Clutter Bug Infestation

There is an enormous clutter bug living in my home.  I haven’t exactly caught him in the act, but he leaves his droppings all over the house.  Room after room, I realize it must be an entire family of clutter bugs, an outright infestation.   I have found that they work very systematically to cover every available surface and fill every available cubby with stuff.  For example, I can no longer see the top of my washer and dryer and my linen closet doors won’t shut.  

I have a hard time seeing the clutter bug droppings in my home because they blend in with the décor, but I can easily spot them in someone else’s home.  If I look carefully though, I can see several clutter bug droppings in my view right now.  Christmas ribbon (in June?), a dozen or more empty CD game cases, a bucket full of dried up markers, vitamins from yesteryear, a tablecloth still in the packaging (bought on clearance though), a pile of receipts, a cell phone manual for a phone we don’t own anymore, a paint smock, poster board scraps, and 15 or so old paperbacks. I could literally go on and on. 

Well…. I have a plan.  I have declared war on the clutter bugs and they are going to have to move out (I hope).  I decided to start in the kitchen because the clutter bugs gather here regularly and it has become one of their favorite dropping zones.   Having decided to go into battle, I must first arm myself with weapons of mass clutter destruction.  One extra large trash can and lots of black trash bags… Check.  Empty boxes from the convenience store to hold items to sell or give away…. Check.   Empty laundry baskets to collect valuable items that are simply in the wrong place…Check.  And lastly, my secret weapon without which I would assuredly lose the war…. Total disregard for foolish sentimental attachments to material items which have little or no future value….. Check.  Rounding out my battle plan, I have recruited and trained an somewhat reluctant little army to share my disgust of clutter bugs. 

Battle Journal- Day 1

My soldiers are a little green, but they are learning fast.  Today we removed three large trash bags full of clutter bug droppings from the kitchen, listed two valuable items (to someone else) on Ebay.com for sale, reorganized every cupboard (some with labels), and collected two boxes of miscellaneous junk for someone else to take care of.   Clutter bug droppings are still hiding in the drawers, but we will take that battle up tomorrow.  For today, I can honestly say the win goes to me and my little army.

Many battles lie ahead. I must keep my focus.  Someday, I will hold my head up high and declare victory.  Though my army tires easily and my husband has retreated to the yard, his white t-shirt gently fluttering in the breeze, I am resolute.