Having just helped some folks clean their home, ahead of a rental inspection, I am once again reminded of how much more difficult cleaning is when there is so much clutter. Things sitting out on display, whether that be for aesthetics, convenience or lack of cabinet space (due to them being cluttered), are prone to get dusty or, in the case of the kitchen area, also covered in grime. The more things out the higher degree of difficulty there is to achieve a good outcome on cleaning day. Not having a good working system for dealing with paperwork also adds another layer of mess to have to Continue reading
Clutter Maintenance
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Every time I have moved house I have had a reasonable length of notice. Although, sometimes the definite ~ "Yes we are moving." ~ may have come a little last minute but the maybe had been on the cards for long enough to have me get the preparation ball rolling. And by that I don't only mean decluttering but also... ...rounding up of like items throughout the home. ...bagging up tiny like items that might get lost if not secured together. ...cleaning items that may have become soiled either by constant or lack of use. ...running down of consumable items such as, toiletries, food Continue reading
Cleaning is hard work
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There is no miracle cleaner the will make cleaning your home anything but work. Just like miracle diet pills can't replace healthy eating and regular exercise to maintain healthy weight. What you need in both cases is a good attitude to put in the effort that is required to achieve good results. So if you have a large space in your home dedicated to bottles and jars full of specialised cleaners for every surface then you are most likely deluding yourself. Not to mention wasting a lot of space and money. I encountered just such a situation recently and it left me shaking my head in amazement. Continue reading
Freeing up space
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I talk a lot about freeing up space in cupboards, closets, shelves and floors. No one ever seems to have questioned me as to what all this space is being freed up for. What is the point in having empty spaces on shelves or floor space that could hold furniture to store or organise all your stuff. Given that you don't need to declutter anything if you don't want to then I could understand why this would come into question. However you wouldn't even be entertaining the thought of decluttering if being cluttered was working for you. One thing for sure, that I have mentioned before, is that Continue reading
House Chores – Do a little see a big difference ~ by Andréia
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One of the things I have discovered with decluttering is that house chores are not all that hard and don’t take that much time. You might laugh and say I am lying and a couple of years ago I would think that myself, but it is not so. First of all we always have to consider, with house chores, the amount of stuff that we have to a) put away; and b) clean on shelves. That is the key. If you have 3 full wardrobes of clothing your laundry day (or days) will be nightmarish. If you pair down your clothing and that of your family there is a lot less to use, but there is also a lot less to clean. In Continue reading
Declutter while you clean
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I received the following comment from Willow yesterday... "I like to do the mini missions when I am cleaning different rooms in my house. For example, as I was cleaning the bathroom, I decided to declutter the baskets we use to keep things organized (like my makeup, nail files). I pulled out all the old expired little medicine bottles and we were able to get rid of several which I will put in a plastic bag and recycle at the local police station tomorrow. It’s amazing what I find as I’m cleaning." I was amused by the comment and inspired to write this post at the same time. The reason Continue reading
Simplicity the payoff to decluttering
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When I began decluttering it was all about downsizing to fit into a smaller home. However it didn't take long to realise that decluttering resulted in simplicity. Here are some ways in which my life has become simpler due to my decluttering. Decluttering displayed items means less dusting making housework simpler. Decluttering items inside cupboards and drawers makes it simpler to keep them organised and tidy. Less stuff in general makes it simpler to keep an entire home tidy. And when the house is tidier it is also simpler to clean the surfaces because there is less stuff to move Continue reading
The clutter cause by unfinished tasks
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I mostly talk about clutter in the form of items that are unused and unloved that could be permanently removed from our homes. However the detritus of unfinished tasks also mounds up over a very short period of time when a short attention span, lack of planning or sheer laziness has us making a half hearted effort. Below are some reasons why this sort of clutter accumulates and the possible consequences... Mail is opened but not attended too. ~ At the very least there should be a designated place for mail to be filed when needing later attention. Not doing this can end up in late fees Continue reading
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ The “Floordrobe”
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My youngest, Audra, made me laugh recently by saying that a friend had gotten a new wardrobe from IKEA but preferred to continue using "the floordrobe." Personally, I hate the floor. How does so much stuff wind up there? I have four animals, and they each seem to shed their bodies' weight in fur every week. I don't have any carpet to trap the fur, and that's a good thing, but it also means that I have the tumbling tumbleweeds of hair every time we open the windows and a breeze gets going. Yuck. I hate a hairy floor. I also hate to walk barefoot and have stuff stick to the bottom of my feet. Continue reading
Mini Mission Monday
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Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and "fun" for you to achieve some quick decluttering. There are definitely specific items that, in excess, make your home harder to keep tidy, organised and efficient. For today's mini missions I will make some suggestions of items to declutter and why they can have a negative effect in your home when in over-abundance. Most of the items I mention Continue reading
