Decluttering and organizing under the sinks
September 04, 2013
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You guys! I’m a third of the way there! The house is getting lighter by the day. Feels amazing!
It’s just taking waaaaay longer than I thought it would. I want to rush through it, but the thing is I actually quite enjoy the process. It is soothing and rewarding to me to sit down on the floor with a pile-o-crap and sort through it. Instant gratification if you will.
The upstairs is done. Except for our master closet. That is a space we shall not speak of. (*whispers*) EVER.
But the rest is done! We have empty dresser drawers:
I’m weird – we have a lot of dressers in our house but I don’t use most of them for clothes. I use them for storage. And empty drawers in my storage is AWESOME.
I went through every little itty bitty crafty item:
See? Empty spots. Beautifulness.
Many of you asked what I did with the IKEA table that used to sit behind our sofa. Well, with a little sweating and nudging and cursing, I got it into my son’s closet:
I wasn’t ready to get rid of it just yet and the floor of his closet was empty, so now I use it to hold his off-season/too big clothing. Someday I’ll build something more permanent in there, but for now this has worked great!
In our bathroom I tackled under our sinks:
Mine wasn’t too bad. Thing was I haven’t used any of this stuff (other than the dryer) in years.
Soooo…I installed a little hook for the hair dryer and there. you. go.:
Then I remember…I haven’t used them for YEARS. Outta here!
I can count on two hands the things I regret getting rid of over the past ten years or so. And that’s not I regret it because they meant something to me and I’m sad, it’s because it was something I later could have used that I had to buy. Nothing big though…the only thing I can even remember is a small drapery rod I donated that I realized later I could have used.
So, I say go with your first instinct when it comes to the clutter. Your gut is rarely wrong. :)
Our linen closet took me the longest – it actually didn’t look horrible to begin with, but last time I did this I never labeled the bins in there. So over the years we just started tossing stuff in bins and didn’t pay attention to where they went. That meant we couldn’t find stuff and bought stuff and had too much stuff when we already had stuff.
Got it?
Decluttering saves you money, seriously. I’ve got a lot of money to save in the garage someday. ;)
Here’s how it looks with the bins labeled:
It makes me twitch just a tad that that one bin on the bottom doesn’t match the others. Just a bit. I’ll get through.
This is the spot for all of the toiletries in our house – the bins are lotions/soap, extras, shaving stuff, first aid, nail stuff and then a bin for random things like my contacts, etc.
I think we’re set on toilet paper. And we like Kleenex.
It’s beautiful.
A few weeks ago I hung two more of these battery lights:
One regret I have after building our house is that I didn’t have lights put in the closets. I kick myself for that. I have one of these lights in our powder room closet and I love it – it’s the brightest battery light I’ve found. I think they are $10 and you can find them on end caps most places. I got these at Target I think? (I picked them up a few months ago.)
After I was done with the bathroom my husband told me thank you no less than four times over the course of a couple days. He is totally fine with clutter and messes, more than me – but when I finished this up he was so thrilled at how easy it was to find his stuff. It mad me happy that he was happy.
When I declutter I have a “home base” for all the stuff I’m getting rid of – it all goes in our foyer so I can easily load the car. Here’s the first pile after the guest room:
Told you there were many pillows.
And after my son’s room, the loft and some of our room:
I had four more bags after that of trash/recycling/donation from the rest of our room and bathroom. (See what I do with the things I’m not keeping.)
The rest of the house will not result in such big piles. (I say that now.) But really, other than the kitchen it’s more organizing than decluttering. I’m 33 percent there. Powering on!
Are you inspired to declutter before the holidays? :)
Looks great! I did the same thing yesterday in my closet and man it looks better....but not the pile of junk I still haven't dealt with : )
ReplyDeleteThis is a seriously beautiful thing. I need to organize my kitchen cabinets, under my sinks, and also the extra closet in our office. My fiance (soon to be husband!) will be moving in soon, so starting with a clean (open) slate, is ideal!
ReplyDeleteYou are an inspiration! I am using part of my vacation in October to work on my two hall closets and my master closet. I will get there! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI just posted today about adding labels to bins I organized month ago!! If you don't label them, things don't get put back in the right place-right?! :) I need several of those lights. Our master closet is the only one with a light. Great job Sarah :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I do get rid of excess stuff before the holidays and before any move to a new home. Hubby worked for a moving co. in college and he told me lots of people move first then get rid of excess after they're in the new place. I could never do that.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a sense of accomplishment I know you are feeling. Decluttering just makes me feel better!
ReplyDeleteChristy @ Creating a Beautiful Life
I just found your blog and it's great! Over the years I have become the clean out Queen. My husband and I combined two homes of clutter when we married. Add in clearing out homes of parents when they downsized cured him and I big time. We go through just about everything three times a year and call the Cancer Society to "come and get it". With each passing year we find we need less and less. You are right that it makes you feel so good and it sure lightens the burden that "stuff" brings.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you are having a garage sale! haha But seriously, I'm an Indy gal... ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, decrapifying does make the days go a bit smoother... I find that I'm in a better place when my house is clean and organized! Enjoy!
It looks great! I'm definitely going to work on decluttering, but I feel like I'm only .33% there... there's still so much to do! I also totally agree about following your gut instinct. I do the same thing, say I'm going to get rid of something and then start to come up with reasons why I shouldn't. When I do get rid of the stuff I rarely regret it, and my house feels so much better!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Oh man, this gives me such an itch to go through our house and declutter!
ReplyDeleteI have been going through our house too, as the first floor is about 1100 sq feet, with 2 boys and my husband and myself we were being overrun with toys. I love your comment on going with your gut, I just tackled a box of old stationary and cards I have been holding on to. Why? I would love to hear suggestions on how to organize for items you want to scrapbook.
ReplyDeleteJenn
Looks Great!!! You could swap the basket on the top shelf for the one on the bottom left and then they would all match except for the top one, but since it is the only basket on that shelf it would work just fine.
ReplyDeleteI call it purging. I LOVE to do it this time of year. The kids go back to school and I have a quiet house to just go through and get rid of stuff that hasn't been used in forever. You just get me even more excited to get started! :)
ReplyDeleteI love decluttering! I usually do it twice a year, spring and fall. I sooooo want to shop your giveaway pile lol those cream knitted pillows - drooling!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I love decluttering! We just moved into a bigger place that has less storage and we have a baby coming. I've been getting rid of stuff like no one's business! This weekend it was DVDs. If I haven't watched it in 5 years, it's going. I also got sleeves for them and are putting them in notebooks and throwing away the cases. I'm also trying to unload a bunch of stuff on eBay. I can't wait to be done!
ReplyDeleteYou are good! You motivated me to do this too. I usually wait until after the holidays during the doom and gloom of Wisconsin winters. Thanks for the idea of battery operated lights for the closet. We too built our house w/o closet lights. When we remodeled our basement...closet lights!
ReplyDeleteChristine
Great Job! You have officially inspired me to go through closets and drawers and get rid of stuff. I just hate the part where it gets worse before it gets better. It's always worth it in the end though!
ReplyDeleteJust a thought...could you switch the bin on the bottom of your linen closet (the one that, gasp, doesn't match) with the bin of the very top shelf?
ReplyDeleteI just love the word de-crapify. de-crapiry de-crapify de-crapify I'm going through a divorce and I am majorly de-crapifying and it feels so good. I am also redecorating the whole house on a serious budget and it is so so so much fun. You introduced me to spray paint and I love it. it has transformed stuff that I used to detest and now I love it again.
ReplyDeleteI so need to get over my fear of spray paint! I have a 3-shelf rolling cart that I want to keep, but it needs a serious makeover. I have the sanding block, the spray primer, and the spray color. I even have an old shower curtain to use as a drop cloth. I don't know why I can't "just do it". I have the perfect spot in the kitchen for it, and I could really use the storage.
DeleteI love organizing! Cleaning, maybe not.
ReplyDeleteLooking good! I totally need to decrapify my home.... and I keep thinking I will have time and it doesn't happen! I hope I don't die soon because my poor husband would have some piles to sort through!
ReplyDelete"I can count on two hands the things I regret getting rid of over the past ten years or so." AMEN! I love to throw stuff out. My husband is always "what if we need it someday and have to buy another one..." and that is exactly what I say in response!
ReplyDelete- Lora @ Craftivity Designs
I did this over the summer also....still have about 40% to go and I got all of my photos organized in bins, now each bin needs organizing...but I am happy to be here! I still have too much crafty stuff....I have to get really serious as to if I will ever use half of it! lol Isn't it amazing how much physically lighter you feel??? :):)
ReplyDeleteLooking good. Empty spaces are an awesome feeling. We need to tackle our storage area in the basement again. I have yet to figure out how that stuff multiplies!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness that linen closet makes my eyes happy! Im cleaning out closets today , so far I've only tackled the kids closet but it already makes me feel better. I think i like cleaning and organizing closer to the fall season. Not sure why but fall feels like more of a fresh start to me then spring does.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to declutter my house too but it is bad when I look at your piles and think 'oh, I could totally use that little cupboard and maybe that lamp....'. Oy. What is wrong with me? LOL. You have inspired me to soldier on and keep going! Keep posting as you go to keep the wind in my sails too.
ReplyDeleteI have those same baskets you have in the linen closet that WM does not carry any longer; I believe I saw them at $ General.
ReplyDeletei love cleaning stuff out too. and i'm big big big on recycling. here's a suggestion here....when cleaning out bathroom/vanity stuff please know that you can recycle ALL plastic make-up/toiletry items (including shampoo bottles) at any ORIGINS counter at your local dept. store. They all should have a bin where you can dump these items which can't normally be recycled the normal way.
ReplyDeletethanks---Lisa
This is so inspiring! I love to declutter and organize. I had to look a few times though to see the difference between the baskets in the linen closet! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love organizing and decluttering! It makes me insanely happy for some reason. I started reorganizing my pantry yesterday and I keep opening the door to stare at it, lol. I'm on an organizing kick right now and I hope it lasts long enough to finish the house.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this inspiring post! I enjoy the organization and love that you recycle/donate instead of throwing stuff in the trash. I just downsized from a 6 bedroom/4 bath house to a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo and had to do this for months. It's awful to realize how much stuff I kept around in the house just because I had room for it. I consider every purchase I make more carefully now because I know I have to store it somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI love this! We are about to move houses and I'm going through things and NOT packing what I don't want to unpack LOL!! your posts and pics are good motivation :) One suggestion on the bin in the bathroom, it may not make you twitch so much if you put it on the very tippy top shelf (where there is only one bin) so that your shelves with 2 bins all match :) I have to do things like that with my bins too, because I love order and matching sometimes a little too much..
ReplyDeleteLooking great! Where do you buy your white bins from the linen closet? (hoping there is a place to get these that is cheap)
ReplyDeleteOh boy! I came here to leave a message to let you know that I nominated your blog for a Liebster Award! Please, see my post for details: http://angeebees.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-liebster-award-is-what-exactly.html
ReplyDeleteBut, I had to spend some time checking out your mad organizing skills (yet again). Can I just move in? I kid. A little.
I adore your blog.
Looks great, makes me want to do my house. ;-)
ReplyDeleteP.S.
Why don't you switch the matching basket on the top shelf with the non-matching basket on the bottom shelf? LOL
Love it! I've been doing the same thing and it feel so good! Whyyy do we keep all the extra stuff around??
ReplyDeleteI just helped my boys de-clutter their room and found all kinds of interesting and sort of scary things under their beds.
ReplyDeleteGood for you Sarah. It looks great!
ReplyDeleteKristi
About the odd basket in the closet...
ReplyDeleteBecause I can't sleep until you do this: Why don't you take the odd one on the bottom and exchange it for the top basket, which does match the rest? Then it will look like the top one is different on purpose and you'll have matchies on the three other shelves?
Everything looks great. I try to purge, and I do get rid of stuff, but later when I go through stuff again there's so much more to purge.
I am in the process of decrapifying my house. I am having a garage sale and what is left will be donated! I too find the process soothing and it feels really great when it is all organized and everything has its place!
ReplyDeleteWow!! Amazing job!! I don't declutter til after the holidays.
ReplyDeletewow you are goin' to town! great job - you are an inspiration! Hey, if you don't like that one little non-matchy basket down on that bottom shelf, just switch it out with the one basket on the top shelf and you'll never notice it!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you totally on the de-cluttering! I've been working at it for about a year now after I found the Flylady method. Made a big difference for me. I finally had to realize that I was trying too hard to do everything perfectly and getting overwhelmed so I wasn't doing anything at all! Baby steps... now I do a little at a time so I don't burn out. Goodwill and the Salvation Army love me right now. I pay them a weekly visit while I clean out my junk. Hopefully my junk is someone else's treasure. Great work! Your house looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteChristine
I'm CRACKING UP over your comment about the mis-matched basket in your closet. That is so something that I would stress over. I would exchange it for the one on the top shelf. That way it looks like you intentionally wanted it that way. Not that the basket police are going to come check or anything.
ReplyDeleteoooh...wish I could go thru that stuff before you took it out!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI so need to declutter. I just have to many issues throwing things out! I do love the lights in the closets! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteWe spent a weekend at a vacation home last month that was so wondrously free of fuss & clutter, that I came home motivated to declutter ours. You are inspiring me more. It's not happening here in the first, hectic week of school, but when things settle... (I'm determined to say "when" they settle, instead of "if,", because things settling is not a common occurrence around here!) Enjoy your cleaned house!!
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to get my decrapification pants on! ;)
ReplyDeleteHurray! Well done, Sarah! I'm your cheering section. So proud of
ReplyDeleteyou.
I especially like that you have empty areas under cupboards and some
drawers.
Now I need to allow you to inspire me...
Keep Calm & Decrapify On!
(haha to Kim's commment, "decrapification pants on". Somehow that sounds a little..mmm..well questionable.)
Chrissy
My house could definitely use some decluttering. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI am inspired by your bathroom closet. Ours is like yours. Kinda small and I hate how NOTHING fits in there right. I am pinning this now so my husband can see what you did and we can agree that ours needs a change :)
ReplyDeleteLove your linen closet. I will be at Target tomorrow looking for a couple of those lights! I didn't know they had such things. Thank you
ReplyDeletei had that same problem with those white plastic bins! i had a bunch of them and then needed a couple more and Target changed their style! what is up with that??? so annoying for us OCD matchy matchy people!
ReplyDelete