Imagine your house was a complete and utter disaster.

[Trresh]

Okay....I'm done with my first tasks. I'm going to reread the thread now while I eat breakfast.

[SailorMom]

Dishes, trash, and start doing laundry.

Get empty laundry baskets and a trash bag - designate laundry baskets for either rooms or people - throw things away, and then anything not trash goes into the appropriate laundry basket to be put away once the basket gets full.

Vacuum and do all the floors - for some reason this really makes a house feel cleaner - more so than dusting.

Bathrooms - toilets and sink wash downs. Buy cans of Scrubbing Bubbles and those scrubby sponges - about 15 minutes before the next showers - spray, and then have whomever is showering scrub down the shower. Don't worry if it's not perfect - it's a start.

[Socalmom]

You have gotten some great suggestions! I just wanted to add that I really like the audio of Flylady's crisis cleaning that Sharon linked. I have it on my IPod. You work really hard for about an hour and get the surface areas straightened up. Then you can go back and do deeper cleaning. I have to use a timer whenever I clean or else I get sidetracked. I end up being like the mouse in "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie". :001_smile:

 

Margie

[Mjfb]

Haven't read the other responses, so apologize if I'm repeating anyone here.

 

I start where my time will have the most visual impact. So... a small room or a not-so-bad one. The bathroom here, usually, because it's almost always no-brainer stuff: dirty laundry, the kids toys, then spray and wipe.

 

Then I hit the laundry and dishes.

 

Then I continue on. If I don't know where to start in a room, I again pick the least messy corner and work out. It feels much less overwhelming to me.

 

My mother told me she starts with the messiest part first, though, so to each his own ;)

 

I also do flylady some stuff (not a follower anymore though). 15mins at a time, lots of breaks. No stressing out if I don't finish something, only vacuum the middles.

[Trresh]

Again...thank you so much. I appreciate the posts that gave suggestions on maintenance, too.

 

The main focus is going to be the living room. We school there and spend most of our time in it.

 

Here's our plan for today:

 

1. Do one more load of dishes. They should all be clean after that.

 

2. Start another load of laundry.

 

3. Per my son's suggestion, we're going to break the living room into quarters and focus on a quarter at a time. I'm going to get a giveaway box, belongs in a different room box and a trash bag. We're going to set a timer and do our best to finish a quarter in 15 minutes. There's three of us so it might be possible.

 

We only have about 2 1/2 hours to work on it today. My overall goal for today is to get all the crap up in the living room and vacuum it.

 

We're going to turn some music on and get started!

[livingnlearning]

I go by catagory-garbage out first, laundry all in one big heap in my bathroom, dishes all to kitchen, books/papers/mail all to the desk area, ect.

 

Then I usually have wide open spaces with heaps. Then I can start tackling the dishes, the laundry, the floors, ect.

 

good luck-BTDT! I actually am on the homestretch of a horrible massive clean-up. Our house was trashed and now it's nearly empty, organized, clean, peaceful, not stressful. Hang in there, you'll make it!

 

I also suggest getting someone to help you if can-I have a tendency to freak out while I'm doing massive cleaning and having someone calm around helps me keep it in context.

[Allearia]

My problem is clutter. So here is what is working. You are completely overwhelmed and there is nowhere to work. Make sure you take breaks, work on the most important area at a time, etc.

 

I agree with starting with a load of dishes and one of laundry.

 

If you can afford it, go to Target or Walmart and buy a bunch of big plastic bins. Some are much cheaper than others. I got these large grey ones for under $5 a piece. Ugly but effective. I just start shoving clutter in these. Keep one for important stuff. It is nice if you can roughly label it, but if you are like me there is just all this random stuff, papers etc. Take out important papers and stuff you are using right away and box the rest. This is a great way for the kids to help.

 

Then stack the boxes neatly so you can vacuum/sweep. Clear surfaces, finish dishes, do more laundry.

 

Now you can take one of those bins at a time and sort that stuff. It is contained, you will know when you are done. Recycling, goodwill, put away. Get a big supply of boxes for stuff to donate (I got some off Freecycle). If you are like me you will still have some stuff you want to keep but the state your house is in there is not a place. Hopefully this is a small amount. (when I go through my bins the majority is recycling, very sad!) You will need to put this in a bin unfortunately if you can't find another place. Make sure you clearly label this.

 

Make sure you keep up with the time to keep doing dishes and laundry. The stuff will stay neatly in the bins. Keep the dining table cleaned off. This will help you build better habits as you slowly go through stuff and your house can stay presentable/livable in this middle period where it seems you have worked really hard but don't see the full result yet. In this period you just have faith and keep slogging through.

 

In June I had a big charity pick up of 35 boxes of books, toys, misc. plus desks, car seats, clothes, beds, etc. Last week they picked up 46 more boxes plus a changing table (my youngest is 6!), toddler bed, weight bench (no room sorry dh!), another desk, etc. So it is working for me. I have two more pickups scheduled the next two mondays, this encourages me to have a deadline to get a bunch of boxes out. I am cleaning out my garage to convert to a school room so I do research and look at beautiful pictures to inspire me to keep up with it. Can you pick something you want to change and work for? In the past, even rearranging the furniture makes me see things in a new way and I am more motivated to make my new look clean and tidy.

 

Also, if (again like me!) you fall off the wagon and the house is bad again, just get back on and start again. Eventually you will stay on. Just don't give up.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I haven't read replies, but I have been in this situation before.

 

You. need. to. purge.

 

It is the only thing that will make a drastic change and prevent you from ending up in the same predicament again.

 

Just THROW STUFF AWAY!

 

If it's been sitting on the floor, unused, for weeks, then you don't need it that badly; throw it away.

 

The kids don't need a million toys, pick the ones they play with the MOST, like every day, and donate, or throw away, the rest.

 

Pick out your favorite outfits, and then get rid of some.

 

Purging is the only way I am able to consistently keep a clean house.

 

Part 2, is to stop bringing stuff into the house. Just stop. This is actually harder for me than Part 1.

 

Good luck!!

[Trresh]

Things I'm discovering: I usually spend too much time on one thing. I would have loved to empty the cabinet under the tv and organize all that stuff but I just stuffed the dvds and things into it for now. I think I'm a bit of a perfectionist contrary to what a visit to my home would lead you to believe. To make skipping over jobs easier mentally, I'm going to keep a list of things I want to come back and do once we have all the rooms 'acceptable'.

 

I'm also adding a 'good grief I just don't know what to do with this' box. I'll deal with it later.

 

We're not doing school today. The kids are helping without complaining which usually doesn't happen. It helps tremendously.

 

On to the next quarter!

[Mjfb]

 

Part 2, is to stop bringing stuff into the house. Just stop. This is actually harder for me than Part 1.

 

Good luck!!

 

Yes, this too. My mil was forever giving us stuff that she had. I point blank told my dh that we were no longer the drop-off point for Goodwill.

 

If you haven't used it for years, and don't love it, get rid of it.

 

Hardest for me: if you don't know what it goes to, and haven't used it in a year, get rid of it ;). this goes against my pack-rat mentality, but it really helps with clutter.

[Trresh]

The 2nd quarter is done. I'm going to vacuum and then work on my desk/computer area, which is in the living room, while the kids practice their instruments. They have lessons today and my desk is the one area they don't know how to straighten.

 

Books, books and more books!! I need help in this area. For now, we're putting them on shelves and when we run out of room we're going to box them and deal with them later.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Trresh

[twoforjoy]

I'd probably start by taking a deep breath and assessing how bad things really are. I'm having a "My house is a complete disaster!" moment but, realistically, I know that if I spend 5 or 10 minutes in each room, I'll have it in good shape.

 

Certain things, like an unmade bed or a box of toys spilled on the floor, make me feel like the house is a total disaster, even though those things would only take 5 minutes for me to do.

 

If the house were a genuine disaster, I'd first do the things that I know would give me some immediate gratification: making beds, clearing off dressers and tables, doing the dishes, throwing anything on the floor into a basket, maybe scrubbing out the toilet. Then, once I could focus, I'd make a very detailed, room-by-room list of everything that needed to be done. Then I'd start tackling it, starting with the stuff I most dislike doing, and cross each thing off as I went (because I like doing that, and it makes me feel like I'm making progress).

[Ottakee]

One thing that helped me was paying a college age girl to come help me with OUT the kids home. She had NO emotional ties to anything which helped and me paying her motivated ME to stay on task---so as not to pay her to do nothing :-)

 

We went into a room with 3 bags/totes/baskets---1 for trash, 1 for donation, and 1 for things that had to be put away but elsewhere in the house.

 

I would grab and throw as fast as I could anything that was not put away. It either got quickly put away or into 1 of the 3 totes/bags/baskets. Then the college girl would follow behind me and dust/sweep/vacuum, etc. She would also haul stuff DIRECTLY to the car for donation stuff or to the trash. If it sat around for even a few minutes it would start to wander back into the room :-)

 

We did the entire house in 2 6 hour days but you could certainly break it down. You could also start a load of wash and switch those as needed.

 

One key is to GET RID OF IT! No matter what "it" is, if you don't need it, use it and love it, OUT it goes. I did this twice with my last house and it was SO liberating. Now we have been in our new house for only 6 weeks and I already have 2 boxes of stuff to donate as we just don't need so much stuff.

[Trresh]

Desk done and vacuuming of clean half done.

 

We're going to start the 3rd quarter and then I'll vacuum it. After that, I have to get a shower and get ready to leave.

 

Lots and lots of trash has been bagged up and taken to the trash cans. I'll get a count from dd later. It's really shameful. There's very few things in the box for the stuff that belongs in other rooms. It's been mainly dirty clothes, books and trash. Horrible.

 

Once I have the living room, front bathroom and kitchen under control I'll start purging as I go from room to room. I need to get these areas clean so I can regain some sanity. I did get rid of a bunch of shoes that sit by the front door. They were either too small or trashed. DD is going to put the nicer shoes in the clothes closet at church tonight.

 

ETA: I can't really afford to pay someone right now. Even if I could, it's so bad I'd be too humiliated to let anyone in the house. I have a very close friend that's offered to help on more than one occasion but I just can't bring myself to let her help.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Trresh

[Guest submarines]

:hurray: You are doing great!

[Jennifer in MI]

Desk done and vacuuming of clean half done.

 

We're going to start the 3rd quarter and then I'll vacuum it. After that, I have to get a shower and get ready to leave.

 

Lots and lots of trash have been bagged up and taken to the trash cans. I'll get a count from dd later. It's really shameful. There's very few things in the box for the stuff that belongs in other rooms. It's been mainly dirty clothes, books and trash. Horrible.

 

Once I have the living room, front bathroom and kitchen under control I'll start purging as I go from room to room. I need to get these areas clean so I can regain some sanity. I did get rid of a bunch of shoes that sit by the front door. They were either too small or trashed. DD is going to put the nicer shoes in the clothes closet at church tonight.

 

ETA: I can't really afford to pay someone right now. Even if I could, it's so bad I'd be too humiliated to let anyone in the house. I have a very close friend that's offered to help on more than one occasion but I just can't bring myself to let her help.

 

 

Woohoo!!!!! I am really happy for you!!!! You must be so happy looking at that side of the room right now! I know when I go through my purging times, I always love to go look at what I've just done!

 

Keep it up! You CAN do this!!!!

[Trresh]

Thank you!! It helps so much to come back and post updates.

 

75% of my living room floor is picked up and vacuumed!! We'll do the last quarter when we get home tonight. I haven't touched surfaces (other than my desk) yet. I'll do that tomorrow.

 

Official bag count is 7...ack!! That includes my first round of 15 minutes pick-ups in the BR, K and LR.

 

I'll check back tonight.

[WishboneDawn]

Oh, my gosh!! Thank you all so much! I seriously could cry right now. I'm so ashamed of letting things get this bad and honestly it's been this way for a long, long time. At night, I think of all of the things I'm going to do the next day and then come morning I'm so overwhelmed I just find a way to take my mind off of it...computer, book, phone, planning the school schedule, etc...

 

My kids are 14, 10 and 8 so they can definitely help.

 

I'm going to get the machines going and do 15 minutes in the front bathroom, living room and kitchen. Then I'm going to reread all the suggestions and will form the rest of my plan from there.

 

I'm going to check-in via this thread. I need accountability.

 

Don't be. It happens despite what the cleaning commercials and homemaking magazines would have us believe. That's especially true when you're homeschooling and have other priorities.

[Mommyof4ks]

Thank you!! It helps so much to come back and post updates.

 

75% of my living room floor is picked up and vacuumed!! We'll do the last quarter when we get home tonight. I haven't touched surfaces (other than my desk) yet. I'll do that tomorrow.

 

Official bag count is 7...ack!! That includes my first round of 15 minutes pick-ups in the BR, K and LR.

 

I'll check back tonight.

 

Yay! You are doing great! Keep it up! It is so freeing to have only stuff you need, want or love in your home. :001_smile:

[Mommee & Baba]

Yay! You are doing great! Keep it up! It is so freeing to have only stuff you need, want or love in your home. :001_smile:

 

:iagree:You are doing great. What a great accomplishment already!!

 

I also agree with the comment about what's in your home. We had a HUGE HUGE declutter this summer and had a huge yard sale and to see how much ROOM we had in our home when we decluttered and got rid of things it was like a whole new home. We fell in love with our home all over again! Now that we've put things up and in boxes in closets for storing when we need them I can't imagine having all that stuff out in the house EVER again.

 

Not only did my mood change because of the UNcluttered house, but my dh and the kids all had happier moods!

[AuntieM]

Go, Trresh, go!!! Feel the momentum!

[Canadianmumof5]

:hurray: You are doing great!

 

:iagree::thumbup:

[ALove]

I didn't read everything but I HAD to respond because I HAVE BEEN THERE!!! I woke up one day, after a period of darkness emotionally, and realized just how bad everything had gotten. Laundry, messy, dirty, no food. Thankfully I had energy again and knew that I had to deal with it quickly or else I was heading back from whence I came. The two biggest things for me were:

I packed up every stitch of clothing in my house and headed out to the laundromat. I filled up 11 washers at once, spent $20 and had all my laundry done in two hours. Best decision every. It was such a stress relief to have one thing totally finished.

I hired a mother's helper (a homeschooled teen that I paid $10 for three hours of help at a time) and got my house into a livable condition.

 

Here's a link to a post on my blog about that experience. It has more details.

http://catholiclovelife.blogspot.com/2010/11/reboot.html

 

Good luck! Life gets better!

[Trresh]

Okay...I'm back. Hopefully I won't drive people crazy pushing this thread to the front page.

 

I have to go to the doctor at 11:45 so I have about 2 hours this morning. Once I'm home I don't have anything scheduled for the day except picking my youngest up from school. My other two have to their school work today but I'm planning a few quick chores for them.

 

Before I go to the doctor, I plan to clean and vacuum the small hallway off the living room. I also clear the clutter off the end tables, love seat and the breakfast bar that divides the living room from the kitchen. I'll then wipe down those areas. I'll check back after that.

 

I love the laundry mat idea. I have a ton to do. I was dreading it. I called DH this morning and he agreed to go with me Saturday afternoon.

 

Thank you for the encouragement! It's motivating me!!

[Mommee & Baba]

Good for you!!

 

Starting your day off right will set the REST of your day! So that's a great thing!!

 

I drink my cup of coffee while I hear my washing machine going..it's music to my ears every morning! I know I'm strange!! :lol:

 

My dishes from breakfast are done after my first cup of coffee and the kids are up! Then we start school and I tend to tiny chores through-out their school day.

 

I think today I really would love to RE-ORGANIZE our bedding linen closet!! You are motivating me over here! :D

[Ottakee]

 

If you need the help, LET HER. If she is a good friend, she really will want to help and it is amazing how much faster things go with 2 people--esp. one who doesn't have any emotional attachment to the stuff.

 

If you are fine on your own, that is great, but don't hesitate to let a close friend help if you need the help.

[Trresh]

We're back from the doctor. Lunch is done and the kids are practicing their instruments. They have some things to do school wise that require me so I'll do that for a bit and then work an hour on the house before I have to pick up little DD.

 

I didn't finish my last goal. I'll finish it as soon as I'm done with the kids.

[ALove]

You are truckin! Congratulations!

[Jennifer in MI]

Keep truckin'!!!!! You'll get there. Maybe set smaller goals. When I read what you had hoped to accomplish in two hours, I thought maybe your didn't have a lot of mess in those places. That was a LOT to get done!!! You've got time. Don't let it get you down. Keep moving on.

 

I agree with the PP who says a friend is willing to help you out. If you are embarrassed now, maybe wait until you have your house picked up and vacuumed. Then, as her over to help out with the sorting - going through closets, tv cabinets, etc. If she offered, she's serious. Let her help you.

[lisabees]

You're doing great! :grouphug:

 

I wish you could kick me in gear; my in-laws are coming over this weekend. If I don't get a move on, I'm going to be closing half the doors in my house so they can't see the mess!!

 

Keep up the good work!

[Homeschooling Again]

I haven't read the responses, but I highly recommend Flylady.com. My life has changed for the better since I started about 2 1/2 months ago.

[Trresh]

Back home only to put pants on...I went to get DD from school in my PJ pants and realized she had Girl Scouts after school. I'm the co-leader for Pete's sake. Luckily, the leader was doing the meeting this week. I have to go back to school and help. I'll start again when I get back home.

 

Goals for when I get home: Dinner and then cleaning the toilet in the front bathroom.

 

I think you all are right about having my friend help. I think I'll pick-up first and then ask her to help me declutter. I do tend to hang on to things. Once I get everything somewhat under control I need to check into FlyLady, again. It's been awhile since I attempted her program.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown comes on tonight so other than washing clothes for tomorrow, I'm going to take the evening off. I'll be gone most of the day tomorrow. I plan on hitting it hard this weekend, though.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Trresh

[Marylou]

Go, Trresh, Go! Keep up the good work. You will fees so calm after all the clutter is gone!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Trresh, I'm glad that you started this thread. We are doing crisis cleaning here today. We have a rotation going. Person 1 does 15 min. in the living room, while Person 2 works in the kitchen and Person 3 works in one of the bathrooms. When the timer goes off, we rotate - Person 1 moves to the kitchen etc. After each person gets a time in each room, we have a 15 min. break. We've done 2 complete rotations so far.

[Trresh]

I'm feeling overwhelmed and a little lazy so I'm posting here for some accountability. We're taking all the clothes to the laundromat when DH gets back from hunting.

 

I need to sort them plus weed out any that are no good or don't fit anymore.

 

Here I go!!

[simka2]

I am sitting here waiting for dh to pull up with the moving truck. That means my house looks like a bomb went off and I know there is very little I can do about it for the next couple of days.

 

In fact, for the next week I bet I will have 2 houses that are a complete disaster!!! :tongue_smilie:

 

Someone please pray that the moving fairies come and help me move!!!

[Ottakee]

I'm feeling overwhelmed and a little lazy so I'm posting here for some accountability. We're taking all the clothes to the laundromat when DH gets back from hunting.

 

I need to sort them plus weed out any that are no good or don't fit anymore.

 

Here I go!!

 

Take a big black trash bag or box or something along to the laundry mat and weed out the clothes right there as you fold them out of the dryer. DO NOT let them back into your house but rather drop them off at a donation place on your way home. While I have my "favorite" donation place, in situations like this, I will drop them off at the most convient one/first one I pass to make sure that the stuff does NOT get back to the house.