Where do I start?

[DawnM]

I need to Clean and Purge.

 

I am so overwhelmed I don't even know where to start.

 

Garage?

Basement storage area?

Bedrooms?

School room?

Toy Room?

 

Do you just go room by room or do you do a general over-going and then go back and do it again?

 

I want this house on the market by SPRING!

 

Purging is just ONE initial thing I need to do.

 

Dawn

 

PS: I would also like your opinion on the Creative Memories stuff that I know I am NEVER going to actually do. Do I sell on ebay in small bits or as a large lot or try CL? I need it GONE but I don't really want to give it away. I spent a small fortune on the stupid stuff.

[Susan C.]

One thing at a time, you see it, deal with it, then stop, another time you see something, deal with it. Eventually, it should look better. (I'm just at the start of this, but I enjoy looking at what I have done.)

[MAIMOM]

Have you ever looked at Flylady? She has a website that helps with just that sort of thing.

 

She started out with a CHAOS house - "can't have anyone over syndrom" and worked to get her house in order with one new routine a month. Then she started helping others put the same plan in place. She has a section on her website about getting your house ready for the market.

I love that she is supportive and encouraging. She says start with baby steps just like Susan C recommends. I love that flylady has a plan to follow as you go through the steps. She even has an email reminder that can be helpful.

You can check it out here http://www.flylady.net/

[athena1277]

When I need to clean out, I start I start with either 1. The area most in need of cleaning or 2. The area easiest to get to "done". Usually it's #2. I need to feel like I'm making progress in order to keep going.

[Unicorn.]

Everything I have ever heard, has said to start w/ your storage areas, so that you have a place to put stuff as you go. Otherwise, it just clutters up someplace new, while waiting on you to get the storage area cleaned too. I would start w/ the garage or basement.

[KatA]

I'm in the middle of decluttering/organizing the house. I follow A Bowl Full of Lemons blog, she's doing a 14 week organizing thing that I'm roughly following (I don't have the same areas she does). I cleaned/decluttered the kitchen last week, this week is the garage, next week the pantry...

 

I don't have any suggestions on what *works* :D since I'm right there with you, but we have a garage full of stuff we're going to drop off at the local rescue mission that we decluttered just from the kitchen and garage. I found empty space (dining room), took everything out of the kitchen, organizing in sections as I went (food prep, bakeware, daily use). Brought it back in an organized manner. lol. We'll see how well it keeps up. It was a lot of work, and we hit a speed bump with the garage (it had so much stuff in it.) But my husband helped and we're moving right along.

 

Maybe going one at a time would be less overwhelming but I don't know if it would ever get done if I did it like that. I have the motivation to declutter now, so I'm doing it completely. I think the areas that get the heaviest traffic as far as stuff collecting (kitchen, garage) are best to get done with first with the most motivation.

[DawnM]

This was my first thought.

 

I also have GOT to go buy more storage bins for my shelves.

 

Dawn

 

Everything I have ever heard, has said to start w/ your storage areas, so that you have a place to put stuff as you go. Otherwise, it just clutters up someplace new, while waiting on you to get the storage area cleaned too. I would start w/ the garage or basement.

[DawnM]

I can't respond to everything right now, I have got to get out the door, but love the ideas and thoughts so far.

 

Keep 'em coming.

 

Dawn

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

I just recently started this hard core in my house. We have done this before, but just a little at a time. This time, I took absolutely EVERYTHING out of the room (my office, which also stores most of the homeschooling supplies). I rearranged a bit and got a few things that would help to organize it. Then I was ruthless when going through the contents of that room and I only let back in what I really wanted it. I've sold and donated a lot. What we absolutely need to keep has been organized and is nice and neat with room to spare. I am just finishing up, and then plan to move to the next room!

[besroma]

I go room by room. I practically empty it, then put back only what I want in that room. The kids' rooms are easiest for me.

 

I agree that having a place to move things keeps the living areas cleaner, but I also have to work on what I am really motivated to complete. Sometimes I can just "see" what needs to stay, what I need to purge, and where to put things In certain rooms.

 

If tackling your entire storage area Is overwhelming, you can clean out one section of it (say, one wall) which will be where you put things you know you want to keep. We use large see-through bins from Target. Cheap ones often crack during moving.

 

It also helps if you know someone who can use things you want to get rid of but you don't want to donate (artwork, pottery, nice clothes that you don't wear).

[Perry]

I'd go room by room, starting with the kitchen. The kitchen is the center of my home, and where I spend most of my time. If you get your kitchen purged, you will be motivated to spread out from there.

 

I would save the storage areas for last, actually, because if you make room there, you will just fill it back up. You're more likely to get rid of stuff if you don't have anywhere to put it.

[Guest]

I would start with a closet first. It is very rewarding and it helps avoid the shuffle from one spot to another.

 

Also, when I need to work on a bookcase, I tell myself I will take down 5 books a day that I'm planning to pass on. In reality, there is a good chance I will remove more than 5 at one time, but it helps me psychologically. It stops me from feeling it's a mountain of work.

[ChrisN in NY]

What I ended up doing was starting at the back door, our "back room" which is our primary entrance. That enters into the kitchen, so I did that next, then the pantry. The pantry is next to the stairs, so I went up, around through each room in order.

 

I need to come back down the stairs and finish the last two rooms on the main floor.

 

So my advice is start where you come in/out the most, and work room by room in order.

 

HTH!

[fraidycat]

I agree - start in the storage areas. Closets, basement, garage, etc. Those are the areas that will be easiest to purge, simply because that is the stuff you are storing - so obviously don't need the stuff on a day to day basis. It gets harder when you get to the stuff that you do use, but don't necessarily need to use, KWIM? For example, I use every knife in my kitchen drawer...at some point or another, BUT I could probably make do with less. The same goes for large spoons, spatulas, food flippers, etc.

 

I am on a huge purge mission right now. It is taking awhile because some days I am ruthless and can make the decision to toss and other days I just don't have enough brain power to even think about trying to make decisions beyond what to cook for supper, and sometimes not even that - on peanut butter sandwich nights. ;) If I try to force myself on those days, nothing gets accomplished except a larger mess.

 

We started in the garage and did one half of it - now we have someplace to move the items temporarily to be loaded up and trashed or donated. Then I moved to clothes and linens. That helped to clear out the closets and drawers. I did start in the kitchen a little bit because I had to empty the cupboards to battle the ants, but the kitchen is not my main focus. This weekend, it is the large storage closet that holds craft supplies, board games, a full size bed (spare that goes in the schoolroom when family visits), and other random things - as in, I don't even know what's in there, so I obviously don't need to be holding on to it!

Edited September 22, 2012 by fraidycat

[MamaAkins]

I need to Clean and Purge.

 

I am so overwhelmed I don't even know where to start.

 

Garage?

Basement storage area?

Bedrooms?

School room?

Toy Room?

 

Do you just go room by room or do you do a general over-going and then go back and do it again?

 

I want this house on the market by SPRING!

 

Purging is just ONE initial thing I need to do.

 

Dawn

 

PS: I would also like your opinion on the Creative Memories stuff that I know I am NEVER going to actually do. Do I sell on ebay in small bits or as a large lot or try CL? I need it GONE but I don't really want to give it away. I spent a small fortune on the stupid stuff.

 

Start in the rooms that you spend the most time in--that way you will be motivated by the progress you see. I prefer to do a massive room by room clean out rather than "peeling back the layers slowly."

[blakereese]

Start with one small storage area. I say small because you don't want to keep too much, right? The more storage room I have, the more junk I keep. And if I have a lot of storage space, I will just put everything there without properly going through it.

 

Then start with a small room that is easy. I always start with my bathrooms, we have several and they all have a closet in them where things to to "hide". I take everything out, try to keep only the necessary, then clean it from top to bottom. I love sparkly clean bathrooms and it motivates me. :) Then I go to the kitchen because 1. It is our largest room, 2. We spend a lot of time there, and 3. It has a lot of counter space and 2 tables which tend to grow piles. ;) I love (and the kids and DH love) when the island is all clear and the table, it just really makes the house seem clean. I also find that we always have tons of things we can get rid of in the kitchen, extra cups and plates and some gadget we stopped using, sippy cups that are old, etc. Again, clean from top to bottom and stop to smell the freshness. :D

 

Then I just go from room to room in whatever order makes sense at the time. I have the kids help now (my 9 and 6 year olds know the rule "if you haven't used it in a year, bye bye"!!) and they can work on their rooms while I am upstairs in another room.

 

Once we have started this I really try to be diligent and get it done as quick as possible, because it tends to turn into total chaos at first when everything is dumped out and all. We are doing this now, I seem to be a fall declutterer more than a spring cleaner :001_smile: so this is the time of year I love to get it out. We always have 2 or 3 boxes in the garage ready for donation.

 

You have the motivation to want to sell your home, and I think it helps when you have a goal like that in mind. Try to set aside X amount of time each day and you will notice a difference very quickly which will keep up the momentum.

 

Good luck!!

 

Oh, and I love Peter Walsh's book, It's All Too Much. I read it or skim through it again when I need the kick in the bum to declutter. :001_smile:

[Desert Rat]

I help people organize, Dawn.

 

If you want to list it by spring, I would start with the yucky stuff first- basement and garage. I like to start with one corner farthest away from the door, if possible, and work toward the door. If that's not possible, take out a few boxes at a time and sort through them in the hall, outside, in the dining room, wherever you have the room.

The key is that once you've finished a space, not to let it get junked up again.

As for the CM stuff, see if there is a rep in town that will buy it off you or list as a lot on Craigs. I moved to digiscrapping a couple years ago and couldn't give my stuff away. *sigh* Good luck~!

[Alyeska]

When I did our cleanout in August, I started with a tiny shoe/coat closet that was just a place for miscellaneous stuff that I was wanting to use for storage of important/must keep things. Because the space was very limited, I was motivated to get rid of more stuff.

 

After the closet, I started in the kitchen/dining area because it is the center of our home. Then the living room got cleaned out. Then the bedrooms. The sunroom was last because I used this as a 'staging area' for boxes to go to goodwill, trash, etc...

 

 

And although I just did a cleanout, I am already feeling like I need to get rid of even more stuff. :) It is kind of addicting.

[Mommy to monkeys]

I am so dealin with this right now.

 

The house I'm living in isn't ours (the owner doesn't live here though), so it has all of their stuff AND ours in it. Stuff everywhere. Drives me nuts.

 

I have so many little ones that I cannot sit down and do a whole room, so I'm finding that as I finish a whopping huge box of diapers, I fill it fill of things to donate. I throw away as I go along. I have 3 in diapers, so we go through them very quickly. Once we get the basic "purge" done. I want to go room to room and downsize.

[DawnM]

Thank you all. I am starting some lists.

 

Along with purging I need to get some people in here to work on some projects.

 

1. Some painting

2. Re-doing some tile in the shower in the master as well as a few other minor projects in the master bathroom.

3. Some landscaping in the front of the house

4. A railing on our front steps

5. New carpet in the entire upstairs

6. New countertops in the kitchen

 

And yes, all of the above needs to be done before we can sell.