Declutter Rules

Here we go again, more declutter information, I just can't seem to stop myself. I just love information about decluttering and when I found "The Rules", well my fingers were on fire. Everyone has topics they are naturally attracted to, and I guess this is mine. Here you go with the newest information. 

 "General Rules of Decluttering"

1. Remove 1 item/day. When you make the decision, the time has come to part with items, you can start small by practicing the one item/day rule. 

2. Don't get caught up in the selling cycle. I had what I thought were really nice decor items that I don't need anymore. Yep, changed them out with the new renos. I rarely sell anything; I usually just donate to a thrift store. But every now and then I think I should sell. I staged everything nicely for a picture, I wrote charming things about my items, I was convinced they would sell quickly. Nope, I was wrong. I didn't even sell half of my wonderful things. I hope the thrift store enjoys them and can make money from them because that is where they are. I have learned a couple of things; I am not meant to sell. Secondly, those items were taking up space not only in my closet but my head. Having an item for sale on Marketplace is more work than I was willing to give it. If you enjoy the selling game, I admire that. It is clearly not for me.   

3. Never ask a child if they want to keep a toy, the answer will be "yes". This is a parent's decision. 

4. Use a maybe box. I have done that, I put clothes that I can't decide about in a bag. The plan is to check how I feel in a determined amount of time. Much later I find the bag, say to myself "wonder what is in this bag", and donate the contents. I think I could have missed this step, but I had it in my head I needed to hang onto it for a few more months.  

5. Get rid of the "just in case" mindset. I have heard so many times, "I grew up with nothing and I can't part with anything, just in case, I need it". I believe the rule is: something needs to be touched and used every year or it should be donated.  

6. Apply the, "1 in 1 out" rule. Do we ever buy something because we wore something out? Heavens no we bought it because we wanted it. Did we buy it to add to the collection or to replace something. I know I have over extended when I run out of hangers. Buying more hangers is not an option for me.

7. Only keep things that spark joy. That is a line from the Book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo. If you struggle with decluttering, I strongly recommend you read this book. I once lent my book to a friend. She was disappointed in her home, and her and hubby were going to get rid of things. They had a garage sale in mind. Well, hubby read every word in the book, and she got tired of him saying, "does it spark joy". I sense she wanted to use the book as a weapon, not to spark joy. My point here is that he bought in big time and things were on the move.  

I have recently turned my condo upside down with renos. That means cleaning in spots that rarely get cleaned. It also means rearranging and replacing. I took the rules and started to clean and organize.   

1. Bathroom. Because I did major renovations in my bathrooms, I now own a medicine cabinet. I don't need a medicine cabinet because I have very few medicines, but it looks nice. It is not only a finishing touch, but a storage space. Currently, I have an empty shelf in it and an empty drawer in my ensuite. Potential lies ahead with this little addition. 

2. Kitchen. Apparently, 30% of our food is outdated. Whatever did we do before they put expiry dates on food? I guess it was like Russian Roulette with every meal. We did survive eating what we wanted, when we wanted, and no one had a clue how long the can sat on the shelf. It was in a can, so it was safe to consume. I remember when everyone did preservatives. I guess the expiry date was up when it discolored, because up until that point, you ate it. 

The best trick ever is to organize kitchens with all those fancy organizers that are out there. Many are multipurpose. I use the one that is for cookie sheets for cookbooks. I have also read that you should purge your cookbooks. As you can see, I have my favorites and they are well used and organized. It goes without saying, I am a messy cook, and the cookbooks take a hit every time.

3. Misc spaces. 

Paperwork. I am not sure how this has happened, but in February I went through my container with my paperwork. Usually, I put that job off for months, but I just did it. I have so few papers to go through, it wasn't a big job. I love to load up my shredding and drop it off at Staples. Each year I do the happy dance as I get rid of another old Income tax. I work on the 7-year rule. I have never ever been asked for anything from the government, and I have what they need within 7 years which is very little, but it is there.

Junk drawers. Here are the rules for a junk drawer. Take out 36 items from the drawer. Keep 12, move 12 and either donate or throw away 12. I did the division and I know it will be captivating for you to follow along in my process. Once I relocated most of the items, I realized my junk drawer was the nicest drawer in the kitchen. I decided the nicest drawer could be better utilized so I relocated my junk drawer. As you can see, I always keep my kleenex in a drawer.   

My old junk drawer

My new Junk drawer

4. Closet. Here are some new rules I am going to follow. In the past, I have used the book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" which suggests putting every piece of clothing you own on your bed. That is overwhelming, even for people like me that have very few clothes. You can then further break down what you are going to do with your clothes. 

I saw a Norwex presentation recently that I really liked. The woman demonstrating said we should determine what we wear. Sort from there into piles of keep, donate or throw away. Her words of wisdom were, "make sure you throw things away or use them as rags. Giving worn out clothes to a thrift store just to get rid of them, only creates issues for the store". She suggested that bins for socks and underwear may be a better solution than a drawer. Determine a method that works for you. Put a donation bag in the closet and when it is full donate. Use velvet hangers to keep your clothes in better shape. 

5. Garage. I have already mentioned garages. Many garages are workshops for the guy in the house. There are amazing garage storage items. My shelves that hang from the rafters are the best investment I have ever made for storage. Home Depot sell amazing cupboards that fit any need, and I have a couple of black ones. 

I love this last one, imposing a shopping ban. Buy nothing for a month with the except for essentials. To me an essential doesn't mean another toilet paper to add to the collection because it was on sale. After doing the junk drawer I have implemented a shopping ban on batteries. A shopping ban will make you purge the pantry, or even more importantly, use it up before expiration. It also will make you clean out your freezer. Fresh is the best. I often do this with my baking items. It is amazing how much you can make and give away from just a small basket of items. 

I realize that everyone has their favorite thing to do. My friend has a cleaning Facebook page. I am like you have probably just been, you read it, enjoy it, but don't practice it. I have come to realize from her site that I clean, but I don't CLEAN!!! If you know what I mean. Which could be the same for you and decluttering. It may be described better as "rearranging". The bottom line here is when I need information on how to clean, I know where to go. So, if you ever want some rules to implement when you declutter, here they are! The task of having less is a process and one that is individual. Clutter is something that can play on a person's mental mind and for that reason alone, it needs to be dealt with. Often people say, when they got rid of things that it felt so good. I have never heard someone say they felt bad. 

People have commented that my home is so clean. Actually, my home is more neat than clean. I never gave it any thought about cleaning when I was raising a family, I just did it. But now it is a big deal. Keeping things neat is not hard for me. This is what I call an, "each to their own" post. If you are the type of person that enjoys things around you, you should have your things. If you enjoy cleaning, clean. If it is organizing you like, organize. If you don't like to do any of those things, don't. The bottom line is, it is your home and let it bring you joy.