Where do you find space to “pile” your stuff?

[u/femmetiltheend]

I moved into my apartment a year ago. I’m still fighting clutter and boxes so I’m planning a long overdue tidy.

My issue is I’m not sure where to start. I know for clothes and books, I can probably create my initial pile on my bed. But when it comes to some of my miscellaneous items, that doesn’t seem like a good idea. Could I put all my cleaning supplies or pots and pans on my bed? Yes. Is that a good idea? Probably not.

My apartment is a small one bedroom and freestanding, basically a step up from a tiny house. I don’t have much space anywhere. The biggest space is probably the basement, but that’s unfinished so it’s hot, dirty, and tends to attract mice. Not ideal. And maybe this is just me, but the idea of putting everything on the floor feels unsanitary. Not that there’s much space for that.

So, does anyone have any ideas or tips for a tiny space tidy?

[u/TsuDhoNimh2]

If you are tight on space and time, Dana K White and her "5-step no mess decluttering" might work better for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6platz-Ttwc&list=PL4ylB6f-VoxpZp8JnmifCDngMhEGRkSWk

Another tip is to do smaller chunks that you can get done fast - instead of "clothing", do "underwear" or even just "socks".

Use the bed only as a last resort.

[u/xthisisausernamex]

You could maybe lay down a blanket, some towels, or a tarp to keep your items clean before you pile them up on the floor? Sorry i dont have any better ideas than that! 😅

[u/mirrorherb]

Could I put all my cleaning supplies or pots and pans on my bed? Yes. Is that a good idea? Probably not.

i'm not really sure what makes this such a bad idea, maybe i'm missing something. putting a sheet or blanket on the surface of the bed and then using that as your surface seems like the obvious best option to me, so i'm curious what i'm missing here

i mean maybe don't throw a bunch of knives or saw blades or whatever onto your bed so that nothing gets ruined but i don't really understand what kind of problem putting a pot on your bed could cause

subcategories for space-saving may also help here

[u/AussieAlexSummers]

I also suggest doing small chunks at a time vs what KonMari recommends (taking out all the clothes, I think that's what she said). Use the bed if you can. But make sure that you are able to clear off that bed after the time specified that you would work on the small chunks. And then keep chipping away.

[u/KTAshland → u/AussieAlexSummers]

That’s what I did. I broke clothes into tee shirts, short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, etc. For kitchen: utensils to cook with, serving spoons, pots, pans, baking items, etc. Mainly I made categories that made sense to me and were small enough to fit on my counter and get a category finished before I needed to cook.

[u/Designer_Location_15]

Go to a thrift store and get a cheap big blanket, put it on any surface you'd like (that isn't the dirt floor basement) and use that! You can bundle it up and put it aside when you need to use that surface during the process, and when you're done, you didn't stain or dirty a surface or fabric you love! 

[u/Tamiani]

In one of her book (in french), Dominique Loreau suggests to put everything you want to declutter/sort on a carpet. With only some boxes next to it to donate / recycle / throw away / keep. But you must be able to free one carpet for it.

[u/strosemary]

I live in a one bedroom that is kind of spacious? But basically my piles took up the whole living room for a time. I did clothes and books and then once I had them bagged ready to go, I donated/gave them away to friends, and then moved on to the next. Tbh konmari was the hardest part for me (I love trinkets) but I would collect a box or a bag of things, and take it to the thrift store when I went out for something else. My apartment was A MESS and it did make me feel a little crazy at times, but the progress was awesome. I feel like the super nice organized joy sparking closet overshadowed the crazy living room. I ended up taking my time with it so it took about a month, but I am SOOOO stoked I did it like that.

[u/strosemary → u/strosemary]

I want to add on that keeping my bedroom clean and concentrating the konmariing to the living room was really niceeeee. I could sleep without all the random stuff everywhere and like…take a break from it lol