Keeping Things Tidy

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Posted on February 25, 2015

I saw the following question posed on an internet forum the other day.

“What room do you always like to keep tidy?”

The answers were as wide-ranging as there are people. My favourite was probably, “The guest toilet – the family are banned from using it”.

Of course then there is the small matter of interpretation. What do you regard as a tidy room? Pristine? Basically clean? No clutter?

A tidy room in a home with a number of children might be vastly different from a single or two adult household.

The 2 rooms that are always clean and tidy at our place are the bathroom and the guest bedroom. As one clever person observed, no-one actually ‘lives’ in a bathroom, therefore, therefore it is easier to keep tidy. After having lived with 2 teenage daughters I would dispute that assertion in some instances. Our bathroom now is small and sparsely furnished and requires only a quick wipe to look fresh and sparkling.

I find it interesting to note that the 2 rooms that are the most difficult to keep tidy are the study and the sewing room. I don’t think that it is any coincidence that these are the areas that still require more decluttering.

Remember, the more stuff you have, the more cleaning, tidying, storing and organising it will require.

Tables should be clear surfaces ready to be used.

This is the shelving unit in the living room.

I always try to keep the bedroom as clear as possible as an uncluttered, calm room is more conducive to good sleeping.

Move the unwanted stuff out and the house will be easier to keep tidy and you will have more time to spend doing the things you enjoy.

What rooms do you always like to be tidy? What are the challenges you face? Are there rooms that defy even the best of intentions?

I would love to hear what you think and perhaps we can work together to make some progress.

Upside Down Hook

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Posted on February 24, 2015

As I have mentioned before, it can be the smallest things that can make a real difference to organising your home.Here is an example.

I keep the clothes hamper in the laundry cupboard and the small step-ladder fits beside the hamper. The only problem was that every time I pulled the hamper out to sort the washing, I would have to hold the ladder and then re-position it to stop it falling over. One day I thought of a solution so the next time we were at the hardware store I selected a large hook which is designed for hanging things in a garage or workshop.

I calculated where it needed to be positioned and The Duke attached it to the dividing wall in the cupboard.

You can see that the hook is upside-down compared to how it is designed to be used. My idea was for it to retain the step-ladder so that it would not tip over when the clothes hamper was removed.

It works perfectly and does not impede getting either the ladder or hamper in or out of the cupboard.

This does not look like much but it has saved me an endless amount of frustration. The key is to think laterally and look for solutions that may be a bit ‘out of the box’.

Do you have any unique organising tips to share?

A Laundry List

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Posted on February 16, 2015

Tonight I want to share a germ of an idea that has formed gradually over a period of time.

Some people have an ongoing shopping list to which they add items as they find that they are required. Others keep a list of what is stored in the freezer and cross things off as they are used.

I am thinking of creating a laundry list. I have this cupboard in my laundry. On the left-hand side are the assorted brooms and the vacuum cleaner (not shown), hangers for knitted items and dispensers for plastic bags as well as the racks on the inside of the door for laundry liquid and presoak and the rag-bag.

The right-hand side has the laundry hamper with shelving above. This holds various cleaning items as well as spare light globes, batteries, rubbish bags and shopping bags. However, the door is clear and this is where I could put my list.

I envisage a write on/wipe off board and am thinking of making one myself from a sheet of coloured A4 card and laminating it.

So, what am I going to write on this list, I hear you ask? It will basically be a reminder of extra jobs that need doing such as ‘stain on white trousers’, ‘scrub cuffs of mauve shirt’, ‘hem of black skirt’ or ‘darn striped sock’. They will be all the little things that seem obvious at the time but by the time I am doing the washing/ironing it can be overlooked.

What do you think? How do you keep track of the extra laundry jobs?

Downsizing the Drawers

Sew My Stash Sunday – 5

Two Minutes to Tidy

8 Comments

Posted on February 7, 2015

It is great to feel that the decluttering efforts are really making a difference. This morning I noticed that the shelf where my recipe books are stored was very grubby and needed cleaning. It was a simple matter of grabbing an armful of books and placing them on the bench while I wiped down the shelf and then replaced the books. This took me less than 2 minutes.

I have never had hundreds of cookbooks but nevertheless it has taken about 3 rounds of culling to get it to this. You can read about a previous effort here.

Cookbook shelf

That was about 14 months ago but a few more have moved on since then, too. I do not miss any of them and have not have occasion to regret my decision to move them along. Recipes are something that has really been revolutionised by the advent of the internet. There is nothing you cannot find. Also, recipes are like clothes – there are definitely trends and fashions.

Do you have recipe books? Have you reduced your collection?

More To Go

2 Comments

Posted on February 4, 2015

A couple of days ago I read a comment online by someone unknown to me that they had decluttered so much that they had nothing left to declutter. I have no idea what their circumstances are or what they consider essential but I know that I have not reached that point. In fact, I am not sure that I ever will or even want to. We do not have a huge amount of stuff but for me it is more about carefully streamlining what we own to a selection of good-quality items that match our lifestyle. Our needs change and therefore, our possessions will change accordingly.

On the weekend I was cleaning in the kitchen and one thing led to another and I ended up re-looking at the cooking utensils that I use. I have supposedly decluttered these on at least 2 previous occasions but it never hurts to look at them with fresh eyes and a more detached point of view.

This is what I am taking to the op shop today.

There are a couple of sharp knives that have seen better days and I simply do not use them. A scraper for cleaning a George Foreman grill which we no longer own. A cleaning brush for something – I don’t know what and as far as I can see it has never been used. Spoon and spaghetti strainer which are not used. Meat mallet – I haven’t beaten meat for over 20 years – our diet does not include recipes that require it. Spaghetti measure – was part of a corporate Christmas hamper a few years ago and has never been used. Small aluminium skewer – I have a set of stainless steel skewers and this is no longer required. Chip cutter – this came from my mother’s place when she was decluttering some years ago and I have never used it. A good idea but I cannot remember the last time I made chips at home and I am quite capable of cutting potatoes into chips if the fancy happens to take me. Anyway, aren’t “hand-cut chips” the latest craze on menus??

So what stays?

Electric knife
Carving fork
Scone cutter
Rolling pin
Fine grater
Metal tongs
BBQ tool
Pineapple peeler/corer
Apple corer
Cheese slicer
Cherry/oliver pit remover
Garlic press
Ice-cream scoop
Citrus zester
Grapefruit knife
Skewers
Vegetable peeler (not shown)
Jar opener
Tea strainer
Tea infuser
Wine vacuum sealer
Cork remover
Bottle/can opener
Measuring spoons
Corn cob holders
Egg rings
Knife sharpener

The electric knife/carving fork and cherry pit remover are the only items that would be rarely used. Everything else is used regularly, mostly on a weekly basis. Some, like the grapefruit knife and corn cob holders are seasonal but still essential.

I also have 2 jars of cooking utensils that I use almost daily. There location on the bench means that they are easy to grab as I am cooking and preparing food.

Wooden spoons x 4
Metal whisk
Potato masher
Metal spatula
Non-stick spatula
Non-stick spoon
Slotted spoon
Small sieve
Can opener
Pizza cutter
Rubber scrapers x 3
Brush
Citrus juicer
Pie slice

I also have a knife block with 6 assorted sharp knives.

To a hard-core minimalist this probably looks like a huge number of utensils, however, I prepare and cook most of our meals and use these items very frequently. It is important to keep and use what works for you.

There are lots of areas of my life where I could reduce my possessions but I think I have completely decluttered the kitchen utensils to my satisfaction.

What utensils do you use every day? Are they much different to what I have shown here?

One Thing Leads to Another

9 Comments

Posted on January 17, 2015

This morning I decided to clean the bookshelves in the office area. I knew that they were quite dusty and that there was some stuff lying around that really didn’t belong there.

As I started to remove and clean the books I decided to sort them out and see if I could cull any more. Getting rid of books seems to be fairly difficult for us but in the end there were nearly 60 books that have not made it back onto the shelves.

We have 2 identical tall shelving units from Ikea and it now looks as though one of them may be able to go to a new home. I am confident that we will never need more shelf space as we both have Kindles and buying a physical book is a rare occurrence.

Here is one shelving unit cleaned and all of the shelves filled with books.

These are the 2 boxes of books which will be finding new homes.

The other unit is a work in progress.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of spare space on the other shelf which is the reason I think that it can go. The random books are ones that I am unsure as to whether they should stay or go. I intend to re-read them and in fact read some for the first time. Why didn’t I read them when I first got them? Maybe I did not really like them. Anyway, I will be working on this pile over the coming weeks and deciding which ones I want to keep long-term and which can go.

The collection of Australian Geographic magazines will need to go elsewhere – probably the bottom shelf of the shelving unit in the lounge room. There is 23 years worth of them – we stopped subscribing at the end of 2011. I have never read them all so maybe it is time I did. I used to joke that I would read them when I retired!!

There is also a shoebox of stationery items which can probably go in the cupboard. Then there is the pile of photos that need to be sorted any scanned…………one day!!

This is the cupboard which holds the 4 drawer filing cabinet. I am in the process of trying to source a 2 drawer one to replace it as we have condensed the contents into 2 drawers. When this eventuates we will use the top of the cabinet as a shelf and add another shelf a bit higher up. There will then be plenty of space for the stationery box and photos.

If I had to nominate one room that is difficult to declutter, then the office would be it. Mind you, we have managed to get rid of quite a bit over the past year but there always seems to be more.

Do you have a particular room or area that is your nemesis when it comes to decluttering? Please share your stories.

Friday Filing – 2

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Posted on January 16, 2015

Another week has whizzed by and the filing basket is slightly fuller this week.

The pile beside the basket is what I collected from the mailbox today.

I opened the mail and then sorted it into piles according to the action required.

Clockwise from top left:

Paper to go in the recycling bin (by far the biggest pile)
Some family history information which my mother gave to me – needs to be put in the storage container with other similar papers
Basket – almost empty
To be filed – includes new insurance schedule as a result of my follow-up phone call, tax assessments, notification of gas bottle delivery and bank statement
Plastic bag – to be kept to use as a rubbish bag
Confirmation of electoral enrollment which we will need when we vote in 2 weeks time – will put them in our wallets
ReNew magazine – I have almost finished reading it so it will go in the rack with the other issues
2 newspapers – to be read tonight then added to the recycling

Here is what is left in the basket:

Our list of jobs/goals for the house and garden – some short-term and others much longer but it serves as a reminder
The yellow tag is the variety of blueberry bush which The Duke wants to buy to replace a couple that did not survive. We will not be buying these until the weather cools down a bit so what better place to keep it than in the filing basket?
The brown “thing” in the corner is actually 2 small bits of timber that broke off one of the outdoor chairs and The Duke is planning to repair it.

In just 3 weeks I feel as though I have made real inroads into creating a system that works for us to keep the relatively modest amount of mail and other papers that come into the house under control.

I do not see the need to post a similar thing every Friday about the ongoing filing activity which will be very similar each week. However, I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

Do you have a system for keeping the paperwork under control?

Modifying My Diary

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Posted on January 10, 2015

My personal diary which I showed you here is working well and does not require any modification. However, I also have a work diary which is an A5 size and quite slim as it has a week to a double page. However, it is missing one vital ingredient – a marker ribbon.

I did not realise this until I was using it last week so I decided to get creative. I found a length of narrow red ribbon in my sewing collection and was going to cut the length I needed and tie it onto the top spiral. Then I reconsidered and realised that by doubling the ribbon and looping it over the spiral I could avoid cutting the ribbon.

Now I can easily remove the ribbon at the end of the year and I will still have a usable length for another diary or different project.

The finished product is working well and it is much easier to find the page I want quickly. I also can use the second length to mark a different spot if I happen to be working on 2 areas at the same time.