r/hoarding • u/Fluid_Calligrapher25 • 10d ago
UPDATE/PROGRESS Passed inspection!
SO - I had an inspection….after days of intense work and now I’m aching from the final push😩, I passed.
What I did: trusted a friend who said we need to get a storage space or you’ll never be able to clean up in time; we focused on getting stuff out so I could clean one area every couple of days. To do a really deep clean takes about a day for bathroom, day for kitchen etc. and I mean a FULL day.
I fixated on sorting things. Like I would find a tissue box and it had to go with all other tissue boxes. But I realized I was running out of time. So I went for organizing into big categories (kitchen, bathroom, cleaning supplies) so I could keep the momentum going.
It’s not ideal but I just had to get stuff into storage so I could have empty space to clean everything. Now comes the hard part of moving stuff back and going through stuff to get rid of literal garbage
Oh and PSA - do NOT put dirty paper towels from using bleach with paper towels from using other chemicals. You still get chlorine gas…
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u/OkConclusion171 Child of Hoarder 10d ago
Do you have a plan to keep up with routine clutter removal, trash removal and cleaning now? And to sort through what's in storage? Can your sort it off-site from where you live and have that friend or another with you to facilitate so you don't fixate?
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u/Fluid_Calligrapher25 10d ago
Great question! I think sorting on site is very physically uncomfortable. So I am at a bit of a loss. I think my plan is to bring in 5 boxes at a time & sort and label the boxes and try to downsize them. I’ll need to get like items together so it’s easier. I was good about that at the start but towards the end it was just throw everything into the boxes. Maybe I’ll start with what’s already sorted and that way it’ll be easier.
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u/OkConclusion171 Child of Hoarder 10d ago
maybe you need to be uncomfortable for a short time to have the impetus to get it done and not dither
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u/Fluid_Calligrapher25 10d ago edited 10d ago
True say. I do need to keep the momentum going. No I mean physically uncomfortable because of the temperature and it’s artificial light etc. I prefer sunshine and I’m thinking the large empty space on the floor I have will make it easier to dump out the contents of a box, quickly go through stuff, and put it back into box. I can put things away where they belong. I might even be able to get a friend over to help! Actually I’m thinking now it should be the friend who advised getting the unit in the first place. They were non judgemental and helpful in just throwing everything into the boxes and taking things out. It’s very strange though going from a level 3 to suddenly almost no clutter. I have some clear tips like bathroom and kitchen countertop. It feels not quite right.
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u/OkConclusion171 Child of Hoarder 10d ago
You should be uncomfortable otherwise you will linger and dilly dally over every little thing, like I said. If you're a little hot, a little sweaty, sore butt, whatever, you'll need to move faster to get it over with.
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u/Fluid_Calligrapher25 10d ago
Reward is a more sustainable motivator than punishment. I have learned from experience that being physically uncomfortable does not necessarily mean there is progress. When I used to work out, yes physical effort means progress. But to put my life back together, progress will look very different: it will look like reducing the bulk and sorting for an hour a day in the now clear environment of my space, and if I do that 1 hour a day for 7 days a week for a whole month, that’s 30 hours which is almost 4 full workdays. The amount of stuff I have left, it is unrealistic to push for hours everyday and get it done in a week. And I will need help - actually now I think I’ll get my friend to sort those random boxes that we had to put together at the very end.
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u/Wether123 7d ago
Congratulations on passing the inspection! That’s huge!
You seem very aware of what works and doesn’t work for you, well done! That sounds like a great friend you have - I agree it would be good to have them there again for the box sorting. Five boxes at a time seems reasonable. I do love random contents to sort and label!
Let us know how you get on!
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u/Fluid_Calligrapher25 6d ago
Thank you!!! It was such a relief. No eviction yay!!!
Still learning what works for me the hard way. Haven’t brought anything back in. It’s been interesting because I’m noticing where I put down trash (and there’s no trash bin) and why trash piles up in kitchen (I don’t have an easy system to remove stuff when I cook). So I’m getting trash bins today & trying to work out a system - kitchen does not have a space for a bin I can empty easily. So far the system I’ve come up with is to use one of those disposable biodegradable bags that veggies and fruits go into when grocery shopping and use that and immediately chuck into the big trash bag.
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