Wish me luck! I'm doing the Marie Kondo cleanout this week - as much as I can

[TVRodriguez]

So I finally read the first book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. (Huge waiting list at library, even after so long.) I had read about her method and had thought I'd "done" my clothes, but after reading the book this weekend I realized I hadn't done it completely.

Yesterday I cleaned out my clothes. Wow, I had a lot more than I realized. Four and a half hours later, I have a much smaller wardrobe consisting only of things I really like. I may actually need to buy some new things--I had a bunch of stuff that was not quite right and hardly ever wore (and felt bad wearing) but didn't want to buy more b/c I "already had" clothes. So that's one category down. Just came back from goodwill where I deposited all of the stuff that wasn't actual trash. I even thanked each item! hahaha

Today I'm attacking books (it's Monday). I took the week off work (the kids are in their last week of summer day camp and have next week off, when I'll stay home with them--I took next week off, too) so I have the daytime to work on this project this week. We'll see how far I get. I'm not doing other family member's items, just my own (and some of DH's as he allows me). My daughter has asked me to work on her stuff with her, and I plan to help her with that next week.

Anyhow, wish me luck! I'm excited to clean house. :cool:

[razz]

Wish you lots of luck on getting ahead on this project!

LOL!!! I can relate to the "I may actually need to buy some new things--I had a bunch of stuff that was not quite right and hardly ever wore (and felt bad wearing) but didn't want to buy more b/c I "already had" clothes." It is amazing how much we hang on to things - shoes in my case. I have some but they really are uncomfortable but I won't buy any more because I have these.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Keeping old things that one doesn't use preventing new shopping would seem to be a strong argument in favor of keeping those old things.

[beckyliz]

Yes, you may need to buy some new things, but I think you'll find that you'll be much more particular going forward when you do go shopping. I was able to get rid of a lot of paper files that I thought were necessary. They're not. I could probably pare down more! Good luck, TVR!

[TVRodriguez]

Thanks for the nice comments!

razz, I definitely will need at least a few new things but there are few things I dislike more than shopping. One thing I know I need is more underwear - I was wearing ones with holes! Probably over a decade old. Oy.

ApatheticNoMore, I can see your point. But it's definitely time for a few new things.

beckyliz, I'm in the midst of working on paper and can see how I will really pare down here! It's quite exciting.

I got through books yesterday and today, and I am about halfway through papers. That should be done tomorrow. I got rid of bags and bags of books. I used to think I'd never want to do that bc I love books, but I still have plenty of them. And now they're all ones I actually like. Not ones I thought I should like and then hung onto in the hope that I'd finally get through them. One of these was The Hoarder in You, which I had started but could never finish. Gone. Ahhh. That's better.

[TVRodriguez]

Okay, taking a lunch break on this fourth day of decluttering. . . .

Still working on papers. It's taking longer than I thought. I am getting rid of a LOT, but the slowdown comes in part b/c I can't throw everything out, since some things must be shredded (imho, things with birthdates and social security numbers). I have a pretty good shredder, but it can only do so much at once (and I don't want to overheat it). So I've been trying to sort the papers into "toss" and "shred" but that can take time b/c I have to scan each page in a packet, for example, even though I know I want to get rid of the whole packet of papers. Ah well, it's time well spent, I think, and I'm making much progress. I actually moved the outdoor recycle bin (I think it's a 96 gallon bin) to be right in front of the front door so I can open the door and dump out the shredder every so often. The bin is nearly half full, and I've a ways to go. I only have a two drawer file cabinet that I've cleaned out periodically, but so much of this is obviously unnecessary!

We'll see if I have the heart to discard my class notes from law school. Or maybe I'll leave that to the "mementos" section that comes later in the process.

Okay, back to it!

[razz]

Wait until you have to decide when to discard all the awards and diplomas that you accumulate over your life. I finally decided to remove the ones that I really treasured, gave way the frames and left the paper diplomas in my filing cabinet. Class notes went out the door after about 40 years but it was a difficult decision. So much info had changed so that made it easier. This would not necessarily be true for you though.

What was really hard was the history of each real estate property that DH and I bought over the years.

[Teacher Terry]

A few years ago I threw away all the awards, etc. I also took the diplomas out of the frames, etc. I did keep my thesis, dissertation, etc because those were bound into hardcover books. Years ago I had all my class notes, etc from 3 degrees but when we were moving across the country that spurred me to throw they away as we only had so much space to take stuff. I never was sorry. A year ago after I got rid of much of what was in my closet I did buy some new clothes to fill in and now I love what I have and actually wear it. My undies and socks were in such bad shape that I took them and then threw them away as I wore them.

[TVRodriguez]

razz and Teacher Terry, I did end up throwing out some awards . . . from as long ago as 3rd grade! I seriously had kept my award for first place in the Christmas nativity scene diorama contest. Oy. I found a note to my mom from my kindergarten teacher, saying I was doing well. My admission letter from the Ivy League school I chose not to attend due to cost. My SAT scores, AP scores, GRE scores, LSAT score, report cards going back to way too long ago. I looked at them and let them go. Well, most of them. I tossed the horrible poetry I wrote in high school. I kept the well-written papers from high school and college and the legal memos from my summer jobs in law school. I am genuinely happy to have them. I went from a full milk-crate to a single hanging file folder for my old school papers.

As for regular papers, my two drawer file cabinet that was stuffed is now 3/4 empty. And it now holds that single hanging file along with current paperwork. The bottom drawer is about to be filled with old tax returns, which I do keep. I had been keeping them in a separate cabinet for lack of space, but now they can all go in the file cabinet! Fantastic.

And DH is quite impressed. His quiet encouragement and support is really lovely. I had been thinking this was a bit of a vanity project, but now I think it's really helpful for my whole family. Thanks for your support, too! I'm loving this process. I love what I'm keeping. This is awesome.

[TVRodriguez]

Papers = done!

[Teacher Terry]

wow you did a great job!! It does feel good to get rid of all the paper. A few years ago I got motivated when the closet in my office was full of papers,e tc and my son and DIL were moving in for a year. I wanted to give them that closet so I put all that junk in my MB bathtub and on the floor, etc. I was motivated to deal with it because I was looking at it every time I used the bathroom.

[ejchase]

I'm so inspired to hear about your progress, TVRodriguez.

I can't even read Marie Kondo's book yet because I'm at a stage where it's too overwhelming to gather all my books or all my clothes. I have pretty serious hoarding tendencies so am just at the stage of trying to get rid of the piles of totally disorganized clutter that sit all over my house. I have thought, though, that I could maybe use her method on my sock drawer. I could handle holding each pair of my socks, determining whether each sparks joy, and saying goodbye to those that don't. :)

That said, I totally get what you said about getting rid of clothes you didn't love and making space for new ones you will buy. One of the things that all this decluttering stuff has taught me is that really, we all have relatively little space for the stuff in our lives, so the stuff we have should be stuff we love. And this isn't true just of our material goods, but I think also true of our work and relationships. By all means, get rid of everything that we can't authentically appreciate. I'm not suggesting we drop friends and family who are imperfect because we all are, but just that we not spend a lot of our time and energy on things that are not truly meaningful and/or joyful for us.

I also totally get what you're saying about how what you're doing is great for your family. It is. I know my clutter issues have had a negative impact on my relationships and when I work on them, it's benefitted those relationships too.

I really do think all of this is more than "just cleaning." There's a spiritual element to it too. It's about deciding what is most important to us in our lives and letting go of the rest. And that process requires that we ask a lot of big questions about who we are.

Great job!

[catherine]

I'm really impressed, also--particularly for tackling the papers/awards, etc. I am a paper hoarder to the extent that I would find it really, really difficult to throw out the little notes from daycare about my son, or my old college transcripts, or letters to and from my mother when I lived on Abbey Road in London my junior year of college.

What has helped keep my memorabilia under control are the periodic basement floods we've had over the years! I had to throw out my high school scrapbook and a couple of photo albums, etc. after that, and I found that life does go on.

I keep thinking that a good middle ground would be to scan all this paper, and/or send all my kids' stuff to them and let them keep it or throw it out.

[Teacher Terry]

I would ask your kids first if they want it. They probably don't and then you can throw it away. My kids didn't but they do want the photo albums when I die.

[19Sandy]

I actually have started the Spark Joy method with other things than clothing. I think clothes are more difficult to me than other stuff. In the autumn, going though clothes will be easier IMO.

Socks - I have been pulling one sock over into the other since I was a toddler, and that is a lot of years. I am trying to get over that habit.

I have tried the folding thing on some things though, and I am not very good at it. Maybe, it is because my clothing is much larger than most Japanese clothing?

I am not sure I want to fold all of my slacks into rectangles either.

Keeping only the things you love makes sense (with a few exceptions).

I wish my digital camera worked to take photos of my progress. I don't have a fancy phone that takes photos either.

Anyway, last night I dreamed about living somewhere that doesn't have winter weather. I love wearing sweaters, but want away from snow!

[19Sandy]

Not motivated to discard today, maybe tomorrow!

[TVRodriguez]

On the clothes thing: I definitely did what worked for me instead of following exactly. I hang up my dress slacks and my nicer shirts instead of folding them. But now I have a lot fewer of them and they all fit and have no holes or stains. It's glorious. I am folding the socks though. That's easy enough.

If clothes are too sentimental then maybe start elsewhere or break down in smaller categories. I do find the categories thing helpful.

One funny thing is that the trash can was too full and heavy from all the paper. The garbage truck couldn't lift it! I had to take some bags out. Hahaha, so be warned!

I'd like to respond to each of you but the kids are home this week and I have just a minute before I have to get back to them.

[Teacher Terry]

I have a huge walk in closet so I hung most of our clothes instead of folding. I think the Japanese lack closet space. I have a lot of empty space for hanging too.

[19Sandy]

When I worked in a dysfunctional retail place, we would get these planograms to arrange clothing on shelving. The dingbats never considered that larger clothing sizes required more space. There is no way to fold a man's T-shirt for a 4 X-large and put it in the same space as a small. Ditto for women's plus-size vs. junior size clothing. We were always getting written up for NOT following the planogram but it was impossible to follow it.

I would think a woman in Japan probably wears the tiniest shirt size like we got in Junior clothing. In most cases, it was middle school (age 11 through 14) who bought those.

The reality is that most of us are bigger in every way, and I can't imagine folding my shirts into tiny rectangles or my slacks.

I tried with towels though and it was a space saver. Keep in my mind that I have some bath sheets to fit me rather than regular towels.

I bet that towels and washcloths are smaller in Japan too.

It stopped raining, so I took stuff to the dumpster, and I remembered to express gratitude for its service to me.

[Sloeginfizz]

It is still possible to do the Konmari folding with larger sizes. I am plus size and fold most of my clothes into the rectangles. I can't do it quite like her directions. I had to adapt some folds to get my clothes into tidy rectangles but it works. I hang my dresses, skirts, cardigans and a few tops. My swim wear and some bulky sweaters would not be coaxed into rectangles no matter what. Everything else is folded and stored vertically.

[19Sandy]

I got nearly no sleep last night due to conflama in my neighborhood. After returning home, more stuff going on.

Anyway, decluttered the bathroom and have the wastebasket under the sink in the cabinet to clear floor space.

I have to wash the walls of the bathroom due to mold again (building siding and roof leaks), and I can't fix it since I don't own it.

Bought a new shower curtain for 3 dollars to replace the moldy one. I really don't want to because I want to move but mold isn't healthy. I will scrub what I an see but can't replace a roof or siding.

Hope to declutter some more soon but too tired right now.

The more I get rid of the easier a move will be when the universe makes it possible.

[freshstart]

TVRodriguez, you made me lol about getting rid of the Hoarder in You unread. Way to go! You've made a lot of progress. You're motivating me to go through my stuff again.

Has anyone read the second book?

[19Sandy]

I currently have the first and second book from the library. The second book is very similar to the first book but goes into more depth, especially about folding techniques. I have reread both of them and kind of have mixture of the information in my brain.

[freshstart]

thanks, I'm going to read it

[19Sandy]

Let me know what you think about after you read it.

I didn't do much today but basic cleaning because the temperature dropped about 45 degrees so I took time to get outside at our park along with everyone else in my county that has stayed inside during the hot and humid weather.

And, I was able to turn off the a/c! My electric bill for July is awful.

[TVRodriguez]

TVRodriguez, you made me lol about getting rid of the Hoarder in You unread. Way to go! You've made a lot of progress. You're motivating me to go through my stuff again.

Has anyone read the second book?

Thanks, freshstart, glad to make you chuckle. I laughed at that one, too. I just posted a bit of an update on the other thread, but I'm really loving it. I'm a bit stalled on the discarding b/c I'm back to work after my break, but I'm at least getting better about not bringing more stuff INTO the house (eg, kids' unnecessary school papers, refusing to take more hand-me-downs from friends' kids). As I said there, I haven't read the second book. I'm mid "komono" section, though, and I feel good about where my clothes are and how they're hung or folded, so I don't feel the need for that extra info at the moment.

Actually, now that I am thinking of clothes, one thing I always had an issue with was where to put clothes that were not dirty but had been worn once. I hated to put them back in the closet/drawer b/c they weren't fully clean, but I hated to put them in the laundry unnecessarily. So I used to end up with a pile of sort-of-clean clothes on a chair or top of a short bookcase.

As I read the book, I noted the difference between my 1950s house semi-walk-in (but small) closet and a typical Japanese closet with sliding doors (based on her description and on a google image search). Now, in my closet, I have a back wall where I have some hooks in between the two sets of rods (one rod on the left for me and one on the right for DH). I used to use the back wall hooks to store all my pajamas. Now I use them only for pajamas or other clothes temporarily--to air them out. So now, no more small pile on top of a chair or short bookcase! My room is staying clean! It's lovely.

[19Sandy]

I got another surge of energy and filled up another bag with junk to toss.

Got an old lamp base that has sat in a closet forever, I buy a new lamp cheaper than rewiring the thing and buying a new shade.

I am started to see the wide open spaces - so I need to find my Dixie Chicks CD.

I also have an old empty dresser that need to go but I am using it for sorting through stuff now (the top of it).

I have empty cardboard boxes to toss.

I rearranged stuff in totes and ended up with one empty to use for something.

Once I find a consignment shop for the clothing, then it will really clear out. Of course, if I drop 40 pounds, I could wear some of the stuff.

I probably won't have more time for discarding for at least a week.

I have stuff things back into the closet so it won't be a mess.

But, I am making serious progress!:)

[Teacher Terry]

Sandy, you are doing an awesome job! I have a huge, beautiful porcelain doll and was waiting for the right opportunity to get rid of it. today I was reading the newspaper and a local group needs items for their silent auction so I will take her to them tomorrow. I have slowly been disposing of my entire doll collection this way. I love to see them being used for a good cause. Right now I have 2 left that I am keeping but you never know when I may change my mind.

[TVRodriguez]

Reviving my own thread to pop in and say: I got through two more categories in the komono items. I did CDs/DVDs and linen (sheets and towels).

My library copy of the second book (Spark Joy) came up, and I read it. It definitely kickstarted me again. In looking around my house, I am glad to say that the categories that I sorted over the summer are staying in remarkably good shape. No one will mistake my home for a minimalist home, but it's still better than it was!

[Teacher Terry]

After cleaning over a period of time I too have maintained. When I bring something in something goes out. Also I did towels/sheets before my friends came to stay here this summer. I got rid of all the old linens and bought 2 new sets of sheets for our bed and 2 sets for the guest bed. I kept one set for the RV bed. I bought new towels for my guests and only kept enough old towels to wash the dogs. I love the room I now have in my linen closet. When things are neat/orderly it is so much easier to keep it that way. I do not want a minimalist home because they are too sterile for me but it sure has made my life easier by paring down. I can clean so much faster and I like the way it looks.

[TVRodriguez]

You're right, Teacher Terry--t is faster to clean up and put things away when they get cluttered. I can clean up our front room in minutes now, instead of an hour or more. And as a bonus, a friend recently noticed my efforts, telling me that our home has "a more streamlined look to it" since the summer (when I started decluttering). That was a great thing to hear!

[Teacher Terry]

My office is really small with it also being a guest room. I end up using the bed to spread papers out on because my desk is small by necessity. Then I clean it off when we will have company. This is one area I have not found a great solution as I use these papers when I grade, etc. TVR: sounds like you have found a great balance for your LR.

[TVRodriguez]

I don't see anything wrong with you using the bed as a staging area when needed and clearing it off when it's needed as a bed. That's kind of what happens in my front living room, since it is a living area, has a dining table that I use as a desk when I work at home, and it has our office stuff, too. Multipurpose is what I prefer over having a separate room. Plus I don't have a separate room :)

[Teacher Terry]

so after reading this I get motivated and clean my messy, dirty office. I also went through things again and found 2 large garbage bags to take to the thrift store. Everytime I think I have no more stuff I find some. I also have 100 scarfs I made for the homeless so will take them too since it is cold here. At one point my entire closet in my office was empty as I got rid of all the stuff. Now it is full again but it is stuff I use so now handy to get to.

[frugalone]

I really need to go through a desk drawer. It is so loaded with paper I can hardly get anything into it. And I swear, I clean this thing out every now and then. I am probably keeping far too many receipts, bank statements, etc. I find it very difficult to get rid of papers. The other day I tossed a bunch of term papers (and I graduated in 2001).

[TVRodriguez]

Hurrah, Teacher Terry! Wow, 100 scarves! What a great time of year to find those to donate. Excellent result of your motivation. And congrats on the two bags of stuff to take, too.

frugalone, papers are tough. One of the issues I have with papers is that I prefer to shred anything that has a birthdate, ssn, or account number on it, and that takes time and the shredder can overheat. Congrats on getting rid of the term papers!

[Teacher Terry]

I decided to donate to a new place this year and when I got there to ask the guy in charge of the dining hall if he would mind giving out the scarfs he said on xmas day they have a table full of items for people to take like hygiene things and he would give them out then. This place serves 1600 people on holidays and one of the casino brings all the food and it is the same food that is served in their buffet. They rely on volunteers to serve the people like a sit down restaurant. I actually want to do that on one of the holidays. They are open everyday of the week for lunch and dinner. When I learned to knit about 7 years ago all I could make was scarves. After I made them for everyone I knew, etc I ran out of people to make them for and then thought of the homeless. I try to have 100 every year. Some years are better then others as now I am making afghans for my family and now some of my friends want one too and of course that is a much bigger project. My son was teasing me about making scarfs for the homeless when I first started and said I should have labels made. He was just making fun of me. I said what a great idea. So I ordered labels that said "Handmade with Love by Terry."

[Teacher Terry]

I was just thinking back to when my Mom told me that during the depression she only had 2 dresses. So she would hand wash one dress for school and wear the other. I guess that is why old houses don't have many closets. The whole block shared 1 phone and 1 car. I can't even begin to imagine what that was like.

[Tybee]

Terry, that is lovely about the scarves and the label. What a nice thing for someone to find.

[Teacher Terry]

Thanks you guys:)) It is a win-win because I like to knit at night while I watch TV and they are going to a good cause.

[19Sandy]

If you look on the 1930 census records, a lot of people were living in one house and that continued into the 1940 census. You see a lot of boarders. My grandparents living in the Great Depression and they remained thrifty, saving metal soup cans and such.

[TVRodriguez]

I had a productive decluttering weekend. I cleaned out the kitchen! All but the food. I went through glassware, dishes, eating utensils, cooking utensils, bakeware, cookware, food storage, and cleaning supplies. Hurrah! I was on my feet a LOT on Saturday, when I did the bulk of the work. I have bags of stuff on my dining table waiting to be given away to goodwill.

I decided to give away all the margarita glasses (two sets that I mentioned earlier on this or another thread), the flour sifter I got for my bridal shower but never use, tops to pots I no longer have, some plastic dishes that a friend gave me for my oldest when he was a toddler but which we never use, another "cute" dish that was a baby shower present that I never liked, extra corkscrews, pizza cutter and spatula (too big for cake), plastic cups that were kids' birthday party favors that my kids never use, etc, etc. I moved some machines (bread machine, ice cream maker) that I use occasionally from the top of the fridge to a high shelf. Now the fridge only has extra cereal boxes on it and a large bottle of vinegar that doesn't fit in the cabinet. I made sure to allow DH time to peruse everything b/c he uses different things than I do to cook and I didn't want to toss anything he wanted to keep.

The kitchen feels a LOT better and is much easier to clean already. I could have stuffed the remaining cooking utensils into the two drawers, but I kept the canisters (2) I had on the counter b/c we prefer to have them close to hand rather than sort through a crowded drawer--both drawers are now organized and not stuffed.

I actually don't have a ton of food to sort--we have a small pantry--but I should just do it and get the whole kitchen sorted. I sorted the canned goods and the cereals and breads already, so that's a start.

And I managed to fit in one-on-one time with each of my kids, plus Sunday mass and a birthday party, a barbecue at our house, food shopping, and helping with homework. Whew.

[Lainey]

wow, TVRodriguez, that's a super productive weekend. Good for you and your DH!

[19Sandy]

I haven't reached the having nothing on my countertop stage but having less clutter makes it easier to cook and swipe those counters.

[razz]

Another WOW! Well done!

wow, TVRodriguez, that's a super productive weekend. Good for you and your DH!

[TVRodriguez]

Thanks, Lainey and razz. I was so productive over the weekend that Monday was sort of a too-pooped-to-pop day and I got very little done at work. Hahaha. Oh well.

19Sandy, I agree. Less clutter on the counters really makes it easier and faster to clean up. And less-full canisters makes it easier to quickly pick them up one-handed to wipe underneath them.

A friend is picking out a few things she might want from my kitchen discards and then I'll be free to bring them all to goodwill.

I'm also sending to my sister an All-Clad pan that we never use. The shipping will cost less than a new one and she likes this pan, so that will be better than goodwill.

[Teacher Terry]

I don't understand how people have nothing on their countertops. I sure don't want to dig the toaster and coffeepot out of the cupboard daily to use it.

[19Sandy]

I am not sure putting a toaster away is a good idea for me since I use it each day and the heating elements get hot and stay hot for awhile. I do think some people have too much on their countertops.

In other news, I am way behind my goals in getting the MK thing done. Just been too too busy.

Plus the holidays and cold weather are zapping my energy. Too much stress.

I know I have more stuff to get rid of but just am not feeling motivated right now.

[Chicken lady]

I have very small countertops. The dish drainer (which is often full) and coffee maker stay out all the time, but the toaster goes in and out of the closet every weekday morning and sometimes at other times. It is light and box shaped and not attractive. Also the optimal space to use it is in my prime food prep zone.

[19Sandy]

Back when I was younger and cared about makeup, I would have to search (and pay for) products that would not irritate my extremely sensitive skin.

So I am cleaning out a drawer, and found dial a lash - and according to google (if it is right), it was discontinued in about 2002! It was the only mascara that I could use!

Then I have some Physician's formula eye shadow that is old.

I got to toss this stuff because you shouldn't use makeup that is older than six months to three years (depending on what it is).

[frugalone]

Oh gosh, I remember Dial a Lash! I have some lipsticks that should probably go. They're Calvin Klein brand, which was discontinued ages ago. I admit I don't throw out makeup when I'm "supposed to," except for eye makeup, which I have totally stopped using anyway.


Back when I was younger and cared about makeup, I would have to search (and pay for) products that would not irritate my extremely sensitive skin.

So I am cleaning out a drawer, and found dial a lash - and according to google (if it is right), it was discontinued in about 2002! It was the only mascara that I could use!

Then I have some Physician's formula eye shadow that is old.

I got to toss this stuff because you shouldn't use makeup that is older than six months to three years (depending on what it is).

[TVRodriguez]

Chicken Lady, I'm impressed with the toaster situation at your house! My counters are divided into three sections, and they still have 1) the toaster, the coffee maker, and the espresso machine; 2) one canister for cooking utensils, one canister for DH's immersion blender that he uses daily and that's plugged right into the wall outlet next to the canister, and 3) the insta-pot, a small stack of Christmas CDs in current rotation on my space-saving undercabinet CD player/radio, and a stack of paper plates. This is my "uncluttered" look! Imagine how it was when it was cluttered. The dish drain sits in the left side of our sink.

frugalone and 19Sandy, I applaud you for getting rid of old makeup! I used to keep tons of it, and I now keep two small main bags (one with BB cream and eye stuff and one with my two lip items), which I can toss in my purse if I want to. I also have two other bags that stay in my bathroom cabinet. One has my brushes, and one has my backup stuff and mineral makeup. I tossed my old mascara over the summer and have yet to buy a new one. Finding that I don't miss it at all--although my eyelash curler gets daily use!

[TVRodriguez]

Oh, and I got rid of a lot of toys today! I suppose I should update that on the other thread. I haven't gone through everything yet, though, so there may be more to go.

[Chicken lady]

This is my kitchen surface, left to right, as is - I've been baking most of the day:

12" section by door that has to be cleared every evening in order to act as a morning staging area for lunches etc. Dh first, then me after he leaves. Currently covered with pizza stones and bakeware normally stored in the oven.

stove top

18" section holding coffee grinder, half a bottle of wine from last night, and bottle of olive oil. Cleared regularly as this is where bowls go when we are cooking and the coffee roaster goes every night to roast coffee.

corner area holding cutting block under cookie jar, block of knives, and basket of alliums

28" stretch - the coffee maker lives at the left of this, the rest is currently covered in dirty dishes.

double sink full of dirty dishes

Corner area holding dish drainer (full), three sweet potatoes (raw), and two large bowls of fruit

4' stretch currently covered in cooling racks, baked items, and more dirty dishes - this is where I do food prep, cool stuff, strain milk every morning, pile groceries when I come home, set out food to serve "family style", drop mail, etc.

[19Sandy]

My apartment doesn't have a lot of counter space and since I am the only one here, it doesn't get too cluttered. I do have the toaster sitting out. Well, I don't have a lot of cabinets either. If I cook a lot, then I have to set dishes on the counter to dry too. That being said, I don't know how some people cook when their countertops are covered but that is what I have seen with some folks. Of course it is different when you have a lot of people in one home.