Now that I’m done with school I have to start doing some serious decluttering, cleaning, and organizing! For a little help getting started, I got Erin Doland’s book, Unclutter Your Life in One Week, from the public library.
Of course, I have no intention of cleaning everything in one week.
For me that’s just impossible and if I tell myself that’s what I’m going to do, then I’ll get overwhelmed and never do it! But the book did help me to break down each section of my home into manageable pieces.
This is what I want to do with each area taking as long as I need to in order to get it done right:
Master Closet – I’ve already purchased a couple of items to organize the clothes better. I needed more hangers that are smooth all the way across without the cutouts for straps so I picked up a pack of 18. I also got a 2 pack pants hanger now that I’m acquiring more dressy pants for working.
- I’m going to start by removing everything from the closet including the wire shelves/rods. They don’t provide the type of organization that we need in there.
- I want to patch up the holes, then maybe I’ll paint the walls. I’m still on the fence about this because if I get the closet system I want, then a majority of the closet walls won’t be seen anyway.
- Buy and install the wood closet system. This could get expensive since we have a pretty big closet so I may have to either buy it piece by piece, or change my mind and go for a track system or better wire closet organization. I would really prefer the wood though with drawers to keep our clothing protected, organized, and unseen.
- Purge old, worn out, non-fitting clothing
- Re-organize everything back into the closet
Office – I expect that the bare minimum will be done with the office right now. Other than a quick clean-up, most of this will be done when I have more defined office space that we’re thinking to add onto our house.
- Remove everything. Put papers in pile for another step.
- Rearrange furniture, if needed
- Clean all surfaces
- Replace old equipment
- Label and bundle cables
- Organize supplies, books, binders, etc.
Foyer — This will probably be the quickest and easiest area to clear out!
- Clear out the foyer and clean everything up
- Set up place for backpacks, shoes, umbrellas, etc. Need a bench (preferably with storage), hooks to hang things, and some baskets to hold items
Bathrooms — I’ve combined the master bath and the boys’ bath here, though not much needs to be done in their bathroom (they don’t have as much clutter). I’ve already started to buy some new bath and hand towels for their bathroom.
- Clear everything out, clean surfaces, sort everything together based on its purpose.
- Purge any old, expired, and outdated items, then re-organize in the bathroom. Use dividers, clear boxes, etc. to keep items neat and organized.
- Go through old towels and donate any that are worn to the Humane Society. Buy new bath and hand towels.
Papers/Filing — This is definitely the biggest project I have here!
- All the papers need to be sorted into piles: to scan, to file, to shred, trash
- Once items are scanned they can be shredded or trashed
- Important documents need to be scanned for back-up, then kept in fire safe
- Computer needs to be backed up in at least two places (one for easy access if computer crashes, and one to be put in the fire safe in case of fire/natural disaster)
Kitchen — Lots of work to be done in here! I’d also like to get a new dining room table, replace the washer/dryer, and upgrade the fridge, but I think some of those will have to wait a while.
- Fix structural issues (floor, pantry shelves, wiring, leaky faucets)
- Purge expired, unused, and unwanted items
- Replace worn Tupperware/plastic ware
- Organize everything based on purpose
Living Room — We have quite a bit of structural issues to deal with here. I need to finish painting, rip up the carpet, repair the concrete floor, paint/stain the concrete floor, buy a new sectional couch, find closed storage solution for one wall, close up cut-outs, find an area rug, etc.
- Gather everything together that does not belong and either return it to the proper place or get rid of it.
- Organize remaining items into new storage units
I didn’t include the bedrooms because the boys are responsible to clean their rooms and purge their unwanted items (with encouragement from me, of course). The master bedroom does have some issues, but I want to wait until we decide on the home addition because the entry will be in our bedroom and it will get rid of some of our current bedroom uses such as hubby’s telecommuting work area.
I’m hoping to end all this with an organized home with many items thrown out, donated, or sold, and anything left that we are keeping has a specific place to be stored. The end may take me a couple of years…lol…but I’m hoping to get as much done as soon as possible so we don’t feel overwhelmed by the clutter any more!
