Fall cleaning & decluttering [Archive]

frugalone

8-25-13, 1:21pm

I didn't see anyone had started a thread with this title, and I know it's not *officially* fall yet, but next week is Labor Day, so...here goes:

Today I cut up a bunch of cardboard boxes for recycling. I also reached into the dusty, icky area bordering the kitchen sink and found some empty plastic containers and bottles (one of which had really old sun-dried tomatoes and the other had dried up industrial/garage-type hand cleaner). They're all outside waiting to be recycled.

If anyone wants to jump in, come on in, the water's fine!

SteveinMN

8-25-13, 2:43pm

I'll jump in ... after Labor Day. It's supposed to be hotter than &$^# here this week. And I have a Guy's Weekend over Labor Day, so I won't be home. I am hopeful the weather will be more temperate next week; I do have some outside chores to finish.

fidgiegirl

8-25-13, 7:43pm

Hi frugalone, I'm in the mood as well. Like Steve, I plan to be a slug this week as temps are predicted to be in the 90s which melt us Minnesotans. :D

DH and I have been getting rid of a few things lately. He is on fire with eBay and CL so that makes me happy! He has been picking up some better items on CL, but then being really good about getting rid of what he is replacing. For example, he bought a new drill, reciprocating saw, miter saw, etc. set and sold his old set for a few bucks. I am happy about this. I bought a new watering can at a garage sale and plan to throw my cracked one.

I also let go of a laundry basket today, and a window screen that never fit went for free yesterday. DH was willing to get rid of the t-square that wasn't square when we picked up a better one at a garage sale. A patio umbrella and stand is out back right now.

Between what we bought at garage sales yesterday and the things we've gotten rid of, it's probably approximately a wash, but even that is good.

redfox

8-25-13, 9:30pm

We're installing a new bamboo floor in the living room & upstairs hallway. Over the winter, my DH, the stair builder, will be demolishing the stairs & pony walls, and building a nice staircase, railing & banister system for us. The carpet was disreputable... Tattered, ugly, and oh so done. The new floor is sooo pretty! And I found a super good sale on a fabulous product, from a local wholesaler & local dealer. The provenance is good, and the quality is top notch. Yay new floors!

This has motivated me to declutter the upstairs linen closet. Oy. Holiday wrappings, lots of linens, and worst of all, the last chunk of my grad school work from over a decade ago. Out!

catherine

8-25-13, 9:53pm

I just had to wash windows today! Boy, do they look better!

Float On

8-26-13, 11:01am

I didn't realize until last night that Labor Day weekend was so close. That means my MIL and BIL will arrive on Friday for their annual visit. MUST CLEAN!!!!

Lainey

8-26-13, 8:46pm

I've been doing the same as you, fidgiegirl. I've been using a tiny dustpan for years for outside cleanups - finally bought a larger commercial style dustpan, and what a difference. The tiny one is still usable and is getting donated or sold at our yard sale next month.
Life is too short to put up with crappy household tools - replace, and be happy!

Tussiemussies

8-26-13, 8:57pm

My Mom is coming tomorrow to see our new house for the first time. This has really put us in the cleaning and decorating mode mostly with old decorations.

Got two really nice bottles to use for vinegars which could be used as gifts at holidays etc., they were marked down but the cashier marked them down to 1.00 since there were no lids. I can easily buy the cork.

Fidge, you have reminded me to slowly start putting items on eBay. eBay seem so different now than when I used it years ago. We'll see how it goes. I don't know how comfortable I feel with Craigslist in our area, but at least there is no mail delivering, just picking up.

Got to get moving!

fidgiegirl

8-26-13, 10:20pm

Fidge, you have reminded me to slowly start putting items on eBay. eBay seem so different now than when I used it years ago. We'll see how it goes. I don't know how comfortable I feel with Craigslist in our area, but at least there is no mail delivering, just picking up.

Got to get moving!

I learned something new about eBay the other day. Even the buy it now style listings, called fixed price listings, are now free for up to 50 items a month. Auction style listings have been that way for a while. So the nice thing is if you don't want to dink around with auction style, you can still try out the fixed price listing and if it doesn't sell, you're not out anything.

Also, we are trying more items on CL for smaller amounts. A few times with low-dollar items, say $10 items, we have just left them out for the person and requested they leave the $$ in the mailbox, and it's worked out fine, and no hassles with scheduling! It's worked great and gotten us a few $$ on things we normally would have just donated in order to save the hassle. We still donate plenty, but I've been surprised at how those small-dollar items can add up. Since they are really low-value items that we likely would have donated anyway, we figure if the person decides to stiff us, well, oh well. But people are good and have all been honest! :)

fidgiegirl

8-26-13, 10:21pm

Gardenarian

8-27-13, 2:24pm

I'm doing some redecorating and it sure is a great way to organize. I'm also doing a lot of DIY on my cabin, which is a case of creating a lot of confusion to eventually have order, organization, and peace.

Rosemary

8-27-13, 4:12pm

Timely thread. As noted above, it is too hot here in MN to do much of anything. I stayed home in the A/C all day today, curtains drawn to keep the heat out. DD's friend has been here since 9am and I decided to tackle the kitchen while they entertained themselves. Decluttered and organized and ready for fall cooking. Bring on the apples and winter squash! I'm ready for fall, too. Nothing prepares me for a MN winter like a week of 100-degree temps.

Blackdog Lin

8-28-13, 9:59pm

My project for the last week was pantry items, as in outdated disorganized and "what in the world was DH thinking when he put these home-canned good HERE?!!!" It was something to do inside the house in the air-conditioning.

He was home (retired/disabled) for 3 years before me, so he was the main homemaker. We had a bumper crop of green beans last summer, canned them till we were sick of it, and he got them all squared away. Well, I'm not kidding, when I went to looking through all our foodstuffs I found home-canned green beans in THREE different places around the house: in the kitchen pantry closet (good); on the floor of the storeroom (worse but not bad, but he'd covered them with old towels to keep them in the dark, and I didn't know they were there); and I found 3 quarts in the back porch closet (why, oh why?!)

So I went through EVERYTHING edible in the house. Had to throw out some things, too outdated even for the local food pantry which was very sad. But we're back on track and organized and I know what we have and even better, I know where everything is. Frugality will ensue now that I have a handle on what we have and what needs used up when. Feels like a good job well done.

Liv

9-15-13, 9:36pm

I just had to wash windows today! Boy, do they look better!

I can really relate to that Catherine, it's a job I put off too often but so amazed at how great they look afterward. We have those louvered type so I have 60 three footers and 40 two footers to wipe or at least dust off every month! Open-air living is hard work, lol!!

Lainey

9-15-13, 9:39pm

Planning for a 9/28 garage sale. I know the hours of prep will not likely pay out in making big bucks at the sale, but since the ultimate goal is getting the stuff out of the house, it's still worthwhile. All leftovers will be taken directly to the thrift store.

Tussiemussies

9-15-13, 11:39pm

Thanks fidgiegirl for the information about eBay. I used to use them frequently about 9 years ago, but they have seemed to complicate things so much that I am going to only use Craigslist and meet them in a grocery store parking lot for privacy....

Tradd

9-16-13, 12:12am

I cleared out a few warm-weather clothing items that had come to the end of their lifespan. Went through cold weather clothes and made a list of some things I need to get (primarily a few sweater twin sets, new set of long underwear

I took my down comforter to the cleaners this weekend and washed the flannel cover today (talk about a fuzz factory!). I'm bummed I forgot to take my wool winter coat at the same time.

Went through my kitchen cabinets and other storage areas. Organized and pitched a few items that needed to go. My supplies of everything had gotten low over the summer, so I'm doing what I do every fall - stocking up. I have extras of pretty much all toiletries/cleaning items. I've slowly begun to replenish my canned goods stash, including things like soup in case of an emergency. Added more water, toilet paper, batteries, etc.

Blackdog Lin

9-16-13, 8:22am

I cleaned the three sets of 2" wooden window blinds in the living room - gave them a nice wipe-down, front and back, with some Murphy's oil soap, then a light buffing with a clean rag. It took almost 2 hours, but boy do they look better! Did the ceiling fan too while I was at it.

Next on my list: window washing. And the garage. And.....

Gardenarian

9-17-13, 4:52pm

Got sidetracked by a flea outbreak - washing dogs and bedding and vacuuming like crazy for days. So things are clean - but not the projects on my list.

I'm going to be washing the windows on my cabin this weekend - the high ones that haven't been done in years. I'm going to try a hose-end cleaner as it is too high for my extension ladder - let you know how that goes!

I'm so very frustrated with my sewing machine - I'm working on new cushion covers. I'm using heavy denim but starting to think it would be easier by hand! I just don't get along with sewing machines.

fidgiegirl

9-20-13, 6:39pm

I have the bug to *start* to tackle the attic, but to really make any headway, DH will have to be in the mood. I have staged it for the task, like setting up a trash can, eBay box, donate box, and stacking up all the empty plastic boxes we seem to have accumulated (yeah, we don't have to buy them, but where did they all come from?!) But can't really start without him, it's mostly his stuff. Even staging it was overwhelming. :( If he's in the mood we might make it back up there tonight for a spell. We must remove some of the items in order to organize the rest. There's a lot we're going to keep, but we can barely move around up there. :( The good thing is that he always does get around to parting with what needs to go, but I have to remember that it has to be on his schedule and not mine. Recent eBay successes will be buoying his resolve, I predict.

Tiam

9-21-13, 12:48am

My roommate announced that the land line phone is lost. I never use it. I keep it on but never use it. I guess it's disappearance means a deep decluttering is in order.

fidgiegirl

9-21-13, 6:23pm

Tussiemussies

9-21-13, 7:34pm

This thread is firing me up, to get moving on my fall cleaning! Thanks!

gmpg54

9-21-13, 9:29pm

call it?

Lainey

9-21-13, 10:14pm

We made good progress on the attic yesterday. The donation and eBay boxes are filling up fast, and we pulled out a few things to deal with (like clean, assemble, etc.). Hopefully we can spend a little more time up there tonight.

fidgiegirl, just wondering if you'd ever consider not using the attic for storage at all? In one of those "Clean House" shows, they emptied an attic of many years of the owner's hoarding items (not to say you're hoarding!) but then they put a padlock on it so she could no longer fling things up there in the future. Just a thought, but I'm very impressed with what you've done so far - I know up and down the attic stairs is a pain just by itself.

fidgiegirl

9-22-13, 2:13pm

I would love that eventually, or at least for a portion of it. It's really more of a half story than an attic, so it has some potential for an office or a play space or something like that. But the camping and seasonal stuff, all of which we use, just not all year long, has to go somewhere.

I have had a bit of a breakthrough with my own perception of my husband's things. He was really into antiques in our other house, which he had decorated to the hilt in vintage Northwoods stuff. Well, in this house I have said that not all of it is going back up - it used to make me batty because there was so.much.decoration. So he has agreed to part with some of the less favorite items, and we will display some of the most beloved pieces, but we are also going to stow some of it away by themes in order to pull it out to decorate the fireplace mantle seasonally. That way he can feel like it's still being displayed, but I can get the change-it-up/contain it to one area that I need as well. And since decorating isn't really my thing, just sticking to the mantle feels doable and even enjoyable.

We have a perfect fall day here today so I am going to work in the yard a bit! Our exterior project is done so now we can clean up . . . Thank God!

Gardenarian

9-23-13, 4:50pm

Well, it rained on the day I planned to do pressure wash and do the windows (which was awesome actually - it's so long since we had rain that I went out at 3am and was walking around just feeling the freshness.)

I am on good terms with my sewing machine again - no more cheap thread! So I got the cushions covered and now need to do the drapes, which I should be able to finish tonight (with help from dd.)

Every time I cross something off my list it seems I need to add 2 more!

Blackdog Lin

9-23-13, 8:35pm

This has been an inspiring thread for me. Good thing, as there are an awful lot of put-off chores I need to get to.

Today was the fridge. I didn't intend to do it, it wasn't even on any list of things-to-do I have laying around.....but I went to move something in the door and, well, ooohhh (said in a yucky voice, not a happy voice). Don't know why I hadn't noticed the grossness/grime in there before. Anyway, couldn't come up with a good enough reason to ignore it, so I just moved everything, ran a sink of hot soapy water, and 25 minutes later I have a much cleaner fridge interior. Go Lin!

fidgiegirl

10-10-13, 9:37pm

My craft room is completely intimidating me. It's not even that far gone. I wonder why this is. I've been "organizing" it since about last February. The window replacement didn't help things as any work I'd do would be undone by things having to be shifted . . . but now everything is mended up and painted. I should be ale to go to town on it. Hmmmm.

fidgiegirl

10-11-13, 9:40pm

Made some good progress in there tonight. Not sure why it is such a slog, but now I'm feeling encouraged. I did notice that I feel probably overly sensitive when I see my husband has placed an item in the room. I take it very personally if he has chosen to plunk something down in the middle of my sewing table, or on top of a collage I consider to be very important, but he just sees as crafty fun. Once things are back in order up there he won't be placing items in the room at all, really. We were shifting and shifting to make room for the window project but it's done.

frugalone

10-16-13, 3:19pm

You could try calling the number and listen for the sound of the ringtone! LOL

My roommate announced that the land line phone is lost. I never use it. I keep it on but never use it. I guess it's disappearance means a deep decluttering is in order.