Though it was her wedding anniversary, Josie chose to devote the day to a “double session” day of de-cluttering. She, husband David and their three young children live on a secluded lot up a dirt road. She and David are entrepreneurs with a booming educational software company. Like Josie said, their busy household is “full of love.”
At first planning to work in their downstairs office, Josie switched to fixing other parts of the basement instead. Two of its rooms especially needed care. One, newly called the “Inner Sanctum,” had shelves that could be reorganized. The floor was covered with other boxes, cushions for an outdoor deck sofa, tools, bed frame parts and other wood.
We started with the shelves, working top to bottom. We placed at the top items that the family uses rarely, though want to have handy. On the next two shelves (the most valuable “real estate”), we placed bins with some of David’s tools. We moved to the floor big bins with various cords, electronics parts and other items that Josie and David would sort at another time.
We also worked in the outer basement room. It includes an ingenious arrangement – a chute for firewood to be dropped down through a window at ground level, across from the big box holding their wood stove. I suggested placing plastic bins at the bottom of the chute to catch wood, instead of it landing on the floor. Jodie then thought of having a more permanent box built. Firewood on the floor was placed in a tall bin, then pushed under the big box, along with a smaller kindling container and a few other items.
David’s mother Judith, who lives nearby, was a huge help, hauling trash and recycling up the bulkhead stairs.
Perhaps the best part of the day? Beyond Josie’s smile, that magically grew even brighter as we worked, she found some polish to use on her wedding ring – great for her anniversary!
About De-clutter Me!
De-clutter Me! offers non-judgmental, competitively-priced and confidential assistance to help clear clutter in your home and/or business. We’ve been “bringing calm to chaos” since 2013.