I’ve been slowly accumulating piles all around the house for the better part of a decade and tonight got a burst of energy to finally do something about the one beside my bed, partially motivated by my new, real nightstands. I’ve been using flea market tables for the last 7 years.

Got diagnosed with sleep apnea a year ago and apparently had not thrown the first water jug out. Depression is a bitch. But things are looking up 🙂

Realizing 5 years of dust probably contributed to all the tissues in picture 1 🫣 Now I have a trash can in here so I can be a tidier allergy girlie at least.

I do have a cord organizer/ concealer on the way as well. 1/3 of my bedroom finished, 2/3 left… plus the rest of my house. This group and seeing everybody else’s updates has been extremely encouraging! Something about knowing I’m not the only one who struggles like this.

Before and after shown, my partner motivated me to di this I love them a lot

I'm slowly unfucking my apartment. Focusing on the office right now. My problem is that we have so many boxes that just take up room that have never been unpacked. Some since I graduated from college in 2009 😬

My current task was to deal with this box. It hadn't really been touched in three years. Dumped it out on the floor. I was able to find room in my bookshelves for the handful of books I still wanted to read. Sent like 15 books to the donate bin. Most of the other contents I felt comfortable donating too. Threw out the decomposing box and the little bit of garbage in there. Then I vacuumed and we got a little more real estate in the office 🥳

Currently still unfing but! Got the guts to ask my friend to help me take my pillows and bedding to the laundrette to wash and dry (since I don’t have a car) & my desk has been functional as a desk for a while now.

Still a lot more to go but and decluttering has felt like an uphill climb but I didn’t think I’d be able to consistently see my floor so feeling hopeful :) the starting point was actually worse than the 1st pic, kinda bummed kinda not that I didn’t get a better before.

But I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone on this sub, it came across my feed randomly and was really inspirational. I think this is the first time a house inspection email hadn’t filled me with horror and dread. My current motto is “any progress is good progress”

If anyone has tips for decluttering clothing & storing and sorting art supplies that’d be brilliant too. Thanks! :)

I have cPTSD and at some point I had to stop working because of dissociative episodes. I was so depressed I stopped cleaning and focused my energy into making food for me and my husband.

Before and after. She helped me categorize the items by putting them in boxes and had me throw things away that I don’t need. I hope this counts as ufmh but we worked together to get just part of the bathroom clean. She comes back in two weeks to help me with the kitchen. Thank goodness and my husband for knowing I couldn’t handle it and needed professional help.

I have more than half of my messie flat cleared. I can now walk freely. Here's what I did:

First stopped anything from incoming.

Then made sure every new piece of rubbish was immediately put into the bin.

Then removed everything that was clearly rubbish, including everything damaged or very dirty.

Then I used categories, sorting through books first, then clothes, shoes, and so on. Sometimes again and again, sometimes iterative to sort out more items.

Seeing floor for the first time, cleaned these areas.

Now working on single areas where lots a stuff is still cluttered. Only when all clutter is gone, I clean deeply.

So happy to have gotten rid of so much stuff.

I’m cleaning my depression house since my MIL is coming to stay in 2 days and my bathroom is finally clean! I had stuff stored under the sink in there that expired in 2024, I bought stuff to replace it but never got rid of the old stuff so the new stuff just sat in bags in the floor…then random stuff started building up in a pile on top of that and it just got overwhelming. I think it took close to 9 months to get myself to do it but it’s finally done! I have to organize the closet in there still but it’s not bad at all and shouldn’t take much time to do it once I’m home today!

Remaining rooms are: my daughter’s room, and my room then to put away the stuff that’s been moved to the hallways from places they didn’t belong. If I have time, the dining room needs to be done but it’s not a room we use ever so that’s not as critical.

How do you get through decision paralysis? I seem to be the keeper of all past relics of my family. Normally this would be okay but I feel overwhelmed.

Of course there are plentiful memories attached to things but I’d really like to have a home for the things I’d like to keep and not pass this mess down to my kids when I go.

I really do need to have a massive yard sale (I’ve already done two in the past and had multiple dumpsters done) but getting it organized feels impossible as the months go by and now it’s getting too cold to do one. I have been slowly selling items little by little online which helps but it is genuinely a slow process.

So when decluttering how do you cope with decision paralysis? I end up quitting due to the overwhelm and none of my family really helps. They all say it’s up to me and then there is a lot of guilt involved.

So. I do almost everything in my bedroom, as I don't live alone and this is the one place I have for myself. I have a lot of stuff, i've been trying to get rid of more but it's hard. I have trouble cleaning it on time but I do manage to do so sometimes. The problem is, it never stays clean. And I am not talking about inevatble things like needing to vacuum again. No, all the previously carefully organized items will somehow all end up on the floor, with the disgusting floor piles increasing until you can barely SEE any floor or walk from the door to the bed without stepping on something. I got some help putting stuff away temporarily because there's a workman coming tommorow and he needs to be able to get to the window, and so we could vacuum, and I already feel so sad looking at the empty floor because I don't think I will be able to keep it that way. I still have one of the bags from the last time I had to clean things of the floor to vacuum, stached away in some random place and also not cleaned up. I don't know what to do. This just keeps happening, and I can't seem to find any cleaning system that's... well that's meant for someone who's this much of a mess, frankly, instead of just needing the occasional reminder to put some hobby stuff away or something. But I tought you all might have some tips. I really find it hard to get the motivation to clean sometimes (especailly when things have gotten bad and there is just so much to do), but I do really want to stop this from happening again.

Hello! I have a single car garage (attached to our house) which has been used as a storage room since we moved in. A lot of stuff is in clear plastic tubs (good start lol), but we get lazy and dump loose stuff in there and it is a major safety hazard at this point in my life haha. Pleeeease motivate me to clean it up! I'm pregnant, need easy access to baby related stuff that is in there and quite honestly I'm just sick of the mess!!

I'm trying to clean as best as I can since someone is coming over. Vacuuming the floor, wiping surfaces, and dusting. Are there any specific details that I should pay attention to? Like things that stand out to people who always have a very clean and organized home?

I'm probably overthinking it but I do need some advice. I am worried about this person in particular noticing that I'm struggling.

Luckily my best friend knows how much I struggle to keep a clean house and loves me no matter what. Still very embarrassed this is what my house looked like when she needed me to watch her kids on short notice. At least the hall bathroom was clean, but I need to start working hard on the rest of the house. Please help me stay motivated to stay on task and actually get it done.

Posting for accountability so I actually finishing washing these disgusting dishes 🫠 it’s so embarrassing to have a sink full of rotting food — anyone have tips of how to prevent the depression dishes from building up so fast??

*EDIT to add that I do not have a dishwasher :((

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I am currently trying to declutter, and I find myself at a loss when deciding how many items one person needs. I'm a one person household, and I'm struggling to throw stuff out. Apart from sentimental items, there's a lot of categories where I simply wonder: how much is enough?

For instance:

How many charging cables and adapters?

How many pairs of socks and underwear?

How many sets of sheets and duvet covers?

How many (tea) towels?

How many plates, bowls, cups & mugs?

How many pots & pans?

How much cutlery?

How many pens and markers?

Just wanted to give you guys a quick little update about the aesthetic of the room. I know it looks crazy, but it always gets worse before it gets better. All of the clothes on my bed are clean. I am gonna go early vote and I will give you guys an update either end of the day or tomorrow.

My space is the whole house. Lol I struggle with executive function. I find it easier to stay focused when I can at least virtually body double - meaning that I like to talk to someone on the phone while cleaning because it keeps me going. I’ve tried to make connections on Reddit to hope for people who would like to have voice convos, but I’ve only been able to get ahold of creepy dudes since I’m female and 30. Any recs for other options to help me stay focused while I clean? Or for where I can find non-creepy people to talk to while I do?

Well here I am, two days into living alone as a separated UK guy of 55 (she cheated) and I've literally spent two days cleaning as, over 11 years, me and my ex did very little as she always wanted to go out when she was not working.

I've got great support from my family, friends and work colleagues and feel free after two failed marriages (you think I'd learnt after the first!) and have decided no more relationships beyond friendship.

So I'm going to clean all week, doing a room a day (bathroom and utility done), see my son on Wednesday, a friend on Thursday, my daughter Friday and get a haircut. Saturday I have a social around lunchtime.

Also a 'Community Cupboard' has opened nearby and I've joined so I can get groceries too!

Sunday - my usual: a bike ride.

Take care all 😀

Hello everyone! This is a Monday (and Tuesday!) megathread for those small updates, accountability requests, and success stories that you want to send out to the universe!

Maybe ones that don’t require a full post but that still deserve some recognition, plans made today for over the coming days, or solicitations for suggestions on how to complete your intended tasks!

Still feel free to make absolutely any posts that you want, but if you prefer a smaller-format update option here it is! I want to encourage participation in whatever form it takes :)

ALSO!!! Pictures are enabled in comments so feel free to add pics of your area to tackle of your progress if you please :)

It’s time to finally start painting. I’ll update when I can.

No mould or nicotine, just grimy hands and some insect poo. Ive been using just multi-purpose cleaner and a damp cloth but it's slow going. Tried my spinning lip with a brand new head on it, but it did nothing. Does anyone have any tips to get through it at a fair pace?

Forgot to get before pictures, but— been meaning to do this since the beginning of summer. It’s only…nearly November 😅

Got some better systems in place for laundry and books and such…maintain maintain maintain!

hi.
i found this subreddit through doomscrolling. it really resonated with me.
i have quite the depression room as you can see.

not to dump my whole backstory, but i’ve dealt with an overwhelming amount of childhood abuse/ parental addicts and neglect.
learning how to ‘adult’ has been a process that i’ve had to figure out mostly by myself, although i have been managing in my own ways (solid career, friendships, etc.)

being neurodivergent and ADHD has made coping and managing with things like this quite challenging at times. i tend to be really critical of my shortcomings but i’m really trying my best to overcome this mental hurdle.
i’ve really struggled with a lot of shame regarding my room, it’s prevented me from dealing with the actual issue for far too long.

i’m so tired of living like this, i really am. i deserve better, and so does my cat.
i’ve been ready for this change for so long.

edit: oh wow! i’ve had quite the exhausting day at work, genuinely such a pleasant surprise to come home to.
thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement everybody! i’ve read every comment and truly appreciate it :’)

I have a habit of not writing on the back pages of my notebook or only writing until half filled then flip to the next page, because of this I often buy more notebooks than needed because i'd think i'm already done with the current one. Now, I'm in my 3rd year in college and have SO MANY notebooks and papers with a few writings on the front page or sometimes, only 1/4 of it are actually filled. It's so much and it's messing with my mind. I can't use two of my backpacks because i keep all of it there. What do I do for these to not go to waste but also clear up some space? I'm a bit sentimental too but now looking back, i feel so bad for wasting so much money on different types of notebooks even when I don't need it yet. I just don't know how to recycle these since the front pages are filled with notes and that would look a bit weird to compile and only write on the backpages although i think i could do that on the other notebooks that are actually empty.

PS: forgive my english, it's my second language

My parents are coming over soon so I had to hurry and clean as much as I could today. I feel disappointed because I didn't manage to do everything I wanted. I always procrastinate. I've cleaned my bathroom sink and my toilets too. The big mess left is in my bedroom where there's ton of laundry to fold.... The night table and desk are super messy too

Edit : Thank you everyone for your kind words 🫶🏻 I hope you all have a good weekend. My mother helped me folding all my laundry too, I was struggling with it for weeks or even months. I was picking clothes directly from the chair or drying rack so it wasn't ideal. That was kind of her (except for a few comments she made but I kinda deserved it I guess). Now I have more time to focus on the other small chores and on my plants, yay 🪴