitely a luxury worth having.
It's some years since we bought new curtains but we found the John Lewis staff extremely snooty about the whole thing and ended up with some lovely ones from Dunelm, at a fraction of the cost John Lewis had quoted, which just required a bit of hemming to make the long ones the required length.
Separate bathrooms sound like a great idea, as long as the respective "owners" are responsible for the cleaning thereof and actually do it. I don't think it would work in our house.
More sorting this afternoon, and I've been tackling a container of files which has been living under my desk for longer than I care to admit. The majority of it is sentimental stuff, the very hardest thing, every piece of paper has an emotional attachment. I drew the line at rereading the letters and cards my mum sent me after my brother died... they'll be boxed up and faced when I have more capacity than I do at the moment.
Separate bathrooms sound like a great idea, as long as the respective "owners" are responsible for the cleaning thereof and actually do it. I don't think it would work in our house.
We not only have separate bedrooms and bathrooms we also have separate studies, or playrooms as we call them as not a lot of studying gets done in them. Probably why we get on so well.
We re-jigged the tiny bathroom & separate loo when we moved here, so that I got an ensuite loo/washroom & Mr RoS got the bathroom, because he won't use a shower.
The shower, however had to be in the bathroom, not part of my ensuite, so that visiting son & family could use it without traipsing through my bedroom. I clean the shower, and Mr RoS cleans the rest of the bathroom.
Of course, not without me telling him when it needs doing, and supervising him. It does embarrass me when random visitors ask to use the loo in-between cleaning sessions, but I refuse to do it all.
Some years ago I bought a fridge magnet that says
'When I said "I do", I didn't mean everything', and that has since become my personal motto.
Mr Boogs and I moved in together when we were eighteen. 50 years ago! I agreed on proviso that he did half of all the chores. I've kept him to his promise apart from when he was house husband for four or five years when he did them all. 🙂
My husband was well trained by his dad who also did half the chores at home. My lovely mother in law insisted on that when she went back to full-time work.
Some years ago I bought a fridge magnet that says
'When I said "I do", I didn't mean everything', and that has since become my personal motto.
Another one I quite like is "You start by sinking into his arms and end up with your arms in his sink" although that one's a bit outdated now. When we first married I didn't go out to work, and I gave up work again when we were expecting Nenlet1, so it made sense for me to do the house stuff as I was there anyway; also Mr Nen's culinary skills extend no further than a boiled egg. He does lots of other stuff, though - if a light bulb blows at home I wait for him to sort it.
I have finished sorting the container of files under my desk; loads of paper has gone into the recycling bag and the "keep" pile is quite small. Tomorrow, when I feel more up to it, I will address the issue of Cards. I've kept birthday and Mothers' Day cards for years and am starting to come to the conclusion that I probably don't need to.
If it was inside, I did it; if it was outside, he did it. He did the barbecue and laundry, since the machines were in our garage and considered outside. He also took the trash out. We never discussed any of it, other than our original idea inside mine, outside his. It just worked itself out.
Since the 7th of January our kitchen has consisted of four bare walls and a floor with three pipes sticking out of it. Our kindly and eternally optimistic contractor thinks he may finish within the next week. That was the easy bit. Now we have to cull the stuff that came out of it before he installs the cabinets and we resume life with a kitchen. The former living room, now the kitchen repository, is an overwhelming sight consisting of Useful Items, cherished heirlooms, and junk. It is surprisingly difficult to distinguish one from another. Today we threw out four plastic containers with lids. I am tempted to repost this in the prayer thread.
Here at Casa Nen, Operation Loft Clearance is under way. I am banished to my study with the door closed and dust sheets all over the landing so that I don't see what's coming out of the loft nor the mess it's making .
I was going to tackle the Card Issue here but after a bad night and a long appointment with our solicitors this morning about the house move I have very little in the emotional tank and will probably aim to be in bed early and get started on the sorting early tomorrow.
I am one of those people who have all their clutter hidden away in the cupboards.
I am the exact opposite. Cupboards are tidy. Putting something away is an assertion that this is the place that it belongs, and that it is in a complete and put-awayable state.
Clearing surfaces by dumping junk in to cupboards and drawers drives me bonkers.
Today a carpenter/ joiner came and measured up prior to putting shelves into the cupboard on the landing. My tubs of assorted stuff will soon be hidden away.
That might give me the incentive to continue the sorting of memorabilia. Like @Nenya I don’t really need to keep all myMothering Sunday and birthday cards.
He is also going to add a shelf into my understairs cupboard, which might help me to keep that tidier. Preparation is needed. I might be able to decant some stuff into the garage.
I am one of those people who have all their clutter hidden away in the cupboards.
I am the exact opposite. Cupboards are tidy. Putting something away is an assertion that this is the place that it belongs, and that it is in a complete and put-awayable state.
Clearing surfaces by dumping junk in to cupboards and drawers drives me bonkers.
That was my Mum, and she kept to it. "A place for everything and everything in its place."
I aspire to this but never quite get there. I do have regular cupboard and drawer sort-outs.
Some cupboards and drawers have reached the giddy heights of 'always tidy' 🥳
It seems I was premature to describe what Mr Nen and his Helpful Friend were doing as "loft clearance." While apparently "pretty much" clear of car parts it appears there are still some boxes of "our stuff" up there; I've not yet been enlightened about the nature of the stuff. And I have not yet addressed The Card Issue, finding that one really difficult.
I too aspire to "always tidy" and am determined to be more on top of things going forward. At present it feels unattainable and I have to keep reminding myself that every little bit I do is a step in the right direction.
Same here. Understairs cupboard duly sorted. So much stuff I never use, as I rarely do much proper spring cleaning.
I no longer clean brasses or silver, and shoe cleaning is a perfunctory task. That’s three bags of stuff.
Then there are the baking tins surplus to current requirements. And two cool boxes.
Bought by Mr P are a coffee percolator, industrial supplies of hand-gel, candles, face masks, medical gloves.
As for items I do use, I forget what I have bought and buy more, so I have lots of bin bags, washing up sponges, tea towels.
The Sallies have a very well run second hand shop in the nearest shopping area. I've developed the habit of filling a shopping bag with things that I no longer need that are in salable condition and dropping them off there before I do my grocery shopping.
I'm finding this gradual approach to decluttering works well for me as I no longer drive.
I'm on a roll. My wardrobe has been viciously sorted. I have removed anything that I couldn't remember the last time I wore it, unless I could think of an excellent sentimental reason not to.
Well done @la vie en rouge ! I am reasonably minimalist when it comes to clothes and Mr Nen isn't. He has the larger of the two wardrobes in our bedroom and of the six shelves therein only one of them is mine . However, there are a few things I haven't worn for ages and could probably offload.
I sat in front of the TV yesterday evening and sorted a large pile of cards. It was surprisingly difficult and I tried to work out why. I think it's because they are pretty (usually with flowers and butterflies, or sparkly glasses of wine) and have nice handwritten words in them. Written words mean a lot to me. I put a fair number in the cardboard recycling but couldn't bring myself to discard ones from the family. I know there's another pile lurking in a drawer and I'm bracing myself to sort them as well. I have a self-imposed deadline... the recycling goes tomorrow morning.
The Sallies have a very well run second hand shop in the nearest shopping area. I've developed the habit of filling a shopping bag with things that I no longer need that are in salable condition and dropping them off there before I do my grocery shopping.
I'm finding this gradual approach to decluttering works well for me as I no longer drive.
Likewise. There are multiple op shops ( Salvos, Vinnies & Red Cross) in walking distance and it is worth dropping in with a donation.
Spouse (our father which is in Hobart) was in yown lately and actually agreed ( after some prodding) to donate a few of the 20-odd shirts which live here ( no doubt an equal number down south) most of which are 20+ years old & in pristine condition ( I in comparison have 6 summer dresses, 4 pinafores for winter & 3 pairs of trousers).
We duly trotted to local op shop & he came away with a hat to keep off the summer sun ($4 well spent, I guess)
I've had a burst of energy which started out as a dig into our family history archive to find photos of Aged Aunt for her stepsons. They are organising a party for her and wanted a couple of photos of her as a child. Thankfully I found those, they have been scanned and sent off. After doing that I looked at the wardrobe where family things are stored and decided that needed re-arranging. I managed to score a free shelf, by packing some of my sister's things into one box that was being under utilised.
Cupboard finished, our messy pantry came to mind. So I have wiped shelves, made up a box of expired food (grr), moved things around in drawers and topped up benchtop canisters and I'm very pleased with my efforts. Now we should be able to see what we have much more easily and most of the things in the expired box don't need to be replaced. I am not sure who purchased all the stuff, but we don't really eat much gravy, or drink cuppa soups, or eat huge amounts of noodles and why on earth did we have 3 bags of cornflour?? I feel so much better seeing that dealt with!
I've been putting off sorting out my cupboard of plastic containers and baking trays. I need to pull it all out and have a good look at what I've got, but there's always something else to be getting on with.
A huge amount of recycling went out from here this morning and I'm just hoping it's all been taken .
Oxfam in the UK run some good specialist bookshops. With so much tempting stock, the difficulty is to come away with less than you leave. Today I'm taking a mixed bag of books and classical CDs. They also take vinyl, and assure me they have the right experts to ensure they get proper value for some of the vintage rock classics I've donated in the past.
I have to avoid our local Oxfam shop and very extensive Lions secondhand bookshop at the moment: anything I buy now has to be put in a box to move house.
This morning I tackled a basket of miscellaneous things, mostly paperwork, and have whittled it down to about four piles, one of which I still have to sort and one I need to go through with Mr Nen. Not tonight, though. Tonight all I'm good for is crawling into bed.
Alas things from my wardrobe cleanout have not yet made it to the charity bin, but this week for sure as I have a couple of early outings and the drop off can be tacked onto one of those.
Discovery this morning that the cat tower covered with carpet has been a hiding place for moths and am not sure what Cheery husband plans to do about that. I had hoped to use lavender, but it's toxic to cats. So an alternative will need to be found. My suggestions was to take it to the tip, but that was not taken well. Grr.
I've managed to keep on top of cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming, but I think some dusting is needed this week.
Hi @Cheery Gardener I have a distant memory that moths can be eradicated be a visit to a freezer, or more tediously can be eradicated with bursts of steam to all infected spots. A friend rescued a special rug with the steaming method.
Comments
My point is the routine-ness of it, which removes (for me) the 'I ought to do it' feeling
I tie it to fixed points in the day.
An example - I feed the dogs at five in the afternoon. So my routine after putting their dishes down for them to eat is to spend half an hour clearing and cleaning the kitchen, whether it needs it or not. Today it didn't need much so I cleared out the spices cupboard.
Yes - we are late today as I've been writing this. Four eyes are staring intently at me!
That's me too.
I used to be extremely efficient both at home and at work, but I don’t feel the need now.
The heat pump - which also has a cooling function- is now installed. I just hope I can remember how it follow the instructions.
Like @la vie en rouge I have been moving into the houseproud space and find that it makes me happy and contended to look around to see order and tidiness.
Yesterday my city was the hottest in the country and I planned things to be up early and work in the shady part of the house. Managed to mop the laundry and both bathrooms and was amazed at how quickly they dried. I guess having all the windows and doors open for breeze really helped, I am sure! I still have to chase Cheery son as I am sure he did NOT clean the bath yesterday as requested!
Today will be a quiet day and perhaps some tidying in the rumpus room. Officially i's not my space, but I can see some junk building up in there, so might redistribute that to the rooms of the owners for them to deal with, he he.
My kitchen is always wiped down as I go, and everything put tidily away, partly as a result of this horrific experience.
It's our boiler service this afternoon. So the coffee machine and the microwave needed to be moved- so now all is very clean and tidy where they belong 🙂
The friend who was coming to help Mr Nen couldn't make it in the end, so whatever's festering up there continues to fester. Apparently the plan now is for it to happen on Monday afternoon. I have not asked too many questions about the ultimate destiny of said car parts but as at least some of the reason for moving is to give Mr Nen space for his hobbies I don't think it is on his agenda to downsize his collection. There are apparently three engines in our garage (none of them in cars), all of which will be moving with us
We have been out all day so no sorting or tidying has been achieved, but yesterday I did discover our engagement cards in a box, which we will revisit together one evening before disposing of them. I also found a couple of letters from Mr Nen, written long before we were An Item, so we really are going back into Ancient Nen History.
He frequently complained that he had been made to get rid of things he still wanted. You have been warned!
When we had a big detached house we had separate bathrooms - bliss!
My brother and his partner live in separate houses, it works really well for them!
I spent the afternoon decluttering my laptop- well, a drop in the ocean really. I used to have it well organised but that went to pot some years ago.
I think it was Michael Caine who, when asked what was the secret of a long and happy marriage, said "separate bathrooms".
I think he was right: in both the houses we had in Canada, we each had our own bathroom (with a bath for D, and a shower for me), and it was definitely a luxury worth having.
Separate bathrooms sound like a great idea, as long as the respective "owners" are responsible for the cleaning thereof and actually do it. I don't think it would work in our house.
More sorting this afternoon, and I've been tackling a container of files which has been living under my desk for longer than I care to admit. The majority of it is sentimental stuff, the very hardest thing, every piece of paper has an emotional attachment. I drew the line at rereading the letters and cards my mum sent me after my brother died... they'll be boxed up and faced when I have more capacity than I do at the moment.
I never set foot in his bathroom. 🙂
Now we have to share one - humph!
The shower, however had to be in the bathroom, not part of my ensuite, so that visiting son & family could use it without traipsing through my bedroom. I clean the shower, and Mr RoS cleans the rest of the bathroom.
Of course, not without me telling him when it needs doing, and supervising him. It does embarrass me when random visitors ask to use the loo in-between cleaning sessions, but I refuse to do it all.
Some years ago I bought a fridge magnet that says
'When I said "I do", I didn't mean everything', and that has since become my personal motto.
I have finished sorting the container of files under my desk; loads of paper has gone into the recycling bag and the "keep" pile is quite small. Tomorrow, when I feel more up to it, I will address the issue of Cards. I've kept birthday and Mothers' Day cards for years and am starting to come to the conclusion that I probably don't need to.
I was going to tackle the Card Issue here but after a bad night and a long appointment with our solicitors this morning about the house move I have very little in the emotional tank and will probably aim to be in bed early and get started on the sorting early tomorrow.
I am the exact opposite. Cupboards are tidy. Putting something away is an assertion that this is the place that it belongs, and that it is in a complete and put-awayable state.
Clearing surfaces by dumping junk in to cupboards and drawers drives me bonkers.
That might give me the incentive to continue the sorting of memorabilia. Like @Nenya I don’t really need to keep all myMothering Sunday and birthday cards.
He is also going to add a shelf into my understairs cupboard, which might help me to keep that tidier. Preparation is needed. I might be able to decant some stuff into the garage.
That was my Mum, and she kept to it. "A place for everything and everything in its place."
I aspire to this but never quite get there. I do have regular cupboard and drawer sort-outs.
Some cupboards and drawers have reached the giddy heights of 'always tidy' 🥳
I too aspire to "always tidy" and am determined to be more on top of things going forward. At present it feels unattainable and I have to keep reminding myself that every little bit I do is a step in the right direction.
I no longer clean brasses or silver, and shoe cleaning is a perfunctory task. That’s three bags of stuff.
Then there are the baking tins surplus to current requirements. And two cool boxes.
Bought by Mr P are a coffee percolator, industrial supplies of hand-gel, candles, face masks, medical gloves.
As for items I do use, I forget what I have bought and buy more, so I have lots of bin bags, washing up sponges, tea towels.
I'm finding this gradual approach to decluttering works well for me as I no longer drive.
I sat in front of the TV yesterday evening and sorted a large pile of cards. It was surprisingly difficult and I tried to work out why. I think it's because they are pretty (usually with flowers and butterflies, or sparkly glasses of wine) and have nice handwritten words in them. Written words mean a lot to me. I put a fair number in the cardboard recycling but couldn't bring myself to discard ones from the family. I know there's another pile lurking in a drawer and I'm bracing myself to sort them as well. I have a self-imposed deadline... the recycling goes tomorrow morning.
In future we'll be able to bring hand luggage only. 🙂
Likewise. There are multiple op shops ( Salvos, Vinnies & Red Cross) in walking distance and it is worth dropping in with a donation.
Spouse (our father which is in Hobart) was in yown lately and actually agreed ( after some prodding) to donate a few of the 20-odd shirts which live here ( no doubt an equal number down south) most of which are 20+ years old & in pristine condition ( I in comparison have 6 summer dresses, 4 pinafores for winter & 3 pairs of trousers).
We duly trotted to local op shop & he came away with a hat to keep off the summer sun ($4 well spent, I guess)
Cupboard finished, our messy pantry came to mind. So I have wiped shelves, made up a box of expired food (grr), moved things around in drawers and topped up benchtop canisters and I'm very pleased with my efforts. Now we should be able to see what we have much more easily and most of the things in the expired box don't need to be replaced. I am not sure who purchased all the stuff, but we don't really eat much gravy, or drink cuppa soups, or eat huge amounts of noodles and why on earth did we have 3 bags of cornflour?? I feel so much better seeing that dealt with!
A huge amount of recycling went out from here this morning and I'm just hoping it's all been taken
This morning I tackled a basket of miscellaneous things, mostly paperwork, and have whittled it down to about four piles, one of which I still have to sort and one I need to go through with Mr Nen. Not tonight, though. Tonight all I'm good for is crawling into bed.
Discovery this morning that the cat tower covered with carpet has been a hiding place for moths and am not sure what Cheery husband plans to do about that. I had hoped to use lavender, but it's toxic to cats. So an alternative will need to be found. My suggestions was to take it to the tip, but that was not taken well. Grr.
I've managed to keep on top of cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming, but I think some dusting is needed this week.