One room at a time.

My kitchen is stuffed with stupid things we got for wedding gifts and have never, ever used. Someone give me permission to get rid of them!

I really need more storage space. If I did what you just did, it would really help, not to mention make cooking easier.

OK, I'm up for it! We have all of January, right?

Toss whatever you'd like. You have all of January but try to do some every day. Just focus your decluttering on the one room. FlyLady does something like this with the zones, but we're taking it room by room for a month. For us it just works better and takes pressure off. A week isn't long enough.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

One week really is overwhelming. Giving yourself one month -- that's one of those ideas that so brilliantly obvious that someone else has to point it out to you. ( Well, except you, Lynn. ) I'm thinking, Oh, right, I guess taking more time *is* allowed!

Is it OK to do something other than the kitchen?

And what is it with people like me and needing permission for everything?!

As Howard Dean says, you have the power!

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

We're doing more than decluttering. We're deep-cleaning, moving stuff around, rethinking the room in its entirety.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

I will tackle my bedroom. It is very small and I use it as a general dumping ground for all the old rubbish I don't want in the other rooms. I actually decorated it all nicely for myself last year, then went right back to using it as a dumping ground. I hate being in there. Occasionally I even sleep on the couch rather than go in there at all Count me in!

brilliantly simple and simply brilliant Lynn!

I think since I have Christmas decorations which need putting away and I've already started working on my desk I shall tackle my office. There's a spare bed in here but it hasn't been seen since we moved in, and I'll need it at the end of the month for packing!

the kitchen's a whole 'nother ball of wax, and it's far more complicated. Maybe you could do two separate months for your basement Lynn - like one for decluttering and one for cleaning/decorating/organising or whatever you have in mind for it. I don't have a basement but I get the 'concept'!

Kerri.

This is a great idea for January. I think I will start with a room in the basement that has a closet full of coats and EVERYTHING that will never be used again.

Kitchen is my room. I need to go through some drawers and pull out the appliances and clean under them! YUCK! Also, need to wipe down the walls. I would like to paint it soon so this may just motivate me.

I also need to set up a system for keeping track of dates, bills and such. We have the bulk of the files in the computer room but I see that most of it get dropped by the phone in the kitchen so instead of always going up hill with that I need to just find away for it to work!
Jana

Today I went through my wardrobes and chucked out several things I hate. Why was I keeping them ? I moved some furniture around too. I actually want the bed and wardrobes moved but I need help for that one, I will have to ask my Dad.

Currently I have piled up everything that was on cupboards and sides (and even on the floor, how embarrassing) on the bed and need to go through it all and either chuck it out or find it a home. Just with the no-brainer type stuff, I have filled two trash bags already!

I am going to give the room a thorough clean with my (new! ) Dyson and then put it all away.

Onwards and upwards...

You would think he was looking at porn, ladies. He REALLY wants one!

Jana

Wouldn't that be a great TV show?

Anyway, today I started working in my office/spare bedroom, which is definitely the junk pile, long-term "storage," quick-company's-coming-hide-it room. There are tons of kids clothes that need to be given away or properly stored for future use, bedding that ought to be sorted the same way, and sooooo much paper. (Too much for a month, but at least I can clear some space.)

Also, I am thinking of putting the dog kennel in here (except when we have guests) and/or setting up a little table for children for when I really have to work when they are around.

And I have tons of great photos and art sitting on the floor just waiting to be hung!

Actually I'm just doing it in the office this week Shaun!

Kerri.

I know I can come on here for a giggle!

Kitchen was my room for the month and today I got going.

I wiped down all the walls,the vent hood, cleaned the top of the fridge AND cleaned the ceiling fan CAN. YOU. SAY. GROSS. I swear ceiling fans are a must in TX but I think they are just dust flyers!

Cleaned out a utensil drawer and hung a bulletin board up. Tossed 2 recipes that I wrote down in my recipe book.

Awe....feels so good.

This weekend DH will move out the stove and fridge so that I can clean under them..........I am sure I will being saying GROSS again!

Shaun - we have the dog kennel in our computer/catch all room. Works out great. Our 70 pound dog has a BIG crate!

Honey - clear off that bed so you can sleep! Peacefully!!!!!

Jana

Ok I have started on my bedroom, its fairly neat but my goodness the unused crap in the drawers is just amazing. I'm gonna need a bigger box.

another good reason to move away from Singapore. We had to take that job in turns, and it's good being short sometimes!

in theory the office should also be a guest room Shaun, but not the way that bed looks at the moment. We have a sofa bed, but it's downstairs in the living room at the moment, and this bed is a relic from the previous owners (little used). My desk and shelves aren't too awful, but that bed... once I get it cleared I have to put a sheet on it so that MAYBE I won't be so tempted to clutter it. It being a bare mattress doesn't help.

gotta run, go out and play for a few hours!

Kerri.

well ok, I probably do, but not for ceiling fans any more - HAH! My secret cleaning weapon is wipes... I used to use baby wipes for years and then someone got smart and flooded the market with wipes for every conceivable purpose so now I'm on antibacterial mostly. Utterly appalling for the environment I guess but at least now I'm balancing it with my recycling. If it wasn't for wipes I'd probably never clean anything. I have cans, bottle and sprays of all sorts, but it's only the wipes that get used because I can throw the dirty cloth away instead of washing it or using it again - ICK!

So now everyone knows my guilty cleaning secret! I tried something a bit like Swiffer (Japanese invention) but it wasn't enough to cope with my SIL's long thick hairs which got everywhere, so I just gave up. Good for walls though.

Kerri.

are you in my area? How did I miss that?

Jana

Two people can now fit comfortably in my office! (Yes, it was that bad.) The rocking chair (moved in here to make room for doggie crate in the master bedroom) actually has enough room to rock!! Soon I think there will be enough room to sort the clothes piled 1/2way to the ceiling.

does that mean everyone did really well earlier in the week and then took time off??

your office sounds a lot like mine Shaun - not very big and then filled to overflowing with 'stuff'! I finally reached my limit with it today and got my Christmas decorations almost entirely put away. They are ALL gone from the office with just a couple left down in the living room (awkward to store). I won't say we have a spare bed yet, but it's conceivable now that there might still be a bed under there. A month is just right... I can keep coming back to pick at it whenever I get bored and have time to spare and the right mood! It isn't perfect but it's a lot closer than it was at the beginning of the week. Of course what's left is inevitably the stuff that's harder to categorise and find homes for, but now the Christmas boxes and bits are all gone I can pick at bits one at a time.

I already think I know which room I'll be doing next too.

Kerri.

I am making good progress with the bedroom. I gave the room a thorough cleaning and now have several boxes and bags of miscellaneous tat to sort out. I'm aiming to do a bag or box per day. Having said that, today all I did was sort out my undies and sock drawers and then watch tv and knit all afternoon
Tomorrow is another day

changed all light bulbs to energy saving one, one goal is to be more green in that area.

cleaned bottom of pantry. this is where the garbage can sits and with 2 rowdy boys, a dog and DH I am sure you guys know my point on this one. Not everything makes it in the can!

Worked on some more of the recipe book and made out meal plan with 2 new recipes.

Jana

DH pulled out the stove and the fridge and gave them and the floors a good cleaning. He did this while I was helping SIL on Sat. I came home and it smelled great. He really gave the floors a good scrubbing. He also showed me all the crap that came out from under the appliances. Thank you honey, I really needed a visual of how disgusting our house REALLY is!

He also fixed a wall behind the stove so that the stove is now flush against the wall. Be meaning to do that for the 8 years we have lived here!

One thing on the boards for this week is to give the fridge and freezer a good cleaning. I mean empty out everything and clean and put it all back in.

Updates....updates.....how are you guys doing?

Honey - let us know what box/bag you got through today.

Lynn - what has happened in your kitchen?

Kerri & Shaun - office updates.....

Marlene - how much unused crap have you gotten rid of?

Tabbie - coat closet in the basement...have you made it through????

Jo - name one unused stupid wedding gift you have let go???

Come on girls, the 17th, 14 more days to focus on this months room! FOCUS, FOCUS!

Jana

my month ends next week so I really have to be more energetic later this week. Since I also had plans to use this spare bed for my packing, which should really start by this weekend, the time is getting crunched tighter and tighter, yet I've done nthing since my brief Christmas decorations blitz. I still have 3 Christmas mugs and two glass dog ornaments I can't figure out how to store too.

the desk itself isn't too bad, but it doesn't actually have much storage (it's an 'L' shaped corner table rather than a desk as such). My shelves are largely full, my two mini plastic drawer units could do with an overhaul and my in-tray looks like nothing on earth, but I have a good chunk of desktop clear at least.

Oh, and my beautiful pink and white amaryllis is just breaking into flower on the office windowsill. The three hyacinth bulbs in glass pots (so the kids could watch them grow) have put up a couple of centimetres of green but not much else so I'm not sure if they'll ever make it to flowering.

I have a number of things which belong here but don't really have the right homes yet so I need to at least figure out what they are. And I STILL need to get myself a file for those bank statements. I worked out what I needed and just haven't got round to that kind of shopping at all. Supermarkets only (they have files of course but I don't even think to look!).

I will move onto our bedroom next month but I shan't stop working in the office altogether of course. Since it's all new to us here it will take some time for the storage problems to be fully resolved. And there are things in other rooms which are getting attention a little early so I guess there's a little give and take. I still need to work out my full shopping list for Singapore - if I even have time between all my other engagements. Oh crud... I forgot to push one of our friends for time during CNY. Probably too late already, knowing him!

Kerri.

I like the idea of one room a month. That gives me ample time to get something done with crash and burn days thrown in .

I only have a couple of weeks left in this month, so I'm going to spend that in the kitchen. My kitchen, dining and livingroom are open concept, so It's really like one big room. With the Christmas stuff cleared away it's looking pretty good right now.

I pulled all my plants and thingys down from the top of the kitchen cupboards, cleaned up there, dusted everything off and put it back up.

Still todo
-Clean and neaten the pantry.
-Junk out the fridge and freezer, toss the outdated items, and give it a good cleaning.
-Straighten up uner the kitchen sink.
-Find a new home for a couple of things sitting on my countertop that don't need to be there.
-Buy a mat for in front of the sink(one I can love).
-Clean the leather furniture.

Before Christmas I boxed up knik knacky things and put them away to make room for festive. I've not brought the box back out yet, and am debating whether I need that stuff in my face or not. I'm quite enjoying the sterile look right now.

No progress going to happen today I'm afraid. I have to go and get passport photos taken and turn in a repair estimate for my car to the body shop(some lady ran into me before Christmas). Later then.

if that's ok?

the house isn't so bad, but certain rooms ARE that bad. I'll start in my pantry which has been a mess sense I put away the Christmas stuff, ahhm, well half assed. (Excuse the language but no other word would work!) Everything was labeled nice and neat in its storage container but the containers never made it all the way to their homes. That mess, led to other mess, and no room for laundry.... Yaddy Yaddy yaddy!
So today I'll start in my pantry and see what I can get done a bit at a time.

Added the enormous and superfluous wok to the go-away pile, washed the tops of all the various jugs on the floor under the work table (oils, molasses, soy sauce, etc) and put them up on the shelf where the wok used to be, ordered a new water filter that will take up less space and yet work better than our current countertop Brita, and contemplated moving stuff around.

I say "contemplated" because we spent a good deal of time yesterday cleaning in the living room. It's amazing how fast two little girls can get things in an absolute swivet. The lamp that once hung over my grandmother's table also needed putting up and it's now once again hanging over the self-same table, lighting me as I write now. Pretty Tiffany-style real glass hanging lamp in pinks and greens. Mostly pinks.

And I was still getting over the flu. I feel a LOT better today. I'll be spending some time in the kitchen today for sure. Maybe we'll clean the fridge.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

I did a bunch of clothes sorting, and overcame my perfectionism in order to give it away. Normally I have certain charities I like to give certain things to, and I like to be sure it is all in season. This time I set out a giant bag for recycling (our neighborhood weekly recycling picks up used clothing and linens), mostly winter and spring, but a couple of stray sundresses that had been sitting in the bag for about 6 months. This was more than a Hefty giant garbage bag -- I used the massive bags our clothes came back from the fire cleaners in.

I have a box of spring/summer baby stuff to give away/sell later, and a box of big girl stuff to save for the little girl.

We moved the pup's crate downstairs so I moved the rocker back into my bedroom -- more floor space.

So I continue to make steady improvement. There is a dresser in here that I am hoping to squeeze into the closet, thereby making room for a kid table or something else.

Freezer is clean and tidy. Really I have good intentions when I put stuff in there but I pulled out stuff that I REALLY did not remember putting in!

It will be slow for the rest of the week. I start back at school tonight and busy the rest of the week!

Jana

My room is the kitchen this month, too. We have this nasty cutting board/butcherblock insert on our counter that attracts stank. (You know that unidentifiable smell.) We've never used it and it came with the house. It's part of the counter so if we removed it, there would be a hole in the counter. Well, it's a big problem because I'm pregnant (baby coming in Aug) and one of my superpowers is an increased ability to smell. It makes it hard to eat and hard to go into my kitchen. I got a brief half hour of decreased queasiness this morning and attacked it with bleach water and a scrubbie thing. I think my husband's weekend project will be removing it.

Otherwise I have to majorly declutter and clean the floors. Thank goodness for my dishwasher (is it wrong to be in love with an appliance?) because it keeps my dishes clean. Not always put away, but clean. I also have to clean off the top of my fridge as it is covered in contraband toys (you know, things that get used as weapons) and just random junk. I also have to clean out my fridge because it is getting kind of gross.

Thanks for the inspiration, y'all.

Jo

Anybody still working on this?? I admit I haven't done much in my office this month. I still have a bed full of ... well crap really! I'm trying to keep on top of it, not let anything else come in here, but it's not really helping much. I did take down a ruck of paperbacks which can go to charity, which made room for some others my mother cleared off her shelves! Not terribly impressive though. I'll be picking up some files a little later this morning for those bank statements - I've only done grocery shopping this month surprisingly, until DH and I went a little berserk on Saturday but that was clothes for him and gifts for the niece and nephews in Singapore. It's for sure my goal of packing on that bed in this office didn't work at all.

On the upside, I'm in here quite a lot, so I will always do bits and pieces as time goes on, so I shall move on to our bedroom next month, as planned. It will be easier to tackle once the Singapore gifts are out of the way, but there are piles of things which have been sitting there homeless since we moved in last September. The charity items are building up in my warrdrobe, which I have no excuse for because I actually have bags which can be plonked outside on particular days and the charities actually collect this stuff. Hah! I will get rid of it before we leave on Thursday!!

Kerri.

Still kind of working on the bedroom, only I haven't done anything for the past few days. Too busy reading my new organising book! Seriously.

Anyhoo, I hope to get stuck in tomorrow. The problem with doing this bedroom bit by bit is as soon as I miss a couple of days it gets horribly worse in the interim period. Hmm. Might have to attack it in all out heavy combat mode tomorrow.

That's my plan for next weekend. I was trying to get some control on the general messy/dirtyness of the house first, which was accomplished this week. I havn't forgotten though! And February doens't start until a week from Wednesday. (Who me-procrastinate? I don't know where my kids get it from!)

That's my new thought on the kitchen. I thought I could maybe pick away at it and it would get better, but it's much like Honeys bedroom. I muck up any progress made if I leave it alone for a few days.

I'm stuck at home without a car untill Wednesday so I plan to just blitz my todo list and call it done.

I bought new dishes on Saturday, so have to add "pack up my old ones for my pal" to my list. I'm getting that done this morning. Afternoon is devoted to the cupboard up over the fridge. I keep an odd assortment of little used items up there, and could get rid of some of it. I want to make room to store some extra place settings up there.

We've still got a week left .

Because we've made significant progress in the kitchen. This weekend I got the box of stuff off to the Goodwill. My housekeeper took the old water filter and plastic spice rack and we installed the new on-demand water filter that takes up a tenth of the counter space of the old one--and does a better job.

We took down the light fixtures, dumped out several hundred dead bugs, washed them up and re-installed them, so that's not bothering me every time I look up. We cleaned out the mini-fridge and got the worst out of the big fridge (still have some tossing to do in there).

Still to do: Three drawers (two of which won't be done until we move the mini-fridge from its temporary location); figure out where the mini-fridge should go--we have a preferred spot, we just need to figure out how to get power to it; tackle the tupperware shelves (WHAT is up with the tupperware shelves?! they're always horrid), clean out the pantry; clean under the sink. Of those, the pantry is the biggest job. I may not get done by the end of the month but all in all it's better than when I started so I'll see in February content. Still haven't picked February's room yet.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

could just be the bugs in the light fixture thing, but kitchens tend to gross me out a lot. Actually, we have that kind of fitting in the dining room and not in the kitchen I think. Hmmm... still needs some rearranging though. Things kind of got dumped when we arrived and although it's mostly working there are some things which need working on. Need to figure out how to remove a built-in cutlery tray for a start - horrid exposed chipboard edges! Of course, I got a lovely new canteen of cutlery for Christmas (my parents) - they've advanced from utility draining board to dining room sideboard, and I've taken the plastic sleeve off each piece, but washing them will not happen yet. We already had enough cutlery actually, but I don't think my parents were impressed that it was from IKEA.

Anyway, I have a huge pink/white amaryllis in my office so it just looks gorgeous in here. There are going to be 11 flowers in total, which is stunning and it really diminshes the clutter. It'll be dead as a doornail when I get back though!

Kerri.

For those who figure they could part with tupperware and various food storage containers. I have nothing at all against tupperware, but.....

I got fed up with an entire cupboard full of storage containers, including those saved up cottage cheese and yogurt containers. Even moreso of all the lids I collected that I could never find a container for. I got rid of all of them, and have not missed a one of them.

I broke down and bought one of those Stack & Spin things(as seen on TV). Three sizes of container but only one size fits all lid. I love that silly Stack & Spin!!!!! It only takes up 1 square foot of space. It can go inside of upper cupboards without a problem, as it slides out from it's base.

and LOVES it!

Jana

How are you all doing on your room? Not to worry, we've still got some time .

I scrolled back to see what I'd planned to accomplish and found that I've only done one thing on my to-do list. That's ok, I've still got five days right? I can't imagine I'll get out and buy a mat though.

We just moved early last summer and I did a major purging at that time, so my kitchen is not really in such bad shape. Drawers are all fine, and since construction is new I don't have any remodel/painting tasks to deal with. Pretty much just neatening things I've decided to keep.

I reorganized a cupboard over the fridge, a catch-all spot for party serving dishes and things I don't use everyday.

I think I'll tackle the pantry today and see if I can make it better.

Have you all decided what you're going to tackle next month?

I am still in the bedroom and not getting very far with it.

with the work I have done in the kitchen this month. I have the tupperware cabinet to do and purge a cabinet above the phone.

Jana

Illness and Dr./school appts. really ate up a lot of this month, so I am not where I'd like to be. *But*, my office is also much improved, and I am happy about that. I think if I can get some of my artwork up over the weekend I will be satisfied!

He put a new lightbulb up in the hall pantry, washed the fixture and put it back up. He went through and got rid of all the wheat cake mixes and wheat pasta and sent the bag home with Sheryl (the housekeeper). Such a good boy.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

I think I will just empty all the cupboards and drawers first. Then DS13 can clean them all out and DD5 can sort and group things.

DS15 and I will put it all back after I decided where I want things to go, and make a big pile for the Salvation Army.

I have 15 different sets of placemats and 18 different candlestick sets (8 are crystal), Three silver and crystal dip sets, and three cake stands. I will send off two of the three wine chillers, and the lasagne pan that weighs more empty than I can handle. I'm sure there will be more too, once I open the cupboard over the fridge that I have not opened since 1993. I also have 4 crystal vases that are almost identical. 1989 must have been a big year for crystal!

Should be interesting! Then I can actually have space for things I use. I can't wait!

We are also incorporating this purge into the Chinese New Year celebration. Should please the Kitchen God, no?

Peace,
-Jo

I tackled the tupperware drawer.

Have one more junk drawer to do.

Jana

A few weeks ago, I bought a lovely ruby wedding present for friends and then when I needed it, I couldn't find it anywhere! It took me numerous hours ransacking the house and especially my bedroom, to find it, and my room got half-sorted-out in the process

We have a mini-fridge that has been temporarily plugged into the only grounded outlet in the kitchen, effectively blocking some of the drawers and really making things look cluttered. John upgraded one of the other outlets, fixed the fridge door so that it opens from the other side, and we moved it into a corner where it fits so nicely we're surprised my mom didn't think of it.

My counters are almost completely clear, as is my kitchen table. There are now two chairs at the kitchen table; the girls can now eat breakfast and lunch in there while I cook and do the dishes. I still have the pantry and a couple of drawers to go through but on the whole this one room a month approach has worked wonderfully for us. If I don't get to those drawers/pantry today it's okay.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor