Fluff the Nest Friday: The Great Summer Cleanout and the One Year Rule.

Happy Friday, friends! The kids and I have been chipping away at our summer cleanout list and we follow one simple rule. A year after my husband and I were married, I cleaned out our whole house–all 1292 square feet of it–and was shocked at how much we’d accumulated in that little house in just a year’s time. I then made up the “One Year Rule” which I still follow. If we haven’t used it or worn it in the last year, it has to go! Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule like my wedding dress, the children’s keepsakes, special china and dishes, etc. But I’m talking about the stuff that is supposed to be the everyday stuff that just isn’t getting used like the kitchen gadget we forgot about, that shirt that never fit right, toys that a kid has outgrown. Ya know.

Summer Cleanout

Here’s what we’ve done so far:

Kitchen– All cabinets, drawers, fridge, pantry, school shelf and cabinet, wipe cabinets

Dining Room–Wedding stuff on the table, butler’s closet

Coffee/Tea Room—cabinets, drawers, mini fridge

Bedrooms–closets, drawers, bookshelves, toys, desks

Bathrooms–cabinets, drawers

Laundry room–cabinets, craft carts

Attic–school storage, misc.

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And here’s what’s left to do:

Attic–seasonal decorations and clothes

Garage–EVERYTHING! (saving for Labor Day weekend)

All rooms–windows, blinds, baseboards, light fixtures, wash drapes

Pumpkin loves a good cleaning project as much as I do and positions herself nearby so she’s ready to claim an empty shelf before I can get the stuff back in there.

My butler’s closet had become an absolute wreck! I got rid of everything stained, faded, torn, dated, or broken. Oh, you might be wondering why there is a pinata on the top shelf, lol! Well, we are getting ready to host a Mexican fiesta graduation party for a friend next week and I’m trying to keep that pinata away from the cats!

It’s crazy that I would take a photo of a drawer, but honestly it just feels so good to get something clean that I’m always tempted to capture the moment.

My favorite in the whole house: the tea drawer!!

I’ve already taken one vanload of stuff to our charity thrift store, and I’ll soon be taking another one. Ahh, the relief!

This cleaning out project was long overdue! We had an incredibly busy spring with school, soccer, and wedding so the clutter had gotten pretty bad. I don’t know about you but having my spaces clean and organized puts such a happy spring in my step! Cooking is more fun, laundry is more fun, getting ready in the morning is more fun. And I keep going back to the pantry or a closet or drawer just to look inside and see how lovely it is! Anyone else? Now that the organizing is almost done, it’s time to get back to regular house cleaning. Today I’ll tackle the floors and dusting.

I hope you all have a great weekend!