"How many of you have tried to use plastic totes, nifty storage boxes, little rolling carts, and laundry baskets to organize things? I will let you in on a little secret: Clutter can't be organized!!!" - FlyLady (from Sink Reflections)
You don't know where to start decluttering? Or, you have already decluttered, so you have no where else to look? Hee hee! We will be giving you some hints on where to find clutter. Each day during the declutter challenge, we will post a new location - one of those "FLY Spots" where clutter seems to accumulate without us even realizing it! Spend 15 minutes in a FLY Spot, and you will be amazed at how much clutter you find!
FlyLady, Kelly, and I will be decluttering these spots right along with you!
Friday, January 16: The last day of the declutter challenge and our last FLY Spot!
FLY Spot Alert! For the past two weeks, we have been decluttering our homes, and collecting trash, recycle, and stuff to be donated. Today, you have three tasks:
- Bag up the trash for the trash man or bring it to the dump.
- Bag up the recycle and bring it to the recycle depot.
- Bag or box up the items for donation and drop it off at the donation center of your choice. If you have a lot of stuff, try calling for a pickup.
Congratulations! You should be proud of every pound of clutter you remove from your home!
"By thinning out clutter, the real beauty of your home shines through." – FlyLady
Thursday, January 15: Any Drawer in Your Home
FLY Spot Alert! Drawers in the bedroom, the kitchen, the store room, the garage, the desk, all over the house! You know the ones. You have to squeeze and tuck all the stuff inside around the edges before you can close the door. We all have them. You choose the drawer. Then set your timer for 15 minutes and declutter anything that you no longer use, love, or can identify.
"When I got rid of my clutter, I opened my heart to all the joy that life has to offer." – FlyLady
Wednesday, January 14: The Craft Closet
FLY Spot Alert! No whining allowed! I bet there is not a SHE among us who does not have a craft drawer, shelf, or closet in their home. Me, I used to have an entire craft room! Today, take a look in your craft supplies. Set your timer for 15 minutes and declutter anything you do not use, love, or need. I know the sweater I started knitting for my baby 10 years ago is just not going to fit anymore! Out it goes. Tackle this one shelf at a time. You did not accumulate all your craft supplies in one day, you are not going to declutter it in one day either! You will be amazed at how much more creative you will be when you only have the things you know you are going to use in your supplies.
"Release your clutter and find the things you are searching for." – FlyLady
Tuesday, January 13: Books, Books, and more Books
FLY Spot Alert! When is the last time you purged your bookshelves of old unwanted books? Paperback books, university textbooks, toddler books... I am going to duck here - have you looked at your cookbooks lately? Eeks! Today, pick one pile of books or one bookshelf and find a few titles you no longer want that can be donated to someone else.
"If you have read them, pass them on to someone else or give them to your library." - FlyLady on paperback books.
Monday, January 12: The Freezer
FLY Spot Alert! Get your parka on - we are going into the freezer! Everytime we do a declutter challenge, some of the weirdest items come from the freezer: paintbrushes, goldfish awaiting funerals, animals waiting to be stuffed, and my personal favorite: laundry (because the laundry hamper is located beside the freezer).
So today, let's see how many freezer burned, ancient "unidentifiables" we can declutter. It is a lot easier to plan meals when we know what there is to cook!
"Release your clutter and find the food you are searching for." – FlyLady
Sunday, January 11: Children's Toys and Stuffed Animals
FLY Spot Alert! If you have children, you have kid clutter! There is no getting around it. Today, let's take 15 minutes and purge out the baby toys that used to belong to your school aged kids, the stuffed toys that no one loves, the kid meal "treats" that multiply on their own, the toys that are broken, and last, but not least, that puzzle that no one does because one piece is missing. Have fun with this one, you will be amazed at how much your kids will enjoy their toys when they can find them and when there is space to play with them!
"Get the family involved and let the clutter fly out your door!" – FlyLady
Saturday, January 10: The Back Porch or Storage Room
FLY Spot Alert! This is going to be a major clutter pound collector. The Back Porch or the Storage Room - you choose. Get your trash box and donation box set up. Then set your timer for 15 minutes. How much clutter can you get rid of out of the storage area in 15 minutes? Only tackle one spot, or one box at a time. Whatever you get done in 15 minutes will be better than it was before. Happy tossing!
"Quit stepping over, on, and around this clutter." – FlyLady
Friday, January 9: The Laundry Room
FLY Spot Alert! Yes, we are going in! Today, your clutter FLY Spot is the Laundry Room: Home to used dryer sheets, empty boxes of laundry detergent, dryer lint bunnies, clothes that need to be mended, laundry baskets half full, and wire clothes hangers! This is going to be fun! Set your timer for 15 minutes: start with the trash. How much clutter can you get rid of out of the laundry room?
When you are done, take the window cleaner and give your washer and dryer a real quick shine on the outside. It is amazing how much friendlier it looks in the laundry room when the appliances sparkle.
Thursday, January 8: Your night stand!
FLY Spot Alert! When is the last time, you cleared out your night stand beside the bed? Who knows what interesting things are hiding inside! Some of them may qualify for the weirdest items decluttered...
"Have fun and before you know it, you will be FLYing too." – FlyLady
Wednesday, January 7: The Linen Closet
FLY Spot Alert! Another closet! Do you need to do the really quick "door slam" on the linen closet to get the door closed without everything falling out? Have kind family members given you bedsheets for bed sizes that you don't even have? Can you use your bathroom towels as strainers? How about curtains from previous homes? Linen closets are notorious for hiding clutter. Why? Because the stuff you use all the time has pushed the stuff you never use all the way to the back. And in the back, are the table cloths you know you have, but can never find in time for that special meal, four extra seta of tea towels, and the "good company towels". Let's get rid of the clutter, and bring the "good company towels" out to the front so we can start using them. I suspect, that I may even find last year's Holiday gifts hiding unopened near the top....we SHE's are good at creating hiding spots - we just can't find them later on LOL!
Tip for getting rid of old towels and sheets: Contact your local animal shelter and see if they would like them.
Tuesday, January 6: The Bathroom Cabinet
FLY Spot Alert! I love this one. My bathroom cabinet breeds shampoos, lotions, empty toilet paper rolls, and empty containers. I have no idea where they come from (LOL), but whenever I look inside - there they are! So, grab your decluttering bag, set your timer for 15 minutes, and see what clutter you have lurking in the bathroom cabinets.
Note about medicines: please call your pharmacy to find out how to dispose of expired medicines properly.
Monday, January 5: The Master Bedroom Closet (Clothes)
FLY Spot Alert! Oh dear, I can hear the groans around the world with this one! We are decluttering the clothes from the Master Bedroom Closet. Yup, the stuff that is too big, too small, worn out, and simply is never worn anymore. Keep it simple, set your timer for 15 minutes, and deal with it one article at a time.
"You will be blessed for giving your excess to those in need, you will also be blessed by getting the clutter out of your home, so you can find peace." - FlyLady
Sunday, January 4: The Lonely Sock Pile - Yikes!
FLY Spot Alert! The tale of the missing sock! Who is the sock monster who eats up single socks? Where do you keep your singles? In a bag, box, plastic tote, laundry bucket? Mine are behind the couch LOL. So, today, find three lonely mates and let them free. Fling Fling Fling. If they holes, let them go too.
"Clutter attracts more clutter - like a magnetic force. Whenever you catch yourself saying, "I can put this here and do it later," you have created a Hot Spot." - FlyLady (from her bright pink book, "Sink Reflections")
Saturday, January 3: Under the Kitchen Sink
FLY Spot Alert! The home of cleaning chemicals galore, pot scrubbers, garbage cans, and wet tea towels: Yes, we are heading down to our knees and decluttering under the kitchen sink! Gasp! What do you have lurking in this dark corner of your home?
"Release your clutter and find the things you are searching for." – FlyLady
Friday, January 2: The Front or Back Entrance Closet
FLY Spot Alert! I can hear the groans already. How many of you have to wear a hard hat when you open the front or back closet? You never know what is going to fall out of it when you open the door. Today, set your timer and tackle that closet one shelf at a time. DO NOT take out more than you can handle in 15 minutes! Shoes that don't fit, sports gear that is never used, coats that are never worn, or stash and dash items that you have forgotten about....Have fun!
"Clutter is too much in too small a place." – FlyLady
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