I'm doing it

[danniellabella]

For years I've lived in a constant state of clutter and it never used to bother me.
I'm a hoarder, have been all my life. Lived in a house with a dad who was a hoarder and my mum just gave up trying to keep the house clean.

At the start of the year the mess started to really bother me. I cleared my workstation at work, threw out heaps of stuff and archived other stuff. Then I did the same thing in my bedroom at home, and to the study at home (which thanks to DH didn't last). Anyway, once I saw what I'd achieved at work and in my bedroom, I decided that if mess bothers me so much, all I have to do is change my priorities and do a little every day.

Well, I've had a clean house for a month. The sort of house I'm not afraid of having people come over.
I don't need to take a day off work just to detail clean my house anymore either. If I take the day off work, I get to relax and enjoy it.

Today I finally caught up on all my washing and I mean all of it! And it's only because I do 2-3 loads of clothes washing every day so this weekend I've been able to just focus on the backlog of sheets and towels.

My next job now that all the sheets and towels are clean is to reorganise the linen closet so they all fit!

Oh, and I want to add that I've had a really clean house every day and I work full-time and have a toddler. This may not be a big deal to some of you, but to me it's a huge deal!

[Fleur]

Oh, and I want to add that I've had a really clean house every day and I work full-time and have a toddler. This may not be a big deal to some of you, but to me it's a huge deal!

Yay!! well done I DO know how awesome that must feel. I have started trying to declutter here, too, but it's going to be a long slow road, lol...

[maz]

well done hon...now come and give me some mojo cause i need it to do the same

[danniellabella]

well done hon...now come and give me some mojo cause i need it to do the same

Don't know that you want it. I'm currently getting most of my energy from my overactive thyroid. I do hope that I still have enough energy to keep going once I'm better.

Seriously though, I've been on these cleaning kicks before - never for this long though and I worked out the difference this time and why it's kept going. All the other cleaning kicks have been head decisions but my heart wasn't really in it. This time as I mentioned, the mess really started to bother me. It was upsetting me and stressing me out like never before. This time it's a heart decision to do it. I'm less stressed now too because I can actually relax in my own home.

[indie24]

Well done. We need to declutter here too. Both DH and I are both hoarders

[jackrose]

Well done!! It feels soooooo good doesn't it!

We have just moved house and I have been bitten by the same bug. I have cleared years of accumulated clutter and the new space just feels so fresh and clear. I am finding it so easy to keep on top of now too as I get immediate benefits from clearing a surface, I don't turn around and see more 'stuff' everywhere.

While I was in the midst of it all I was also reading one of the books by declutter expert Peter Walsh (as seen on Oprah!). Most of it was all self explanatory but there was one thing in there that really helped and keep me motivated. He suggested to look at each item (with an image in your mind of what your perfect life and perfect house etc is) and ask "is this item enhancing my life?" If my answer was no, it was gone! Haven't missed anything yet!

Enjoy the process and the rewards!

[danniellabella]

Liviam: In just 1 month I've managed to get the house in a state where thanks to my routines I never need to spring clean. Sure, I might take a bit of extra time a couple of times a year to go through clothes and get rid of them, but I don't need to spring clean the house. I detail clean one room a day. It now only takes me about 15-20 minutes every day and I just do it at 7:30 at night just after DD goes to bed and before I sit down to watch my fave shows that come on at 8:30. I also do the normal day to day stuff during that hour as well as my detail clean in the room I'm working on that day.

[CharlieBrownGirl]

congratulations! I'm almost at the point you're at. It doesn't happen overnight but it's slowly getting there.
Enjoy your clean, de-cluttered house

[Liviam]

AWESOME!!! I'm so jealous! I'v got mum coming over for the weekend to look after the kids so I can do a majr spring clean and then hopefully just keep it clean and do a spring clean twice a year. I'm managing to keep up with the day to day housework but can't find the time to do big cleans.
YOU ARE AWESOME!!! Well done darl and keep up the good work!!!