Time is really flying by and we’re into the home stretch of the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge. We’ve doubled up some weeks, so we’re on track to wrap up the challenge before Christmas. But we still have work to do. This week’s decluttering task was one that I had been putting off for a while. I can procrastinate no longer – it’s time to declutter the mess that has accumulated on our basement floor.

What is it about open flat spaces that seems to be a magnet for junk? In one of the decluttering Facebook groups I’m in, someone said “Piles of stuff and flat spaces are the devil” when I said I was taking on my basement floor this week. I actually can’t argue with that. In previous weekly tasks, I’ve tackled the piles on my desktop, bedroom surfaces, and living room and dining room tables. It’s an ongoing struggle.

This will be another marathon task! Let’s go.

What is the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge?

In this year-long journey, we’re tackling one task at a time with the goal of cleaning up and organizing our homes. If you’ve just joined us, no worries. You can jump right in with this week’s challenge. Just check out the first two posts in the series to download your free checklists.

• 52-Week Decluttering Challenge
• Week 1 – Easy Decluttering Checklist

You can get easy access to all previous weekly posts on the main Decluttering page.

Week 46 – Declutter the mess on the basement floor

A few months ago, when I cleaned up the laundry area, I ignored the pile of stuff that had accumulated on the floor in front of the washer and dryer. Every day, I walk past that pile. Every day, I’d try to pretend it wasn’t there. But I can ignore it no longer. It is time for it to go.

Here’s a picture of where I started. It’s a fairly well contained mess, but I’m pretty sure most of it is junk that hasn’t seen the light of day in years.

What I got rid of

This week, I said goodbye to a total of 93 items from the basement floor! We made a trip to the thrift store with a big box, along with a huge bag of my husband’s old clothes. It has been a very productive week!

Here’s the inventory:

• 6 pieces of speed skating safety equipment. It has been at least five years since my girls did speed skating. I dropped the stuff off at the skating club and they were happy to take it off my hands.
• A pair of curling shoes, and an extra grip.
• 3 baskets
• 1 portable cooler and warmer
• A huge bag of pens, pencils and other art supplies
• 2 blankets
• A CD holder
• 5 receipts
• A scarf
• 6 toys
• 14 fridge magnets
• 1 stray kitchen utensil
• 1 hanger
• A keychain
• A lone glove that long ago lost its partner
• 1 watch
• A broken umbrella
• 1 candle
• 2 empty containers
• Lipstick holder
• 3 candle holders
• Digital tabletop thermometer
• Christmas tablecloth
• Photo album
• 6 picture frames
• Blue Jays baseball cap
• 16 books
• A pair of gloves
• Mini basketball
• An appliance bracket
• An MP3 player case
• Huge pile of papers
• A map
• 2 glass bowls
• 1 oversized remote control
• An old pair of glasses
• 2 empty boxes

Finally, here’s how things look now. I had almost forgotten what the floor looks like! Now I can walk through the basement without cringing and feeling guilty about the mess.

In addition to what I got rid of, I relocated a ton of stuff to its rightful home. It kind of makes me wonder how some of these things ended up in boxes and baskets on the floor in the first place.

This week’s decluttering and organizing tips

Here are my tips and learnings from week 46:

• When you finish a decluttering task, make a plan to control the clutter. I left an empty laundry basket on the floor in case I’m tempted to start a new pile. The new rule is – when there are more than 10 items in the basket, it’s time to clean it up. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.
• Avoid the temptation of just setting things down and dealing with them later. There’s a decluttering quote from Barbara Hemphill that I like – “Clutter is no more than postponed decisions” and it’s so true. Maybe my goal for 2022 needs to be to deal with clutter before it accumulates.
• If there are things you can’t part with, find a way to upcycle them. When my daughter was young, she used to collect rocks and pebbles. I found a big bag of rocks this week. I decided to do something fun with some of them for Christmas this year.

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So that’s week 46 done. It felt great to declutter the mess. It’s so wonderful to see the basement floor again, and to have more room for my indoor clothes drying rack now that winter’s on the way.

If you have friends or family members who could benefit from a little less clutter in their lives, please share this post and spread the word!

Do you have an area in your home that is a magnet for clutter? Tell us about it below.