(Note: This post may contain affiliate links. I will earn a small commission if you use my links to purchase a product but your purchase price does not change. I only recommend products that I believe in and want to share. Check out the disclosure policy to find out more. Thank you for supporting My Joy in Chaos.)
How is your outdoor area feeling without the extra junk cluttering it up? Do you have space to relax now? Room to work on a project? Less broken toys getting tossed to the side in the search for good toys? I’d love to hear about your progress!
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 32: Inside Vehicles
I’m not sure there is any place that collects clutter faster than a car. Even if you aren’t a family that drives a ton it still builds up and reproduces faster than it seems possible. We are usually only in the car two days each week for longer than just back and forth from school. On Friday we go grocery shopping and on Sunday we go to church. The other five days we tend to stay home.
AND YET THE JUNK IN THE CAR!
Sorry to yell. Where does it all come from? How is it getting there? Why is there so much?
I know the answer. Kids. They want a book to read so they bring it in and don’t bring it out. They eat a snack while we are on a road trip to see family and simply toss the bag on the floor. Pictures from Sunday School, little trinkets from birthday parties, and who knows what else all land on the floor and soon the floor disappears.
So not only did we decide to clean out the garbage, we also took this opportunity to move car seats around. Parker had just about reached the height limit of the 5 point harness on his Diono Radian RXT at almost 9 years old. We knew he was ready to sit in a high back booster but we were putting it off because he’s our first baby! We also knew that moving him out of the 5 point meant the little guys would need to be moved to the back seat and start forward facing.
All these changes at once! It’s almost too much for this mama’s heart to handle.
Thankfully Micah took on the challenge of not only cleaning the car but also moving the seats, vacuuming everything, wiping out the nasty cup holders, and making the inside of the van all sparkly. He’s a rock star. And this is a terrible picture.
After the whole inside was purged of unnecessary items and garbage, which of course I didn’t take a picture of, we installed the car seats in their proper spots. Three Diono Radians in the back seat for the three littlest, a Graco Nautilus for Jamison (he’s still in a 5 point harness), and a Diono Cambria for Parker (I really love that this goes up to 63″ tall unlike most boosters that top out at 57″). Look at all of them so nicely situated in their new spots!
And check out how nice and clean the floor is now! No more garbage or books or random toys. Hopefully it will last longer than a week!
Please tell me I’m not the only one with a crazy messy car! Share what you found when you cleaned out your car so I can see I’m not alone. Please? Pretty please? ha!
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 33 so we can clear the clutter from the surface of our desk. Oh dear, there’s so much! I’m not sure I can see the surface of my desk right now so this will be quite the challenge. See you then!
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.
