Spring Cleaning in a BIG way

[capi75rs]

I'd stated in a post last winter that my wife's BIG project for 09 was to gut the upstairs and put in two bedrooms. We ordered a 20 yard dumpster and gutted the upstairs down to the stud wall. Everything was ripped out and when we checked the dumpster it was only about 1/4 the way full and we had 1 1/2 weeks left of the dumpster as far as the time went. The company we got the dumpster from said they gave us two weeks to fill the dumpster or to call if we had it ready before then. Not wanting to waste all the money it cost for the dumpster we decided to CLEAN the house. Long story short that turned into a two week long process, we finished filling that dumpster and had to order another 15 yard dumpster and we have it pretty much full. I also took 16 - 28'"x16"x20" plastic totes full of clothes to the salvation army. This is kind of a RANT and RAVE of our cleaning. How could two people who have been married for only 11 years with 3 kids compile so much crap? We were both discusted with how much junk we had kept and gone through. We gave away as much of the good stuff as we could but throwing away almost 25 Yards of junk is not something I'm proud about. It was a very eye opening experience that we have decided we CAN'T let happen again. Thanks for letting me vent and now it's time to reorganize the house. I must say we have gained a LOT of square footage back in our home

 

[EddieWalker]

It really is amazing what we accumulate. One of my clients is a home organizer. She and three other women go to peoples homes and pretty much clean up their clutter. They get rid of the stuff that they don't need and don't even realize that they have, then they organize what's left. I get hired by them all the time to build shelves and other things to help organize their homes.

For our home, we have a give away table that we put stuff on that we don't want anymore. Several times a year, we have family and friends come over for a get together, and they all know that anything on the giveaway table is there for them to take. If not, it will go to Goodwill. It's very rare that we have anything left over for Goodwill.

The trick is to get rid of stuff when you get it. Saving things that you might need are fine if it's something that you really might need. I think most people keep stuff because it has, or might have, some value to them and they think that by keeping it, they are saving money. In reality, they forget they have it and end up buying a new one. Or what I see allot, is they have had it so long that it is no longer any good. I just installed a ceiling fan that has been sitting in a bedroom for over five years. It was fairly expensive when they bought it, but now the remote control doesn't work, and it's really not that attractive of a fan either. For less then $100 today, they can have a new fan that works and looks nicer then the one they have been saving for all these years. Buy it when you need it and plan to actually install it.

Sounds like you and your wife got down to business and got allot accomplished. Filling those dumpsters must have been quite an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations.

Eddie

 

[dooleysm]

My mom got into the organizing business when my folks still lived in the affluent suburbs of Indianapolis. She had some very rich clients that paid her very nice money to come in and organize for them once a week. Basically she just did for them what she constantly did to me growing up. That job fit her perfectly, but alas, my folks decided to move back home to the much more rural southern Indiana to be closer to their grandchildren and there's not so much demand for those types of skills down here. I think if she'd have known that 'personal organizer' was a career choice 10 or 20 years ago she could have made very good money doing that, and would have been very happy doing it.

I get in trouble at home for throwing stuff away from time to time, but I can't stand the clutter. Still, with 2 small boys, we are accumulating a lot of it.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Very interesting topic, Capi, thanks. Ourselves we cut clutter down a lot by moving cross the seas with just suit cases - but:

- I still have books and some camping gear in Prague including C1 canoe Merano
- We grew in our place for years and accumulated more stuff again

Now, I collect things like fasteners from appliances we have to throw out; took apart two old garden tractors and kept most of it in pieces just in case. My shop is getting full of things - if I am not a pack rat, nobody is

On the other hand, I use lot of it too. My jeep clutch linkage was rebuilt at least 3 times from parts from those garden tractors - Sears steering lines are very similar to AMC clutch rods. Scraps of material for my lathe and welder are always stored away and eventually used. Right now, I have to make windshield washer nozzles for my big project -
and after extensive digging, it looks like I have the brass and plastic and rubber seals to make it without running anywhere.

 

[ToadHill]

My wife won't let me go into the attic. I believe she has one of everything ever made up there.

 

[Bird]

I think most people keep stuff because it has, or might have, some value to them and they think that by keeping it, they are saving money. In reality, they forget they have it and end up buying a new one. Or what I see allot, is they have had it so long that it is no longer any good.

Yep, Eddie, there you go talking about me!

 

[riptides]

...
Now, I collect things like fasteners from appliances we have to throw out; took apart two old garden tractors and kept most of it in pieces just in case...

I have two more gardern tractors for you if you want them. Plus a host of assorted scrap metals, including an old kerosene heater.

If your interested, just say so.

 

[dmccarty]

When we built the house we had a roll on/off dumpster for the construction waste. Our builders was VERY frugal and very good at estimating lumber and such so there was very little waste.

I can't stand all of the garbage the various crews would just throw on the ground. And then the nails! I would pick them up as much as I could but I knew they were all over the place waiting to find a tractor tire. The builders and I had a chat.....

When the outside of the house was finished I use the FEL to scrape up a bit of dirt and all of the trash. This went into the dumpster. I asked the builder how much I could put in there and he said Fill It Up.... So I did.

The truck came to pick up the dumpster and could not lift it. They had to bring another one and I used the FEL to move the stuff from the VERY full dumpster to the new one. Somehow I did not get a flat.

When we moved from the old house to the new house it took us quite a bit of time to just clean out the junk. We did not have much of an attic but it was holding much more than I thought. I took 4-6 pickup loads to the dump. And my truck has an 8 foot bed.

We still moved to much junk to the new house. With kids now a days every body gives them toys for XMAS and BDAYS. After awhile they out grow it. We give most of it to charity. And then there is the clothes! We are working our way through the stuff we no long need but it is time consuming.

What is scary is the number of people storing JUNK in rental storage places. Stored stuff that is not worth a few months of rental fees.

Later,
Dan

 

[riptides]

...When we moved from the old house to the new house it took us quite a bit of time to just clean out the junk.

Man, I am close to five years into an old dairy farm renovation. I can do a dumpster a month. My weekend plans are to empty the milkhouse, which is full of our stuff in boxes that we brought with us. Obviously it is not needed.

I also have stuff in the fields I cut up and haul to the dump. Stuff like miles of barb wire, old hay rakes, lawn mower parts, tires and ..... bubble gum machines.

Oh, and my local dump charges me for tire disposal. I got about five more in a shed I need to get rid of. Nothing like paying to remove your trash. Some of the stuff was in a creek.
That just isn't right....

 

[czechsonofagun]

I have two more gardern tractors for you if you want them. Plus a host of assorted scrap metals, including an old kerosene heater.

If your interested, just say so.

Thank you, but not right now. I am too busy with my Jeep