Clutter's Last Stand
 

by Don Aslett


One of the few books that I have read several times.

I highly recommend it to/for anyone that has accumulated too much "stuff" and it has become a burden instead of a blessing.

He has several other books out, too - mainly about housecleaning and maintenance. One of my favorite authors!

I try to avoid housecleaning and hire it out instead :D

I don't mind - too much - the actual "cleaning" part -

It's getting all the stuff put away so I CAN clean that I mind.

I think I need to check this author out. I have been doing some decluttering but I know I can use some new ideas.

Moving is a great way to get inspired to declutter.

He was my go-to author way back in the 80s. I read that book, plus others. He really helped with the emotional aspects, the psychology of decluttering, not just the how-to. I was very much stuck in the keeping of everything that had sentimental value. Don Aslett gave two pieces of wisdom that have stayed with me to this day:

1. Getting rid of the thing does not mean you're getting rid of the person who gave it to you, or the memory.
2. Take a picture of yourself with the object. Keep the picture and let the object go.

The hubs and I ask ourselves if we have any sentimental attachment to it. I came across a box of stuff this afternoon and got rid of what was given to me (80%) of the box. Donated to SAlvation Army. Little knicky knacks. Ugh!!

That's me as well. The putting away seems to take way longer than the actual cleaning part.

Which is something that the author, Don Aslett, is trying to point out.

I have read the books by Marie Kondo, and they have been a big help in deciding what to keep and so on. More importantly, I am more thoughtful in making my current purchases.

I have his book and have read it several times. When we moved this last time, I got rid of tons of stuff that I had no room for and decided to let them go. I still look at an object and if I feel my heartstrings sing, I keep it. It's my house and my stuff and I clean it and I'll keep it ! My fabric and books are the biggest obstacles to having a really simple home.

As I see my clutter, some of it has to do with inflation and the fact that everything's packaged. You can't just buy one of what you need. It must be purchased in a package of 87!!!!.....(eh...slight exaggeration). And that package costs an arm and a leg. So, you use the one that you needed and you're left with the remaining 86 which you now have to create a space for because somewhere down the road you'll need one or two another time and by then those 87 will cost twice again as much!!!!

Stored stuff is just organized clutter. My sewing room being the exception or course. Clean a clean house and you never have housework. I don't spend all day cleaning. About 30 min a day for upkeep. I hire someone do the bigger labor chores now that I'm older. I'll read this book. Thanks for posting.

I'm pretty good about picking up after myself. DH on the other hand...not so much. He was really good when we had regular cleaning people after I explained to him they could put his stuff where he'd never find it again or he could put it away himself. Now that we don't have external cleaning folks, I don't get the same level of response from him. It's a challenge.

I rarely keep things just out of sentimental attachment. If I look at it and think it's ugly or I just don't want it, it goes in the charity bag. If I have no sentimental attachment at all, but look at it and really like it and want to have it in my house to see I keep it.

That being said, I have a picture of sort of ancestor who is possibly one of the homeliest women I've ever seen and reportedly not all that nice, but I still have it. Granted its in the closet behind the clothes, but it just seems sort of sacrilegious to just toss her out! I may have Grandma Brue around forever.

That is my thoughts and I need plenty of help, just requested it from my library.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out and see if I can get it on my kindle. If not, online first. I'm always looking for a new way to declutter permanently.

This was one of my favorite "go to" books. I have to refer to it several times throughout the years.

Emotional baggage is heavy weight. My sister and I talk about this problem often. Recognize the problem but ...

LOL, just tell him that YOU will put his stuff where he can't find it.

SO is a bit of a pack rat, the "you never know when you might need, wear, use it"type. I've been after him forever (it seems) to get rid of old shirts he no longer wears. He keeps saying he will but doesn't do it. So I told him that the next time he's gone for more than a couple of hours, I'm going to do it. He sort of got a pained expression and said OK.

I think I too need to read that book. I grew up with depression parents and unfortunately inherited their "keep everything" mentality. Plus I have NO place to store; no basement and anything in the attic is ruined from the TX heat. So it all goes in closets and plastic containers stacked and they are everywhere. SO I have an issue as to where to 'put' things! I wish we had a local Salvation Army. :(

I ended up with Grandma's china. I never used it as it can't go in the dishwasher. I kept it in a big hutch but got rid of the hutch and it was boxed up for years. I offered it to all the cousins, no takers. My girls didn't want it. I took the boxes to Salvation Army and haven't regretted it one bit because I never remember my Grandmother using it. She was the type that saved the good stuff and didn't use it. I found many unworn pretty nightgowns, new linens, and towels never used as they were being saved. It made me sad. Another thought: If she had made memories of using the china I may have wanted to use it too and then my girls would have wanted it.

I have to get this book!!. My mother always kept a clean house but then she had six daughters to help. And she also said if your bed is made, dishes washed the house is clean. My job was to keep the bathroom clean(ugh) I have very little clutter except on my dresser and my sewing room. Yeah, cleaning the sewing room takes hours, but moving fabric from on side of the room to another side is not really cleaning, is it? I am sure some members of my guild will appreciate some of my duplicates. A friend is teaching quilting to people with emotional issues and I am sure she will accept whatever fabric I no longer need.

Yes, it was! But I've still acquired more 'stuff' than needed since the move. But I'm getting better at keeping everything organized.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have a book about decluttering by Peter Walsh to read first but I'll check that one out, too.

I have read some of Peter's books. From
what I gather here - same idea. We used to watch Clean Sweep and he would always have the people go through the mental exercise of why do I keep this. We still use that - had helped a lot.

zozoo and others, I haven't read any of his books, but when I read zozoo post I came to that conclusion ........did I have to continue to keep my moms typewriter to remember her? The grands had moved on to computers..........sorry mom.......

That sounds like me.

The hazard of decluttering!!! I have been delcuttering my sewing room all weekend and now I can't find my machine power cord. LOL I am not going to try to look for it any longer. I ordered a new one so the lost one will show up. Then I'll have a spare.

Of all places I found the exact one online at Walmart for half the price of the sewing parts shops online. Free shipping too. And I had Saving Catcher credit to pay for it. I don't feel annoyed I lost it now. LOL

I got the book and read it. I highly recommend it to anyone that can't get rid of anything without feeling bad about it.

It is one of the very few books that I have read more than once.
It's good "bathroom reading" because the chapters are short.

I'm in a de-cluttering phase right now, after being in a packrat phase for my entire life. DH is similarly packratish, so it's been a challenge for both of us.

I knew things had to change when there was a big fire locally and I felt almost a little bit of envy for people whose homes burnt down, because they got to start fresh! Obviously that's foolish, but the fact that I entertained that thought for even a moment made me realize it was time to seriously purge a whole lot of "stuff".

Then we decided we'd move to another state, maybe as soon as a year or so from now. We intend to get rid of about 3/4ths of our belongings before we move! It's an ambitious goal but I think we can do it. :) We've already had the local charity shop send TWO trucks to haul stuff away! To be fair, about half of one load was large appliances after a kitchen remodel. But the rest was furniture and boxes of stuff and sacks of clothes!

Fabric and sewing supplies are NOT on the 'to be culled' list, however. I had to draw the line somewhere! ;)

Don Aslett has written several books. I had never heard of him until we moved to Idaho. A few years ago, he opened The Museum of Clean' in Pocatello and so we went. It is a wonderful place with every kind of tool one can think of that has been used to clean over the centuries. I am trying to take his advice to heart and destash some of my 'dust-catchers' Have a way to go yet and so far, my fabric is NOT on the list. I, too have noticed that many of today's younger people, my children included, do not want the family 'heirlooms'. Those things are just not important to them.

There's an old saying that, "people use 20% of their stuff 80% of the time." It sure was true for me when I cleaned out my closet this spring.