Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Share your decluttering activities and ideas.
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Harriet
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Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Harriet » Sun May 01, 2011 12:07 am

Have you ever noticed the freshening quality of decluttering? Visually, we see areas becoming clearer, of course. But there's more to it than that.

Reducing the hodge-podge of multi-textured surfaces around us reveals easier-to-clean space that is healthier! It holds fewer offending odors, offers fewer hiding places for pests or bacteria, and lets our families breathe freely. Items we care about have longer life because there are places to properly store them out of the way of that fading light and floating dust. When we can see the surfaces in our lovely homes, we can certainly maintain those surfaces - it's only when they are obscured by too much stuff that we despair or procrastinate. (Oh, how I can despair and procrastinate!!!)

"Get rid of the clutter! Clutter collects dust, and by now you know that it also collects dust mites. Think about removing (or at least reducing) knickknacks, unnecessary objects, piles of books, magazines and newspapers, as well as piles of clothes from your bedroom." - Dr. Edward F. Group, Your Family's Health


Think about your decluttering sessions in terms of a Fresh As a Daisy home this month. Then the items you do choose to display can have the space to really shine and be appreciated in your healthier rooms, while you breathe in fresh air.

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Harriet
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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Harriet » Sun May 01, 2011 12:16 am


Handy-Dandy Reference :D for decluttering AHEAD of Focus Cleaning :idea:
first of month - finish decluttering storage areas
5/2/2011 declutter outdoor areas
5/9/2011 declutter kitchen
5/16/2011 declutter living room
5/23/2011 declutter dining room
5/30/2011 declutter porch/entry

Looking for Indiana's Focus Cleaning threads instead? HERE'S YOUR SLIDE! (calendar is at top of forum)

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Harmony
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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Harmony » Thu May 05, 2011 7:29 pm

What - is nobody decluttering? Today I took big pile of grocery plastic bags out to the garbage can. DH would stack them up around here if I didn't. Not much, but even that little bit helps.

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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Harriet » Thu May 05, 2011 8:24 pm

Well, Harmony, I was wondering if maybe everybody thought my opening was a little holier-than-thou this month. Honestly, as I typed that, even though it is believed with all my heart and the quote is important advice, I looked around at my own surroundings and thought, "But don't go by Harriet's house!"

Not necessarily on just the decluttering front (although decluttering is part of everything, isn't it?), but in so many ways my household/life is more scattered now than it has been in a long, long time.

Big concerns for me right now even include some aspects of dailies, which I never, never let get away from me. Is it because I can't relax while my ddad is here in the morning and evening?

But as far as clutter, my hotspot of the dining table area is in full bloom and the one on top of dryer needs - I don't know - a bulldozer. The switching of rooms is far from settled, too. My bedroom is in such a state!

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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Harmony » Thu May 05, 2011 10:48 pm

I thought your opening was perfect and so true. Here, I keep stuff from piling up for many reasons, one of them being those pesky bugs we get here. And piles of stuff usually has lots of dust which isn't good for DH's sinuses. That's what bothers me about those hoarder shows, the dirt, dust and bugs (and other things) that accumulate in the mess. I never could stand that around me.

Harriet, I'll bet you are just not used to someone there "watching" as you work, even if it's not critical observations. Does your DDad not go up to his house any more in the day time?

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Nancy
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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Nancy » Fri May 06, 2011 11:32 am

Nope not been decluttering I've been focusing on gardening.
dil is having a yard sale in Aug. might be thinking of things to go in that.

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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Harriet » Mon May 09, 2011 1:43 pm

Nancy, I hope you and ddil have an easy time preparing for the sale and that it's a success.

Since the menfolk usually deal with "outdoors" here, I had another chance to customize my declutter plan and find myself back in master bedroom. I decluttered our large headboard piece of furniture's open spaces - middle cubby, large 18-inch deep shelf-headboard and the full top, which is about 8 or 9 feet long, I guess. Everything's completely clean now, too. I didn't yet decide whether I'll put the silk plant back up on the top. It's pretty up there, but it's hard to dust and I'm not at all sure that's smart where we sleep. At the same time, I washed our bedspread, one of my seasonal chores. So I guess this was sort of cleaning and decluttering mixed together.

So I was thinking, too, about prevention of the same sinus/breathing things you mentioned, Harmony, and I hope these kinds of efforts help keep problems away. As far as bugs, we had the annual exterminators come as usual - they were here this morning. But our problem this season has been early ticks. I asked the man about it and he says they are not anything new, they are just the baby version of what we usually see, already abundant, just will be a very rough tick season this year. As he explained it, his spraying will help, definitely, but many ticks "arrive" on you because they fall deliberately onto potential victims from above, usually from trees. He says he advises not walking under trees, which he realizes is probably impossible.

Yes, my ddad still wants to spend his days at his house, from after the school run to after supper, having breakfast here. But so much of our morning and evening routine is under his scrutiny. He hyper-focuses on the one thing he notices at that moment, and insists on everyone's attention to it until he feels it's handled, then believes he should find a next thing. Little things seem urgent to him and waiting seems like an eternity. I think one difficulty with calming him down is his hearing, because you have to shout to explain that everything's fine, and when everyone's shouting, nothing seems fine.

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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Dove » Mon May 23, 2011 11:16 pm

Doing a happy dance here :) .

I spent time up on the attic most days last week, taking advantage of some cool, rainy weather to continue plugging away at sorting & organizing. When I gaze at the now organized craft storage wall, I look like this: :D

Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard with my label maker :lol: ! To the right of the two metal storage shelves is a rolling cart that holds yarn, a button box & a lamp on top, & curtain storage in plastic bins below. Next to that is a small, lightweight ten drawer plastic gizmo that is still pretty empty. I have plans to use it to store some of the craft & sewing articles I've saved. Next to that is my newly organized rolling ribbon rack. It has five drawers separated into Floral, Autumn, Christmas, Solid Colors & Misc.

If you turn around & look behind you, there is a single-bed-sized pile of boxes :oops: :o ;) that will be my Fall project. It is a lot of little stuff, & misc stuff, & tools. It will be time consuming & I didn't feel like dealing with it now, so hopefully it will be my Fall project. If I don't get to it before life gets busy around the holidays, it can become my Jan 2012 project :) .

I went ahead & pulled out all the boxes & containers that were stored under the big table. We had 2 big containers to store wrapping paper rolls in, & they were such a pain to get to. Had an idea :idea: & put them into two skinny laundry hampers. One is for Christmas only, the other for Birthday & misc. It is so much easier to have these upright than laying flat. (And I can use those now empty containers for other things).

Tossed two more bags of garbage, & filled half of another donation box. The flea market was supposed to happen this weekend but dh hurt his back so we will go when he is better. I put my foot down & insisted that he was not allowed to lift anything heavy.

This afternoon it was pretty cool outside so I went up to the attic & sat at the (clean & cleared off :) ) table & made some notes & brainstormed some ideas I have for when I continue working up there in the fall. Took several "after" pictures. Dcat followed me up. I keep an old chair pad nearby so that when he comes up I can place it on the table for him to lay on. I just felt so peaceful & glad that I finally got started on this. It has been a long time coming, & I appreciate being able to post my progress here. Many times it motivated me to go up there & just take the next step.

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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Nancy » Tue May 24, 2011 10:16 am

Yesterday I helped dd declutter closets and her pantry at her house it was a productive day.

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Harriet
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Re: Fresh As a Daisy May, 2011

Postby Harriet » Tue May 24, 2011 5:44 pm

Wow, Dove congrats on so much done. Not so sure there's any such thing as too much labeling! :D I can just imagine that it is making you smile. Now you will have a lot of enjoyment from crafting and little things like wrapping, and you'll know exactly what you have. Fun for the cat.

How do ya'll store your buttons? I have some in little plastic cubby-things but kept finding more when I decluttered at my dparents' and need a larger space for them.


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