Clean-Along Its time for a major cleanup and redo- Post Your Own Pics

[GreenDuck]

I'm going to join, as I'm moving out to go to university in September and my mother wants to use my room as a sewing room. So I'm not decorating it, but I need to properly de-clutter and throw a lot out which has always been difficult for me.

before pictures, starting at the door then turning clockwise:

   








under the bed:

 


a "sticky rubber" ant which has been stuck to the wall since Christmas-before-last:



To do list:
* Cut the cartoons out of my huge pile of newspapers, then throw the papers in the recycling
* Sort through school stuff, get rid of most of it, put away stuff to keep
* Put table back in proper place
* Clean broken glass(from when window was replaced, 6 months ago) off bookcase
* Finish painting window-wall blue
* Sort through all of desk, throwing away/ hiding stuff that family shouldn't see, clearing out what isn't needed
* Completely clear top of desk: find storage place for sheep skull. Should doll and Old Bear stay or be stored as well?
* Sort out fabric under desk. Get rid of/ use empty boxes.
* Sort through yellow boxes (could one go under bed?)
* Wash Prom top and put away Prom skirt & top
* Sort out all junk between chest of drawers and wardrobe
* Finish putting together lamps on top of wardrobe and put them in the house where they're needed!
* Move fabric out of wardrobe so shirts can actually hang without getting crushed. Maybe throw out/ make into cushions some of the many old pillows? 
* Sort through stuff in the rolled-up pink rugs. Find a place for rugs.
* Find a place for art folder
* Sort out under bed (aaaaaaaarrgh!)
* Put away monkeys (or take them with me?)
* Take pictures(especially "scary" satanic Tam O' Shanter) off walls
* Wash/ paint pink wall?
* Go through clothes, see if any can be thrown away, work out if some will stay here or if the chest of drawers can be emptied for fabric storage
* Get a not-disgustingly-faded lampshade
* Throw out junk
 
Urgh there's a lot to do!

[xCurseofCurvesz]

Currently my room is pretty organized, but there isn't enough space for everything. My bookshelf only has three shelves, and I have a book collection that far exceeds that. Not to mention that I have NO room for any of the pretty stuff I want to display, like my Finding Nemo snowglobe or wood trinkets my grandparents got in Poland. Right now EVERYTHING is on the top shelf of my closet, which is frustrating when I need to access it. My desk doesn't hold a lot and I don't have a nightstand. So my current plans are:

1. Buy IKEA six-shelf bookshelf and assemble.
2. Paint and assemble old desk in shed.
3. Take my sister's nightstand.
4. Find some sort of small shelving unit (3x3 ft, approx). for end of bed.

[Tikilicious]

These are all AMAAAAZING!!! 

I feel so much better now! We have a room that is small, and filled with so much junk and craft stuff and hubby's computer books and what not. And now we are 20 weeks pregnant (yippeeee!!!   ), and we want to turn it into a nursery. I haven't been on here for quite a while, and came on this morning to look for some nursery inspiration. But THIS is the thread I actually really needed to see. I have been too overwhelmed to even know where to start.

So my biggest question is:

How did you all figure out how and where to start?

Thank you!!!

[ryeblossom]

Hi Tikilicious,
First of all- congratulations!!! ^_^
Start with the entrance to the bedroom and either work in a clockwise manner, or from one end to the other beginning at the entrance and ending at the other end.
Work for 15 minutes a day, every day. It'll get done. Anyway, you shouldn't work too hard in your condition. You'll get tired and despaired very fast, and then be out of it for few days... See if your husband will be willing to give some of his time, 15 minutes here and there. Get rid of stuff.
Flylady.com helped me a LOT!!!!!!!

Good Luck! ^_^

[Tikilicious]

Hi Tikilicious,
First of all- congratulations!!! ^_^
Start with the entrance to the bedroom and either work in a clockwise manner, or from one end to the other beginning at the entrance and ending at the other end.
Work for 15 minutes a day, every day. It'll get done. Anyway, you shouldn't work too hard in your condition. You'll get tired and despaired very fast, and then be out of it for few days... See if your husband will be willing to give some of his time, 15 minutes here and there. Get rid of stuff.
Flylady.com helped me a LOT!!!!!!!

Good Luck! ^_^

Thank you so much!!! I will try that method. It's worth a shot. My husband has offered his help, but since most of the stuff in that room is mine (junk for future projects I hoped to get to someday, and stuff we have found to be projects for baby, my craft supplies, etc.), I feel overwhelmed when he says "I will do all I can to help, but most of it is your stuff so you have to tell me what to do with it. And you might have to part with a lot, because we just don't have the room", I start to hyperventilate. lol

So this is a great suggestion. Thanks again!

[flying_babyb]

how do you deal with tons of scrapbooking paper, various suplies and luggage? Books what do you do when you have too many favorite books and no more bookcases?

[beccabadger]

Right, I think it's time for me to properly join this thread. My room has become so chaotic that it's just unusable. I'm not quite sure how it's going to ever get tidy because I have to do so much in it (music room, bed room, craft room, study room, library (it seems like it, with the amount of books I have)). Anyway, I guess I better start with a list. I'm not going to post photos, mainly because my camera is downstairs, also because it is embarrassing and far worse than anyone else's. I'm not quite sure where to start, so this is in no particular order.

Clear out cupboard, throw away crap, turn into craft cupboard
Clear out small cupboard, throw away crap, put stationary in it
Clear out wardrobe and drawers and get rid of some clothes
Clear off all shelves, put things back in order, hopefully making room for the books and music living on the floor
Do something about old school and college paperwork, and the rest of the paperwork I have far too much of that's living all over the floor
Find home for fabric, yarn etc (hopefully in craft cupboard, although really I know it'll never fit)
Clear up everything else that's on the floor, though I have no idea where to put it
Take down old posters that make room look even smaller
Clean keyboard (musical kind)
Clean window
Find new curtains that actually fit
Buy fairy lights to light up around bed
Make cushion covers so cushions can go on bed rather than on the floor.

Even though that makes it sound easy, it really won't be. I think the worst part is when I start doing it, the dust makes me sneeze so much I end up stopping because I feel so bad! I think I may have to get a dust mask or something 

[beccabadger]

how do you deal with tons of scrapbooking paper, various suplies and luggage? Books what do you do when you have too many favorite books and no more bookcases?

Paper, I bought a set of the sort of drawers you get under desks, and in the top few drawers sorted the paper into colours and put it in the appropriate drawer. (Apart from the 12x12 paper that won't fit, but I haven't found a solution to that). The other drawers I put the rest of the paper craft type stuff like glue, peel offs, glitter, that type of thing.

Books...I haven't really figured this one out. I do however lay the books down on top of the standing up books, which I don't like doing, but doesn't look too bad. Just try and arrange them in such a way that you can get as many on there as possible. If you still have no room (like me), buy another bookcase, if you don't have room for that (like me) move. If you can't do that (like me) then I think piles on the floor in the corners is the only thing that can be done 

[flying_babyb]

Im gonna do it this week since my boss (jerk) only has a few hours for me this week. So:
Rearange fuintirue
Rehome (mabye) bookcase
sort books
Sort desk
orgizine closet
Find homes for cds and school suplies
Figure out what to do to make my tiny living room look bigger
Find better home for christmas gifts
SELL WASHER (so then I can move in my summer patio table, glass top)
paint dollhouse.
Update coffee table
figure out what to do with kitchen chairs ( 4 match 2 dont)
orgizine closet (and scrap suplies)
paint desk top
move cat stand somewere (but where?)
repaint stools (rehome to new room?)
paint tray tables (any ideas freinds?)
orgizine fabric
Find home for fabric
Find way to make movie collection better looking

find place for monkey collection
find way to make police collection look better
find way to hang patchers

[dink]

how do you deal with tons of scrapbooking paper, various suplies and luggage? Books what do you do when you have too many favorite books and no more bookcases?

Maybe consider thinking of books in a different way?  If you're hanging on to books that you probably won't read ever again, then it could be argued that you're depriving somebody else of the chance of reading them (by buying them secondhand from your local charity shop, or from your library (if they're new enough and unspoilt enough to donate)).

I had to clear out a couple of hundred books earlier this year (finally ran out of shelf/pile space) and ended up asking a couple of questions of each book in my collection:

1.  Will I ever have the time/desire to read this book again?

No?  Then get rid of the book.
Yes?  See next question:

2.  Does my local library stock this book?  (Or, if you move house a lot, is this the kind of book that any library would probably stock?)

No?  Keep the book.
Yes?  Then get rid of the book.

But if you have a good sentimental reason for keeping the book (eg. gift from someone you love, much-loved story from childhood, etc) then you should hang on to it.  I fail at being ruthless.