Continuing to TOSS, AGGRESSIVELY (thread #2)

[cando]

Here's my update:
worked on biggest sink counter in my kitchen. It is a big long one.
*Cleaned the entire counter... moved things and did the whole thing.
*cleaned toaster oven inside and out. That took a long time. It was really bad. It still needs more cleaning, but I spent a great deal of time and did soo much!
*cleaned outside of coffee make
*tossed box that my medicines were being kept in... it was so dusty on the outside and found a dead bug on the inside. Yuck! Why keep a box to keep things in if it means something extra that has to be kept clean. So, put my meds on a paper towel
*1 empty bottle of med into recycle bag
*tossed some packaging of a med & finger splint. Also, 1 sm. package of expired med.
*cleaned outside of a couple bottles and pencil/pen holder
*put 3 meds in front bathroom closet &partial roll of bandaging tape.
*1 paper into recycle bag
That counter still looks cluttered, but it is soo much better. No papers at all on it or any of my sink counters!!! Yay!

Still have to go in order to complete this project (broken down into sections...):
clean out half of cabinet with ultimate goal of putting 2 jars of coffee and 1 can of Chocolate Mocha in it.
clean Kitchen Counter #2 (I keep flour, sugar, bread, buns, rice cooker, filtered dog water and blender on that counter. This includes swiping counter, swiping appliances, jars/containers, light switch, and molding. This is a medium sized counter that goes deeper (harder to reach the back of it (corner).
Clean Kitchen Counter #3 (smaller counter). I keep Crock Pot, lotion, dishwashing liquid, liquid soap and currently has an SOS pad on a paper towel on there. Want to swipe counter, outside of crockpot (if needed), front of dishwasher, molding.
clean window seat (?). It is above the sink and goes back pretty deep. I'll have to stand on a chair, again, and maybe get on top of the sink & counter, somehow.... I have 3 little bowls for scrunges (these are in an effort to comply to Kosher rules so when DD comes to visit... I may move these out in the near furniture as she is getting an apartment out of town, but I know she will come back and visit occasionally and I want to be able to accommodate her). I also have 5 cute what-nots up there and I will have to swipe those, but they will stay there. (The curtains in that window are very dusty and need cleaning or replacing, but I'm not going to deal with those right now).
Clean around the back of the sink and the molding and around faucets.
Clean rest of the counter that holds the drainboard. Not much left to do on that one, since I already did 95% of it.
swipe top of stove. I'm not doing a big major cleaning of the stove. It was done not very long ago.
Swipe counter around the microwave. I am not lifting it or physically moving it off the counter. I keep a few seasonings to one side, and bag of Styrofoam cups and bag of straws are on the other side of the microwave.
swipe inside and outside of microwave. I don't think that is very bad as it is in maintenance.
declutter top of breakfast bar. This is under maintenance, too, so not much to put away that is on there. Nothing to declutter/toss. Except aggravated with DH for putting his wallet and contents of his pockets there last night. Argghh! He said he always does it, but he has not done that in months! He has been putting them on the dining room table. This has been a problem with DH from Day 1. He never goes thru his stuff and if he does... keeps most of it and doesn't find places for it. This is not a new problem, though. I will remove it from the breakfast bar, if he leaves anything on it tomorrow when he goes to work.

I know this all may look like an incredible lot, but I've already begun on the cabinet and I'm almost done with it. I just don't know what to do with all of DH's teas, coffees, etc. I may get rid of some of it, anyway... Wouldn't want anyone to go thru my stuff, but he is too busy with work to ask. I'll try not to get rid of any of it for now... as it is just not a good time to aggravate, upset or distract him from more important work he needs to do. I also have some other more important issues we need to resolve re: taxes and car.

CD

[cando]

Removed everything from 1 side of kitchen cabinet and swiped the inside.
*Put 3 empty boxes in recycle bag
*Re-containerized a couple things to get rid of those boxes.
*Tried to find value of Chivas Royal Salute Whiskey Bottles. DH had 2 in that cabinet after saying he wanted to keep them years, ago. I think they are worth anywhere from $5.00 - $25.00... but really spent too much time on this & still am unsure. That is quite a range. $5.00 is not nearly worth keeping... Argghh!
*Tossed partial bag of Turkish coffee and a plastic piece or lid to something.

There is so much stuff in there ... DH's teas, coffees, lemonades. I want to get rid of a lot of them, but how would I like it if someone did that to me? Also, I would just ask him, but he is overloaded with work he is behind in. I don't want to bother him with this as it is much more trivial.
Still working on it, so will be back to update.
Update: DH in good mood. He walked by sink counter with all this stuff on it. Said I could toss a certain type of tea. Said that a zip bag that had another kind of tea was too old, now. So,
*tossed the following: 1 zip bag with 4 packets of tea in it, 5 packages of another kind of tea were removed from a zip bag.
*put 2 unopened boxes of tea in giveaway bag
Another update: Well, I ended up breaking one of the Chivas Royal Salute bottles. Broke to smithereens, but i was lucky it was all contained in the bag. This was after putting everything that I could back in the cabinet and then not being able to fit it all, in. Decided to see what would happen if I found another home for the Chivas bottles. So, when I took them out, again, I dropped one. I promise, it really was an accident....
*So, because I dropped that one so easily without meaning to, I thought... Well, this is NOT a good place for those bottles anyway, so went ahead and removed the other one and found it a home in the buffet in my dining room. Just barely fit in a bottom cabinet of the buffet.
*Then, I was able to fit everything back in the cabinet & it is tight, but soo much better than it was. Whew!

So, finished decluttering that kitchen cabinet!
Well, that long sink counter still looks too cluttered to me, but I don't have a place for what is on there. At least right now, I don't. Where do y'all keep open bags of tortilla chips & what about the open box of matzas? I love matza and still will be eating on these.

Also, the other things we are using pretty constantly... the toaster oven, the coffee maker, the zip bag of dog treats the smaller container of dry dog food that we pour from, and our meds. I guess it is just a working kitchen and maybe I shouldn't try to find perfect as then it won't be liveable... ? Would love some thoughts on this.
But for now, I am leaving that counter as good enough.

[Di]

Martha Stewart DOES NOT live there.YOUdo. Make your kitchen work for you and then enjoy using it. I could not enjoy mine if the counters were totally clear. It would be too. Much work. I don't have time in the morning to get out the toaster oven to make. Cheese toast and take out the pot to make coffee. (Not to mention putting them away each day) Get it to function easily and then reward yourself. Because you will deserve it!!!

[Hurricane]

Hello everyone! I say girls, you have all been slammin' down this challenge of decluttering. I loved reading about the relics you found in your closets (I just did my closet and found all sorts of relics too.....many of them bright day-glo colors from the 80s!). I also love reading about what you're doing with your bedrooms/kitchens. I would like to take the time and BOW DOWN to your success!

Cando you're doing an amazing job with your kitchen. I'll tell you what worked for me, but please feel free to do what works for you. You asked what we have on all of our counters....I have nothing on them but my toaster and a bottle warmer for Baby Hurricane which I use everyday. Everything else is in the cupboards....the stuff I use frequently is in cupoards easy to get to. I went with this rather drastically bare approach because it makes it SUPER easy to clean and wipe down the counters....if they're not clear, little bits of food get stuck on them and then we end up with ants. So it's not like I'm trying to emulate Martha Stewart, it's really for the practical reasons of making it super easy to clean. For us, chips go in a bottom cupboard, meds go in the bathroom (at one time though they were in a kitchen drawer).

I've had to throw out a lot of kitchen stuff to make my cupboards useable for everyday things. I think Daye right now has a good thread going on about paring down a kitchen. I keep one 8 piece setting of dishes and threw out the rest....I tend to collect mugs from vacation sopts and need to STOP that, cuz now I have to pare down my mugs, which are overflowing.

Anyway, good luck with your kitchen cando. I might suggest throwing out the Chevis bottle, but I think you're really doing a smashing job with this whole thing.

Everyone else here....big, huge HUGS to you and a blue ribbon for all you've done!

[cando]

thank you, DiDreamng and HurricaneJane.

I've done a lot more on my kitchen.
I'll be back with longer update.

I can see the end is near and I am excited about completing this project. Just a little left to go. I want to finish it sometime tonight.

Update:
15 minutes on Breakfast Bar
*2 things I am not sure what to do with:
1)necklace brought back from Friends/clients of DH's from their trip to Israel a few months ago. (That's how long it's been sitting on the Breakfast Bar). It looks like a very inexpensive one. Just a black rope (like a shoelace, really) with polished stone pendent that has a Star on it. Glue glop on the side of it. I don't like it, but it was very thoughtful of them. I want to just put it in the giveaway bag (I don't know anyone to give it to). So, wrote note and put it with note to see if DH wants it or wants to give it to someone or another idea. Any other suggestions, y'all?
2)Also, a piece (rock?) from the site of the ruins from the Temples... brought back from the same people from Israel. It is pretty small, but I don't want it. I don't even think they were supposed to have taken it. Don't know if it is really a real piece of it, anyway. What do we do with this? Also, a note placed with it and set where DH will see it. I bet he will want to keep it. That's fine with me (as it is small and may mean something to him), but not on my breakfast bar. Suggestions on this, too.
*4 cards/pictures in Memory Box -- these are from the mantle over the fire place, cause I had to declutter it to find a place for something from the Breakfast Bar.
*Put Menorah that these same people brought for us back from Israel on the mantle/fireplace.
*Re-arranged stuff from mantle after continually knocking things onto the floor
*Put nice clock (needs new battery) that was one of our wedding gifts, I think. 27+ years ago. Could have been something we bought right after we got married. I don't really care for it, anymore. We both loved it, originally.
*put candle with holder in giveaway bag (put together for me by my DD.. years ago)
*put card to send to someone in my bag of cards in my bedroom
*put 10 cards in recycle bag
*put 1 photo card in trash (a business client of DH's -- photos of her dogs)



CD

[cando]

Update: cleaned sink counter & moulding next to drainboard -- Found that Lysol wipes work so much better than Windex with either paper towels or rags.
Did an extra: cleaned wall above stove

Almost done, finally, with this project!
CD

[Hurricane]

Cando, you are rockin' that kitchen. Look at all those red check marks!!!!

A word about the stuff that doesn't suit you....the necklace, the rock, the clock....you have amnesty to get rid of these things. Toss, donate, smash against a wall if you need to work out some anger....whatever. Let it go, and let the things that really mean something to you and are beautiful in your eyes have places of honor in your home.

YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!!! And so close to being finished....Yea!!!!!

[cando]

Thanks so much, HurricaneJane.
I am glad that I left them for DH, after all. He really does want to keep them and he was so glad that I didn't just give the necklace away or throw away the stone. They really mean something to him, since his "friend" brought them. He said that even if the stone was not part of the wall, his "friend" touched the "Wailing Wall" with it. And, the necklace he wants to find someone to give it to, or save for grandkids. Okay == that one.... I dunno. So, he said he would keep them in one of his drawers.
Okay, it is no longer in my den! Yay! (This all transpired the night before last).

Here is my final update on the kitchen counter project...

*Cleaned sink counter that has my bread, water, rice cooker, blender, flour and sugar on it. (it's been in maintenance, so no clutter on it).

*decluttered the cabinets that had papers attached or hanging inside them or outside them. 5 papers into recycle bag & 1 is to be shred. No longer need these. A couple of them are at least 15 years old! (I had already gotten rid of other papers, so this was what was left). (These were papers with phone numbers in case of emergency for the babysitters to use, for the kids to use, for me to use. Another list had to do with my DS or DD's schedule from Senior High School, and another was about the grading of the Honors, AP and IB classes).

* cleaned sink counter that has crockpot on it. No clutter on it, except tossed 1 tube of lotion that I've had for years and rarely, if ever, use. Kept thinking that I might need it, but convinced myself that I would buy a new one, if so. I just hope that I don't forget what type it was as it worked pretty well. No other things on that counter.

*cleaned window sill (it is kinda deep). No clutter on this, but did manage to put 3 little things that I was keeping out for when DD comes home. Realized that she may not be here for a while, so found a cabinet that I could put these little bowls in. Has to do with her keeping Kosher. I had 3 separate bowls each one with a label "Dairy", "meat", or "Parve". Inside each bowl was a small sponge for cleaning dishes. I tossed the sponges as I can get new ones.

*cleaned breakfast bar. I had decluttered it last week. It has been in maintenance, so wasn't much on it last week... and nothing else other than 1 dog food bowl, bowl of fruit, kleenex, stack of coupons under the kleenex, and a bank.

I am totally done with my kitchen counter project, now. That certainly does NOT mean that there isn't more to do in there... just that is all will be done in there for a while.

Thanks, again, to MorningGlory for this thread and all who have supported me, too.

CD

[Hurricane]

Can, I'm so happy you met your goals! Enjoy your clean, uncluttered kitchen!!! And, for special occasions like this, you get dancing bananas!!!

[cando]

Thanks so much! I luv the bananas!

[Sunshine]

I second those dancing bananas - fantastic work, CanDo, you did!