Home Maintenance: Cleaning, Organizing, Purging and Regular Upkeep

[Magpie]

It's interesting, when one thinks about people and their stuff and the complicated relationships. Some like to keep things "that might come in handy some day", some like to toss "who needs that old stuff". And there's so many variations in between.

I've been forced into the purging and sorting, first when my Beloved unexpectedly passed away, leaving me with tons of his things, half of which hadn't even been unpacked when he moved in with me, since we had been planning to move closer to where he could find a better job. Then I decided I couldn't stay in that big old farmhouse, not only too empty without him, but also too expensive to maintain in retirement. So I sold up and moved, which meant another huge packing/sorting/purging time. All of last year disappeared into the whole moving drama.

But I still have SO MUCH STUFF! Inherited from my grandparents, my great aunts and uncles, my dad, and my Husband. Things from my childhood that I can't bear to throw out, like the little wooden rocking chair that my Daughter also used when she was little. Neither of my brothers care much about family history, so I have all the pictures and neat things like a green glass cookie jar that was my great-great uncle's. How to decide what to keep and what to get rid of? I need to somehow whittle it all down so that I don't feel like a prisoner to STUFF. Uff da.

A couple of things I've learned - never use cardboard for any long term storage. We had stored most of my Husband's man cave stuff in a clean, well built storage unit but the cardboard just seems to break down and attract bugs and just didn't hold up when I went back to empty the unit. Old file cabinets bolted to those moving dollys from harbor freight make great shop organizers, they hold a ton of stuff and are built of thicker steel, and the wheels make it easy to move them around as needed. And I ended up tossing a huge amount of spices (Husband was an awesome, accomplished cook!) because the plastic containers got nasty. So now I keep all foodstuff in glass or metal containers.

I'm truly sorry things didn't turn out liked you'd hoped. I have asked other people 'would you like/ use this' inherited stuff rather than wait till I'm gone. I would much rather see things used than sitting pretty in a cupboard. I'll just keep a few small things. It's not from lack of space necessarily, I just can't abide items not being used and loved, just rotting away really.
I hate packaging in my larder; must be an age thing - I get a great deal of satisfaction fitting a whole pack of - herbs,porridge, whatever- into a container.

 

[LadyLocust]

I'm truly sorry things didn't turn out liked you'd hoped. I have asked other people 'would you like/ use this' inherited stuff rather than wait till I'm gone. I would much rather see things used than sitting pretty in a cupboard. I'll just keep a few small things. It's not from lack of space necessarily, I just can't abide items not being used and loved, just rotting away really.
I hate packaging in my larder; must be an age thing - I get a great deal of satisfaction fitting a whole pack of - herbs,porridge, whatever- into a container.

I’ve tried to explain this to my mom when she tried to make me take her great gma’s china. I told her if they were offered back when I needed dishes, it would have been great. Now that I have my own that I like, I don’t want extra stuff to store. That was a difficult conversation.
When we downsized to move, I told my kids they got all their stuff- let them deal with it as young (but out on their own) adults rather than storing stuff for years. When the time comes for us to further downsize, I will share with those who want things by asking rather than burdening them with things they don’t want or having to figure out what to do with the “stuff.”

 

[Heartbroken]

More unpacking today. Three large boxes of bathroom stuff dealt with after painting the bathroom closet and lining the shelves. I gave away a great deal of my Husband's things to his friends but I can't quite give up his razor and aftershave and beard oil...yes it will take up room in the cabinet but I have the room so there it stays. Pitched a ton of old hair ties and half-empty shampoo bottles and those lotions that expired in 2015...by the time I got to packing the bathroom I just basically pulled out drawers and swept off shelves and dumped it all in boxes. It's good to get rid of stuff, wash off what I'm keeping, and store it neatly away in a clean closet.

My friend gave me a great idea of creating built-ins. The closet for the spare bedroom backs onto the kitchen. I'm going to cut a hole in that wall and repurpose the wooden cabinet my tv was in as a built-in china cabinet, set in the closet. I'll face frame it with trim and replace the wood in the doors with glass. I'll be able to display the family china that I've had in a box in the attic since we lost the farm back in the 80s.

Took the sofa that won't fit in this house and a bunch of gently used stuff to the donation center. Successive, ongoing sorting and purging will be happening for at least another year. There's a ton of boxes in the basement yet and then there's the whole shed to deal with. A lot of the shed will be a problem; when my dad passed away we lost his house to an evil mortgage broker (long story, it was fraud and we could prove it but couldn't afford an attorney) so that left my brother homeless. So all his tools and the stuff from dad's house are stuffed in my shed. Getting that sorted is going to take a lot of effort.

End goal is a place for everything, everything in it's place, and hopefully just a few totes of "stuff" for daughter to deal with when I'm allowed to go home.

I hate packaging in the pantry too. Everything gets put into glass or metal containers. I have three sets of canisters, one from each set of grandparents and my Husband's. They've been put to use for chocolate chips, dried fruits, dehydrated veggies, all sorts of stuff beyond the flour and sugar and tea.

 

[LadyLocust]

More unpacking today. Three large boxes of bathroom stuff dealt with after painting the bathroom closet and lining the shelves. I gave away a great deal of my Husband's things to his friends but I can't quite give up his razor and aftershave and beard oil...yes it will take up room in the cabinet but I have the room so there it stays. Pitched a ton of old hair ties and half-empty shampoo bottles and those lotions that expired in 2015...by the time I got to packing the bathroom I just basically pulled out drawers and swept off shelves and dumped it all in boxes. It's good to get rid of stuff, wash off what I'm keeping, and store it neatly away in a clean closet.

My friend gave me a great idea of creating built-ins. The closet for the spare bedroom backs onto the kitchen. I'm going to cut a hole in that wall and repurpose the wooden cabinet my tv was in as a built-in china cabinet, set in the closet. I'll face frame it with trim and replace the wood in the doors with glass. I'll be able to display the family china that I've had in a box in the attic since we lost the farm back in the 80s.

Took the sofa that won't fit in this house and a bunch of gently used stuff to the donation center. Successive, ongoing sorting and purging will be happening for at least another year. There's a ton of boxes in the basement yet and then there's the whole shed to deal with. A lot of the shed will be a problem; when my dad passed away we lost his house to an evil mortgage broker (long story, it was fraud and we could prove it but couldn't afford an attorney) so that left my brother homeless. So all his tools and the stuff from dad's house are stuffed in my shed. Getting that sorted is going to take a lot of effort.

End goal is a place for everything, everything in it's place, and hopefully just a few totes of "stuff" for daughter to deal with when I'm allowed to go home.

I hate packaging in the pantry too. Everything gets put into glass or metal containers. I have three sets of canisters, one from each set of grandparents and my Husband's. They've been put to use for chocolate chips, dried fruits, dehydrated veggies, all sorts of stuff beyond the flour and sugar and tea.

Sounds like you’re making good progress! Furniture takes up a lot of space so that probably made a great impression.

 

[Weedygarden]

More unpacking today. Three large boxes of bathroom stuff dealt with after painting the bathroom closet and lining the shelves. I gave away a great deal of my Husband's things to his friends but I can't quite give up his razor and aftershave and beard oil...yes it will take up room in the cabinet but I have the room so there it stays. Pitched a ton of old hair ties and half-empty shampoo bottles and those lotions that expired in 2015...by the time I got to packing the bathroom I just basically pulled out drawers and swept off shelves and dumped it all in boxes. It's good to get rid of stuff, wash off what I'm keeping, and store it neatly away in a clean closet.

My friend gave me a great idea of creating built-ins. The closet for the spare bedroom backs onto the kitchen. I'm going to cut a hole in that wall and repurpose the wooden cabinet my tv was in as a built-in china cabinet, set in the closet. I'll face frame it with trim and replace the wood in the doors with glass. I'll be able to display the family china that I've had in a box in the attic since we lost the farm back in the 80s.

Took the sofa that won't fit in this house and a bunch of gently used stuff to the donation center. Successive, ongoing sorting and purging will be happening for at least another year. There's a ton of boxes in the basement yet and then there's the whole shed to deal with. A lot of the shed will be a problem; when my dad passed away we lost his house to an evil mortgage broker (long story, it was fraud and we could prove it but couldn't afford an attorney) so that left my brother homeless. So all his tools and the stuff from dad's house are stuffed in my shed. Getting that sorted is going to take a lot of effort.

End goal is a place for everything, everything in it's place, and hopefully just a few totes of "stuff" for daughter to deal with when I'm allowed to go home.

I hate packaging in the pantry too. Everything gets put into glass or metal containers. I have three sets of canisters, one from each set of grandparents and my Husband's. They've been put to use for chocolate chips, dried fruits, dehydrated veggies, all sorts of stuff beyond the flour and sugar and tea.

Ugh! It is a lot to deal with! It is so emotional as well. It isn't just looking at something and trying to decide whether to get rid of it or keep it. Even if stuff isn't emotional, it is still challenging to toss some things.
I find it easier to do a few things every day, such as cleaning out a drawer, cleaning it, putting in shelf paper, doing a good job or organizing it, as opposed to knock a whole bunch of stuff. I will work on some things and then think about what to do or how to do somethings. Once in a while I go back and redo something, but that is not often. I also find that finishing something is a challenge for me, such as dealing with my spices. Lots done, a few details left.

I agree with Lady Locust about dealing with the larger items first. In my process, I have come to realize that the larger items are easier for me to deal with. It is the smaller things, like my junk drawer that is a bit of a challenge.

I was too young to be involved when my mother died. I wasn't around when my grandmothers died and to help with cleaning out their homes. One grandmother was so poor for so long, no money even for food, and she had every letter and anything that she ever had. Two uncles were tasked with cleaning out her home and burning the letters and other things because there was sad family history that she didn't want to be out there. If I had had time with her, I would have had her go through boxes of letters and pull out letters written by my mother from the time she left home to go to nursing school and until she died at the age of 30.

I have a few family heirlooms: grandparent's oil lamp, grandfather's meat grinder (he was a butcher), g grandmother's spinning wheel, two wash stands when there was no running water, one my gg grandmothers, the other my grandparents. I also have a few dishes in a China cabinet. I have typed up labels of information about each item with the owner's name, and the significance of the item. I laminated these labels, rounded the corners, punched a hole and ties them to some place on the item. One of my new bins was my grandmother's heating pad, so it is now in the bin with end of the bin labeled with Grandma V's heating pad. My daughter never knew her and would not understand the use of heating pads for aches and pains. I need to put some Epsom salt in that bin as well, because it is one of the bins that does have room in it.

 

[Weedygarden]

I continue to work in my kitchen and still have more to do.

I have a few hang-ups. I am trying to clean everything: every appliance, every small appliance. And I am trying to put things in bins to keep them clean. I have things like a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and a pasta maker that are too large for the bins I have been using for most things. I only use some things a couple times a year, so if they just sits on a shelf, they will just collect dust. They are larger than the 12.9 quart bins that I am using. Those bins are such a great size for many things. I have been searching for bins that would work for things like the ice cream maker, pasta maker and bread maker, etc. The bins are either too large or too small.

I took a trip to HD today to see if they have something that would work for such things. Nope! But they do have lots of bins. Their bins are outrageously priced. I saw bins for $25 that were around $7.99 at Costco a few months ago. I decided that I will use the smaller version of the black bins with the yellow lids to hold a couple things together like the ice cream maker and the bread machine. I wish that people like Cuisinart would get special plastic bins for their appliances. The cardboard boxes that many things come in do not hold up.

I have also been sorting paper work! OMG! There is so much paper! My recycling bin is almost full just from sorting it. I was talking to a couple people at dog parks today who talk about how many stacks of paper they have everywhere. It is a problem that I'd bet many people have, all the damned mail that is just trash, and needs to just go in the trash.

I come home for a quick lunch and get the mail as I go in. I do a quick look at the mail, but really have limited time to eat lunch, so that is usually my focus. So the mail gets tossed in a pile. And then there it piles up until I toss it into a bag or box, move it over, and start over again.

I am finding things like manuals, that I have now put with the ice cream maker, the Saladmaster machine, etc. See, if I had good sized bins for those things, the manuals would always be there with them and easily put away with them. When something sits on a shelf, not so easy. I did try to make a notebook for these manuals, but that was not a win.

 

[LadyLocust]

I continue to work in my kitchen and still have more to do.

I have a few hang-ups. I am trying to clean everything: every appliance, every small appliance. And I am trying to put things in bins to keep them clean. I have things like a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and a pasta maker that are too large for the bins I have been using for most things. I only use some things a couple times a year, so if they just sits on a shelf, they will just collect dust. They are larger than the 12.9 quart bins that I am using. Those bins are such a great size for many things. I have been searching for bins that would work for things like the ice cream maker, pasta maker and bread maker, etc. The bins are either too large or too small.

I took a trip to HD today to see if they have something that would work for such things. Nope! But they do have lots of bins. Their bins are outrageously priced. I saw bins for $25 that were around $7.99 at Costco a few months ago. I decided that I will use the smaller version of the black bins with the yellow lids to hold a couple things together like the ice cream maker and the bread machine. I wish that people like Cuisinart would get special plastic bins for their appliances. The cardboard boxes that many things come in do not hold up.

I have also been sorting paper work! OMG! There is so much paper! My recycling bin is almost full just from sorting it. I was talking to a couple people at dog parks today who talk about how many stacks of paper they have everywhere. It is a problem that I'd bet many people have, all the damned mail that is just trash, and needs to just go in the trash.

I come home for a quick lunch and get the mail as I go in. I do a quick look at the mail, but really have limited time to eat lunch, so that is usually my focus. So the mail gets tossed in a pile. And then there it piles up until I toss it into a bag or box, move it over, and start over again.

I am finding things like manuals, that I have now put with the ice cream maker, the Saladmaster machine, etc. See, if I had good sized bins for those things, the manuals would always be there with them and easily put away with them. When something sits on a shelf, not so easy. I did try to make a notebook for these manuals, but that was not a win.

I got rid of so many appliances- even my kitchen aid . I figured I lived a long time with a bowl and a wooden spoon.
Paper drives me crazy!!! So I feel for you on that one. I sort it at the mailbox and leave it in there and just take my mail. I don’t let the junk mail in the house. When I get a notification that I need to clean out the mailbox, I take it out and it goes directly into the trash and I leave the note in the mailbox stating if they don’t like garbage in there, quit putting it in there! We don’t get all that garbage in our POB because people would shove it out the back and they would have to clean it up. Sorry- stepping off the soapbox

 

[Weedygarden]

I got rid of so many appliances- even my kitchen aid . I figured I lived a long time with a bowl and a wooden spoon.
Paper drives me crazy!!! So I feel for you on that one. I sort it at the mailbox and leave it in there and just take my mail. I don’t let the junk mail in the house. When I get a notification that I need to clean out the mailbox, I take it out and it goes directly into the trash and I leave the note in the mailbox stating if they don’t like garbage in there, quit putting it in there! We don’t get all that garbage in our POB because people would shove it out the back and they would have to clean it up. Sorry- stepping off the soapbox

I think this is a great idea, to not allow any junk mail in the house. I would need to set up a receptacle of some sort to drop it in until I can get it to the recycling bin.

In this video, Southern Prepper 1 shows how he is organizing his shop. In some shots, he is talking about other things, but just check out all of his filing cabinets and drafting paper cabinets. He has lined the drawers with something that keeps the tools in place when he opens the drawers, and his drawers are labeled. Having 10 hatchets does no good if I can't find them! Filing cabinets can be found for free, and his said he paid $30 for the drafting paper cabinets with 3 large and fairly shallow drawers where things are laid out and easily found.

 

[Heartbroken]

I hear you on the junk mail! I hate it. I toss it all in a box and use it when I'm starting fires. I especially hate AARP. They have no right to hound me the way they do. Files the same way. Once a year or so I sort them and the excess goes in the fireplace.
I invested in a lot of plastic totes when I was packing up to move. Things I knew I wanted to keep nice, but wouldn't have a place for right away, all got carefully packed in the totes. No trusting cardboard for those. It is hard to find good totes for a decent price; I've found that if I check walmart occasionally I can find clear totes with the hinged lids for around 9.00. But only sometimes. Clear totes are the only way to go, I hate not being able to see what's in them.
Thankfully this new house has a large basement. I have piles of stuff stacked down there but it gives me a storage/staging area. Bit by bit I'll get through those and get rid of more stuff and put away what I want to keep. I just hope I can actually do it. Sometimes it's just so overwhelming.

 

[Weedygarden]

Bit by bit I'll get through those and get rid of more stuff and put away what I want to keep. I just hope I can actually do it. Sometimes it's just so overwhelming.

Yes, it is overwhelming. As I've said, I'm not spending full days working on this. I don't want to feel so overwhelmed that I do nothing. My plan is to do something everyday, even if it is just putting some stuff in a few bins and labeling the bins. Before I even get out of bed in the morning, I am thinking about what I am going to do with this BIG project that day. It is a habit that I want to keep going, because I have much to do. I am housesitting for 5 days over the weekend, and that will throw me off a little, except I can take some of my genealogy mess and work on getting it more organized.

I am washing, washing, washing stuff and I have much more of that to do. Some stuff cleans up easily, others not so easily. Yesterday I stayed home all day, except for a quick trip to Costco. I got so much done and most of it was sorting out papers and pitching most of it.

I almost feel a little crazy about the bins! I have always been more financially careful and tried to not spend much money on stuff like this. But, you are right about being able to see what we have and to protect it. I have thrown away so much cardboard! It looks ratty and doesn't hold up.

 

[Tommyice]

I’ve been trying to get my stuff together also in preparation for when it’s time to sell the properties either to death or dad outliving his financial expectations. He won’t do anything about his stuff so I figured I’d get mine in order so we’ll just have to deal with his.

Junk mail makes it into a box in the garage for recycling as I bring my mail in.

When I look around at my stuff, I do feel somewhat overwhelmed. To combat that I started listing the areas I need to go over—top shelf in tv cabinet, self side of armoire, etc. This way I have a variety of areas—large, small, quick, detailed—to tackle depending upon time constraints. I also add in that list UFOs like hemming the dish towels i wove last year.

 

[Weedygarden]

I also add in that list UFOs like hemming the dish towels i wove last year.

OMG! I have so much of that! This is why I started a crafting group several years ago. I got so many projects finished. One of the regulars struggled with things in her personal life, so we quit advertising for it and the group died out. I want to start this group back up so that we can meet regularly and I can get more things done. Having a time and place to work on things is so helpful for me.

 

[angie_nrs]

Today I tackled 'dust the spare bedroom fan'. It was the easiest thing on the list and I wanted to cross something off my 4 item list before noon. So, I grabbed the vacuum cleaner and went to work on the fan. After I was finished with that one, I decided to just go ahead and do the other one too. The second fan in the other room hasn't worked in probably 2 years. I have a new one to replace it with, but we just never got around to doing it. While I was vacuuming it, I noticed that the pull cord chain on the side was broken off. However, there was enough there to pull it so I did. Well, that's why the fan wasn't working. As soon as I pulled it, it started spinning. LOL! I feel like an idiot for not thinking about that sooner b/c we always use wall controls. But hey, now I have a working fan that I thought was toast.

That makes the one spare room completely done! While I was working on the fan in the second room, I noticed some dust bunnies hiding in the corner so I got the duster out and chased them away. I also got the furniture polish and dusted off the dressers in there. I have an old dresser that has all kinds of intricate carving on it so it's a real pain to get at. I did the best I could and it looks so much better. Everything is off the (now) shiny dresser tops and put in it's place. Since I had many drawers with nothing in them due to the initial purge, I used that space to put the things that were taking up counter space with nowhere to go. Now I just have to remember where I put everything.

I had some new clothes I bought for nice occasions with tags still on them sitting on a dresser. I typically have a hanging closet bag that I put those things in but I don't have the space for the new clothes. So, I put them in a drawer and then put a note on the closet bag of where the new clothes were. That way I won't forget about them the next time I need them. It's been a while since I've needed to dress up, so now I can wear something new and actually be able to find exactly what I'm looking for. Does anyone else leave notes for themselves??

It's funny. I started off the day by checking ONE thing off my list and now I have 2 rooms that are nice and spiffy. I'm sure the beautiful sunshine I had today helped that process along. Yeah! I feel so accomplished and it's not even noon!

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Use a soft angled paint brush to dust the carved stuff. Never use anything that will dampen the dirt and make dried mud in the crevices. If that has already happened, use another paint brush to wash it out.

 

[Heartbroken]

Lots of chaos on the bathroom counter at the moment, but it's actually a good thing and minor compared to the major chaos of the day. Hauled four large boxes up out of the basement, grabbed the three smaller ones stacked in the hallway, and managed to get through everything labeled "bathroom" and "linen closet". Oh my. Husband really liked to be stocked up, and I was always one for buying vitamins and hair ties and trying different shampoos. Then there were the boxes of leftovers from his hospital stays, and the IV stuff and the heprin and saline and bandages and suture removal kits plus all the gloves and ice packs and airways and glucose and curlex from my old jump kit....it just went on and on. It's amazing how much gear we had crammed into the cabinets. But it's almost all sorted now, junk/expired/useless stuff tossed, one largish tote and four small ones organized for storage, and just another small tote's worth of stuff to organize and decide to keep or toss. I had previously washed down and painted the bathroom closet and lined the shelves, so now it's a matter of getting everything stowed away neatly and have it accessible. That way perhaps I won't buy anymore soap because I can't find what I have~things like that seem to have happened a lot in the past. I'm exhausted but glad to have made progress. Lighten the load!

 

[dademoss]

Then there were the boxes of leftovers from his hospital stays, and the IV stuff , saline and bandages and suture removal kits plus all the gloves and ice packs and airways and glucose and curlex. Lighten the load!

HMMMM, one wonders if you perhaps wandered into our storage room

 

[Weedygarden]

Lots of chaos on the bathroom counter at the moment, but it's actually a good thing and minor compared to the major chaos of the day. Hauled four large boxes up out of the basement, grabbed the three smaller ones stacked in the hallway, and managed to get through everything labeled "bathroom" and "linen closet". Oh my. Husband really liked to be stocked up, and I was always one for buying vitamins and hair ties and trying different shampoos. Then there were the boxes of leftovers from his hospital stays, and the IV stuff and the heprin and saline and bandages and suture removal kits plus all the gloves and ice packs and airways and glucose and curlex from my old jump kit....it just went on and on. It's amazing how much gear we had crammed into the cabinets. But it's almost all sorted now, junk/expired/useless stuff tossed, one largish tote and four small ones organized for storage, and just another small tote's worth of stuff to organize and decide to keep or toss. I had previously washed down and painted the bathroom closet and lined the shelves, so now it's a matter of getting everything stowed away neatly and have it accessible. That way perhaps I won't buy anymore soap because I can't find what I have~things like that seem to have happened a lot in the past. I'm exhausted but glad to have made progress. Lighten the load!

Good for you! Before I did my bathroom closet, I had stuff here and there. Having soap and other stuff in one place and organized is so helpful.

I'm house sitting, but am still working on projects at the house. I took a few bags of papers and have sorted some of it out. I had a bunch of stuff that went to the trash. I have more sorting to do with papers.

One of the projects I brought with me was seeds for re-organizing. I keep them organized in a plastic shoe box, alphabetical order, with note cards as dividers and labeled. I dropped the box a while ago and it was a mess. Then I had my new seeds that I've been ordering and buying that I needed to get in the mix. I also use a sharpie and write the year they were packaged for on the front so I can easily tell which ones older so that I can use them first.

I also have a bunch of plant labels for seed starting. They are in another plastic shoe box and mumbo jumbo. I got everything sorted and similar ones in snack sized zip bags.

 

[Neb]

The Princess has made progress on her spice organizing project.

She needs more shelves so I created wish list on Amazon to save her some time finding what she likes.

Ben

 

[Neb]

The Princess has made progress on her spice organizing project.

View attachment 125181

View attachment 125182

She needs more shelves so I created wish list on Amazon to save her some time finding what she likes.

Ben

Update

I showed the list and she asked where she can find a tape measure. She hasn't uttered more than 10 words while exploring the wish list.

Ben

 

[LadyLocust]

Dropped a bag off at thrift store this morning on my way to work. Also restocked the pantry from the boxes that are/were in the office. I want the office back.

 

[Weedygarden]

The Princess has made progress on her spice organizing project.

View attachment 125181

View attachment 125182

She needs more shelves so I created wish list on Amazon to save her some time finding what she likes.

Ben

It looks great, and I know that a project like this feels great as well when it is done!

I go home tonight and will be working on cleaning and organizing tomorrow morning. I need to get my seedlings started and that is not a home maintenance project, but an important one to me.

 

[Neb]

It looks great, and I know that a project like this feels great as well when it is done!

I go home tonight and will be working on cleaning and organizing tomorrow morning. I need to get my seedlings started and that is not a home maintenance project, but an important one to me.

Just wait until she is done!

Ben

 

[Heartbroken]

I unpacked two boxes of towels today and put them on shelves in the bathroom closet.
Small doings with a tremendous amount of work to get to that point!
And it involved still more sorting...funny how I didn't realize how threadbare some of the towels had gotten. So they didn't even go into the closet but got sorted aside for use as rags.
I'm going to call every little step as progress!
Love the spice labels. I installed one of those pull out spice racks in the narrow cabinet next to my stove that was intended for sheet pans. It took a lot of scrubbing to clean the kitchen smuts off the big bottles of spices my Husband kept next to the stove. I'm hoping that having them in a cabinet will keep everything cleaner.
I tossed a ton of expired spices, just threw them out in the yard. The facial expressions and reactions from the deer were hilarious.

 

[LadyLocust]

I unpacked two boxes of towels today and put them on shelves in the bathroom closet.
Small doings with a tremendous amount of work to get to that point!
And it involved still more sorting...funny how I didn't realize how threadbare some of the towels had gotten. So they didn't even go into the closet but got sorted aside for use as rags.
I'm going to call every little step as progress!
Love the spice labels. I installed one of those pull out spice racks in the narrow cabinet next to my stove that was intended for sheet pans. It took a lot of scrubbing to clean the kitchen smuts off the big bottles of spices my Husband kept next to the stove. I'm hoping that having them in a cabinet will keep everything cleaner.
I tossed a ton of expired spices, just threw them out in the yard. The facial expressions and reactions from the deer were hilarious.

It is progress. It all counts! That’s 2 more boxes you don’t have to look at.

 

[Weedygarden]

I'm home from my 5 day housesitting job and have been going through gardening supplies and organizing. Lots of stuff went to the recycling bin and I am not done.

I cleaned all of the plant labels that I had previously written on with a Sharpie, with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Now they're ready to be used again. I've organized them by color, so that when I label things like tomatoes, all will have the same color label. They are all sorted into zip bags in a plastic shoe box now.

There is more to do to organize with the gardening supplies. I have lots of seed starting stuff (pots, bins, trays, heat mats, containers) that I need to organize, scrub, disinfect and get ready to re-use soon.

I'm still working in the kitchen. The former junk drawer has been completely emptied and drawer is now used for my zip bag organizer, labels and label maker.

Junk drawer stuff needs to be organized into a small plastic cabinet with drawers. I have other things to go in that cabinet. I believe there are 36 drawers. It used to house miniature items for teaching consonant and vowel sounds. They are all in a zip bag now.

A bunch of empty plastic food containers went to the recycling bin. There are probably more somewhere that will go as well.

Did some cleaning out of the fridge, but ran out of time to finish it.

 

[LadyLocust]

I'm home from my 5 day housesitting job and have been going through gardening supplies and organizing. Lots of stuff went to the recycling bin and I am not done.

I cleaned all of the plant labels that I had previously written on with a Sharpie, with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Now they're ready to be used again. I've organized them by color, so that when I label things like tomatoes, all will have the same color label. They are all sorted into zip bags in a plastic shoe box now.

There is more to do to organize with the gardening supplies. I have lots of seed starting stuff (pots, bins, trays, heat mats, containers) that I need to organize, scrub, disinfect and get ready to re-use soon.

I'm still working in the kitchen. The former junk drawer has been completely emptied and drawer is now used for my zip bag organizer, labels and label maker.

Junk drawer stuff needs to be organized into a small plastic cabinet with drawers. I have other things to go in that cabinet. I believe there are 36 drawers. It used to house miniature items for teaching consonant and vowel sounds. They are all in a zip bag now.

A bunch of empty plastic food containers went to the recycling bin. There are probably more somewhere that will go as well.

Did some cleaning out of the fridge, but ran out of time to finish it.

That’s a lot Weedy! I grew up with a junk drawer and it was some time as a young adult when I realized that I didn’t want one. (My folks weren’t really organized so never really learned). Everything in a junk drawer has a home somewhere else

 

[Weedygarden]

That’s a lot Weedy! I grew up with a junk drawer and it was some time as a young adult when I realized that I didn’t want one. (My folks weren’t really organized so never really learned). Everything in a junk drawer has a home somewhere else

I realized that so much of the stuff in there did have other places to go. I just need to get it organized in those places. Repurposing that plastic drawered cabinet for that stuff is a much better place and way to organize most of it.

 

[Weedygarden]

I saw this list and think it is helpful to know. Even if you weren't doing a big purge and reorganizing like I am doing, this is still a lot of work to do!

 

[Weedygarden]

Latest update:

I am still doing something everyday, and there is progress being made.

In the kitchen I am finding more canning jars. I now have two large bins of misc. canning jars and a few cases of jars in the original box trays that they came in. I plan on getting all of the jars out to the shed with my other canning supplies.

Shed is on the list for a good work over, but not until I have done much more in the house.

As I am replacing storage containers with the lidded bins, I am making a pile of the old ones on the bed in the spare bedroom. Once in a while, one of these containers gets used for something when I can't find anything better to use.

Trash can is being filled. So is the recycling bin.
There is still a pile in the middle of my kitchen floor for stuff that is being sorted, but it changes daily as well.
I found nice sized bins with lids for a few small appliances, but have a couple more to find bins for. These bins will help to keep the appliances clean and have their manuals with them. I need one for my bread maker. Some things will not go into bins, but I will wrap with the smaller clear trash bags from Costco to keep them clean, but see what is there.
I had an aha moment about most of my grain grinders going into one bin together. I have a few that should all be together. They are scattered here and there. My large, heavy electric grinder will get wrapped in a clear trash bag and put into the shed on a shelf where it will be easy to find and use.
I made a trip to the thrift store this weekend. When I got home I already saw more things that I have started a new donation pile with.
I'm still cleaning and washing lots. My hands are so dry now, like when I was washing them so much during 2020. I am putting lotion on a few times each day.
I am almost finished with my third label maker cartridge. It gets really curly at the end, and it is now so I know it is almost gone. When I have several words, I use the return and the words are smaller, but take less tape and space on the container.

 

[Weedygarden]

This is not mine, but an example of what wouldn't work for me. It is too much and would get dirty and dusty. Maybe my bins take up more space. I have similar shelves in black, but much taller. (@Frodo , 4 posts in a row!!!)