I have been cleaning my house for days, but you wouldn’t know it to look at it. There are piles of things everywhere. But I promise, I have been working hard!
I have never been a hoarder, never been someone to hold onto “stuff.” Everything has its place in my house. If there is not a place for it, I’d just as soon get rid of it. This past weekend I saw a reality TV show – one of the ones where they go into someone’s house and they clean it up for them. And wow, this house was splitting at the seams. They had to rent a 7,000 square foot empty department store just for the yard sale for this one house. These people had to purchase items more than once because they couldn’t find anything. The mom had 200 suit jackets and they all were out of style. The basement looked like a wall of stuff. You couldn’t even walk into the garage for all the stuff. It was awful – and it sent me into a cleaning frenzy.
After doing the basics of cleaning, I cleaned out underneath my bathroom sink. I do this every couple of months – just to straighten up, and to make sure I know what I have down there. My motto: If I’m not going to use it, throw it away. If I am going to use it, then use it!
Then I tried on everything in my closet, and found a pile of stuff to get rid of (3 trash bags full.) I pulled everything out of the two guest room closets and went through it all.
In the pile to get rid of, either through consignment or Goodwill or to send to live with friends:
= All of my dyeables shoes (left over from being a bridesmaid)
= All of my shoes that I bought and wore once and never again because they are too uncomfortable
= My shoes that are worn out and falling apart
= About 12 formal dresses (from sorority formals, weddings – that whole bridesmaid thing, and Marine Corps balls). That leaves me with two formal dresses – one ballgown and one a little less formal – and it shows off my tattoo! (I did not have the tattoo the last time I wore it)
= My wedding dress
= My friend’s ex-wife’s wedding dress (he gave it to me to get rid of about a year ago)
= A tacky Christmas pillow given to us by the homebuilder when we moved in 6 years ago
= My tiara and veil from my wedding
= The tooth fairy pillow my grandmother made me, and a doll she made me (don’t worry, I am giving these to my nieces)
And that’s only after going through 3 closets … Then again, that’s probably the most exciting part – like I said, I don’t keep a lot of clutter … The stuff is not even out of the house yet, and already I feel so much lighter! Why doesn’t everyone do this?
Comments
5 responses to “Cleaning house is a messy job”
I’m like you – I dislike unnecessary stuff. Granted, I’ve got a few things like my hockey equipment, etc. that I just haven’t gotten rid of because I keep telling myself I’ll use it again some day.
It’s always kinda fun too, to run across something you haven’t seen in a long time. I came across my old baseball card collection (probably worth some money these days) but it just made me think back like 15 years.
Good luck and have fun with it!
.-= Chris´s last blog ..Onward to the Blue Ridge Relay! =-.
I’m right there with you, though spurred on by my desire to quit packing up and moving all the stuff I don’t need. Next time I move, I plan to end my nomadic existence and settle down without all the excess… stuff!
We get high fives!
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Jonathan Livingston Sea-Chicken =-.
I wish I could be more like that, but I always tell myself, I haven’t used this in years, so I should get rid of it, but there is always a side to me that thinks that someday I might and I don’t want to have to buy another!
And I am with Chris – it is neat to come across something you have forgotten about and it takes you back.
.-= Kevin´s last blog ..getting nervous – less than 3 days! =-.
Impressive. I’m scheduled for my great clean myself. The room I am loathing to clean though is my office. I have all kinds of old papers from my students, group worksheets, etc that I told myself I would go through figure out what I wanted to keep and what I plan never to use again. I have yet to do this. Maybe this would be a good weekend to do it.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Hey girl been busy lately haven’t had time to comment but I have been reading! Are you REALLY getting rid of your wedding dress? REALLY? Wow! I could NEVER part with mine. I actually peek in the box that it’s in every once in a while just to look at it! I loved everything about that day and cherish it all, could never part with the dress. Now I do understand the need to de clutter. Those shows make me cringe because I know some people who horde like that. I refuse to be like that but I do keep all things sentimental.