When I was a kid I used to clean the house all the time. Reason being was 1) our house was (and is) really messy and 2) I got paid to clean. See our house is a pretty decent size for two people and with all the stuff we have been collecting over the years...well it’s sometimes hard to keep track of it all when you have been stashing it in 50 different places. As I got older I got rid of a lot of items. I downsized tremendously and I still keep up the tradition of throwing things away on a regular basis. Each year I somehow manage to find more things to give away and in the process I help out my dad.
Usually it starts out with one room that just keeps bugging me. Usually its dirty, needs things to be reorganized or both. We have worked through the kitchen several times as well as the guest bedroom. Those two were places where items have accumulated in large quantities. Anything from screwdrivers to large computer parts. Maybe even a wrench or two. I can’t begin to tell you how many bags of odd items we have thrown away. Really it helps not only me but also my dad when he wants to move out of the house. It makes it a little less of a hassle and will have less **** to carry later on.
For me I think it’s part of taking over my childhood. I always grew up with one room or another needing cleaning and so I grew up expecting more and more items to be a part of junk piles and for a while I was a part of that. I had a very hard time throwing things away and I kept a large amount of stuff. It was when I couldn’t walk in my room that I realized that most of it had to go. It was time to move onward.
Yesterday the Laundry room got hit. As it turns out Spice sparked a light flame of irritation when she started playing with some kind of screw. She had been batting them around in the hallway and after I took away the first one, she then found a second one. After that I got my dad and we found the source of her new toys. It was from the Laundry room where there just so happened to be all kinds of little things hanging out. Screws, Nails, little baggies, and so forth. After we both separated and went back to what we were doing, I suddenly got the urge to clean up the laundry room. Spice was getting on my nerves and she clearly had the idea that she could find new toys up there. Looking in the tiny space I decided to start cleaning.
I went through all the cabinets, I scrubbed them down and organized everything into one place. I even found a neat little area for the litter box.Just had to take off the doors to the cabinet and Bam, new area for kitty items. After that I pulled out the washing machine and cleaned behind it and got all the nasty socks that have been collecting god knows what. It took me a little close to three hours but when I was done I felt good. I even got Dad to go through some old belongings and throw 2/3rds of the stuff I took out away.
It’s nice to dig into a part of your childhood and to make it right. Our house was always messy, always filled with junk but we never did anything about it. Now it feels good to just get to a point where we can go through the stuff and say goodbye to it for good. Cleaning out your life can make a difference, so give it a try. Start small and work your way out, eventually you'll get there.
