June 2025 - Sort, Tidy, Declutter!

[Harriet]

Do you sometimes find clutter to be downright amusing? It sneaks, it multiplies like bunnies, it tries to look innocent when you discover that it has been hiding in plain sight.

There are as many ways to declutter as there are people who discover clutter. Maybe our June efforts will spill over where we least expect it!

Here's a little advice mixed in with clutter humor that might make us smile.

What you want to do is clear one area. This is your no-clutter zone. It can be a counter, or your kitchen table, or the three-foot perimeter around your couch. Wherever you start, make a rule: nothing can be placed there that’s not actually in use. Everything must be put away. Once you have that clutter-free zone, keep it that way! Now, each day, slowly expand your no-clutter zone until it envelopes the whole house!

Unfortunately, the neighbors don’t seem to like it when you try to expand the no-clutter zone to their house, and start hauling away their unused exercise equipment and torn underwear when they’re not at home. Some people don’t appreciate simplicity, I guess. - Leo Babouta, Zen Habits

What's your method?

[Lady Maverick]

In H&F thread, I decided that declutter is my habit to focus on during the month of June.

I will try to post my efforts here each day.

the three-foot perimeter around your couch. Wherever you start, make a rule: nothing can be placed there that’s not actually in use. Everything must be put away. Once you have that clutter-free zone, keep it that way! Now, each day, slowly expand your no-clutter zone until it envelopes the whole house!

I am going to start with this method. Today I will sort, tidy and declutter the 3' area around my recliner.

June 1, 2025 Sunday Sort, Tidy, Declutter
5'x5' corner area around my recliner =
** Thinking through the WHY some items are next to my recliner. Do they need to be? Is it the best location for them?
** Sort/Group/categorize = Papers collected and stacked. Went through each paper one by one making decisions and following through.
** Added seven medical appts to calendar and then threw those appt papers away.
** Created and printed quick order forms for daily use at Wildcat drive through.
** An assortment of electronics, cables and chargers grouped like items together, sorted, organized and put where they belong.
** Rarely used decorative pillow moved to a better location. This pillow is used when I am having hip or back pain.
** Why do I have a bright colored trash can next to my chair? Ugh. Traded it for a trash can that is mute in color and matches
** everything moved out of the 5' square area, floor and baseboards swept & deep cleaned. Walls & furniture washed.
** Loose keys labeled and put into key box
** DS16 cash (savings) counted and put into his safe place.
** Items used daily are put in an attractive container in an organized manner.
** Large decorative picture put in the giveaway stack. There is already a big decorative picture in that area and more wasn't better.

[Harriet]

I do like the idea of starting from a point at which you (or a family) might often be found, yourself. We have a LR that stays pretty clear and nice, but the traffic to it goes through our den, which is used so much more. That in itself is not ideal AT ALL. And recently, with all visitors needing (really needing) to stop at the first place they come to in the house because of my immune system, it is the image we are giving. I need to start looking at it with fresh eyes. The chair in which I usually sit is the "look" of me, myself, when someone wants to say "hello" lately.

As far as associating this with health, yes, there is more than one way decluttering and health have to do with each other. Safe foot traffic, ability to clean (including air), mental and emotional freeing from worrisome views.

I might join you in chatting about efforts in my den, LadyM.

[Nancy]

Joining in My focus this week is the kitchen zone.
The guys are coming on Fri. to install the fan hood, so I need to make sure it's a clear area to work by the stove.
I took 2 pr. of jeans that did not fit to the sewing zone for fabric to get from them if I decide to if not they can go in the give away pile.
I took plastics off the counter working a bit each day while coffee brews is my plan & seems to be working.

Today I have bagged up plastic empty containers and a kitchen bag is full!

[Lady Maverick]

June 2, 2025 Monday Sort, Tidy, Declutter
5'x5' area in garage north side next to door
** So many empty plastic containers of every size and shape! Each container was purchased for a particular use but is now empty waiting to be used in next organization project. I am hesitating to get rid of these as I start on organizing the entire house. I am gathering the empty plastic containers/tubs into one spot for now. If they are not put to use in near future then they will be donated.
** Sweep.
** Wash walls and floor
** Who knew it gives a happy & satisfying feeling just by looking at a clean area in the garage? I find myself randomly going to stare at it.

Looking forward at upcoming area to be worked on.....ordered rolling shelf for that area.

[Twins' Mom]

I have a lot of those containers LadyM, and I hesitate to donate them. Sometimes I do and I almost always figure out something to do with them.

[Kittykatt]

My decluttering project for last month was to work on the bedroom. I've managed to fill a bin bag, even though I can't really see any difference (yet!). I need to get this bag OTD, as before it gets any heavier, and also to reclaim the space it's currently occupying. I also need to declutter the cardboard box that is sitting beside the bin bag. Matilda likes getting in boxes, but for some reason she's ignoring this one, so OTD it needs to go!

Today I decluttered the magazine rack. Some in of the magazines will go to Dnextdoorneighbour C (we pass on our magazines to each other) . The rest I will out on the recycling tomorrow.

I want to carry on slowly decluttering the bedroom in June. The kitchen is also feeling cluttered, so I need to turn my attention there, too.

[Lady Maverick]

June 3, 2025 Tuesday Sort, Tidy, Declutter
Added another 5'x5' area in garage north side. Now the total size of area that has been sort/tidy/decluttered is 5'x10'
** This was area that didn't have much in it. Empty space seems to be a blessing in how easy it is to maintain!
** Swept the floor
** Washed walls as high as my arm could reach. The garage ceiling is tall so I couldn't reach all the way up the wall. Visually the higher walls don't appear to be dirty. The risk vs rewards evaluation was that it wasn't worth the risk of using a ladder to wash walls all the way to the ceiling. In my younger years I would have done it without thought. I am more protective of my 69 year old body.

June 4, 2025 Wednesday Sort, Tidy, Declutter
Added another 5'x5' area in garage north side. Now the total size of area that has been sort/tidy/decluttered is 5'x15'
** New trash bags gathered, containerized, and organized. We use 3 sizes of trash bags and I keep about 10-100 of each size in stock. They are now all organized in a single big tub on the bottom shelf of rolling storage.
** paper products. Paper coffee cups and paper plates in various sizes. Why am I keeping these? We used them in the past when we had the Friday Night Gang here frequently. Our life has changed and we don't serve coffee and desserts to groups now so these items are not used. Trashed.
** Cat food. We don't have any cats now . I am sending this big bag of unopened cat food to DS16 GF home. They have a large amount of barn cats that can use it.
** Throw Rugs. No longer used. Out the door they go.
** Bleach, vinegar and plumbers helper. Big bottles that we keep on hand. The bleach is mostly used in our aerobic septic system. All these big bottles fit nicely on the bottom shelf of rolling storage.
** DD14 3'x5' poster board displays. These are some she spent lots of time, effort and thought on for various school presentations. What to do with these? I sent her a text message with 4 options
1 - hang on your bedroom wall
2- hang on the garage wall
3- take to ur mom's home
4- take pictures to remember them and then gentle let them go feed the worms (trash)
Her decision was #3
** note….there is another stack of unused poster board and foam display boards in the garage. Decision needed to keep or get rid of? We have four more years of public school so they will be needed. How to store where they are easily accessed but out of the way? Hum….
Result - unused poster boards & foam display boards were moved to different location where other school supplies stock is kept.
** Dog food for big dog. This is spread out over 3 sections of the garage. Current bag of dog food. Future bag of dog food. Two big plastic tubs to hold the dog food that aren't being used. Plus there is Micro dog food….so 4 areas of dog food. These need to be consolidated and organized. While I am thinking through dog food….there are 2 outside metal dog food containers that aren't being used. They need to be given away to someone who needs them.
Result = food storage for big dog was combined into one large plastic storage tub. It is neat and tidy while still being easily accessed.
** Metal dog feeders. Put by he road with a free sign and they were taken within an hour. A stranger came and thanked us for them.

[Kittykatt]

I have walked the bin bag of charity donations over to the nearby charity bank, and the box that Matilda wasn't using has been put into the recycling. I have also done some decluttering in the bottom of my wardrobe, thrown out half used tubes of hand cream that have been open for ages and I won't use, and put unopened tubes of stuff I no longer use and free samples of things I'm not going to use into a wicker basket on top of my wardrobe. I'll take some to the beauty/hygiene bank at the library, and keep some for my shoe box for Moldova (assuming our church will be doing them this year).

In the kitchen I've recycled those magazines and free papers that were lying around, and I e tackled that cubby hole. It's not perfect yet, bit it's a lot better. Also, I've finally got around to sending off another bag of unwanted "stuff" , so that's now out of the house.

[Lady Maverick]

June 5, 2025 Thursday Sort, Tidy, Declutter
105 sq ft = Total area that has been sort/tidy/decluttered since June 1, 2025
25 sq ft = 5'x5' = Fun room
80 sq ft = 5'x16' = Garage
Added another 5'x1' area in garage north side. Now the total size of garage area that has been sort/tidy/decluttered is 5'x16'
It was slower going today because I need to use that rolling storage shelf that is ordered. Once the shelf arrives then I will have a place to put these things.
** Wasp/hornet spray - 3 cans
** Window cleaner - 2 gallon jugs
** Fantastic cleaner - 2 gallon jugs
** Moved a HEAVY 6'x3' table out of that area being worked on. When it stops raining, I plan to put the table by the road with a FREE sign.
** Spent some time designing a freezer organization system for the top freezer in garage refrigerator. Added 3 containers (plastic shoe box size). One is for breakfast foods, one for veg/fruit, one for frozen sandwiches. Such a minor change made a dramatic difference.