08.22.08
Just In Case
Ah yes, the biggest challenge to decluttering. We may need something just in case. Want to see what I found that we kept just in case?
Just In Case
Perfect. I’ve got a couple of laundry detergent bottles that were empty so we won’t count those in our just in case list.
- 2 Large Bottles of Fantastik
- Pet Stain Remover (almost empty)
- Ceramic Floor cleaner
- Travel bottle of laundry detergent
- Empty bottle of dish detergent
- Empty margarine tub
Rest easy, that’s Merlin and he’s a keeper. Just to give you an idea of how long these were kept…and this is kind of gross…
Dust In Case
That particular bottle was bought when we first moved in. I have since moved onto more natural cleaning mixtures and the neon yellow that came tumbling out was kind of gross. That’s one nice layer of dust on there. So we kept it just in case……of emergency floor cleaning?? I don’t know.
And this is where that all came from…
Before
Love those basement laundry rooms….so cheerful.
After
Still not cheerful, but at least it has less crap in it. And yes, the two Aussie butts are staying too.
I also decluttered 3 cups of coffee this morning, but somehow I don’t think that is what this challenge is about!
There’s still time to join in!
Special thanks to Flash, Merlin and Zoe who were extra helpful in examining the outgoing bottles. Cookies for all!
08.15.08
Going Down Under
I think I’ve done more than my 7 items for the week, and that’s a good thing. Hopefully I can continue to keep up the pace.
Today I cleared out the cupboard under the sink. I think that it’s okay, I’m not really sure what to do with it. It seems like such a waste of space. There’s got to be a solution to that somewhere…hopefully a cheap one.
Before
After
Random Junk
Tada!!
In the Bag
It’s our blender. We haven’t touched it in years and there’s nothing wrong with it so someone else might as well enjoy it. Besides I’ve got my Magic Bullet!
What’s leaving your house today?
08.13.08
Busy, Busy
Not much on the decluttering front…one frayed, dirty, smell, torn dog toy. I’m really glad we held onto that, I’ll spare you from the photo. That one can go in the garbage as I can’t think of a single dog who could make further use of it. Most everything else that is going is able to be donated…as soon as I get it there.
Bellydancing tonight! There aren’t many classes left before the summer session is over and I’m looking forward to my fall Term class. The classes are over an hour long and the class size is small. I’m excited because we’re going to be learning choreography with a veil!! I’ve also bought some new workout wear for class…I’ve decluttered enough to make room…I think.
08.12.08
Spoonfuls of Sugar
Before
Ugh…what a mess. And yes that is the stuff IN the drawer…nice eh. So let’s see what a little divide and conquer can do.
Divided
Ahhh so easy to find what I need now. If I can just get MC to leave it alone that is. I suspect however there will be in influx of wandering spoons.
Conquered
And here’s a few things that are out of the kitchen and into someone else’s. I mean really, how many slotted flippers, spatulas and cheese graters do we need? Don’t panic we’ve still got plenty! Buh Bye
08.08.08
On The Ledge
Another small and easy job today. This took me less than 10 minutes and it looks a heck of a lot better.
Before
So there it is. The catch all…if I don’t have a spot for it, it goes there. Outgoing mail is there as well. I also stash any gift certificates there because this little shelf is right by our door.
After
Sorry about the shiny picture, but it’s the best I can do on a cloudy day…I had to use my flash. So I got rid of a bunch of garbage and I found yet more nail polish to add to my collection. Much nicer to look at…now I have to remember where I put the baby monitor???
Lickety Splitting
He’s cute…but he’s out of here. One little Webkinz figurine….bye!
Go see what you can do in 10 minutes!
08.07.08
Out With the Old
The August Declutter Challenge has inspired me to get rid of a more things than I thought. I figure I’ll go with the inspiration and get rid of a few extra things until my steam runs out. If I run out of steam I’ll go back to one a day. It seems to me that once I got started there was just a one more thing I could do, and really it didn’t take too much time.
Today I did indeed clean out the floor of my front closet. After I pulled out the large tumbleweeds of dog hair I could actually see the floor…and well…ew. So I pulled out the plastic cabinet, shoe rack and boot try and gave everything a very quick wipe down before putting things back. So here’s my first two pictures for the day…the closet…
Before
After
- Going, Going, Gone
Just a few extra cat bowls huh. And notice the very unique cat there…he’s a toilet brush holder. As I recall I found him while I was in college. A pair of shoes that I bought in wide and have never, ever fit…it could be because I don’t wear a wide but you be the judge. That gold thing back there is for fingertip towels, which I can’t seem to find. I bought it for the cats bathroom and I really wanted to find some, oh well. Oh and the projectile hazard/car blind which I bought before I knew that it wasn’t safe to put in the car with MC. Why they sell something that’s not safe I’ll never know.
Tomorrow I’ll be doing another small job…our living room shelf. It’s just a little shelf that tends to gather all the bits and pieces of the day.
08.06.08
Easy Peasy
Day 6 of The August Organizing Challenge
I’ve opted to take it a little easy today. Tuesday and Wednesday are my larger cleaning days that a vacuum and mop both floors of the house. So I did a little easy peasy job today. Such a small thing that I’ve been putting off and it really makes things look nicer.
Before
So what we have here is what Scott refers to as my “nest”. It’s where I blog, write, surf, do my nails…you name it this is the spot for it. It tends to get cluttered and messy because I don’t put things away.
After
What’s gone…the cheese grater handle (MC likes to pull things out of kitchen drawers), flyers, old envelopes. The purple container holds my nail polish, which is upstairs with the nail polish remover now. I also found some random garbage.
What stayed…my crochet bag and book, brand spanking new IKEA catalogue, Moen faucet catalogue and my video camera docking station. Since I do most of my uploading right here, it’s easiest for me to keep it here.
I also gave it a wipe down.
I’m really hoping to have a go at our hall closet, but the thought of wading through that really does NOT appeal to me. So instead tomorrow I will go through the shoe shelf and maybe vacuum out the dog hair…or at least vacuum out the dog hair.
08.05.08
One A Day
You know when you look at all the clutter in your house that you “should” do something abut but it all seems so overwhelming? Could you declutter just one item per day? How long would it take…a couple of seconds at the most.
Marcia the Organizing Queen is having an August Decluttering Challenge that asks you to do just that. No overwhelming lists, just find one thing per day to let go of. I’ve got my pile accumulating in a small box that will go to my local reuse centre. Wanna see what I’ve got so far? No? Too bad it’s my blog and I can post my junk if I want to.
Decluttered
So what do we have?
- 3 Old Cushions
- 1 Exercise Ball with Pump
- 1 NHL Team Car Flag
- 1 Freebie Bag
- 1 Diaper Bag
- 5 Red Glass Christmas Ornaments
- 1 Plastic Magazine Holder
Bye, bye, bye
Marcia has offered a prize for those who complete the whole 31 days, head on over to The Organizing Queen and get started!
