Hooks On Command

I love gadgets for cleaning up and storing things as much as the next person.

But the best thing I have ever found in my life is the range of 'Command Hooks'. These are hooks which stick onto walls, doors and other surfaces and you can remove them without leaving a mark.

I love them so much I have a collection of them in my hall table just in case I need one or two - or more - at any given time.

Now, I have been using them for hanging my handbags inside my wardrobe doors. They come in a range of different weights and sizes and they come in plastic or metal or tiny clear ones as well. I've got them dotted all around the house in all kinds of places. And I almost forget they are around because they're so convenient.

Anyway, I'm wondering what kinds of great little gadgets you've found that help you out in your decluttering. Mine are the 'Command Hooks' - and there's other things too; but mainly these hooks are it. So, do tell, what do you love to use that helps you out in a huge way. Just leave a comment below and help us all become better at defeating our clutter and better at storage. 

Being A Collector Is Okay

It's more than okay, it's normal!

Don't ever think that having a collection of something - or more than one thing - that you love isn't normal. We're Human Beings, we're supposed to collect things that mean something to us.

I collect books, vinyls/records, dvds, cds, sheet music (old-fashioned music that is and rock'n'roll) and I also collect handbags and coin purses. So, of course you'll have to either display your beloved collections, or keep them safely stashed somewhere. 

So, when you're looking through your things and wondering what you should keep, what you should throw away, and what you should donate, think on what you have collected. You'll be surprised at how much of something you've collected - what you've turned your passions to and enjoyed collecting. 

When you've found your happiness - no matter if you love Tupperware, Corningware or 1960's furniture - make sure nobody bursts your bubble... keep at your passion. You'll love yourself and your decluttering will come easier to you as you work through your house. 

Decluttering Isn't Easy

I might make decluttering sound like it's a pinch of dirt... but really, I do struggle with decluttering the smallest things.

The amount of times I've gone into my wardrobe hellbent on getting rid of certain items, only to return them back to the coat hanger and close the door again, I've simply lost count! It's the same with my books. I have to be in the right state of mind to do that - believe me - because I adore the written word more than anything. And for me to get rid of any on a whim would just be horrible. I really have to have the right thoughts going through my mind of which genres I'm going to get rid of; not just toss out books higglety-pigglety. 

So, when I'm writing about something I've decluttered, a lot of the time, you've gotta remember I might write another post in a few year's time on it again where I'm tackling that very same room or part of the house because it's gotten cluttered again.

This is simply because decluttering your home isn't an easy task. It's a very personal journey through your life and your mind. You do it with your things - and sometimes your family's things who have passed away - and you have to make up your mind whether or not you need them in your house.

Believe me when I say that I had a few false starts before I really got in and just worked on a tiny part of my house - and it started out with a junk drawer in my living room. It made me feel so much better that I just continued on from there.

So, take your time. 

It's your journey, not mine. These posts aren't homework... they're suggestions. So if you'd like me to write about how to go about decluttering something, ask in the comments below and I'll write a post about it. 

Otherwise, keep us all posted about your journey as well. As Human Beings, our lives aren't meant to be organised; they're meant to be comfortable. Don't throw out things you want in your life just because other people don't want you to have them. And most of all, don't compare yourself - or your home - to others. It just won't help you in your journey through your stuff (I'm not going to call it junk unless you do). 

Take care. 

Keep what you really want.

And make you home your castle. 

Donation Box

A Donation Box is a box you put by your door and you place in it the things you're going to take to the charity of your choice as you declutter your home.

I've had a Donation Box for about 3 years now, and it's been wonderful! I've used it every year - all year - and now it's been all taped up and ready to go full to brim with goodies for the charity of my choice (which is St Vincent De Paul or Life Line) and I love giving things to both of these wonderful charities. 

So, all you need is a big box... usually a cardboard box... and you write on it: Donation Box. And as you're cleaning out, you put into it what will be going to a charity. As soon as the Donation Box is full, put everything into bags and take it all to the charity of your choice and they will sell your goods to make money to help the less fortunate.

And the best thing about these places is that you can find the most wonderful things to furnish your home, or to replace that one thing that might have been broken years ago. I buy 3/4 of my clothes at Life Line and St Vincent De Paul stores... who needs brand new when all the best fashions are at a 1/4 of the price at a charity store? 

Bathroom Clean-Out

Just like everything in life, I find that the bathroom is the most neglect room. It's also the most mouldy, disgusting and strangest room to clean out. 

You find the yukkiest stuff hiding in the back of the cupboard! Honestly you do!

From the old shampoo and conditioner you bought when you had that perm five years ago, to the bubble bath you bought for your 5-year-old niece (who didn't even use it - and now they're in high school), you'll have to clean out your bathroom and make sure you give it good spritz from top to bottom with air freshener. 

First things first: you must give your toilet (if you have one in your bathroom) a good clean. Wear gloves and make sure you have the window open. A lot of cleaners you put in a toilet have bleach in their and are not good for you if you inhale them. 

You wash the floor last... after all, you'll be walking around on it all day with your feet and shoes cleaning dirt and dust off everything. 

Clean you toilet, your vanity and your shower and bathtub. Take your time - it's not a race. Wash the towels - floor towels and all - as it'll be nice to have them back in while you're cleaning the room out.

Then, once the usual cleaning is done, get some rubbish bags and bin and make sure you have access to a bedroom. Yep, you're pulling out all those bath towels! But, go shelf by shelf... don't pull them all out and then realise you've taken on a job bigger than Ben Hur! Take on one shelf at a time, figure out the pairs and which towels are frayed and don't match and aren't as absorbent as they used to be. 

These old towels go into a rubbish bag for an animal shelter near you. These shelters use the old bath towels as bedding for dogs and cats - just make sure they're nice and clean and your animal shelter will love you. I do this every year and drop a large bag off to the RSPCA in my area.

Once you've got one shelf done, go in and clean that shelf off with spray'n'wipe or vinegar and make sure it's all clean and then put the towels back in nice and neat.
Each shelf will be different. You'll have hair accessories, hair dryers, curling irons and other things for the bathroom. Allocate a shelf for each thing you think will be needed and you'll have it all done in no time.
Some of the cupboards don't reach the ceiling. This is where a ladder comes in handy. Now, you clean up there before you clean anywhere else, because it'll be really dusty up there and a lot of the times the dirt will get a bit of liquid into it and dribble down the inside of the doors. To save on double-handling the cleaning of the doors, do the top first, then work on the inside of the closet. 

Then, there's the medicine cabinet above the vanity. I found that instead of having a First Aid Kit on top or inside the cabinet underneath, allocating a shelf for first aide is a lot easier and faster to find things. So long everything is in date and up on the top shelf (away from little hands), you'll have a great place for your first aide things to stay when you need them in a hurry. Plus you won't be trying to pull things out to find a box, it'll all be there for you to see at any time.

Once the linen closet and medicine cabinet is all done - and underneath the vanity as well - you can wash the floor and splash back. Then, once the floors are dry, it's time to put the floor towels down again, the one around the toilet and the bath towels back on the racks. And doesn't it look lovely? You know you've done a great thing - and the next time you have a shower, and you need a towel, you're not rummaging around looking for a towel. You can just reach into the closet and find one. 

This Is Exactly What Life Is.

I've been decluttering my home for about four years now and thought it was high time I started a blog for it.

I've got plenty of photos for this project and it seems to be an on-going theme in my life - to declutter my home. It's as prevalent and work-worthy as my arts and my garden; so I thought it would be a good idea to add yet another blog onto my growing collection of them.

yes... a collection... it seems I collect a lot of things and don't really know what to do with them.

I have a room filled with books, a living room filled with vinyls and dvds and craft gear and a very well-organised kitchen (the latter took me the whole four years it's taken me to get off my butt and even start organising the rest of house!). 

So far, I've been taking part in Peter Walsh's 31-Day Challenges for the past 2 years and at first it was difficult. But now, I zoom through the challenges so quick, it as though they're childsplay! 

I'm starting to make up my own challenges to do around the place when he's hit one I've already done and have to just give a quick going over and it doesn't take long. Like my bathroom... woah! Man did that ever need a clean out! I went through the bath towels, the linen in there and cleaned out the whole closet - and it turned out to be a great exercise. Because of the heat wave here in Brisbane, it took me about three days, but I had a good time throwing out what I didn't need. 

Today, I got in and worked on the master bedroom! And now it's nice and clean - except the vacuum cleaner blew up on me in a big way halfway through cleaning the room... so there went vacuuming the house! Well, it looks like I'll be getting myself a new vacuum cleaner over the next few weeks while I'm borrowing one from my folks - just to finish the job I started today.

That's what I have found with decluttering. I don't start a job I can't finish. 

Okay, I had to leave this one job because something went wrong. But tomorrow is another day. I'll be picking up from where I left off. I've put up some 'Command' hooks and they have to be left for 24 hours until I can use them (so there's handbags everywhere!). I've gone through some of my clothes and bits and found I don't want some of them, and so the Donation Box is getting a few good items; while the rubbish bin is getting more bags of junk. Anyway, that's just how it goes... with life and with decluttering: you can sometimes donate your unwanted items, while other times you can't fix it and have to toss it away.  Until next time!