How do I begin to clean up a house and garage full of clutter and junk?

Question

I have a house / garage full of things I've collected over the years. Even papers and old documents that are of no use to me. It's getting to the point where I can't even walk through the place anymore. I'd like to clean it up, but have no idea where or how to start. Can someone help?

Answer 1

Hi,
Either call a bunch of friends over to help you or call
1-800-GOT-JUNK, which is a company that will come to your residence and clean it out.

Answer 2

The hardest part of solving your problem for you will be to change your ways and think differently. You must make a terriffic change within yourself that allows you to see yourself and surroundings the way you really want them. That is what I had to do.

I found these steps helpful as well....

5 Ways to Begin Organizing your Home

1) Stop it before it comes in

If it is junk mail, opt out of it and do not sign-up for contest that will put your name on a mailing list. In the ideal sense, if your husband has enough socks and you buy him more than you must toss an equal number.

2) Do you really need it?

When ever you are evaluating an item, please ask yourself: Do I really need it?, What is the worst thing that could happen without it?, and If you keep it then get rid of something else!

3) Find a home for everything.

Everything that you decide to keep must have a home of its own. This means not in the "junk-drawer" or stuffed at the bottom of a closet. It needs to be obvious to everyone where it goes.

4) Return things to their home.

This is the MOST important part of Home Organization, returning the item to its home everytime it is used. This is basically, Organizing 101, and the daily key to maintaining your space.

5) Practice these steps everyday.

Organizing is a continuous process and does not end when you have tossed and found homes for everything. But it is much easier from that point on. Follow these basic steps and you will be more organized making you feel better and your house look better.

Answer 3

Focus on one room at a time. You can't possibly hope to change it all at once and it will overwhelm you if you try. Start small and stay focused on the end result of that step. Maybe a bathroom or closet 1st, then move on to the next area. Don't allow yourself to transfer clutter from a new area to one that you have finished, not even for a moment! Also, remember to stop after each area is completed and just relax in the newly cleared space. Let it reset in your mind that THIS is how it is suppose to look. You can even do it by category of items removal. Start by going through the house and concentrating on removing all of the old clothes you don't wear or use anymore, then go after outdated newspapers and magazines. Reward each success as you achieve them. A relaxing bath and a glass of wine, a fancy dinner, etc. Maybe shopping for new stuff should be avoided as a reward as it may prove counter productive.

Answer 4

I read an intriguing magazine article on the topic. If you can't really bare to get involved in a huge cleanup project (or have a hard time parting with things), it suggests that you use the method of "walk out/take out." Every time you leave the house, you must pick up one item (or two or three -- you set the parameters) and carry it to the trash. That doesn't sound so hard, does it? Well, if, for instance, you set it at 2 per walk out and you leave the house an average of 3 times a day, then you will have tossed 42 items at the end of one week. Hard to believe, isn't it? I am planning to use it on a spare bedroom that turned into a junk room. But in my case, everyone in the house has junk in there, so I have to get "buy in" for the project from everyone -- because one of the rules is that no one is to throw out something belonging to someone else without approval. Good luck.

Answer 5

Okay, you are going to have to not look at the entire picture or you will get overwhelmed and accomplish nothing. That you want to do this is wonderful, so tackle it in a way where you will succeed.

If you have a storage facility, start with that. Clear it out. Otherwise, start with the garage, the logical place for storage.

Purchase many large garbage bags and many see-through plastic storage containers. Buy a label maker or use stickers that can be written on, and get a few magic markers. Mark areas, even if it is outside, this way: Throw Away Donate Storage Garage Sale and Put Away. Now, take 1/4 to 1/2 of the garage and start picking up items, one at a time. Be ruthless. Once you get the feel of putting things in the throw away pile, you'll love it. NEVER touch an item twice. If it is in your hand, keep it in your hand until it is in one of the designated areas. Don't go back through the throw away pile and start pulling things out. Keep dividing off the space until you have cleared out the garage.

Take the Storage items and place like-with-like, put them in the plastic containers and mark them. Continue until the garage is cleared out, the throw aways are thrown away and the donated items are donated. Now, sweep, hose your garage and neatly stack your plastic boxes in a logical way, i.e., clothing with clothing, housewares with housewares, etc.

You now have a place to put the items you will be storing from the house. Systematically do the same in your house. Bite off a small portion at a time. Throw Away, Storage, Garage Sale Donate. Be ruthless, ruthless, ruthless. You don't need that stuff. Hug it and throw it away; you haven't seen that stuff for years and were doing fine without it.

If you can't do it alone, enlist the help of a trusted friend or hire a secretary-type person who needs money to work on the side. They are organized.

Treat yourself to a new paint job or furniture when you are done. The money you make on a garage sale will pay for it. To make sure it never happens again, the #1 rule is, Don't let anything go out of your hands without putting it where it belongs. Deal with it at that moment and throw it away without guilt. You can do it.

Answer 6

Get a heavy duty shredder for your documents. They're pretty cheap these days.

Start in one section at a time, rather than thinking "I've got to clean out the garage." Get three boxes--keep, donate, toss. Wait, get four--one for papers to shred. Go through your stuff and put each thing in one of those four boxes.

It helps to work in increments--one hour, or three square feet at a time.

At the end of each round, take the "donate" box to the Goodwill or Salvation Army (or have them pick it up). Dump the "toss" stuff in the trash. Set aside the "keep" stuff. Shred your papers.

Be ruthless. If you're hanging on to some things for sentimental value, consider just taking a picture of them so you can get the same nostalgia without having the things taking up space.

I don't recommend a garage sale. It's hard to let go of things that way.

Bit by bit you'll get through it. Good luck!

Answer 7

get some boxes about three
or so
one box is a keep box and the next box is a through out box and the other box is a sale box.
this is needed for each room and the garage to
and remember this can only get better.
as for the papers-you need to go over them while you takeing a break and see if theres anything that you might need like for tax home papers or anything thats home related or car or things like that and thenn file them on your pc or home safe.
or then keep going untill you have gone throught all your house then go and sit up and garage sale for three days to see if you can make some money from it.
and don't sale it to high on some things like clean sweep does,but try to be fair with it to.
and good luck to you on this.

Answer 8

what I do when my room gets junkie I take every that is not were it is supposed to be and put it in the middle of the floor. then go from there and separate the garbage from the things that I am using now from the things I didn't even know i had (things i don't use) making sure everything has a place. meaning when I pick something up and use it when I'm finished with it i put it back where i got it . this helps for when you get new stuff. your house will never get junkie cause everything has a place. and if that didn't help sometimes its good to go corner by corner and work your way to middle of the room.

Answer 9

Before you start commit to getting rid of most of it. Equip yourself with 3 containers: trash can, give-away bag/box, and 'keep' box.

1. Go to garage 30min* a day and sort and toss (try listening to music or books on tape while you do it and it won't be so tedious).
2. Immediately disperse the give away stuff (to Goodwill, etc.), and dispose of the trash. Also distribute the keep stuff where ever you plan to store it. This step is essential to prevent the stuff from finding its way back into the garage.

* alternative: take longer (2 hours) or commit to a whole day, if you can stand it.

Answer 10

Step 1 - Figure out how much "stuff" you have room for, or how much free space you want in your environment.
Step 2 - Categorize your stuff. I break it down into
> what I'm keeping (stick to space available in Step 1)
> what can I sell at a garage sale, etc.
> what I can find a home for (friends, family, Goodwill)
(Last time Goodwill came and picked it up)
> what should be thrown out
Step 3 - Figure out a system and try to stick to it.
> put aside chunks of time to work on it
> What help is available if any
.> brake down the job by area or room
> or by the categories listed above.
Good Luck!

Answer 11

Get lots of small boxes (liquor stores have them). Put several in each room. If you haven't used an item, separate accordingly in boxes. Get rid of clothes you don't wear, toys no longer needed, anything at all not necessary for utility or pleasure. Then have a yard sale. Donate what doesn't sell and take the tax write-off if needed. Sometimes we have so much, we can't find what we need. Life is so much easier without the clutter.