Where do I start cleaning my home of 20 years?

Question

I want to clear my home of clutter and then organize. Where do I start? I have 30 years of collecting and lots of dust!

Answer 1

I recently moved and got rid of tons of stuff that cluttered my house and life.

Go through all your stuff room by room, small sections at a time and if you haven't used it in the past year donate it or put it on craigslist.  

Other people can use it.

My life has gotten easier, I have time to go do this :)

Just keep what you REALLY need and the REAL sentimental stuff, everything else "recycle" it and let someone else use it.

You will feel great once yiu're done :)

Answer 2

I think that it does not matter.  Just getting started is the tough part.  I started in the kitchen.

Answer 3

I would recommend beginning in the room that is used most or that most guests see, such as the living room or kitchen.  This would be a good place to begin since you will be more motivated to have the open areas appear less cluttered and more appealing first. Then, work through the house from there.  

Answer 4

one room at a time.  And a couple trash bags.  Throw away stuff that you haven't used in the past 6 months-1 year.  You won't miss it, and the extra space will be soooo appreciated!

Answer 5

Oh wow.  A big project and good for you for taking control of your life.

First thing is to get the task framed up in your mind.  This isn't going to be a one-weekend project.  It'll likely take several weeks of steady going.  Work on one room at a time - start with the part of the house where you spend most of your time so you get to enjoy the benefits of your work right away.

Second - get firmly onboard with the idea that you're not going to keep most of it.  You'll have five basic catagories:

Recycle - bundles of old magazines and newspapers, clothing that can be used as rags, recyclable plastic, recyclable metal

Trash - broken things, stuff that's gotten wet or mildewed or mouse chewed, everything that's been laying out in the weather that can't be recycled.  Don't kid yourself that you'll get around to gluing together the broken china - it got broken 20 years ago, and it's broken...  Get rid of 'projects'.

Donate - clothing/shoes/toys/household goods in very good condition that Goodwill or the Salvation Army would want

Gift - stuff that may have sentimental value to family members; anything they don't want goes in the "Donate" catagory.

Keep - the smallest catagory: those things that you use regularly or want to see every day

You'll want to set up a way of keeping stuff separate as you organize it.  Go ahead and rent a small dumpster.  I know - it's hard.  But a bin with a lid gets the discards out of sight (and out of mind).

Get a pile of boxes just as if you were planning to move.

Plan to haul out the Donate and Gift boxes as quickly as they fill.  That will clear floor space.

I acknowledge that going through 30 years of stuff is likely to be a journey through memories.  Keep your task firmly in mind - there'll be time to savor the precious things you choose to have in your life when you can do it in the peace and calm of your newly tidy home.