Ultimate Feng Shui declutter list, Part 2

                                                               

                                                     BATHROOM  

              We forget the important role our bathroom has in our lives, we start and end our days there, it can define the quality of our entire day, it only depends on how practical and comfortable we set  it up.

      It’s not easy to keep, a room you use on a daily basis, nice and clean, no matter how hard you try, somehow clutter still finds a way around you. So every once in a while, obviously, as your time allows, go to through your bathroom, if you make a habit of it, it will eventually save you a lot of time, it takes a minute to throw out that empty bottle, instead of leaving it in the shower, to trip over it the next time.

        Start with taking  everything out from everywhere, from all the baskets, drawers, cupboards, bins, boxes, lay them out so you can see how much of everything you own, it makes a lot easier to throw stuff out, when you have 
a massive pile in front of you.

 -throw  away immediately bottles of shampoo, lotion, soap, that are expired, or have less than one use in them.

-Honestly, when was the last time you used a sample? Besides perfume 
samples, they are a great way to try out new perfumes. You should throw out all of them (or give someone who can use  them, I used to give hair products to a friend of mine who’s a hairdresser) well if you love to use them above anything else, than go ahead and use them, but if they are just laying in some basket, than say goodbye to them, they’re taking up precious space from you.

• If you have your medicine cabinet in here, then clear it as well, from all expired pills, the prescription ones you don’t need anymore, believe me, for your next flu you’ll receive totally different ones.
• Rusty razors, I’m sure you won’t use them anymore .
• The  make up brushes you wouldn’t touch your face with, are no longer worth keeping.
• Old make up, just like with anything else in your life, you have to be able to grow and change, as the trends are. Get some you ones, try out different styles, you can have your makeup  done in many places, so your able to see, which ones are good for your skin tone, and which  go with your eyes.
• Hair styling products, sprays and lotions, as well as old hairbrush, hairdryer. If something’s broken and can’t be fixed , out with it.
• Kids bath toys that they don’t play with anymore, they can get real fast moldy and disgusting.  
• As you go through  your toiletries , put them in different piles, shampoos, makeups, lotions,first aid items, it will be easier to store them in a group, and it will surely make your everyday easier, knowing what from where to grab.
• If you desire a stress free shower or bath time, have only those toiletries in your shower that you actually use, I personally find it stressful to be looking for your shampoo like your looking for needles in a haystack, because you have  everything on one tiny shelf.      
•  Some of the main Feng Shui principles regarding the bath room, the good old ,keep the door and toilet lid closed, because there flows the energy away, but it’s deeper message is more than that.

For starters, there is no corner on the Bagua, where the bathroom is welcomed in Feng Shui, although is a necessity, that can be left out from any house,  no matter where it is located within the house It will drain energy.

Don’t try to wake the Bagua area, subduing won’t help either, it  could even make thing worst, this doesn’t means you close the door and leave it as it is, you do have to make sure your bathroom has consistent energy flow.

Might sound like an old record, but keeping the doors closed, will stop the 
energy from flowing down the drain.

Creating a bathroom environment where all the five elements meet, will give you the feeling you are actually in a spa,  a relaxing , rejuvenating place to go after a long day.

The bathroom it self, representing the element of water, that cleans and purifies.

Add some candles, as the element of fire, the fire that touches  your soul gently, and cleans the energy of the bathroom. Having wooden furniture, what most bathrooms do, the energy of wood will absorb the excess of water  energy (not literally, we are talking from an energetic level of being) 

Metal brings freshness inside, the tap is from metal, so it represents the  element 

 And  Earth gives sensual relaxation and nourishment,your porcelain sink represents the element of earth, course everything what comes from earth itself, belongs to his category, the raw  material from which a sink is made, come from the earth.

Like you see, without making extra effort, you can have a bathroom, with good Feng Shui.

This post is mostly about decluttering, but in the near future I will make deeper posts about how the five elements work, and how they impact out life.

Till then, if you have   questions, make them in the comments below or through social media.

                                                                 ATTIC

          We don’t have an attic, actually we do have one, but not the kind you 
can use for storage, otherwise I’m sure it would be filled with boxes, unused clothes, old toys, worn out shoes, empty boxes of things we bought....also filled with clutter. Even though I’m aware of how damaging that is, as I live my life in the spirit of Feng shui for more than a decade.

    Somehow the attic is just that kind of place, we use it for that. I’m happy that we choose not to make it part of our living space.

It is empty, clean. The energy Qi, can flow trough, come and go as desired.

I have to admit that we do own a storage unit, where all these stuff are stored. I really have to take the time and clear that out, most of the things we haven’t used in the last 3 years, so it means I don’t even need them.

Anyway. If you use your attic for storage, pay attention, so it would not grow over your head,

Once a year take the time to review, and declutter your attic.

• Store everything in plastic boxes, you can find them in nearly every Home Depot, so you can see right away what’s in the box, no need to waste time searching for anything.
• Put a label on every box whit the exact time and date you have  opened it, those you barley open, need a closer look, if you store your most precious memories in it, than it’s ok to keep, otherwise say goodbye to it.
• Your seasonal decorations  like Christmas ornaments, or Halloween,  and easter, need to be stored organized , so at the time you put them in their boxes, sort them out, only put away those which you can use the next season. And in that way nothing will ruin your holiday spirit, when you start decorating.
• You probably have leftover paint from the last time you renovated something around your house, but you should throw out dried out paint, and any leftover you won’t ever need.The tiles, or tapestry you saved, to change a broken one, keep them , it might come handy if indeed need a change, but as you changed your tapestry and tiles, throw out the old saved pieces and save a few from the new model you have placed.
• Trough out the whole decluttering process, you should avoid taking everything to the attic, what  should be thrown out. Only those objects should be stored there, you use over and over again, like I mentioned, seasonal decoration, Holliday outfits, grow out clothing of your children, as well as toys, bedding, and furniture, should only be stored if you plan on having an other one who can wear them, and use them.                                                                                                           

The attic represents our connection with, the spiritual world. In order to 

be able to connect with this world, you need to keep your attic  organized, 

place your boxes and baskets in a way that they wouldn’t block 

the energy flow, or hinder the way of the person walking up there.

                                                           BASEMENT 

    

              Every home, every house is different. You need to declutter your  to your needs, and considering the use of the spaces.

You might have a playroom,  a man cave , a tv room, or might be using it 
only for storage solutions. The person, who the most uses this particular room, should do the clearing out process, or at least be present. Clean  methodically, just like in any other room you would.

Avoid these rooms to be a home for clutter in the future as well.

        Playroom: if you have possibility to set up a play room for your children, than let that be a playroom. Your ironing board has nothing to do there, just as well as daddy’s tools.

        Man cave: definitely your shores and handbags need to be stroked somewhere else, otherwise this is not a man cave anymore, if your intention is to have a room where your husband can hang out with his friends, consider that you actually want him to spend time there. If walking in he can’t figure out where to sit, because there are mountains of stuff need to be put away.

        Tv  room, or craft room, you name it, use it , spend quality time there,  it clean and organized,.

The basement lacks on energy, energy travels mostly upwards, if you need 

energy to come down to your basement, you need to control it, and make 
you guide it in the right direction.

                                                         LAUNDRY 

                 Our laundry is in the basement, not the perfect place for it if you 
have to run two sets of stairs, with the dirty laundry, as well with the clean ones. Not complaining at all, we were lucky enough to be able to choose 
which room where we set it up, as we bought an old house, and basically completely rebuilt it, we are still under construction in and out of the house.

    I was the one who chose that our laundry to be there, I choose the best available space for it. It was more important to  have a good situated bedroom, or a nice bright kitchen , the laundry coming in last.

I use it beside doing tons of loads of laundry, for storage as well, as we don’t have an attic.

Everything in clear boxes, on  a build in shelf; Christmas ornament, Easter decorations, Spring and Halloween decorations, costumes, masks, Seasonal clothes, all of our  user manuals....and lots more.

I do pay attention, not to store items I probably won’t use in the future, as well as manuals of electronics we don’t own anymore, I try to keep that area under review, so it doesn’t get out of control.

 As about the laundry area  itself...

The same rules apply, as for any other area of your house.

 I would only add the importance of cleaning your washing machine, for
 many that is part of their routine, and repeat it every few weeks. 

                                                         GARAGE 

The garage is the home for your car, maybe your motorcycle or bicycles.

Try to limit it to those items and their belongings, don’t store something, 
just because you don’t know what to do with it. Ask around, maybe someone needs it in your neighborhood or family and friends, try selling it, or donate to you local Red Cross office, in that way not only you make someone else 
happy, but you help yourself by getting your energy flowing.

Remember anything stashed unused forgotten, blocks the energy flow.   

    

                                                      GARDEN, AND BALCONY 

           Even though your your garden is situated outside your house, it has a deciding role, Feng Shui garden would probably need an completely new blog, so many topics around it, I will try to simplify it down for just a few lines.

Just as you did with your entire house, do it the same with your garden. 

Review, sort, and organize. 

       For some reason my husband thinks we need three or four different grills, well, try to avoid that, and talk your husband out of buying every 
season a new one,or if....than get rid of the last one!!!!

It takes up the majority of our garden, and every time we want to grill, he needs a half an hour to even find the one he wants to use.Not fun at all.

The same thought on garden equipment and furniture, if you do buy new ones than sell the old ones.  You can provide for a great atmosphere, a place you can go, have friends over, make parties, huge barbecues, a place for your children to play, in safety.

If you  have an outdoor kitchen, you proceed the same way you did with 
your indoor kitchen.

You have a veggie garden? The best thing you can possibly use your garden for, it heals your soul working in the garden, and in the same time you give something back to the nature. Consider only the smallest impact you have on your environment having your veggies at hand reach.

You won’t sit in your car to drive to the store to take something from the shelf, putting in in a plastic bag, and drive home. Your vegetables in your garden saved the ocean from a few plastic bags, and your car did not pollute our precious air, not to mention the fuel you saved, fuel for what a massive percent of our planet is already dying. Plant your own veggies, pay attention to your ecological footprint, you do want your grandchildren to have air to breathe, and an earth to live on.

                                                       HIDDEN CLUTTER 

        The most dangerous of them all, is the clutter you don’t see, nobody 
can, because it’s invisible. Yes, I’m talking about emotional clutter, all the bad memories, the pain and suffering you go through in your life are inside your soul, turning you into someone without dreams and illusions.

 You might say,- No, I definitely have nothing like that going on.- Well if you believe it, as you say it out loud than, probably you are right.

The slightest bad feeling, you are hiding within you, can tear you down , so please, let it go, don’t hang on to bad memories, to sad memories, I know 
how devastating is to lose a loved one.

It’s fine to be sad, or even angry, in such a case, totally normal to grieve, as long as your soul finds peace with the loss of that person, or pet, it’s also ok to be sad every time you think of them, because you miss them, you miss how happy they used to make you; what’s not ok, is to hang on bad memories, or to think I should have done this or that, you can’t possibly change the past, what is done is done, apologize if you can, try on making it up to however you hurt, and move on.                  

           The worst you can do to your life is to be stuck in the past, you have to live in the present, and always plan for the future, imagine it, plan it,  to be better, more beautiful, more peaceful than your past, and so it will be.

           Take a deep breath , and let everything go, and stay positive . 🕉Lara

I will link here some YouTube videos to give you some inspiration and motivation. They are from a blogger called Emily Norris, she makes lots of cleaning and decluttering videos, and a lot more mommy videos. She’s lovely, and very positive, ignore you like her videos, check out her channel as well.


Garage decluttering video
https://www.facebook.com/everydaywithfs/
Closet cleaning, and decluttering, Con Mari 

Natural cleaning supplies