By Icy Frantz
There’s something about walking into a clean and clutter-free home that makes me feel envious.
Not only do I admire the bright and barren counter tops, but I covet the organized pantry and the desk that is clear of debris and paperwork.
Look a little deeper and the closets are not stuffed with clothing no longer worn and the playroom seems to have a perfect place for every toy. Bathroom sinks are beautifully surrounded by nothing aside from a bottle of perfume and a brush and bedside tables have a stack of two books rather than a large pile that is toppling over. A mudroom is systematically arranged with only the current season’s gear at hand, and each child has a cubby that is neat and tidy. Ahhh!!! Organization has never been one of my strengths, yet I stand in awe and maybe a tad suspicious of homes like the one I just described.
Phyllis Diller’s quote has always helped me rationalize my shortcoming: “Cleaning your home while raising children is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” But the snow has stopped and three out of our four children are in college so I decided it was time to get to work.
Over 20 years of accumulated clutter led me to Marie Kondo’s book “The Life Changing Magic of Tiding up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” I bought it and placed it at the peak of my toppling-over stack of books on my bedside table. Slowly, I worked my way through it, and here is what I learned:
1. Put your hands on everything you own and determine whether they give you joy.
2. Get rid of the items that do not give you joy.
3. Place the items that give you joy where they are visible.
4. Tackle categories, not rooms.
5. Nostalgia is not your friend.
As I looked through years of children’s artwork, old books and worn-out clothing, they all conjured up good memories and brought me joy, and I was left with nothing to discard. Nostalgia and I are tight and I realized quickly that I could not do this alone. I was stuck and overwhelmed, and I turned to a good friend who was just starting a company that specialized in organization and staging.
My friend became my loving drill sergeant, arriving at 8 a.m. with boxes and garbage bags ready to do battle. We made piles in the front hall: a pile to donate, a pile to throw away, and a pile of undecided. We tackled one room and one closet at a time, and that made the project a little less overwhelming. As the piles in the hall grew, I could literally feel the house take a breath with the weight removed.
At first it was difficult to purge. I wanted to hold onto everything, as if the memories in my heart would disappear without the physical evidence, but slowly it began to feel amazing and liberating. The pile of stuff to donate was huge and we contacted local agencies to see where we could deliver these items that would find a new home and purpose. We brought kitchen items to a church hosting a refugee family, books to a library hosting a book sale, sports equipment to our school for their used sports sale, and clothes to friends with younger children and to Neighbor to Neighbor.
In the end, it was a win-win-win. I had a cleaner and more organized home and many of our household items, books and clothing had gone where they could make a difference. And recycling and reusing reminded me that we can all do our part in caring for this big, beautiful world of ours.
Today our home does not resemble the house I described in the beginning of this article. We still look “lived in” but then again we still have a dog, two cats, two fish, one 11-year- old and two adults living here, and the “lived in” look seems to suit us. Our counters are littered with framed photographs of family and friends, newspapers, mail and homework. Our mudroom area, although tidier, still contains a spare lacrosse stick or baseball mitt for that spontaneous game. My bedside table still has too many books on it, but I am a reader, and it’s comforting to know that I always have a good book close by. Still our closets are clean and the pantry is orderly and bereft of items never used. My catch-all closet is a little less catch-all and my desk is clearer and papers have found their way into appropriate files. It is still a work in progress.
The snow is melting and your kids are growing up and if you are considering a good spring cleaning; here are some tips from Linda Saleeby, Liz Paradise, and Liz Prazmark of Threefold Organization and Staging (Threefold@yahoo.com, 203-253-5808):
1. Purge, purge, purge. Less clutter will truly lighten your life.
2. One room at a time. For a feeling of accomplishment, tackle one room from start to finish.
3. Less is more and keep it simple. Living by these mottos will help not only with decision making, but will leave your space with a sense of calm.
4. Too overwhelmed to go it alone? Bring in a service like Threefold and you and your home will be cleaner, more organized and happier.
You can Google for more but here is my list of local organizations that accept donations to get your started:
• Salvation Army and Goodwill: both will pick up larger items
• Neighbor to Neighbor: food, clothing. Sheets and towels, and small household items.
• Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County Restore: will pick up large items.
• Vietnam Veterans Of America: will pick up.
• Laurel House Thrift Shop 501 Summer Street in Stamford: will pick up large items for the home and office and will accept items at the store.
• Byram Schubert Library: accepts gently used books for their book sale
• Big Brother: will pick up clothing, media personal accessories, houseware and toys.
A clean house, wonderful organizations receiving needed resources, and a healthier planet earth—now, that brings joy that we can all hold onto.
