any tips for cleaning?

[halfwaynowhere]

My room is a complete mess. there is no room on the floor to walk on without stepping on junk. I have tried several times to clean it up, but nothing has worked. Well, I lost an important paper (my drivers ed certificate- without it, i can't get my learners permit), and i need to find it soon. I am also getting sick of having my room a mess, i think i would be able to concentrate better if it were clean. it has never really bothered me before, but now it is. So, does anybody have any ideas on how to get this done?

[asamananara]

There's no simple way to deal with it. You're just going to
have to spend alot of time sorting through everything, discarding
what you don't NEED and organizing what you do. Saying you're
stepping on "junk" is a good clue, here. Why do you have junk
in your living space? Prioritize. Decide what you need to
accomplish with the room, and arrange things to efficiently
serve that end. Anything which doesn't directly promote your
goals should be removed. I suggest you start with a clean slate:
get EVERYTHING out of the room, funiture and all. Pile it
in the hallways if you have to. Once the room is bare, replace
the essentials first, defining each area according to it's use.
Then, bring in the items associated with each area, confining
them to the place they will be used- books in the bookshelves,
papers in the desk, etc. You should now have only the absolute
bare minimum you need to get by. None of this stuff is junk.
Next, you can begin replacing non-essential items. Don't just
start hauling in the piles- looking around each area, make a
list of what you want, and where. Then go and retrieve those,
and place them in the room. Make sure this stuff doesn't overflow
into the active areas. Everything remaining outside of the
room at this point is probably junk. Sort through it all,
ensuring that there's nothing in there you NEED, like your
driver's ed certificate. Then trash everything left.

[narleymarley03]

Great advice.

[Yasmine Galenorn]

If you can watch an episode of Clean Sweep from TLC (the Learning Channel), that would probably help a lot. That's what the show is all about. Organizing seems overwhelming at first, but take it from someone who is terribly O/C about organization--it's much easier to KEEP things clean than to let things get to the state where you're walking on junk.

First, if you want to use the format of the show, take everything out of the room. Put it in one big pile. Then establish three piles: Keep, Sell or Donate, Toss. Begin going through your stuff and ask yourself--why are you hanging on to this, what does it mean in your life, can you keep the memory without the item, or is it something you truly need or dearly love? If you need it or it's terribly important on a sentimental level, put it in the keep pile. If you don't need it and it isn't something you're attached to in any great way, but it's still useable, put it in the Sell or Donate pile. If it's garbage, put it in the Toss pile.

If you find yourself with too much stuff automatically going into the Keep pile, stop and ask yourself: why am I keeping this? Is it really truly something that represents a part of myself I can't let go of, or is it something that I'm just hanging on to out of insecurity or because I spent good money on it or something....if the latter is the case, then get rid of it--you don't need it in your life.

Once you finish separating things, then dump the toss pile, and immediately sell or give away the Donate/Sell pile. Then you can clean your room and begin organizing what you keep.

It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate that you don't even realize you've got.

Yasmine :colorful:

[amberwolf]

I have this same problem I have so much stuff and junk I dont know why i hang on too so much of it Yasmine youre right I should be asking myself why am i keeping this i dont know maybe im insecure and like having all the things around me...my two teen girls are the same they keep everything we spend time 2 or 3 times a year going through stuff adament that it will get thrown or given away but most of it ends up back in boxes under the bed stuffed in drawers etc and cupboards and it gets added to all the time...I live in a tiny house too and i know people say wow and are taken abit aback with what its decorated like and all the stuff i have in here.....a nice taken a back tho lol......how do u just let things go though just like that ???Help please lol

[Yasmine Galenorn]

......how do u just let things go though just like that ???Help please lol


I've been there with a few things. If it has true sentimental value that really matters, then keep it but make sure to find a way to display it properly. If you're keeping things in boxes tucked away, then you aren't giving them the respect they deserve.

What I do, is ask myself: when's the last time I used this or looked at it? If it's been over a year, then I ask myself, "Why am I keeping this?" A lot of times we keep too many things when keeping one or two would help--for example, I used to have a HUGE stuffed animal collection. Finally, I wanted to clear out the bedroom, but I thought, how can I let some of these go? So what I did is pare them down to the ones that meant the most to me--the bears I've had since childhood, the bears Sam bought me, and a few others that I love. The ones that I liked, even was fond of, but that didn't have a real 'place' in my heart, I thought--some child somewhere will love this...and I got rid of it.

With clothes: if you can't wear it and you don't foresee wearing it in the next six months, get rid of it unless it's like your wedding dress. If you don't like it, get rid of it. If it's ripped, either mend it or get rid of it. Fix the clothes that need fixing, make sure everything has a drawer or hanger to go on. If you're keeping T-shirts that you haven't worn in two years that are a size too small, it's time to let them go. They're cluttering up space that you can put something you love in.

I think that's the key: to invite things into your life that have meaning now, you have to create a void and let go of things that don't add to your life in a significant way, whether it's through function or wonderful memory. I go through pictures too, get rid of ones that don't have much meaning, that aren't well-focused (unless it's an old family photo), and then I try to keep the ones I DO keep in good order.

I love stuff--I love having my stuff--but it's supposed to add to your life, not clutter it up and make life more difficult.

And remember: on a magical level, clutter in your space leads to clutter in your magic/energy field.

Yasmine :colorful:

[amberwolf]

I think that's the key: to invite things into your life that have meaning now, you have to create a void and let go of things that don't add to your life in a significant way, whether it's through function or wonderful memory.
I love stuff--I love having my stuff--but it's supposed to add to your life, not clutter it up and make life more difficult.

And remember: on a magical level, clutter in your space leads to clutter in your magic/energy field.

Yasmine :colorful:

Thanks for taking the time to reply :hugz:
Its probably one of the reasons that we all feel so down and suffocated here at the moment i do feel that the energies are'nt flowing like they should even with smudging etc...
I have an ottoman at the top of my stairs and its full of things like birthday cards school books pictures i had drawn....this is stuff i did 34 years ago my mum had saved all this for me even my first pair of shoes...and because of this i have done the same with all my girls things I feel like i have to keep them...Even though i have all the memories here in my heart and mind.....
I need to sit myself down and give myself a good talking to and set realistic goals on what i should be keeping,things we need in our lives right now ....and then set to work on gettingf rid of most of it ...thanks i needed a good talking too....youre a star hun :) :hugz:

[Yasmine Galenorn]

I need to sit myself down and give myself a good talking to and set realistic goals on what i should be keeping,things we need in our lives right now ....and then set to work on gettingf rid of most of it ...thanks i needed a good talking too....youre a star hun :) :hugz:

Make sure that the things you DO keep, you display in a wonderful way--that way you won't be thinking about the things you got rid of, but of the wonderful memories that what you kept brings up.

Yasmine :colorful:

[tygherrayn]

I can't really do a lot more than echo what everyone else has said, but they're right. And it's something my husband and I really are working on ourselves. I have still quite a large stuffed animal collection. Most now though are for holiday decorations, and only come out for those holidays. I'm planning another big sell-fest of a bunch more .. I can't keep hanging on to all of these adorable bears that could make some little child's day, after all, when all I'm doing is keeping them in a drawer. A drawer! *gasps*

One thing to keep in mind, is organization. Once you get everything clean, keep it that way. I have the hardest time with this myself, but I notice when I do make an effort, it can stay clean without too much trouble. Figure out a filing system for important papers and stick too it. Anything you don't need to keep, trash it. Everything should have a place in your room once you've done what everyone else suggested ... find a way to keep it that way with storage crates, special hangers, drawer organizers, and stuff like that.

[Yasmine Galenorn]

One thing to keep in mind, is organization. Once you get everything clean, keep it that way. I have the hardest time with this myself, but I notice when I do make an effort, it can stay clean without too much trouble. Figure out a filing system for important papers and stick too it. Anything you don't need to keep, trash it. Everything should have a place in your room once you've done what everyone else suggested ... find a way to keep it that way with storage crates, special hangers, drawer organizers, and stuff like that.

You can find inexpensive filing cabinets at a lot of second hand office furniture stores. And ditto on the storage crates. I recommend using Rubbermaid or the like if you have some things you have to tuck away in the closet--I have to keep copies of my manuscripts from my books for legal purposes. I find that by keeping them in plastic tubs with lids, I avoid getting bugs (read: SPIDERS) nesting in there, and the cats can't shred the crates like they can cardboard boxes. Look for sales at stores like Target, etc. for those things.

Yasmine :colorful:

[ap Dafydd]

I'd echo all of the above advice. Keep only those things that are beautiful or useful, said William Morris, and he wasn't too far wrong.

Do keep to your commitment to clear stuff out.

Do do it in stages, so that you don't get carried away and start purging things that you'll always regret getting rid of.

Do recycle what can be recycled, and make this part of your ritual of renewal.

Do reorganise if you can, as well as clearing out, it can throw up fresh feelings and renew the energies.

Do improve your storage if you've still got too much stuff, make sure that what's on display gives you a positive feeling rather than a sinking feeling and that you can find what you need in the other stuff if you ever need to.

And do it again every so often!

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[Kalika]

I'm a big fan of the rubbermaid tubs and labels, as I am one of those people who hates to throw anything away that I might (but usually don't) need later. I also have a File-o-fax for important docs, its come in handy quite a few times!!!

The tubs are stackable and store easily, and come in all different sizes. That way you only have to dig through a tub to find what you want, rather than a whole room. :)

Best of luck!

[RubyRose]

Speaking of cleaning, I'm actually 2/3's of the way thru cleaning my room. While I have plenty of storage space that I could utilise, I now have the task of purging what I haven't looked at in the last 5 or so years. And I have yet to go thru the oodles of shoes I own. Half of which I don't wear because it's too hard to find them in the bottom of my wardrobe. :lol:

So, a question for you all, how does one determine whether or not to throw away school assignments and other paperwork? (college stuff)

Any ideas?

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

Just another little tip about how to determine what clothes to keep and what clothes to purge/donate/sell/give to friends and family.

Most people switch their clothes out for the seasons. They pack all their winter clothes and bring out the summer stuff when the weather gets warmer and pack that away in the fall when it starts to get cool. Anyhow, when you hang your clothes for the first time, hang the hanger backwards (meaning put the hook towards you instead of towards the wall). In six months when you switch out your clothes, check and see if you have any hangers that are still backwards. If they are, that means you haven't worn that article of clothing in six months, and you likely aren't going to wear it again. It's a safe bet to just get rid of it along with anything else that is still "backwards."