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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2019 15:06:11 GMT -6
My house is out of control and I do not even know where to start. I've been recovering from surgery and so besides trash, dishes, and vacuuming, everything has fallen apart. Quick rundown of all that is needed:
Kids' rooms - clean out closets and dressers, put away laundry.
Kitchen - deep clean everything, clean/organize pantry, cabinets, fridge
Living room - put away laundry that has been piled up, put away toys
Playroom - a disaster area, basically
Master - put away piles of laundry, clean out closet and donate/sell clothes or shoes
Bathrooms - deep clean everything
Whole house - dust, wash rugs, clean carpet
Where do I begin? What do I do? I have time after the kids go to bed during the week, and on weekends. My mom has been doing my laundry to help, but then we have been living out of the baskets because I need to clean the too small clothes out of the kids' dressers. I think of this after they are asleep, and then can't go into their rooms. I'm so overwhelmed by the clutter and my to do list. I usually start doing things, freak out at all that needs done, and shut down. Halp me.
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Post by oliversbear on May 15, 2019 23:57:06 GMT -6
Break it down. Take each part and break it down into manageable size tasks.
If putting away the clothes is dependent on cleaning out the closets, then cleaning the closets is the first step. break each closet down into sections and do ONE section a weekend. That's do-able and, depending on how old the kids are, they can help.
After the closets are done, which will also tick off the donate/sell clothes task, move on to the next task. (Personal Tip: I say donate because although the money is nice, I do not have the patience to deal with selling anything - and the dread of selling makes me put off that, so off to a charity bin it is.)
In the kitchen, break it down and do ONE cabinet at a time.
Then on to the bathrooms, ONE at a time, and if the task is large, break it down further. (I can't stand cleaning mildew, so I do one wall of my shower each time I clean the bathroom. Sure it takes a month to get the shower completely mildew free, but it's manageable for me in smaller steps, and sometimes that's how you have to do things.)
On to the whole house, break it down, ONE room at a time. Get the kids to help if they are old enough.
The key is breaking everything down into manageable size tasks rather than saying you have to do the whole thing at one time. We have a rental inspection coming up and we are taking the full 6 weeks' notice time to get everything in order ONE room at a time. Anything else is overwhelming and just makes you want to throw in the towel. Small steps each weekend and you will have a clean house and not be overwhelmed.
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AmyG
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Post by AmyG on May 16, 2019 0:16:21 GMT -6
Take one kid's dresser drawer out of the dresser so you can work on it in the living room at night after kids are in bed
while you watch tv, take out the too small clothes, put the stuff away from the baskets, write down what you need to buy.
in the morning, put that drawer back.
For hanging clothes do similar, take out all the pants, watch tv, sort, rehang. next night do all the tops, etc.
Put a bag or 3 next to you while you work and put stuff to toss, donate or sell
toss goes in trash right away unless it can be used as rags for dusting or whatever.
add a box in the car to put the stuff to donate, put the donate bag by the door and take it to the car in the morning.
when the box is full you go by and donate it.
I don't sell clothes often anymore, but used to have a box next to the water heater in the garage for them. then when box is full, sort the sizes a bit and list it as a bundle on offer up or let go
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2019 8:09:42 GMT -6
Take one kid's dresser drawer out of the dresser so you can work on it in the living room at night after kids are in bed while you watch tv, take out the too small clothes, put the stuff away from the baskets, write down what you need to buy. in the morning, put that drawer back. For hanging clothes do similar, take out all the pants, watch tv, sort, rehang. next night do all the tops, etc. Put a bag or 3 next to you while you work and put stuff to toss, donate or sell toss goes in trash right away unless it can be used as rags for dusting or whatever. add a box in the car to put the stuff to donate, put the donate bag by the door and take it to the car in the morning. when the box is full you go by and donate it. I don't sell clothes often anymore, but used to have a box next to the water heater in the garage for them. then when box is full, sort the sizes a bit and list it as a bundle on offer up or let go I never would've even thought about taking the drawers out. I'm going to try and start tonight. I thinking breaking it down into more manageable pieces will be very helpful |
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McBenny
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Post by McBenny on May 16, 2019 15:34:26 GMT -6
Take one kid's dresser drawer out of the dresser so you can work on it in the living room at night after kids are in bed while you watch tv, take out the too small clothes, put the stuff away from the baskets, write down what you need to buy. in the morning, put that drawer back. For hanging clothes do similar, take out all the pants, watch tv, sort, rehang. next night do all the tops, etc. Put a bag or 3 next to you while you work and put stuff to toss, donate or sell toss goes in trash right away unless it can be used as rags for dusting or whatever. add a box in the car to put the stuff to donate, put the donate bag by the door and take it to the car in the morning. when the box is full you go by and donate it. I don't sell clothes often anymore, but used to have a box next to the water heater in the garage for them. then when box is full, sort the sizes a bit and list it as a bundle on offer up or let go I never would've even thought about taking the drawers out. I'm going to try and start tonight. I thinking breaking it down into more manageable pieces will be very helpful Breaking it down is the best thing to do especially if you are feeling overwhelmed by it all. I was going to suggest starting in the area that is causing you the most stress.
I suggest getting you some wireless earbuds or headphones and doing one or two things a night while listening to a pod cast, music, a show on your tablet or phone.
Break this shit up and give yourself attainable goals. One thing a day, if you get that done can you get a second thing done?
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McBenny
Unicorn
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Post by McBenny on May 16, 2019 15:37:14 GMT -6
You got this!
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Post by alwayscheese on Jun 1, 2019 16:55:22 GMT -6
apk4 how far have you got? I'm trying to psych myself up to tackle our basement. We're out of town this weekend and my SIL is in town all next week, then i have one week until my little brothers come to visit and they need to stay in the basement. I'm a crafter on a budget so i have boxes of stuff that i can use for supplies "if i need it". And extra bedding. And all the supplies i actually use in the part i use as studio. And DH's office is down there now too. Only about 600 sq feet. Oh and our bookshelves are down there also. Stuff is just piled everywhere right now. I was watching some organizing videos and one phrase stuck with me. Something about an "abundance mindset", that you'll have enough and you can get what you need later. I just don't think I'm there yet.
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McBenny
Unicorn
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Posts: 52,183
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Post by McBenny on Jun 6, 2019 8:49:40 GMT -6
apk4 how far have you got? I'm trying to psych myself up to tackle our basement. We're out of town this weekend and my SIL is in town all next week, then i have one week until my little brothers come to visit and they need to stay in the basement. I'm a crafter on a budget so i have boxes of stuff that i can use for supplies "if i need it". And extra bedding. And all the supplies i actually use in the part i use as studio. And DH's office is down there now too. Only about 600 sq feet. Oh and our bookshelves are down there also. Stuff is just piled everywhere right now. I was watching some organizing videos and one phrase stuck with me. Something about an "abundance mindset", that you'll have enough and you can get what you need later. I just don't think I'm there yet. I am tackling my DD's closet this weekend. I am overwhelmed at the thought. I will start one shelf at a time. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2019 15:01:54 GMT -6
apk4 how far have you got? I'm trying to psych myself up to tackle our basement. We're out of town this weekend and my SIL is in town all next week, then i have one week until my little brothers come to visit and they need to stay in the basement. I'm a crafter on a budget so i have boxes of stuff that i can use for supplies "if i need it". And extra bedding. And all the supplies i actually use in the part i use as studio. And DH's office is down there now too. Only about 600 sq feet. Oh and our bookshelves are down there also. Stuff is just piled everywhere right now. I was watching some organizing videos and one phrase stuck with me. Something about an "abundance mindset", that you'll have enough and you can get what you need later. I just don't think I'm there yet. I got the kids' bathroom deep cleaned and organized, and the kitchen. The family room needs dusted and swept, but the clothes have been put away. My biggest stresser is the dining room table right now. It has become a catch all. I am going to tackle that tonight. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2019 15:02:34 GMT -6
I never would've even thought about taking the drawers out. I'm going to try and start tonight. I thinking breaking it down into more manageable pieces will be very helpful Breaking it down is the best thing to do especially if you are feeling overwhelmed by it all. I was going to suggest starting in the area that is causing you the most stress.
I suggest getting you some wireless earbuds or headphones and doing one or two things a night while listening to a pod cast, music, a show on your tablet or phone.
Break this shit up and give yourself attainable goals. One thing a day, if you get that done can you get a second thing done?
The headphones are a great idea and I would not have thought of that. I just got wireless ones for Mother's Day |
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McBenny
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Post by McBenny on Jun 6, 2019 16:00:39 GMT -6
Breaking it down is the best thing to do especially if you are feeling overwhelmed by it all. I was going to suggest starting in the area that is causing you the most stress.
I suggest getting you some wireless earbuds or headphones and doing one or two things a night while listening to a pod cast, music, a show on your tablet or phone.
Break this shit up and give yourself attainable goals. One thing a day, if you get that done can you get a second thing done?
The headphones are a great idea and I would not have thought of that. I just got wireless ones for Mother's Day It's the only way I get things done. I move around the house in my own wonderful world. Most times during a cleaning video. |
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Post by alwayscheese on Jun 9, 2019 19:08:29 GMT -6
I was tired all day so after I got the baby to bed i was gonna sit down and continue watching the video series of the lady who decluttered her craft room. Them i figured why not just go and start. I think i may be having a revelation about why i procrastinate starting projects like this. Anyway i just spent an hour cleaning etc in the guest room for brothers and i was moving the bed and knocked a crate of books onto my leg. So. I am icing it and will hopefully be able to go down and finish getting the bed into position so DH can sleep in it tomorrow.
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McBenny
Unicorn
#sickomode
Posts: 52,183
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Post by McBenny on Jun 10, 2019 11:07:51 GMT -6
I was tired all day so after I got the baby to bed i was gonna sit down and continue watching the video series of the lady who decluttered her craft room. Them i figured why not just go and start. I think i may be having a revelation about why i procrastinate starting projects like this. Anyway i just spent an hour cleaning etc in the guest room for brothers and i was moving the bed and knocked a crate of books onto my leg. So. I am icing it and will hopefully be able to go down and finish getting the bed into position so DH can sleep in it tomorrow. I really do find cleaning videos motivating.
I put on my wireless earbuds and play them on my tablet.
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