September 2026 Declutter and Organization

[Harriet]

Welcome! Lift up some clutter and you may find dust... ..but also more happiness!

Here's the place to chat about all the ways decluttering and organizing our homes improves our home life.
We're safer without stuff to trip over or to become a fire hazard, for one thing!!!
And for all we know, we'll come upon long-lost treasure in a drawer, a corner, or a couch cushion.

And then there's the calm that comes from having a home we can not only be proud of, but actually like. Without clutter, for instance, we can clean it with less hassle, so that visually (and aromatically) we can breathe a sigh of relief.

If you want an area to be easier and faster to clean, it helps to get clutter out of the way or organized first. Some (like me, for instance) like to watch the Focus Cleaning schedule to declutter a room in the week before it comes up in that rotation, so that surfaces are ready for efficient cleaning.

A special Anniversary! Today marks a dozen years of having the Cleaning Focus Forum available to us in our ORGANIZATIONAL TOOLS AND SKILLS section of our board. First thread is always just the calendar, then "About", with the reasoning being working all year long a little at a time to keep our homes clean, the brainchild of our Indiana, as she says "several years" before. Then her cleaning notes. Then the fourth thread for explaining an important feature: "Maintenance" weeks, which allow for minimal cleaning in the time before and during the traditionally busy time beginning with Thanksgiving, US and going through New Year's Eve.

Here is the 2026 Calendar

Each week/room in the cleaning schedule is listed, with the idea also being that DECLUTTER is helpful in the next week's room or area, because then it's easier to be ready for cleaning.

[Nancy]

I decluttered a bunch of bags & two "good" boxes today! Yea for success.

[Nancy]

Did a pitch and toss round in the plant cage.
You know the "I might need this some day items."
Got half a garbage can half full. Put in the bit to take
out to the road next week.
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Update Mon.
A small pile of leaves I raked up the other day got put in the can to go out this week.

[blessedw2]

I had a lot of thoughts yesterday and today when cleaning my canning cabinet.

my Canning area: I had a realization yesterday that all the newer jars, lids etc. I have (for canning and storage) are not what I will use (ever) in the future. I will use the pint jars for chicken stock/beef stock and some of the large jars for cereal, oats etc. storage; but the majority I will not use. That was hard to accept; for some reason

it was a shock and also fascinating that i kept my young person thinking. As a young person, I saw all the things I wanted to learn and do ahead in my life - I had way too many things on my list- that wasn't possible in one or twenty lifetimes. I was prepped to do it all.

what I realized is that I kept that thinking that I was still in the same place of thirty years ago - I had the gardens, I had the food prep for winter but my life has changed. I no longer have tons of veggies, fruits etc. that I grow. Can I do it - yes - but dh no longer eats meals that I make and my kids are grown up.

I have decided to do: \

dd's want to learn canning bc they were so young. goal is putting up falls apple sauce, and chicken stock/beef stock etc.

I won't be growing a large veg garden as are garden is extremely wet that seeds rot and that we have a lot of shade now.
I have three raised bed 4' x 12' and I bought one more and will put that in this fall.
I love to grow corn and pumpkins but our water issues make it impossible. . I will continue to grow herbs, garlic, onions, tomatoes and maybe an odd potato. Unless there is a world issue then I will use the local store for most of my other things.


What I can do: still buy corn stalks - buy from fresh corn from side of road, to get fresh corn taste. I can buy pumpkins, (lol I probably will save more money), just grow what we use.

its kind of freeing and a bit sad. it was an Ah ha moment and a quite of a shock Time to bless someone else even though I know it will be a little hard to let go of that time bc I loved that time as a young person!

[Nancy]

De-cluttered some junk news letters.
De-cluttered leaves I raked up the other day.
Also tossed too small shoes I'd walk the tread off of.
Also some odds and ends wood scraps.

[blessedw2]

yes yes yes d Nancy!
hoorah!

[Kittykatt]

Blessed, I've been reading a lot recently about decluttering to suit the life you have now, as we move through different stages in our lives. ( I've been following Tracey Lynn in particular). This is particularly relevant to me, as weDH will be retiring some time this autumn, and it's time to let go of some things that are / will be no longer ger relevant to our lives.

One example, when we were first married 36 years ago, we did a *lot* of entertaining. Formal.dimmer parties were very much the "thing" then. Not so,.now. So, I'm sure there are dinner party related items in my cupboards.amd sideboard that can go to bless someone else.

It's raining steadily today,.so it's a.good opportunity to start my annual deep cleaning / decluttering. I've decided to start with the hall as it's very small (think of a rectangle!) and there's not a lot in it,.so I get a sense of achievement and something to tick.off my.list.

I think the process of getting through the whole house may take longer than usual due to the more serious decluttering, but that's ok, it's not a race,.and I'm in very good company!

[blessedw2]

I am so glad that we are all in good company together!
d kitty thank you for sharing!!! you are an inspiration!



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I am struggling with the fact that I will no longer be growing pumpkins and corn here - I have always had big veg gardens but I can see that my garden in it's current state - super wet most of the time. (our drain tile was removed bc the city told us we could not have it)

I am not getting any younger and my life doesn't need the amount of veg that we used to use. I have to adjust to that thinking as well

I also don't have the physical ability to do the lifting etc. that I have always done. Breaking my ankles - changed my body's ability to do the work. think What can I do to be productive and helpful

it makes me very sad to be in the suburbs rather than being in the country. My dh hates the country - he loves the suburbs. I dislike having neighbors so close to us. it feels like a fishbowl to me.
adjustment: I will never have chickens, be able to grow pumpkins and corn again - I have to see and appreciate how tremendously lucky I am.

I think I have to grow where I am planted and realize that I am very fortunate to be where I am.
I do feel fortunate. I think reaching this age made me realize that dream I had all my life to be in bigger spaces and outdoors away from the city is something I need to accept.

i do love my dh but he has never been an outside guy. I thought I had come to terms with it until my garden changed. i think I should have gone camping more, sailing more etc. even if he didn't want to do it. I have to find a way to be outside with the body I have now. it's not his fault but mine for not doing it. Another thing to learn.

If that one man at 91 can hike then I can too even though I have to be careful with my ankles (3 breaks in two years changed my balance as well) planning on decluttering the idea that I can't do anything about my ankles - I can see a physical therapist to help me with my current ankle situation and balance).

I have to find a positive way to declutter the idea that I am stuck. it's not sad - it can be a tremendous growing opportunity!

[blessedw2]

donated 5 cookbooks - 2 fermenting books dd younger got me years ago - I wish I like fermented foods. very sweet of her but not where I am at the moment.
tossed 3 black bags of old worn out cloths and misc. junk from dd youngers room - threw out older pillows
went through my junk drawer for ten minutes - tossed or put away
got rid of a spatula - I have two already-