It’s time for some more household organisation, as I have been concentrating on some Digital Organising recently, the last household decluttering was in February when I dealt with a Toiletry Overload. As I explained last week, I had a bit of an Organising Breakdown recently, mainly due to a problem with communication. But I am now back on track and about to tackle the big cupboard in the corridor.
This cupboard has had many uses. Several years ago, before er built the proper kitchen area in the living room, the corridor area served as a kitchenette, and this cupboard contained a microwave and some crockery. Slowly it has become I am afraid to say a bit of a dumping ground for things without a home. So it has become the time to give this space some purpose and to be honest I couldn’t have done a lot of this without my Reaching Aid.
Creating a Plan
Spares and Replacement
The first thing I did was sat down and thought about what I needed from this space. The first thing was obvious I needed somewhere to put spares. We don’t have a lot of space, but when possible, I prefer to bulk-buy stuff on offer. In a similar was I hate running out of essentials like tissues and washing up liquid. So when the last gets opened, I order the replacement. So one shelf will be given over to spares.
Tools
Michael got a couple of cordless power tools for Christmas, and they have nowhere to live. The current tool provision is a small drawer in amongst my crafting drawers. This space has been sufficient for things like a tape measure and some command hooks, but it won’t cut it for the new tools on the block, so one of the shelves needs to be given over to tools.
Cleaning Gadgetry
Now we have swapped our heavy full vacuum cleaner for a smaller handheld one (with a floor extension) the rest of out cleaning gadgets like the steam cleaner and window Vac should be able to fit onto one shelf together, so I plan to allow one rack for these.
Sewing
My lovely sewing machine which I have to confess gets a little bit neglected is currently residing underneath the desk, thankfully it has a dust cover so all should be well. It deserves to have a proper home, so I think I should give the final space to both the sewing machine and the various bits and pieces that go with it.
Clearing the Space with the Reaching Aid
If you are new here, I need to explain at this point that I have Fibromyalgia. A project like this is going to take me a while to complete, so I have allowed four weeks to do it in, one shelf per week. Although I may be able to do one rack in a day, it takes a lot (or several spoons in spoonie speak) out of me so when I do a physical job like this I need some simpler days after it. As well as the energy required to tackle the project I also need some material support to do it and that is where the Reaching Aid (Amazon Affiliate) comes in. I decided to start with the second shelf down because this is where the spares are going to live, and at the moment the box of spares is currently on a chair in the bedroom, so it appeared the most pressing need was this shelf. I managed to lift the items from the front of the shelf with no problem. Some of them were things that would be going back on there once I organised it, but I’ll admit, I produced half a bag of rubbish as I gradually emptied items off. As I progressed toward the back of the space, I needed to use my Reaching Aid to grab and pull objects closer. If something was too big to grip with the grabber, I just used it as a simple stick to push the item. Once I had an empty shelf, the Reaching Aid came into its own again to get the place clean.
Gaining a home for my spares
Finally, once I had a rest after all the organising and cleaning it was time to put the items on the shelf that were going to live there. I decided to keep all the kitchen bits and pieces, for instance, the water jug filters and the bin liners in the “temporary” plastic box. If there is one thing I have learnt, it is easier to keep things clean in containers – obvious I know really. So I can proudly present the first organised shelf.
If you are struggling with your housework, I can genuinely recommend this Reaching Aid from NRS Healthcare it has over a thousand reviews and has been Awarded the Amazon Choice for the product.
Next Wednesday I will be back to update you on the progress of the second shelf. In the meantime, don’t forget about my Fibromyalgia update on Friday and my crafty news on Monday.
If you are considering purchasing a reaching aid, I will be happy to answer any of your questions below.
Until next time,
Gentle Hugs,
Susan
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