De-cluttering, the never-ending process

I have been decluttering for a few weeks now and found it very satisfying. I have been ruthless and keep going into our garage to admire my handy work.

Next job to tackle are my clothes and shoes!!

Peole on this thread are doing what we can in the here and now to declutter and create space. Not everyone finds it easy so we are encouraging one another, not berating ourselves for having ‘acquired stuff’ in the first place

I had no intention of berating anybody, merely pointing out that what might be described as”clutter” by some brings pleasure to others, memories of happy times or gifts from those dear to us.
Nor do I feel any conscious or unconscious guilt as might have been suggested by those who do not know me.

Tell me about brewing stuff!! I managed to pass all my wine making gear to my dd and her husband, lots of it and that happened in 2019 before I moved. I saw it in a heap in their utility, several times and then it vanished

I have always told anyone that I pass stuff to, that they were not to tell me what has happened to it as it was always passed over by me, unconditionally. Two of the buckets were large enough for fermenting 25 litres of wine

I still wish someone would drop into my lap wanting to buy all my wood carving gear, there is a lot and all far too good to sell at whatever price

The decorator does indeed cause a lot of disruption. I went into automaton mode when my whole house interior was done over six months, however I did what you are doing doodledog and I cleared some good spaces

FT you are being utterly sensible

RosiesMaw

^Peole on this thread are doing what we can in the here and now to declutter and create space. Not everyone finds it easy so we are encouraging one another, not berating ourselves for having ‘acquired stuff’ in the first place^

I had no intention of berating anybody, merely pointing out that what might be described as”clutter” by some brings pleasure to others, memories of happy times or gifts from those dear to us.
Nor do I feel any conscious or unconscious guilt as might have been suggested by those who do not know me.

That’s not what you said though. You said that the best way to avoid the need to declutter is not to acquire’stuff’ in the first place, which is very different.

It is because some items have memories attached that many of us struggle to let them go, but we are trying to overcome that and hang onto the memories but not the clutter. It’s not as easy for some as for others.

A quick question in my coffee break.

I have found a baby dress that belonged to my daughter (I am only keeping one item from each of my children’s babyhood), and it has milk stains on it. It was washed before being put away, but the stains have worked through. It is white cotton with coloured embroidery, so I can’t bleach it. Does anyone know how I can get the yellow stains out, please?

Having now reread RMs post, I dont think she meant it quite how it could be read.
She didnt mean it as a berate at all.

I am no good with stains myself.
When my kids got to teenage, things that ended up with stains, I turned into rags. I gave up trying to destain anything.

Oh, that’s a shame. It’s a lovely little dress, and I saved it to remember how little she was and in case she has a daughter of her own one day. I have a tiny babygro-style thing that my son wore, too.

If it were all white I would use peroxide but that might spoil the embroidery.

Would Glowhite work Doodledog might be worth a try.

It is definitely worth a try, thanks. I think I need something biological too to break down the milk. My daughter is 30 now, so it’s had a long time to take hold.

I kept a beautiful romper suit that was my son's and he is now 47. I gave it to him along with other things that belonged to his granny and his great granny. He did want these items including a very battered home management book dated 1947.
He lives on the other side of the world and little things matter.

I wonder if Vanish will work? I don't want to ruin it, but then it looks a bit grotty with the milk stain anyway.

In better news, at least half a dozen bags have gone to charity, and maybe three to the tip - some rubbish and some for rags. Also, my work deadline has been moved forward (for reasons nothing to do with me), so I can concentrate on getting the decluttering done without that cloud hanging over me. The Cluttergods are smiling on me today.

I am packing in for the night now, as I have a Zoom meeting after dinner, and instead of working afterwards as planned, I shall put the TV on and knit - I know how to live

I’d try a Vanish type rub on stain remover doodle. It can’t do any harm if as you say it’s grotty with the milk stain. Even a soak in the non biological type to preserve the colours.

Our god daughter approaches the world as you do, she also gets overwhelmed but always comes out the other side as I’m sure you will.

My decluttering mojo disappeared when the summer and Mr C’s surgery came. I’m beginning to feel I want to begin again. My mother in laws mantra of ‘one day when I feel like it’ works for me with clearing things, if I don’t feel like it I get grumpy and nothing is achieved.

We’re all different. The trick I think is to understand what works for the individual that we all are.

Good luck with clearing everyone. Just don’t be too hard on yourselves if you need a break from it.

I have found a baby dress that belonged to my daughter (I am only keeping one item from each of my children’s babyhood), and it has milk stains on it. It was washed before being put away, but the stains have worked through.

Doodledog I would try a mix of hydrogen peroxide, a biological washing liquid and bicarb. Wet stain with cold water first. Mix approx 1 tbsp washing liquid, 1 tbsp HP then enough bicarb to create a paste. Rub paste into back of wet stain gently (I use a baby toothbrush). Leave for about an hour-ish then rinse and check if it's made any difference.

The biological washing liquid is to break down the milk proteins, but it may be too set now. Worth a try though. The bicarb and HP whiten.

Thanks, I'll give that a go.🤞

Advice please.

I know that in the loft is a big plastic trunk containing stuff going back decades relating to DH’s personal pension plans.

We started putting £10 a month in when he was 30, he’s now early 70’s and has been in receipt of said pensions from 65. (We increased the amounts over time, as and when we could afford more).

But I am reluctant to ‘out’ this paperwork. Why? We never look at it, we aren’t going to suddenly get more income from it.

How long have others amongst you hung onto this type of ‘stuff?’

Or is it just me?

Is it just the paperwork such as receipts and statements, rather than policies proving your entitlement to the pensions?

You are not alone . But it’s easier now than it used to be to clear out that sort of thing. You can take photos of the relevant bits and save them to a computer or pen drive (or the Cloud if you use that). Then you can dispose of the bulky paperwork.

Thx Doodledog, that makes sense.

I am definitely going to make inroads into this type of stuff. Will force myself to spend some long winter afternoons sorting and getting rid.

I like to do that sort of thing with a mug of hot chocolate in front of a film.

There is a definite upside to having a bit more than we think we might need eg I acquired a complete new lot of pure linen bedding, while I still had disposable money after moving. I was looking and saw the perfect items and the site also had a sale on

I bought three sets and then realised that if I bought another three I could change the colours. I did just that and now have two full changes, plus accessories, for three beds. I love that I can change room appearance just by changing bedding colours

Linen prices have gone up considerably today and I class my linen as an heirloom and investment

Just to say that I don`t have that available money now but that linen gives me so much pleasure. That was my reward for the initial de-cluttering and sorting of my smaller, new-build, airing cupboard, all of that was back breaking and difficult but it was a means to an end

Personally I think that de-cluttering humdrum stuff. like paperwork, warrants a no-guilt personal treat

I think we should remember that attitudes to 'stuff' get ingrained in childhood, and change over time. Someone brought up without a lot of things (whether because of scarcity or poverty) is likely to have a different view from someone who was indulged as a child.

I grew up in the 60s, when things were gradually becoming more readily available than they had been for my parents, who were born in 1935. All the same, we got toys at Christmas and birthdays, and clothes when we had grown out of existing ones. There was very little outside of that, so we hung onto as much as possible, knowing that there wouldn't be a new one if something got lost or broken, and that's where the 'just in case' mentality comes from. My parents were children during the war, and of course there was rationing for years after that, so they had ingrained ideas about waste and 'need not want' that they passed onto us. I still struggle to throw away something that might come in handy, even though the reality is that I could get a new one if I found that I needed something. My head tells me one thing, but my upbringing and conditioning tell me another.

My children grew up in the 90s, and had a lot more than I did. They don't hang onto things in the same way, - in fact they can be quite ruthless. They are also very good at saying 'No Mum, I don't want your old pots and pans, and please don't hang onto those hideous onion jars (Sylvac Face Pots) on my account - they are going in a skip when you're gone .' They know they can get more of what they need, and don't have that guilt about hanging onto things whether they really like them or not.

I am conflicted, as I am very conscious that the world needs less 'stuff', and living a more streamlined life is better for both the planet and my own mental health, but the habits of a lifetime are very hard to shift. Giving to charity shops is one way of feeling better about it. I've forced myself to get rid of lots of evening wear that (a) doesn't fit any more, and (b) I don't get the same chance to wear as I used to. At this time of year it might be worn with pleasure by someone, and it's not going to landfill. I have no desire to buy any more, but if Prince Charming ever sends me an invitation to the ball I can get a new gown, and buy something that fits properly - I really won't have to go in rags, and I need to remember that. Now if I could apply that thinking to books (I can get another copy if I really want to read something again) I would have even more space cleared.

karmalady

would you recommend charity shop or salvation army bin for a very good quality rainproof warm winter coatwith a hood? It will be going but I am not sure who to

could you offer it directly to a homeless person?

pascal30

karmalady

would you recommend charity shop or salvation army bin for a very good quality rainproof warm winter coatwith a hood? It will be going but I am not sure who to

could you offer it directly to a homeless person?

no. I like the salvation army. I donate to them when ever I can

Doodledog, oh how I empathise. we were brought up money-poor but with parents who brought us up wonderfully and taught us how to stretch a penny. We never knew luxury and us girls each had one school dress and one for sundays. Most of what we wore came from hand me downs from kind hearted people in the locality. No-one was too proud to accept these generous gestures. Those were the days tbh, when people really did look out for each other

Collecting essentials became ingrained and hence I ended up with more than I needed and hence the de-cluttering. Now if I need to buy, which is not often, I buy the best I can afford, knowing that my AC or DGC, will, one day, want my things. What I have left, after de-cluttering, are good items and some nostalgic items

My children definitely don’t want my things, and I have to make a real effort to be glad about that - they can get their own ‘stuff’ in their own taste, rather than inherit items that were my taste 20 years previously 😀. My mum is always trying to palm off her stuff on my sister and me, but we don’t want a hostess trolley or smoked glass saucepans, however much of an investment she thought they would be when she bought them. I make myself remember this when my two are horrified at the thought that they would want me to declutter in their direction. When they were setting up home they took furniture and cookware, but have systematically replaced most of it over the years.