This month’s “I’ll Show You My…” topic fits right in with the decluttering work I’ve been doing in my house. Week 9 of the 91 Day Declutter Challenge focused on the playroom. Our playroom is in our basement, but at times it was so overrun with toys and so messy, that no one would play down there. Every time I went downstairs to put something away, I would get overwhelmed. Finally, I decided we needed to get rid of basically everything down there. Most of it was baby toys anyway, right?
Honestly, these before photos do not show the mess that was our basement. (That TV needs to go because it doesn’t work!)
Step 1 – Sort.
First, I needed to sort all of the toys. I did this by scheduling each day with a type of toy to sort. My categories were: Dolls and Stuffed Animals, Big Items and Cars, etc., Books, Games, and Puzzles, and Small Items. This worked because I was able to concentrate on each type of toy and I didn’t let myself get distracted or overwhelmed by the other things that were everywhere. By the end of the week, it got easier because there were less things left.
Step 2 – Decide What To Do With Your Toys.
This may have been the hardest part! For each item I had piles. For example, for the dolls and stuffed animals, I would either put them in a bin to be stored in the storage room (sentimental items), throw them out if they were in bad condition, or put them in a bag for donation. A word of warning – Gabbie got very upset that I threw away a doll she got for her first birthday. I had no memory of her ever playing with said doll! So you may want to check with your kids…on the other hand, Simon would tell me to keep everything because everything is special to him, so asking your kids may not be helpful!
Step 3 – Get Rid of Everything.
Okay, I didn’t get rid of literally everything. Here is a list of what I did with our toys:
Trash.
Donation Bin.
Craigslist.
Consignment Sale.
Gave to Friends.
Gave to the Kids’ Preschool.
Offered on our Synagogue’s E-mail List.
Put In Bins To Keep For the Future.
Kept.
Everything is much neater and the floor is cleared of toys! There’s also nothing on the pool table anymore. The kids aren’t quite ready to play pool but the table came with the house and we want it for them when they’re older!
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If you wrote a post about Spring Cleaning, link it up below!
Next month, you can join us on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (April 19) to show us what makes you happy! Here is our list of future topics:
What are your spring cleaning tips?