Clutter, Clutter, everywhere!

by Heike Boehnke-Sharp

Clothes are my Clutter-Karma. They follow me, there are piles everywhere, and no matter how much I wash, fold, put away; they seem to reproduce. Another attachment: Paper. Piles and piles of paper.

Since I do not live alone, my family has also caught the clutter bug. My husband is a pack rat, and brings home all kinds of junk. My daughter is already a "collector", and sadly has inherited my clothes deposit (on the floor) habit. Who knows what my son will bring in??

Don't get me wrong, our house is not dirty, despite it being too small for the four of us and two dogs. But it is messy, there is stuff everywhere! When my friend once told me of a plaque she received that said: "Boring women have immaculate houses", I embraced it with open arms and made it my mantra.

Whenever I had company or events planned, the whole family went into a flurry of dusting, gathering, stuffing, flinging. My bedroom is usually the catch-all. Our house looked great on the surface for one day, the next it was back to "normal". Dare anyone come unexpected! They were driven away!

 My breaking point came when I was cleaning the bathroom a few months back and my daughter asked:

 "Who is coming over, Momma?".

"No one"

"Then why are you cleaning the bathroom?"

It hit me in the heart like a stake. My company deserved a clean house, but my family didn't? What about me? I was getting sick of all the junk, and never finding what I need. I began by asking a friend, who is VERY organized (how do we ever match??) to come over and help me declutter my office. She came and flung, she took no prisoners. What ever looked old, unused, or use-less, she flung. We went through paperwork together and shredded and filed. 5 hours later my office was 3 big garbage bags lighter.

To tackle the house, that meant some serious back-up. Like a stroke of good luck, I came across http://www.flylady.net. This is "MY" personal helper, but there are many out there, one for each of us :). I love FlyLady, she sends plans, inspirations, missions, tips, and testimonials every day via email. She and her staff guide my junk out a step at a time, 15 minutes each. Like she says, you can do anything for 15 minutes...It is alot of email, be warned. Some days I actually have time to sit and read the testimonials, and low and behold, there are OTHERS LIKE ME OUT THERE! 

I must proudly say, this Holiday Season was much nicer, no hours of hectic "pre-company cleaning". Plus, I finally rid my closet of some clothes I had been saving for years. Get this, I tried to sell it to a consignment store, and she told me it was too out-dated! I immediately went home and cleared out more stuff and donated it all to a women's shelter :). I am too young to be outdated, called for some serious flinging! I am far from being boring and having an immaculate house, but we are slowly getting more space. My daughter is even doing the 27 step boogie in her room (yah!), and we enjoy it.

Some of you may even reminisce like I did. The first step FlyLady asks you to take is to always shine your kitchen sink. I do now, and believe me, sometimes it is a struggle, as we are one of the few households in America without a dishwasher...But it reminds me of my Oma, who's stainless steel sink looked like new after 30 years! When I was growing up, no one dared get water at her shining sink, we went to the bathroom. She was a bit anal about it. After we ate, she did the dishes, dried them, and that sink was polished. It was her pride, and now I understand her better. It does feel good to walk into the kitchen in the morning to a clean sink instead of stinky, greasy pots or food stuck to plates.

Remember, all the principles of good living start with de-cluttering. Feng Shui, my other passion, insists that you clear your clutter first. So in the Spirit of my New Year's resolutions, here are some resources for you "un-boring" sisters that want to join me :):

Intuitive Living and Feng Shui Great Facebook page that will send you daily tips.

http://www.flylady.net  A true friend holding your hand every step of the way!

http://www.getorganizednow.com A little bit commercial, but great ideas for small spaces

Some of my favorite Feng Shui books can be found on the carrousel below :)..:

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