Thursday, September 18, 2008

Trying to solicit help!

Well, I am going to (rather ashamedly) admit that I am a Messie at heart. I was once reformed but I've had a major relapse and was well on my way to being admitted to a rehab program but I have *barely* escaped by the skin of my teeth and I am asking for your help.

Please post a comment suggesting one of your favorite cleaning and or organizing tips and you can win a prize! I'll be trying to put all of your suggestions into good use for the next month or so and will report back on my status then but for now you have a chance to win your choice of prizes:
1-For those of you who are avid crafters out there, a grab bag of some random goodness from my stash: maybe some fabrics, scrapbooking "schtuff", patterns, buttons, ribbons... who knows what I might find on my quest to conquer clutter!?!
2-A handcrafted item made by yours truly. This would be an absolute surprise to whomever receives it but I promise to take your personal likes and dislikes into consideration!
3-A $10 gift card to your choice: Starbucks, Walmart or Target!

As you can see, lots of choices for your prize--but I have LOTS of clutter to conquer! With 3 little girls, a craft-a-holic Mommy (who CANNOT resist a sale at A.C. Moore) and a Music Geek/Computer Guru Hubby in the house, you can imagine all of the stuff that we have accumulated! So send me some useful de-cluttering and house cleaning tips for a shot to win!

Just post your entry here and let me know which prize you'd like best... I'll be drawing a random winner on October 1st!

12 comments:

Brin said...

Lots of trash bags, an eagerness to chuck stuff and a place called Community Action in Glens Falls. If they won't take it Salvation Army will and you can get a tax deduction at both places! I just went through every closet in our house and I now have 12 bags of stuff to send to either CA or SA. You can do it, Heather! Chuck it! :)

Anonymous said...

O man you know me Heather, I will do anything for free!!! Wahoo!! Well i really should be doing the same thing, my pantry and closets are getting so clutterd. I have been under the weather you may say, for 4 weeks now. So with the kids doing all the cooking and cleaning, it just dos'nt get done like mom would do it. I hope to get those pretty decrotive baskets at Michells and fix my bathroom closet with those. Then get some more plastic bins for the kids school closet. I love bins or baskets, at least the suff stays in there and when you open a door, you dont have UFO's flying at you. I want to take stuff to goodwill as well. So once i can be on my feet again, my kids better have there rooms cleaned up or everything goes in a bag for GW. HA! I would love the 3rd prize.

Brie said...

Oh my I can relate, but go girl!!! My little tid bit is to get a shoe organizer that you can hang over your door, be sure and get the one that has clear plastic for the shoe holder (this allows you to see what's in the pouch) but fabric for the main part of the holder. Then put all your crafting stuff in it, have one for the girls any little items (crayons, markers, scissors (up high), glue sticks, etc. , one for the bathroom too (barrettes, hair ties, ribbons, hair brushes, combs, shaving cream, etc.). I would label which pocket is for what thing. It sure helps with small living areas, I use it at our house =) Things that don't fit that the LORD could provide later if you need it, then give it away or throw it away & have faith that HE'll provide if ever you need it again =)
Love,
Brie

Anonymous said...

I find that the biggest clutter in my house is from my kids stuff. So, I make sure everyone has there own place. My kids things are not allowed in places it shouldn't be (for example, LR, DR, and MY ROOM). Easier said then done but if they keep their stuff in their room maybe in bins/baskets it is one less thing to keep picking up several times a day. I also have a book on quick housecleaning tips called Speed Cleaning 101 by Laura Dellutri. Good Book if you want to look at it.

Anonymous said...

OOOH OOOH OHHHH PICK ME PICK ME!!!!=) So my big tip.....don't EVER do it alone!!! I usually enlist my hubby to help me get things going...okay me directing him what to do but it all get's done in the end, right?!?! Seriously, I'm so much more apt to start and finish one thing in one fell swoop if we're doing it together, we are true weekend warriors when it comes to projects around the houses. I'm a HUGE chucker (did I just type that out loud???), I say if you haven't used it in 6 months, just let it GO..and let God=) Good luck!!!!

Anonymous said...

ok girl... I read all the things the others have said... I really like Bri's shoe holder idea.. I like what was said about GW and SA... good I really like the one about getting help from hubby, but sad to say that doesn't always help. what is my thought.. set yourself a dead line that you have to get one room at a time done.. but as you move from room to room make sure you don't let the last get trashed again. You could make it a nightly event like brushing teeth.. "make sure all your toys are in YOUR room"
Then there is what I am doing, I pick the small stuff up on a daily baises then one day a week "Tues" clean like mad the whole downstairs! It takes longer but at this point it is working for me.
Hope this helps if you can get what I was trying to say.. Don't be afraid to throw "it" out!!

Anonymous said...

I took a whole weekend to go through everything. I got rid of stuff that I didn't use but didn't want to get rid of. So what I did was put all the stuff I was getting rid of in a box, put it in my car and took it to give to someone or consignment stores. I then put things that I needed and wanted to keep into seperate totes. I threw away about 15 boxes of stuff and had only 3 totes.
In my kids room I made them go through everything and do the same. I bought a DVD shelf and put their games in it, a drawer cart and put my daughters art stuff and makeup and hair stuff in it.
I also went and bought them their on swifter duster and I make them dust their on rooms. They also have their own 13 gallon trash can. I have never seen kids use so many trash bags, but at least it's not in the floor or under the beds.

Anonymous said...

Hey Heather, I so feel your pain but probably a lot less since I don't have the kiddos and crafting stuff. Our clutter weakness is paperwork. We just can't seem to throw stuff out quickly enough. If this is any part of your clutter war what has helped me a bit is getting a shredder and a small trash can to throw all those credit card apps and personal mail into as soon as we get them. When the bin is full or I've got some free time I sit and shred away. I have a regular trash can right beside that for the envelopes and such so I don't waste my shredding time on trash. I hope all of these tips help you in your challege for organization my friend!

Anonymous said...

Heather...I can help with the craft mess. Go check out my blog http://thedomesticdiva.wordpress.com where I have an ongoing Sewing Room Organization Challenge (on the sidebar). All the same rules apply to any craft area.

So send me my darn Starbuck's card already...LOL!

Happy Organizing!

With friendship,
Lisa

Anonymous said...

The key to de-cluttering a home is doing it one spot at a time.
Don’t say, “This afternoon, I’m going to re-organize the kitchen!” Instead, give yourself a more manageable, realistic goal like, “This afternoon, I’m going to de-clutter the junk drawer in the kitchen” or “I’m going to clean off the pile of papers that has been accumulating for months on the edge of the kitchen counter.”
Set a goal. Meet the goal. Then, move on.
This will give you a sense of accomplishment each time you meet a goal.
And, don’t bounce around the house. Pick a room. Bite away at the room one manageable step at a time, then move to the next room.
This is my advice for de-cluttering a home. As far as clean a home, I like to not let things get out of hand. Like the other person who commented, I like to have everything in its place at the end of the night (toys in the bins, books on the shelf, dirty dishes in the dishwasher). Then, I have one day a week where I do the actual cleaning of the house all at once (scrub toilets, wash kitchen floor, etc.).
And, like others have already suggested, I’m a big fan of bringing stuff to the Salvation Army. I get such a high just walking around my house with a garbage bag plucking things out of closets, off shelves, etc.
For more tips, I’d recommend this web site: www.beyondclutter.com
Good luck!

smilestons23 said...

I can agree with taking care of one area at a time. As you know our house has a few rooms of clutter in them. What I did was go through items and place them in plastic bins according to rooms. Computer cds, programs books, paper, and music went in a bin to the computer room. I bought the neon stickers to write on. For you I would recommend the stickers and also print pictures from the computer of itmes for the kids. Then tape them on to the bins. The kids will learn words and pictures. If you need help I can come help you. Most likely a Saturday will be better. Or we can sent Bill to our house with the girls and I will help after church. Its up to you I'm just throwing it out there! Good luck!!!!!

Anonymous said...

My rule of thumb for decluttering is to toss it if it hasn't been touched in six months or more. Don't try to do it all at once; just pick one area/room a week and chip away at the task.

And I'd totally love either prize 2 or 3!