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Organizing the Home

de-cluttering and organizing advice

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

I cleaned my desk today and I have a bunch of stuff that I haven't used in years. My parents don't want me to throw stuff away. What would be your recommendation in regards to getting this stuff de-cluttered?

Where do you normally store them?

Should I just keep them in my house and organize them neatly?

My mother also used my room as a storage, she added clothes she doesn't use anymore into my closet and other items that she likes to store. What should I do about it and how should I talk to her, she normally gets mad at me when I tell her about these items.

My room is pretty small and I have a bunch of books stalked I don't know how to store them. Please see pictures.

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Comments (3)

Fori
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Get some of those bags that you shrink down with a vaccuum or the extra gigantic ziplock bags for mom's clothes. Smash them as flat as possible and squeeze out all the air. Slide them under the bed (in a container if you feel like buying more stuff) and forget about them. Put her other stuff under the bed too. Nobody has to talk about it.

Find space for a bookcase. Ikea, Craigslist, anywhere. Put books in it. Get baskets or nice boxes for the junk you don't use but aren't allowed to get rid of and put those on shelves too.

Start planning to get your own place. :)
Moxie
3 years ago
If you live with parents or they're supporting you, your options are limited. The goal is to make your room more pleasant and avoid confrontation with your parents. Until you're on you own, parents always win, so save yourself the aggravation and pain.

You've said some things that lead me to think that you may be in a difficult position regarding objects.
- Your parents don't want you to get rid of things.
- Your mother doesn't have a problem with using your room for items that she doesn't use but wants to keep. She gets angry when you try to discuss it.
Start with your own objects, not your mother's. Box up the items of yours that you don't want and put them in the back of your closet or on the top shelf if they aren't heavy. Be sure to label the boxes. If anyone notices that your room is less cluttered and is worried that you've disposed of things, labels will allow you to calm the ruffled feathers. "Yes, the doll is in this box, the bracelets are here," etc. I prefer a bookcase for books, but if you don't have a lot of books you could put them in a couple of cubes under your table.

See how that goes before touching your mother's things. Best case scenario is that your mother sees the progress you made and it open to letting you consolidate her items. Worst case scenario is that she's a full blown hoarder and sees space in your room for more of her stuff. If she has hoarding tendencies, you need to understand that it isn't something you can fix. Neither a logical nor an emotional argument works. It's an illness. Even people who aren't hoarders can have trouble letting go of stuff. With luck you can use Fori's idea of vacuum bags under the bed for your mother's stuff.

Best of luck.
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Tina Go
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3 years ago
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