Janet Collins
Billy MThe Dark Depths of a Simple Clean
April 11th 2007 08:03
Trapped
Throughout the last week I have been buried inside a pile of forgotten items. I undertook the dangerous activity of sorting through the backs of drawers and cleaning out cupboards that have remained unopened for decades. It starts as an innocent dusting adventure, a simple repositioning of the swivel chair, but ends as a horrible decent into the pits of redecorating hell. What seemed like a fifteen minute sprucing soon becomes a dramatic lifestyle upheaval – and before you know it, you haven’t left the house in a week.
I had planned to move my CDs, that was it. From one shelf to another, no dramas. It was, at this point, that I decided to sort through my musical collection – finally getting around to discarding those that now sit in the ‘embarrassing youth’ corner. In a little over five minutes I was surrounded by five piles, and had established a convoluted system of categories.
In my head, I knew that some had to go. Mambo Number 5, Who Let the Dogs Out and the back-catalogue of UK boy band Five had not ventured into the stereo in years, so they became obvious ‘bin’ choices. But I couldn’t do it. My mind insisted that at some time, when I least expected it, they would be needed. This soon became a pattern. Old board games, broken pens, novelty rulers, promotional hats, unrecognizable cables and rusty coins all found their way into the ‘bin’ pile, but were soon removed. Three hours later I had turned the house upside down, but thrown nothing out.
So, here I am, living amongst a series of confused piles of strange items. Surrounded by the absurd categories of ‘I know I should get rid of it, but it might come in handy’ and ‘I’m not sure what this is, so it must be useful’. Most likely, I will leave these items in their piles for another week, until I finally get sick of clutter and decide to return them from whence they came – the cupboard.
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Comment by Jonathon
Anthroblogogy
shame, shame, shame......
Comment by Jonathon
Anthroblogogy
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
But I know how cleaning can just turn from something simple to a major overhaul. I'm cleaning out my bedroom at the moment. I've been at it for a few days....and all I've done is made more mess! How is that even possible?????
Good luck on your clean up!!!
Kylie
Comment by Wendi
I forget where I heard this, but someone once suggested that the best way to avoid clutter is to get rid of an item each time a new item is purchased. Buy a new c.d.? Trade it out for an old one. Pick up a new pair of jeans? Get rid of an old pair.
It sounds great in theory, but I've yet to be able to apply it to real life.
Great post!
W
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
1. Things I use everyday
2. Things I use once in a while
3. Things I tossed in a spare drawer
4. Things I don't have a clue what to do with
5. Things I have no idea what they do
6. Things my Mother told me never to throw out
7. Things that showed up in my house unannounced and uninvited and now I'm stuck with them and have no clue where they came from, what they do, or what I'm supposed to do with them and I'm a guy so I naturally have no organizational skills whatsoever, so let's just throw them in drawer number 5...lol
Great blog, I can SO relate!
Take care,
Nick
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories