I’ve talked before about ‘dumping grounds’ which we can all experience at some time or another when things get a bit busy. There may even be permanent dumping grounds in your home, perhaps a small area or corner of a living room or bedroom where items tend to accumulate.
However what I want to talk about here is a bit more than a dumping ground. As you can imagine, I have been in many homes over the 11 years I have been practising my decluttering business and on more than a few occasions I have come across an entire room which has become the ‘dumping room’.
Believe me I know what it is like to run out of space, and my tiny unit is a prime example of a home with very little storage capacity. I do think it’s a pity though when we lose a whole room to our stuff. So here are a few suggestions on how you can get your room back if this situation applies to you:
– First think about how you would like to use this room if it was completely cleared out. Maybe it could be a spare room for guests, a study place for your teenagers, a home office, or even a peaceful retreat with a comfy chair and side table where you can spend some much deserved time away from everything to read a good book. Once you’ve got this picture in your mind you can move to the next step.
– Does the room contain any built in storage such as a wardrobe, shelves or the like, that could be used to house specific objects? This can be factored into your plan for the room, if you are thinking it could be an ideal study space/home office then a wardrobe and shelving can be used for storing files and anything related to this function. If you think you might like a crafts room, then storage is definitely a must for the many bits and pieces used in this type of activity.
– The next step is to sort everything in the room. One way you can sort would be to section off parts of the room by catgories, i.e. clothes in one area, books and magazines in another. This is what I call a ‘macro sort’ and it means you can quickly sort everything into their categories that you can come back to later. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment that you’ve made a start on clearing the room.
– The ‘micro sort’ is where you do the actual decluttering, if you haven’t done it already in the previous step. Grab a few bags so you can keep items contained as you go, and don’t forget a donation bag or box, and a rubbish bag. This is where I recommend you relegate items to other areas of the house where they are logically used. What I mean here is, if there are clothes dumped in this room there will probably be a good reason for it – are they out of season clothes, or things that need mending, or clothes you are thinking you might donate? These cases are easy enough to be resolved. But if they have been dumped here because it was easier than hanging them up or putting them in a drawer in the relevant bedroom, then maybe you need to think about creating more wardrobe and drawer space in the bedroom.
– This dumping room oftentimes also contains shopping that you may not have got around to putting away, or you don’t know where to put the newly bought stuff. It does need to be put away eventually so why not now… Bite the bullet and take everything out of their bags and store items in their delegated cupboards, wardrobes, drawers etc. This is where you really do want designated areas in your home for pretty much everything, which makes life so much easier when you have just one spot where you go to get a particular object.
I know this may all sound easier than it actually is in practice, but like anything it is worth doing and you’ll enjoy having a cleared room to use however you wish to use it. What joy! If you do have such a room, and you decide that it’s time to get it sorted, and you get stuck – please feel free to contact me. I can talk you through any troublesome area so you can go back to your project with renewed energy.
As always, I do hope this newsletter contains ideas that are helpful to you. The benefits of decluttering are amazing and you’ll love the feeling of being organised. It also makes a real difference to stress levels when your living and working environments are relaxing and cleared of the clutter.
I wish you joy and blessings for a wonderful month ahead.
In Joy!
Angella Gilbert
P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella.gilbert@xtra.co.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz
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