I am 10 weeks into 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home, and I have to be honest every single week I struggle to get started with the area I am decluttering. However week after week I love the results, and those make me glad I did it every week.
I don’t like to clean. Not one bit. But as Ruth says in her book Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets To The Good Life, cleaning is part of being an adult. I am an adult so whether I like it or not I must clean.
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This week I decided to do the counter of our main floor bathroom. The mess on this counter has bothered me for months. When the mess started, it was just a hair dryer in that white bin- as you can see the mess grew.
I decided the best way to start with this mess was to clear off the entire counter, mirror and all. After the area was all cleared off I wiped it down with Seventh Generation All Purpose cleaner.
I then took the time to go through every single item that was on the counter. I filled an entire plastic grocery bag with garbage.
I found a few smaller stackable containers to put the rest of the items in. I placed them in those containers and placed them in the area under the sink that I freed up last week.
The first item I put back on the counter was the mirror. I gave it a good cleaning with Seventh Generation glass cleaner. I like the way it works- best part no harsh fumes. Cleaner fumes often trigger my migraines.
I put back just the essentials and am very pleased with all the empty counter space.
What did you declutter this week?
Don’t forget to join the Snail Pace Clutter Removers  Facebook group, where you can share your progress, and receive encouragement.
A few great posts to help you with your clutter roadblocks…
- How To Start Decluttering When You Feel Overwhelmed By It
- How To Declutter When You Just Don’t Feel Like It
- 4 Essential Items For Efficient Decluttering
View the plan and grab your free 52-week planning sheet here
Update: I finished this challenge so below are the links to all my weekly updates showing my progress.
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week One
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Two
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Three
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Four
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Five
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Six
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Seven
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Eight
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Nine
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Ten (you are here)
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Eleven
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twelve
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirteen
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Fourteen
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Fifteen
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Sixteen
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Seventeen
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Eighteen
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Nineteen
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-One
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Two
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Three
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Four
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Five
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Six
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Seven
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Eight
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Twenty-Nine
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-One
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Two
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Three
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Four
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Five
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Six
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Seven
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Eight
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Thirty-Nine
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-One
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Two
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Three
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Four
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Five
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Six
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Seven
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Eight
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Forty-Nine
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Fifty
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Fifty-One
- 52 Weeks To A Simplified Home: Week Fifty- Two
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This post would go perfectly with my post, Fibromyalgia and chores. It’s all about tackling the home bit by bit to reduce flare. Organizing the house a little at a time is much better on the body than doing it all at once and it makes for a much happier mommy!
Yes it does take a lot less physical effort to do a little at time, as well as a lot less mental effort to make yourself get started. At least that is what I find. If I know I am just doing a small area, I can talk myself into it a lot easier.
Thanks for sharing your journey. I can use all the cleaning inspiration I can get – I hate cleaning!
Me too! Which is one of the reasons I blog about it. To make myself do it! Now that I have people coming every week to see what I have decluttered I have to stick to it. LOL.
I LOVE that mirror! So pretty. I keep seeing ePantry all over the place. Is it a sign that I need to check it out?? 🙂
The mirror was actually left by a previous owner of one of the houses we bought. I love it too! and yes check out epantry.
I love it! I really appreciate that your blog takes it one step at a time. You totally empowered me and now I am going to clean my bathroom sink. I guess cleaning is part of being an adult…oh being a grown up has its ups and downs, doesn’t it. Thank you for this post. Most of the time I find organization is hard because I don’t know where to start…so now I can just follow your lead. Thanks!
Your fellow IBN Blogger Jackie from DIYDesignMom.com