apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I want to give props to my mom and dad for spending the last two weekends at my house and helping me purge every room in my home and my garage. I seriously couldn't have done it with out them.

It's amazing how much the energy in my home has improved not to mention, how good it feels to pass items I haven't used or worn on to others who will.

Ugh, I totally fizzled out. Got busy with something else and lost the momentum. Then we go and make an offer on a house so now my focus isn't cleaning and completing, but purging and (hopefully) packing!

these are great tips.

one other tip - do not let yourself have a 'junk' space, eg a spare room, spare drawer, cupboard whatever that just has all that stuff you are meaning to clean out, take to a charity etc - clean it up, get it organised and use every room in your home to its full potential.

I agree with *chloe's comments. Since I cleaned all of my drawers and my typical hiding places, I have found my home to be much more of a sanctuary. I realized halfway through my own "cure" that I was actually very cured already. I do not want to paint as I am in a rental, even though the landlords have said that I can go crazy with the color. I might still paint the doors in my room to give the place some pop. I have found inspiration in throw pillows, which actually scares my roommate and my girlfriend. We are fortunate to have a generous basement, one that basically adds several hundred square feet to our place. With this space, I have been able to create a kitchen storage area in addition to the main storage. My cure consisted of organizing my extra possessions in boxes, purging those things that did not matter as much as I thought they did, labeling the boxes, and clearing up the basement.

The tips that have mattered the most are the ones that help with the routine of dealing with the little things that often begin to pile up: recycling the mail, using attractive storage to deal with clutter (felt baskets on the stairs that move with me now that I can deal with more than a few magazines and some shoes, ikea baskets to hide extra mail and mags, etc), eating well, and the medicine cabinet. My friends laugh that I refer to this site so often, but a few of them have begun to cite some of the same posts that catch my eye. I better end this post. Thanks, AT.

Here is some more inspiration:

http://chezlarsson.typepad.com/myblog/2008/08/organizing-our.html

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/bathroom/inspiration-12-organized-medicine-cabinets-069621

for me to maintain I have to keep resorting, decluttering one small section each week because the mess just accumulates without me noticing otherwise. And with a heap of kids I have to assess lingering items at the end of each day: pack away, mend, donate or chuck... if I decide on a couple of things each day and have a small pile to mend each week I can keep my head above water so to speak... just!

Well, I tried doing both paths during the cure, deep treatment and one room remedy. I got totally overwhelmed and then started working full time, so that cut down on my time to get things done. I have made HUGE strides in the right direction, but have more to continue. So, I will be Curing for awhile still. I'm happy to say that the place is shaping up nicely and looks more stylish and "adult." Not like a dorm room. That in itself is a miracle.

Everyone around here has been so helpful that I'm very grateful. I don't think I would have been able to get through it alone. Thanks everyone! I'll keep posting photos as I make more progress!

:)