TOSSING AGGRESSIVELY (thread #5)

[Di]

I had the worst time tossing out the leather purses I had carefully taken apart to make vintage reproduction doll shoes. I can get about $15- $20. per pair but I haven't made any in about 3 years and I had to sternly remind self that I CAN BUY LEATHER PURSES at Good Will if I want to make any more. The stash got tossed when I moved, but I saved the tiny buckles and other hardware... go figure (At least THAT didn't take up much room)

[morningglory]

Di Dreaming, I agree with your thinking. It's hard to get rid of things that we have intentions for, but it's realistic to recognize that they can be replaced!

Cando, I also display cards (usually hang them on the blinds!), but usually had stored them afterwards. Now I am only storing the kids' cards, in their keepsake boxes. They can decide if they want to toss them. Cards to me are now going to be thrown out after display (unless, as you said, they have a personal note that is worth keeping). I also have to go through my files of all the cards I saved over the years. It will feel good to get those out of my house and off my mind!

Some of you may remember on a much earlier thread that I threw away 30 years of correspondence with a childhood friend. I have thought about that off and on since then. A couple of times I questioned whether I had done the right thing. But I don't think I will need them, honestly. I feel okay with it.

In general, I just want to shed all this build-up from so many years. It weighs on me.

[morningglory]

WOOHOO! I finished the closet! Well, except that the little shelf I bought to put the shoes on is missing some parts! Fortunately, there was included in the package a card with a toll-free number to call in case parts are missing! I can do that tomorrow, during their business hours.

But I got the whole floor cleared (most everything went directly into the trash, but there were a few little items for keepsakes), and all the dust, dirt, paper scraps, and mouse droppings have been cleared, vacuumed, and I wiped the floor down with antibacterial spray. The wood floor is now clear, clean, and shiny. For now I have set my shoes back in there, NEATLY. Left my husband's out to see whether there are any he would like to throw away.

I feel so great about getting this section of the bedside DONE!

[dtesposito]

I just saw the post about the dog toy from childhood.

I agree that keeping a few of special childhood things is okay, the key word here being "a few"! I had a special dog toy from my very young childhood that I kept, it was hand sewn by my mom, of red gingham material. I kept it at least through my 20s, but I think it probably got destroyed when I moved and stored some bags of stuff in my sister's garage, and they got rained on and moldy. If I still had it, I would be keeping it! But, the only other thing I kept from childhood is a little book that was my favorite, so I wouldn't feel bad about keeping it.

But, if you don't need to keep him anymore, that's great too. You could take a photo instead.

Diane

[morningglory]

Thanks, Diane.

I just finished clearing and cleaning the floor where the boxes and the lingerie chest were. It was unbelievably gross. Yuck! And now I am coughing and having some trouble breathing from the dust and dirt. This is the kind of thing that has kept me from attempting to clean these spaces in the past.

I'm done for tonight though. Now it's mainly the stuff under the bed that must be dealt with (along with the contents of that giant box (which I affectionately call my "hoarder box").

I likely won't continue until next week (after Monday), because we have the holiday of Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) this weekend. I'll be offline from tomorrow night until Monday night. But I'll try to stop in tomorrow just to see what the rest of y'all are up to.

[cando]

MorningGlory!!! Congrats on all you've done on this thread!!!!!!!! Wonderful!

Here's my update:
Spent 15 minutes going thru old purses -- well, I took the last purse out of the bag & lo & behold! It is brand new! With the tags still on it. Also, a brand new wallet with the tags still on it! I don't remember buying these. I love the new wallet & for the next 15 minute old purse challenge, I will change out my current wallet (which is overstuffed, and I have loved -- but it is time to say good bye to) and start using this brand new one. It even has a detachable mirror in it. The purse is not beautiful but is the size that I really like and know that I will use it in the future. I like the way it has a big pocket on the outside that zips. (I wish I had a camera and could post pictures of things for y'all). The pocket is even big enough to fit a big wallet. The purse is mostly brown fake leather but has a pattern of stripes of white, brown and beige on the outer pocket. I would love it if it was just the solid all over instead of those stripes on the pocket. I know I will use this, so am not going to give it away. I know where I will keep it until my current brownish purse wears out.
*put new wallet on top of my purse so I can change it out, later.
*put new purse in top of my closet where I keep my good purses
*put empty bag into bag of bags to be recycled
*Tossed calculator that came with the wallet. It is too cheap to even use, really... Also, tossed little bag of silca gel that was in the purse.
*put packaging and tags from purse and wallet into recycle bag.

Looked in the box that was under the bag in my bedroom because it has at least 1 old purse in it. I don't even remember the purse that I just grabbed! Feels mostly like a purse filled with change, but there are other things in it.
*Tossed the following: 5 unused tampons, 1 gum wrapper and 4 pens
*put 2008 receipts into tax box
*put 1 pair knee highs in my clothes hamper (I like to use these when I go shoe shopping for dress shoes, had trouble finding a pair a couple weeks, ago).
*13 papers/receipts put in recycle bag

CD

[Sunshine]

MorningGlory, CanDo - you two are just going fantastic!

Congratulations to both of you!

(MG, would a dust mask help?)

[morningglory]

Cando, how fun to find a brand new wallet and purse that you didn't even know you had! You are doing great with these 15-minute challenges, and it sounds like you are getting a lot of worthless stuff OUT of your bedroom (while also coming across good stuff that you want and will use). I admire the way you toss those pens--that's one thing I'm still hung up on at this point. Every pen and pencil (unless it's very chewed up or otherwise damaged), I actually spend time wiping down with antibacterial spray and then put away!

Speaking of purses: Even though I am not including my closet drawers in this particular "bedside" project I am focusing on right now, I did glance through them yesterday after I got the closet floor completely clear and clean. In one drawer was a beautiful little beaded bag. About 25 years ago, my parents bought me an item of clothing as a gift, but it didn't fit (and I didn't like). So my dad took me back to the store where they got it so I could exchange it. The only thing I could find there that I liked was this little beaded bag. It is one of those things you buy for an occasion that you rarely, if ever, will encounter. At the time my dad had said I could wear it with jeans, to be sort of funky. I agreed, but instead have kept it for a fancy occasion. I don't remember if I have *ever* used it, but I honestly do not think so. Yet I am keeping it, because I think there will be such an occasion, or some time my daughter might like to use it (it would be within her range of style). Or maybe at some point I WILL end up wearing it with jeans. ("That old lady who wears jeans and carries a fancy, beaded purse.")

I notice that I am progressing much faster with my work on this thread than on previous threads. I think the biggest reason for that is that I have developed the ability (from doing the other projects) to rapidly decide to TOSS something. I noticed yesterday that, whereas previously I would examine each paper and read it and spend time figuring out whether I needed it, now I often don't even bother to figure out exactly what the paper IS. I can tell very quickly if it's a medical record or a potential keepsake. Otherwise, if it's some dirty, wrinkled, torn paper that has been at the bottom of my closet for years and years, I figure I don't need to waste any time. From the floor to the trash, with almost no time in between. That speeds things up.

Papers that I am not sure whether to keep or not, I set aside in a stack. Often I find that when I get to the end of the project and go through the stack, I realize I really don't need many of those papers I set aside. I just needed time to think about it in the back of my head, and let go of them emotionally. (Like I think I'll end up tossing those attempted schedules and so forth.)

[morningglory]

Thanks for the encouragement, Sunshine!

Yes, I think I will have to break down and start using dust masks. I don't like them because they are hot and sweaty for me. But for my health and safety I think it is necessary. Also, I will research HEPA air purifiers. My husband had been encouraging me to get one to use while doing this cleaning, but I poo-poo'd it, because (1) I don't want to spend the money, and (2) I don't know if it would actually be helpful. Now I am going to look into whether it could be helpful for the kind of thing I'm doing, and go ahead and buy one if it looks like it would be. I don't want to take more risks with this (last night I ended up using an Albuterol inhaler).

It's good to know, though, that I am getting all the accumulated dust, dirt, and mouse stuff OUT of our bedroom. Even though it wasn't being stirred up before, it can't be good for one's health! I am so embarrassed that we've been living with all that under and behind those piles. That is one reason I haven't been psychologically able to attack the cleaning previously--I had so much shame and anxiety about what I would find hidden beneath everything that I just AVOIDED it!

[Sunshine]

MorningGlory, you are turning into a lean, clean, tossing machine wonder!

I notice that I am progressing much faster with my work on this thread than on previous threads. I think the biggest reason for that is that I have developed the ability (from doing the other projects) to rapidly decide to TOSS something.

Yes, I think you are getting the confidence in your ability to make good decisions

You are so gentle and wise with my misplaced shame - it's good for the soul to see you tossing yours out with the trash, too.



I wonder if you could try out the pretty beaded purse this weekend? I think it sounds gorgeous, jeans and a pretty purse - very on trend!

[Di]

MG One thing that I found really helped with allergies was cleaning with a vacuum by my side. I go over the initial pile with the dusting brush. Then as I uncover more dusty items they get vacuumed. Sweeping and dusting just seems to churn it into the air.

[morningglory]

Thank you, Di Dreaming. I do have a shop vac that I use, but one negative side-effect of that is that it blows a tremendous blast of air out the other side, which churns up a whole bunch more dust in the rest of the room!

There are diffuser thingies that you can get to put over that hole, so it doesn't blow a straight gust of air. I actually bought one several years ago, but when I got it home I found out it was the wrong size. It was one of the things (still in its Sears bag) that I donated during my recent counter project!

There are also extension hoses that can be attached to the exhaust end, which can be used to divert the flow of air out the window or whatever. That might be a good solution.

Or perhaps a different kind of vacuum altogether. It seems every type of little hand-held vacuum that I've bought over the years (DustBuster, Shark, etc.) has been pretty useless for the kind of cleaning I have to do. They ended up becoming part of the junk pile and most or all have been given away during decluttering efforts. Shop vacs are the only really powerful vacuums I have found, with the ability to pick up larger pieces. I'll have to give it some thought and do some research.

[moonglow]

Hi Morningglory - I second the idea of a HEPA air purifier. I have one in the upstairs bedroom, one in the kitchen and one in the living/dining room. They are great, especially for anyone with asthma. (I am assuming you have asthma if you are using an inhaler.) When you are done decluttering you could keep it in the bedroom to keep the air sweet while you are sleeping. I use the Holmes brand just because that is what I started out with and I order the machines and filters on-line. The prefilters I vacuum once a month and change out every 3 months (when I have my act together enough to be using the machines). When I haven't been using the purifier for a while I am always amazed when I get it cleaned up and turned on again. I highly recommend them.

Re: shopvacs, at one time I got an attachment for vacuuming pets that has gigantic long hose so you can put the vacuum in a different room where the sound isn't so scary for the pets. At any rate, the idea would be that you could set the vacuum in a "cleaner" area where the exhaust wouldn't stir up so much dust. Or at least wouldn't stir up dust where you are working. Sorry I can't remember what it was called but basically any really long hose attachment would work.

You are doing a great job and really developing those decluttering muscles! I love to watch you getting better and faster at making decisions. I have found too that if I set something aside for a while (like some papers I'm not sure about), when I come back to it I can make decisions much easier than the first time around.

Big kudos also to everyone else working hard and making great progress on this thread!

Edited to add: www.thefiltersource.com/Product.aspx?cid=1150&scid=0&pid=11763&trackingcode=Q2PEAAA&utm_campaign=Q2PEAAA&utm_source=MainImage

[Hurricane]

You ladies are doing great with the bedroom cleaning and the purses....serious progress is being made on this thread!

Glory, do you have an upright vacuum with a HEPA filter on it? That is the best thing for squalor cleaning....shop vac are useless for the exact reasons you state (hand vacs are useless too when it comes to serious levels of dirt). You can get an upright vac with a hepa filter for under $200. After this cleaning is over and you're in maintenance, you wouldn't need a standing hepa filter machine in your house as most of the dust should be gone, so I'm not sure that would be a great investment. But I have loved my HEPA upright vacuum every single time I've used it. Stirring up the dust/dirt/animal droppings is probably the hardest part of squalor cleaning. When I was doing it, it got my asthma all up in a knot too.

So inspired by all the progress being made here.....it's a beautful thing!

[morningglory]

Moonglow, thank you so much for all of that information. That is very helpful. I don't actually have asthma in any ongoing kind of way. But once before when I was trying to do deep cleaning I had a breathing issue, so the doctor prescribed the inhaler for use as needed. I have almost never had to use it until now, however, because I simply avoided doing any more deep cleaning!!

Our house is not sealed and is cooled by window air conditioners. Since we don't have them for every room, we always have some windows open during the summer. So I don't know if that will make a difference with using an air purifier?

And thank you, Hurricane, for your encouragement and your suggestions. I have bought a number of those under-200-dollar vacuums, but they don't work well for the larger pieces of things and they end up falling apart. I don't know why--maybe I'm just hard on things! Or maybe it is because of the size of our family and house. But I have not had good luck with them!

I am excited because I sold something on ebay for the first time! As I have been attacking these various area, I created a stack of what I called "Things that I will ebay FOR REAL", meaning not a big pile of stuff that I *intend* to ebay but will never really get around to. So I listed the first item (a book) last week. It sold yesterday and I shipped it today! (One reason I have been reluctant to list things on ebay is that I didn't trust myself to ship them out promptly.) After the holiday, I have several more books to sell, as well as a few other items.

I also sold a textbook through Amazon trade-in. Got $46 on an Amazon gift certificate that I then used part of to buy a good, solid shoe rack to organize the shoes in the front entryway. It arrived today and my 15-year-old son is assembling it as I type. Last year I had arranged to sell Amazon a textbook, for a similar amount, but then never followed through with shipping it. That textbook is now out in a new edition, so Amazon will no longer accept it for trade! More money lost through disorganization. (I plan to try ebaying it.)

On the topic of books, several of my donation items (of which I just dropped off three gigantic bags) from the piles next to the bed have been books. Being willing to let go of books is a big step for me. I am trying out my wings in that area.

Well, he finished the shoe rack and put the shoes on it. Looks much neater. And since there is room for nine pairs of shoes, and we have eight people, I can tell them they are only allowed to keep one pair of shoes down here at a time.