Simplify and Declutter: Day 2 of 10

For ten days this January, we’re decluttering our house from top to bottom. We’re using Tsh Oxenreider’s ten-day plan from her book Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living.   Please see links to our entire household declutter at the bottom of this post.

Oxenreider split the living area into two days, which worked well for me. I decluttered our living room on day 2 and the hall closet on day 3.

Today, I’ll share about the living room, and tomorrow I’ll share about the hall closet.

The first task on day two was to empty our book shelf unit, desk and china cabinet. Oxenreider says that we should take everything out of the room to make it easier to clean to so that we can see it bare. I decided not to do that. I stacked everything on the floor and on my dining room table. I also unloaded anything in a container (ie pencils in a glass, items in baskets, etc). Here’s what my living room looked like while I was in process:

There was nothing neat and tidy about this process. It was a total mess (and a complete pain in the arse, to be candid).

Next, I waded through my stuff piece by piece. In order to earn a place in our household, items had to either be useful or beautiful. I had a lot of items that were put into the pile of stuff that will have a new owner. Lots and lots of paper went into the recycle bin, and then we just dumped trash that wasn’t fit for the recycle bin. What went into the give pile? I can’t list it all, but it included curriculum that’s no longer appropriate for our children, excess art supplies and more pencils that I care to admit.

I enjoyed putting back the items we love and that make us feel happy. Items that stayed included pottery that my children and husband have created. I think it’s stunning, and it makes me so happy to look at it.

I love how roomy all the storage feels now. Empty drawers. Cabinets with nothing in them. The items that did stay went back easily with all the contents in each drawer and cabinet easy to see.

Here’s our china cabinet. For me, it feels serene. Even the herbs that I use when making soap look beautiful.

Oxenreider suggests that we should deep clean as we go. Cob webs off the ceiling. Launder drapes. Clean the windows. I can’t do all of that and keep my momentum, so I’m planning to go back and do that after I finish our ten-day de-clutter. It feels a bit less daunting for me that way. We’re on our way, but we still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, I love sitting in my serene living room. Even with just this little bit done, Charlie and I are really enjoying the peaceful results.

Click on the links below to learn more about our household declutter:

Day 1: Trash and surface clutter

Day 3: Living Area Day 2

Days 4 and 5: Kitchen

Day 6: Bathrooms

Days 7 and 8: Children’s Bedrooms

Day 9:  Master Bedroom

Day 10:  Entrances