Well friends, the purging and cleaning is still going strong… big time.
It’s actually kinda taken over in a good way. Most evenings after dinner are spent gutting and bagging. I’m working up such a sweat over it, it actually feels like a real workout. There are always bags or boxes of stuff being piled up somewhere. Makes me wish I just had one empty room to pile just the bags!
Yup, it’s been that drastic.
It’s also making me question my hoarding habits… or lack of discipline. Or both.
I guess the good thing is, I know how to do this. It’s just a matter of doing it.
Thing is, this place was clean before we head to Maui in late June. How did things get so out of hand in 4 months time?
Have the conversation with yourself…
Is it the fact that I’m not paying attention to where I put things?
Is it the fact that I’m always on the run and never finish things?
That there’s always a life crunch that takes priority, having me drop things in my quake?
That my days are so full, maybe too full, that’s causing panic from life thing to life thing?
These are all questions that need addressing. So I’m working on loosening up more time for life in general.
One thing for sure is, I never use to go on a massive picking up spree each day or evening like I do now. I LOVE the look of the sparse rooms of late, so each evening, I drag the vacuum cleaner over the floors, which means they must be picked up first.
Staying on top of clean rooms:
Each evening, go through EVERY room and pick up the piles.
This small, concentrated effort has made a difference.
Anyway, one particular evening, my closet was hit.
I was hanging up clean laundry and couldn’t deal with this mess. Tangled hangers and everything squished together. I couldn’t even close the right closet door!
Out of sheer spur of the moment mounting frustration…. I gutted the entire closet, floor and bars, onto my bed.
Spontaneous purging is sometimes best!
Don’t over think this… just DO it!
If you think about it, you’ll talk yourself out of it due to lack of time.
I then started sorting stuff into piles. Thrift, keep, toss, you get the idea.
Sadly, this massive mound sat on my bedroom floor for a week, as the evening just ran out of time.
But that’s ok! At least my closet looked like this. 🙂
I was very hard on myself on this one. I visualized picking something out of my closet and putting it on. If it didn’t fit or I ‘would never wear that these days’, it went. Even if I still liked it or it had a new tag hanging from it. The thrift store did really well on this one.
Now I have room to shop for things I will wear!
Have that conversation with yourself.
While you clean, I suggest to really anazlize why your place gets to the point it does. Is it really lack of room, time priority, or improper storage? Or maybe a little of everything?
My belief is, you DO have room in the home you live in. You just gotta take the time and get the balance right for your particular home.
I’m going to be a little more sporadic with these cleaning posts from hereon out, because for the most part, the private Facebook group has been the place others are sharing their befores and afters in privacy.
Whatever works, I say! I’m just glad it’s working!
So join in if you’d like HERE!
And if you’d like a little video inspiration on my fav purging tips, visit it HERE.
And see you soon with another either major or minor cleaning revamp! There’s still lots to do…
Visit all Crap to Cleans HERE
Denim, black, white, and grey…. looks like my closet! 🙂
Hi Donna,
Link to cleaning tips goes to pruning instead.
Thought you would want to know.
Margaret
sorry Donna,
I found it.
You’ve got to be feeling pretty awesome by now – you’ve accomplished so much! Pat yourself on the back and by the way your closet looks great. I use plastic hangers for some silly reason it helps me keep my close on the hangers.
I think we females all have this hoarder instinct to some extent. I released mine when I got tired of moving all our stuff. We’ve moved many times and the stuff became a wake up call. Now as we approach an empty nest I just want to go smaller and really simplify my life even more. Enjoying what’s around me instead of gathering.
Perhaps focusing more on making a difference. Just ready for something new!
I know people probably say all kinds of crazy when commenting on blogs. I love your Blog and have followed along for quite sometime. However – Donna what is going on with those wire hangers, yikes!! A trip to your favourite big box store whichever one it is and you will be loving your closet even more. Remember I am not judging, just sayin 😉 PS: Great job with the organizing you have definitely inspired some crazy purging here!!
Please, please change out those wire hangers and give yourself a lift!! Those wire hangers can really give you trouble as they tangle and don’t really support your clothes well.
You go girl!
That’s the way I like to clean too_ gut the area , wipe it down and then put back orderly and get rid of what is not needed
Love the look of the newly organized closet! You have inspired me to take a load out of mine. It is that time of the year to take stock and purge all the clothes that we don’t wear.
I practice the evening pick-up process and it has worked great for years.
You don’t have to get up to a mess every morning and it feels good.
PS: I like the tip about you getting some nicer looking hangers that will work better for your clothes!!!
You surprise me with old fashion wire hangers
Great job! Buy some pretty hangars. It gives respect to your clothes! Lol no, I’m not nuts, just hate wire hangars. Check out the life changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo. Best seller and a great read!
You guys are cracking me up! I love my wire hangers…. junker. Remember? 😀
I’ll go look for some new ones, but I’m not making any promises! I had a few plastic from my mom’s place and I didn’t like how much more room they took so I got rid of them…
But I promise to give it a chance. I’ll see what my options are. I can’t possibly not get the best ride out of this after all. 🙂
Donna – I don’t like plastic hangers either! They seem to take up a lot of space. You have inspired me to get in my closet and clean and organize it – wish me luck!
P.S. Your closet looks great!
Donna
So inspiring – you’ve given me the hutzpah to tackle mine.
<3
Pia
I love this post! Thanks for sharing. I am enjoying the Crap to Clean Facebook group, and hoping to put some more photos up soon. I haven’t really contributed much yet, but if you ever want to use any of my photos or words as examples of how you have inspired people you are more than welcome. My pics are not good quality as I don’t have a camera only a mobile phone but use whatever you like if you want. I don’t have a blog (well I do, but I never use it and probably never will again now) so I like to catch up via yours, the ones on your link parties and the group. It is really fun and anyone thinking about it but not sure – do it, the people are so friendly.
I have been holding fire on posting up my Crap to Clean inspired coffee station because the reward is not coming until tomorrow… A “new” second-hand coffee machine which I am ever so excited about. Like you, I love my coffee. I took on board something you said once about rewarding yourself for a good task completed. Sometimes just looking at the clean area is calming and satisfying enough to be a reward in itself, but man when you are dealing with my kitchen… bigger rewards are the only motivation. I am still procrastinating over the long over-due oven blitz eeek.
Thanks for your offer to share, Nessie! I’ll definitely see about grabbing a few pics from the group to share, once more befores and afters are up. You guys are killin’ it behind the scenes!
And this coffee reward? BONUS!!!! I hope you get the best coffee in the land to celebrate it when up and running!
Oh well done! You know, when ever I do that, (and that is THE one thing I do manage to keep on top of), it strikes me in such a positive way that I actually have a preferred style. For me it’s usually black, a few other neutrals, not much print and red is practically the only colour. I like that and the feeling that I can just about grab anything with anything else and it will look great on me. I see your style so very clearly after you organised the closet. Such a nice feeling, isn’t it?
Oh I know! I could totally see what my real style actually was. And it also depends on my current hair colour… LOL
Right now I’m best in blue and black. Who knows what it’ll be next month! But I suspect, the same. Or else I’m going shopping!
I can’t remember the last time I saw a WIRE coat hanger!
Many years ago (as an adult), my bedroom would get completely out of hand. When I cleaned, I put everything on the bed. Obviously, everything had to get put away in order to sleep on the bed that evening! Psyching ourselves up and into doing what needs to get done — and finished!
I’m still putting our house together from our move about 5 weeks ago. It’s slow, but methodical!
Best wishes to all!
Yes! Having to deal with the mess on the bed certainly got the job done!
Why the floor took so long I have no idea. Guess because I don’t sleep there… haha
LOL…I see that my first thought – plastic hangers – has been said by a few of us.
“! I had a few plastic from my mom’s place and I didn’t like how much more room they took so I got rid of them…” This is precisely why I suggest it! Wire hangers let you jam the unnecessary in ….
imho, and that’s all it is really, you have plenty of day to day clothes. 9? pairs of jeans or slacks? I’ve been in the situation of needing more pants hangers (I hang them full length) and then wondered…do I really need more than 5 or so pair? However, I’m still wanting a pair of ‘the right shade’ of khaki to replace the khakis that somehow got a tear in the rear end!
Today, I’ve been purging paper…souvenirs and art things. The latter one are going off to a charity art supply place for teachers and hobbyists. It feels really really good.
Oh my gosh. I’m so laughing over the hanger dilemma! Now I REALLY need to see what I’ve been missing out on! haha
As for those jeans? I let go an entire cubby full of them because they didn’t fit. (oops) I suspect I’ll get rid of all these, because I don’t love them, but don’t hate them enough to get rid of them until they are replaced. You know… in case I get called out of the house and have to be remotely presentable in a pinch. 🙂
I really need an entirely new wardrobe, but maybe that can be part of my reward after all this is done!
Boy, can I relate to this one! I’m an inveterate hoarder/collector (got it from my mom). I’m in the process of decluttering my music room, my workshop, my garage (so I can put my car in it this winter), and the guest bedroom/my office. I work on one place each day or evening, then go to the next spot the next day, et cetera. All because I hate to throw away an item that still has a use somewhere. I am the child of parents who grew up during the Great Depression as farm kids – nothing was wasted, and the lessons were passed on. Sometimes thrift is a curse! Even though many of your blogs are geared toward the gals, I still find stuff to glean from them.
You’ve come up with a fab plan, Dale! I think a space a day is the best way to power through this. The motion to improve becomes somewhat addictive when you’re in the midst of it, so that’s when it’s best to keep going!
Interesting take on the farm kid thing… that was me too. I wonder… 🙂
And I’m REALLY glad you brought up the ‘geared to gals’ comment. I’m going to work a little harder at not staying so girlie… if that’s even remotely possible. haha
Glad you caught the purging bug with us!
I forgot to mention in the original post, that I also grew up on a farm in SW Wisconsin. Every farmer had a junk pile to go to, for fixing machinery or fabricating a part. Fascinating places for a kid!
I look forward to your posts, as they enrich us with novel ideas to use items instead of discarding them. I love to check curbsides the night before garbage pickup – it never fails to amaze me that folks throw away perfectly good items. I gleaned an old leather golf bag last week, and it now holds my garden/lawn equipment – so much easier to carry it from spot to spot all at once, instead of piecemeal.
Great job! I purged 9 bags of clothes between my son and I this summer. 7 were mine, cringe. I’m looking for a job so I’m waiting to see what kind of environment that is before re-filling some of the holes that were created by my purge.
I’ve been gone for a few days so catching up on your posts. In all the comments one thing I didn’t read was colorizing. After working in a dept. store, where all items – clothing, bedding, towels, etc. – were colorized I began to do it at home. What a difference it made in finding an article of clothing and the neat appearance made me smile. Just like paint swatch cards and the color wheel, I organized my drawers & closets…even my socks. A cross between a plastic & wire hanger is a plastic hanger (some have rubber coating on the plastic to keep things from slipping) with a wire hook, like the ones used in dept. stores, and many times are free if you ask for them.