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How did decluttering the first aid supplies go for you? Did you find stretched out Ace bandages or expired antiseptic ointment? I’m working on a list of first aid essentials that I can keep in the cupboard with our supplies and mark off what we need or are running low on. It’s like a freezer or pantry inventory list but for first aid supplies! 

If you are just joining us, here’s the deal: 

I still had this mindset of decluttering being a big ol’ chore up until a few months ago when I read this fantastic post from Nony at A Slob Comes Clean. It was like a huge light went off in my brain! Decluttering is simply the act of getting rid of what doesn’t belong, isn’t needed, or belongs in the trash. It doesn’t mean buying a whole slew of new bins for your things to go in or coming up with some type of system that you hope will change your life – that’s organizing. It’s a whole different ball game. Right now, I’m in the game of decluttering. I just want things GONE.

When there’s less stuff, especially less of what has no purpose in your home anymore, organizing can often happen naturally. You won’t be cramming thirty towels into the closet because you only need ten and they fit nicely. You don’t need to dig through a tub of medicines to find what you need only to keep coming across bottles that are long since expired.

Here’s my challenge: Each week, take on ONE area of your home. I’ve already made the list for you so that part is done. Go to the area, throw away trash, put items that you no longer need but are still in good condition into a donation box, and put other items where they belong. Simple!

You can read more about the challenge on the week one post.

Week 30: Tools

We have such a hodgepodge of tools from over the years! We also don’t have a great way of storing the bigger power tools. I had to bring Micah in for this week’s decluttering because I don’t know what all is worth keeping and what would be okay to donate. I know what tools I use frequently but I know there are lots more that he keeps on hand for all sorts of different projects. 

This is the tool bench before. It’s buried by all the extra junk in the garage. During the winter we tend to toss all sorts of odds and ends to the garage because it’s too cold to do anything else with them but come spring the garage is a mountain of junk. We clearly can’t use the tool bench in this condition. I can’t even find the tool bench in this condition!

I actually tackled this project over the course of two different days. The first day I did what I could on my own without Micah’s help. I got rid of obvious garbage and put items away when I knew where they belonged. That left us with a tool bench and underside that looked like this. 

It’s better but we obviously still had some work to do. I had to wait for Micah so we could sort through things together. He knows far better what tools and supplies are worth keeping where as I only use the circular saw, sander, hammer, nails, and screwdrivers… for the most part. 

To make the job a little more fun since it was about 85* outside we plugged in a speaker and listened to the Not Your Pastors Podcast – check them out if you haven’t yet! It took us a little over an hour but that included a short break to help the older kids with something. 

We honestly didn’t find too much to toss. We condensed a few boxes of nails and screws (on the floor in the above picture) and got rid of the empty boxes, threw out a chunk of modeling clay from college, tubes of caulk, and other random garbage. Sorry for the gross picture inside our garbage bin – I forgot to make a pile and snap a picture and we simply tossed as we went along. 

Wowza! That bench actually shines now. And we found new homes for so much of the stuff in that plastic bin (mostly caulk and extension cords) that we were able to completely get rid of it. I’d like to find a better way to store the few power tools we have but space is limited so for now this will due. At least we can find them easily! 

Let me know how your own tool decluttering went! Did you breeze through it or is it an ongoing project? Were you able to find anything to toss or donate? 

Share a picture in the comments or on social media with the hashtag #clutterbusterchallenge of what you found to declutter.

Come back next week for week 31 to declutter your outside space. You may want to clean out the garage, a storage shed, the kids’ toys, or some other outdoor space. Whatever is outside is fair game. I’ll be working on the rest of the garage as well as cleaning out our storage shed. I’m sure we have all sorts of things to get donated and discarded hiding in the darkness!

If you are looking for a better way of keeping on top of your homemaking tasks now that you are steamrolling through all this decluttering you might be interested in a new course from Humorous Homemaking. Home Management How To: A Guide to Daily Success is open now! I’ve got a post about my experience with this course here but this is a great course for you to take control of all the household tasks in a way that is tailored specifically to your family and life.