Yep - that's how I did all my rooms.

I used the guest room to hold stuff when doing the second floor.
I used the dining room when doing the first floor.

The key is to ruthlessly purge... toss the unusable, donate the unwanted.. AND to put things AWAY (not just dump stuff somewhere else!).

Dear western Pa:
It really worked? I wish I could just take what I want from each room, and go away for the weekend and have someone else come and take it ALL so that I cannot be sentimental about anything. I always said I wanted to move and only take 1 suitcase and start all over again! I LOVE to go to a hotel....... it is so bare and neat! I guess I will just have to do one room at a time! Thanks !!!Any more tips or info info would be greatly appreciated!

I've never seen the show, but I can just imagine I would have the excess sitting somewhere two years later. One would have to be extremely motivated to keep a space cleared when someone else did the work.

When I moved from Kansas to Alaska, I couldn't afford to do anything except sent 6 big boxes by UPS. But fast forward five years and I'd remarried and filled up a large home. Again. I really had to learn new behaviors and this was one problem area I had to solve for myself.

When I began decluttering, all of Flylady's little "isms" allowed to be process and let stuff go. Things aren't memories. Memories are memories. The concept of blessing others with my good stuff really did send me the message that it was fine to let good items go to the thrift store. The fact that I had piles of "creative" type magazines and fabric didn't mean I was going to be creative anytime soon. I could always get more ideas or fabric.

A major stickler for me was the money spent of the stuff. But, by tracking and taking the tax write off for the donations, I really have recouped a good portion of my costs.

I started with the hidden clutter. Closets, drawers and cabinets. I bagged it up and loaded it directly in my van for a drop-off when I was out. My house really didn't look all that different for a while. Once those areas were really cleaned out, all of the clutter which was sitting around could be put away.

Everytime I have a problem with clutter, I can hear Talleysue say, "Infrastructure needed." Did I spell that correctly? And right now that's true for my sewing area. Too much stuff for my shelving, so my choice is to get rid of items or put in more shelving. I'm going to get rid of some of this fabric again.

So, even if you clear it all out with one big swoop, will you be able to maintain that?

Gloria

dd--the system I use is to only clear one room at a time, and give yourself a time limit to work on it each nite. Make decisions, sort and move on. No agonizing. If I catch myself saying "I might be able to fix, mend, or glue this--out it goes" If I am not able to schedule working on that craft within a year--out it goes. I'm sure its true that Gramma Moses did lots of painting at the age of 90 but I'm not Gramma Moses.

I just cleared a room this morning before going in to work for an appointment. I took everything out except the furniture and the first few boxes I will clear. I just put it into the guestroom (after first making my husband swear we were having no overnite guests for a week even if there is a disaster)

Its easier to throw stuff out because the alternative is to put it on to a nice clean empty shelf, or into a drawer. I bought three big trash cans and lined them with plastic bags. The trash can bag destined for Salvation Army is clear plastic so that if I suddenly think I put something in there by mistake its easy to see.

There are a few t.v. shows that use the same technique, except they have a little crew that puts it on the lawn for a sale the next day, and it gets sorted into keep, throw away or garage sale. If it doesn't sell at the garage sale it goes on a charity pick up truck the same day. They film one of the shows here in Los Angeles. I have taped them for inspiration altho I like "Neat" which is filmed in Canada.

What I like is they pursuade people who are saving their children's 23 soccer trophies or baby clothes to get rid of them because the kids don't want them and the kids are 45 years old. I can identify with that in regards to my keeping macrame supplies, and my set of rubber stamps for grading papers when I haven't taught grade school since 1979.

I actually think we could clear somebody else's house of clutter pretty quickly but its hard doing your own.
Once I started with the idea of personally giving stuff away in addition to going to a charity it got easier for me. I found that I could leave magazines and books in a variety of places--doctor's office, etc. I gave some really nice bowls, glasses, etc. to some people setting up their first apartment.
A friend who is quilter got some of my excess fabric. Also in my neighborhood if I put stuff out by the curb the day before trash day--it disappears. Elves probably. Also the charities here are much more picky than the elves anyhow.
Good luck.

An entire room would require enough time without distractions (not likely in this house!) or I would run out of time and end up with a dining room full of junk that doesn't get put where it goes.

My best bet for finishing a project is to break it up in smaller pieces, like one drawer, one dresser, one tote, etc.

If you really want to try it Clean Sweep style, start easy with the least cluttered room and see how it goes for you.

Remember, you have to work quick and be RUTHLESS. Maybe start with the bathroom and see how you do with the half-empty containers of expired make-up you don't use, old towels, etc. (toss the make-up, send the towels to the humane society).

Or start with emptying HALF your kitchen cupboards (upper or lower) on top of your counter tops. How much you struggle with getting rid of duplicates or what you don't use or need in HALF of the cupboards will give you a clue on if emptying out a whole room is a good plan for you.

One decision I've made is concerning my huge amount of plastic containers and prep bowls. We used to buy creme brulees that came in glass bowls and I've kept them all. I now freeze only in foodsaver bags or canning jars and I use the Smart Spin system for items in the fridge.

I am going to box up all the plastic containers (and lids) and those prep bowls and put them in a box(es) in the garage. When we move next year, whatever I haven't retrieved from the box is going in the trash.

Books are the easy part of our current sweep. Big old heavy textbooks are getting hauled out to recycle. Others being donated to libraries, along with unwanted videos. Our 7ft. long pressboard bookcase/storage unit, bought in 70's and relegated to computer room, has been listing dangerously under the weight of many years of accumulation. Sandy

Good Ideas! I know what everybody is saying is true, each in its own way. I am just tired of STUFF I can't part with, I don't know why. I get a good start then sentimental sets in then I'm done as I can't just get rid of it! I wish I could come to the grips of why. That is why I think if someone else took it........I wouldn't know it was gone and no sentimental feelings. Thanks for all the info will use it I am sure I just have to close my eyes and heart and get going! P.S. My husband has National Geographics every single issue since 1970, and is still getting them! (He he ha hha) from ddcile5

Great encouragement and ideas here. You have a leg up on this as you know it has to be done. I wish you the best of luck. BTW: I send DH's NG to the high school. As far as my own magazines (mostly cooking), which I try real hard to limit, I clip what I want to save and throw the mag away as soon as I have read it. I know that there are good places to take magazines, but they would probable build up in piles before that would happen.

My on-going and most challenging clutter is paper. When you (ddcile 5) say that you "can't just get rid of it", I am that way with the paper but because of sentimentality. My thinking is that there might be some paper trail that I must have for taxes, bank error, mother's estate, audits.

Like you, I had enough and had to tackle the problem via a Clean Sweep method. I have an office built-in to a closet in the den and decided that paper management should be relegated to that closet desk. I brought paper piles from other areas of the house into the den. I decided that I would have to touch every piece of paper, it took days so the target area was off limits to everyone. The feeling after the project was euphoric.

The den during Clean Sweep:
{{!gwi}}

This is some months after the project, so it needs tidying up:

{{!gwi}}

Wonderful.........looks very professional and functional! I too now have the incentive to do the same! :) I know when you say months to do it! But euphoric YES! Thanks!

Mustangs, those pictures are an inspiration. I'm just taking a break from weeding out books. Got to thinking I know people who "might like some of them". Dangerous territory.

From my experience, the best time to clean sweep is when angry (whether at the clutter or anything else.) Right now I'm not angry, just tired. Sandy

It seems to me that having a partner that is willing and able to help is key. I can't think of too many jobs where it isn't easier to have someone else doing it with you to keep you in line and on task.
I know not too long ago my SIL and I had to clean out my MIL's bedroom. She was a pack rat extraordinare! If we hadn't done it together we'd a never gotten past the frist drawer.

carol, a partner might be helpful on somebody else's house, but a spouse "helping" you clean your house should be called recycling. I try to clean the day before trash day otherwise my husband would be making sure I didn't throw out something important from 1995.
Mustangs your office is an inspiration.

Thank you for all the info. Starting my day organizing and laundry. One load of laundry , wash , dry, fold and put away in one motion. Love that FLY Lady!

I've never gotten into the Fly Lady thing but, ddcile, you ended up reminding me that I needed to put in a load of laundry.

I disagree about having someone to help being key.
I do MUCH better making decisions on my own. No debates! No indecision!

I have been on a "clean it up and empty it out " binge for all of 2006. My house is pretty neat but there are many unneeded things lurking in closets, cabinets and drawers and the basement. My garbage pick up is on Tuesday and my goal is only to fill at least one trash bag for the collection each week. Sometimes, I have actually done as many as three! The storage area in my basement is now so clean it is getting new shelving and a new floor!

My guest room closet actually has room for my out of season clothing. For now I have accomplished my goal and not much is left to toss. For 2007 I will just enjoy having space to put something away!

I bought an extra trash can for my "decluttering fit" days. It's nice when all threee cans are on the street and I hear the truck coming.

Mustangs, your "after" photo is fantastic! Enjoy your organized stuff!

There are some great tips and thoughts here. I've been dealing with the same problem here and have found Freecycle and Freshare groups to be wonderful ... it's so much easier for us to "let go" of things when we know people truly want/need them. It takes a little longer, but I find family members much more willing to Freecycle something than to dump it in a collection bin.

As for the "Clean Sweep" concept, I used this with my twin sons when they were about 10 years old. First we visited Ikea, where they could get a look at different room scenarios and tell me just what they liked and why - colors, styles, everything. We bought shelves, armoires, curtains, chair, pillows, bedding, carpet, floor lamp, magnetic whiteboards and some accessories for storage and decoration, then some paint. Emptied the room, painted walls and trim hung the curtains and replaced the furniture. Then came the crucial part: putting back *only* those things they truly wanted to keep *and* had a place for. They really appreciated how much larger the space felt when empty, and felt the difference as it began to fill up, first with furniture, then with their belongings ... interestingly, I didn't have to tell them when to stop, they decided that on their own. It's seven years later, now, and it gets pretty awful in there sometimes, but mostly from just flinging clothes and stuff about out of carelessness, then they'll go on a binge and clean it all up. If they can do it, ladies ... so can we! :-)