Hi again :)

Yeah, the only thing you can do is wait to see what's really up with that storage.

So upsetting about the other people suffering because of her stuff in their home.
I really want them to be free of it all.

Tillie

Lifetime to get rid of it all. You got it. The only reason I give her plans lip service is so has incentive even if a dream to at least get her stuff out of other's house.

I think the issue on the storage is that management hasn't addressed water/leak issues yet focusing entirely on outside. They started work on new roofs for several units and have more to do. Probably lowest bidders to because of the slow pace of the work including less lighting due to electric work for roofing I think. Should be done by years end. Next year is probably when they'll start inside and/or work on other issues. This is probably why she might be getting slack. This is fresh news and will wait to see how it plays out. I will say her mood was too calm when she told me this.

Hello again :)

Even if they were able to do all the things they plan to do with all their stuff
it would take a whole other life time to do it all.

I wonder if she is fabricating the story of having another free six months at that storage or if she is now paying for storage there???
Usually new owners/management want to clean things up, reorganize and start fresh with a business.
Seems like they would want to start making profit on every unit there soon as possible.

Unless their plan is in six months time they will be demolishing existing structures and building a new complex for a different kind of business. "?"

Very hard to believe that two different business owners/managers would be willing to just give away their income like this. "?"

Oh well...
Nothing you can do about it.
Just let it go (((hug)))

Hello again Tillie

Believe me I've been trying, begging and/or suggesting she give the tools and much of the stuff away. There's a ton of thrift and consignment shops less than a mile away and/or multiple charity drop of locations less than 4 miles away She says she sold some old tools about 15-20 years ago and wants to take them to a place that might not even be in existence anymore(along with being another task and drive she'll won't be able to complete)

All her plans for her stuff aren't even practical for a much younger or healthier person let alone a disabled senior women.

And some bad news of sorts. She contacted the ex property manager in charge of her free storage units to talk to current management and they gave her at least another 6 months of free storage.(That's if she got her story straight and the ex manager still has pull because she complained all the old staff is gone on more than one occasion) But this is another indication of all the favors and enabling it took for her to do things her way. Yet she proclaims she is still independent and self sufficient not needing special attention or favors.

Hi Helprejected

I have seen some old plastic type handles/pieces/parts crumble before.
But the items were made in the early 1900s and were made out of an inferior material.
People back then didn't yet make the plastics we know today.
"Bakelite" type plastic was common but it did not stand the test of time for many uses, it dried out in certain situations.

With the handles crumbling and the metal all rusted those tools have been ruined and of no use to anyone.
What a shame she still insists on keeping all of them.

Even if a distant relative wanted them they would turn them down once they had a look at their condition.
But then I would secretly beg them to take them anyway just to get them out of the house.
They wouldn't have to keep them. ;)

Good Day Tillie

You are so right about the relatives probably wont' take those tools and other things. She can't even contact or get local distant relatives to take other stuff she insists they expressed an interest in the last time they talked-YEARS ago.

Also on the boxes of tools. She had so many tools jammed into those boxes which sat under weight for over 10 years that some plastic handles cracked/shattered. Granted they're old to begin with but I've never even seen a plastic handle tool shatter when being hammered. And found out she wiped them down with a damp cloth before putting them away the first time and wanted to do it again. Had to tell her use a dry cloth and/or light oil soaked cloth on the metal. But that's the thing she doesn't know how to use or maintain them but insists on saving/storing them.

Good Morning Helprejected

It is so frustrating to work for all those hours on such a small area.
And at the same time you can't easily just move stuff to another area while you sort it out because there is no clear area to move it to.

I'm pretty sure out of state family members won't want those old tools so she will just keep them, forever.
Good job getting them into that tool box and out of the way.

Don't be surprised by how quickly that new clear space gets stacked up.

No, the shows can't really show what all it takes for a person to sort out, clean and organize a small space.
It's a hard job both physically and mentally.
So much easier to do it with a whole crew clearing & cleaning and sorting it all out.

You did a lot of hard work and I know it is just a drop in the bucket of what all still needs to be done there.

Hello Tillie.


You get it yet again with the jamming of a lot of stuff into a small space. The shows like to show piles of trash, old appliances etc but don't show how long it takes to go through, clean or organize a small space. Especially as individuals not a show participant who can't empty the house all at once.

The falling peg board part II

Talked to her a few days later and was upset that I didn't remount the pegboard and a hook rack when I cleaned up. Told her I'd be back to properly mount it but she said she used the hooks to hang clothes as well. It only took 3 hours this time. Had to partially empty the closet again.

Noticed several things including she saved/stored alot of tools from her long deceased parent's house not knowing what they were for-boxes worth. A 3 pound plumbing wrench hanging on the board didn't help or one hook with 4 items(along with not knowing what it was for). She also accepted alot of free stuff over the years without knowledge or actual use of it. Throw in trash can 'rescues' her mountain of stuff had it's foundation.

Good news a lot of the stuff especially tools were condensed or more organized finding one mostly empty tool box which was utilized right away. She could donate alot of that stuff right away to local charities. Nope, she wants the old tools to stay in the family and will call distant out of state relatives to see if they want it.

The only real good news the closet actually looks bigger with more space near the peg board wall. It was a looming issue for years drooping or warped so bad she lost about 1/2 foot of space near the wall. In her case those 6" will create alot of room to pile things up again.

So 7 hours because things fell in a closet. But this indicative of her entire place. Dealing with a small project turns into a big project.

Hi Helprejected :)

Yes, the big stuff is so much easier than all the little stuff.
And there is soooooo much little stuff tucked into every available space.

WAY TO GO! for doing that 4 hour clean up to make the obstacle course easier to get through!

Putting stuff into a box, bag or storage bin only makes it look more organized but doesn't really organize stuff to make it easy to find later.
And they can squeeze soooooo much stuff into a limited space like a drawer or cigar box. LOL

True, hoarders spend/waste soooooo many hours every day trying to find and get out the things that they need.
Every small task becomes a labor intensive project.

YEA! that she was able to get rid of some things.
Bet she had to go out and buy new scissors when she couldn't remember where that box full of scissors were.
That happens a lot. They can't find something then have to buy more so they end up with multiples of things.

It's one thing to have a lot of large stuff but alot of small stuff in a small area is time consuming to go through and/or clean up.

The hoarder's peg board fell down in a packed walk in closet piled waist high with alot of stuff. Not only did the pegs/hooks & stuff fall down she started setting up the hooks to use them as a shelf for small boxes & things. About a dozen packed cigar box size containers fell with the stuff bursting all over the place along with dragging/knocking down even more stuff on top and below it. In order to clean it up and recover access to the closet it had to be over half emptied. What started out as putting something 'away' turned into a 4 hour clean up. If I wasn't there her obstacle course would've been worse than usual.

She did get rid of few items but found stuff she didn't know about including a box of a dozen scissors of various kinds. She over organized years ago which is part of her problem putting all of the same thing in one spot. Not convenient to use or remember.


But I find it amazing how much stuff she can pack into a drawer, box or cabinet. But it's like she's packing for a month trip. Almost every single domestic task is more than doubled in time because of the unpacking that is required to get at an object. She's more worried about knowing where stuff is not organization. But the amount of stuff per square inch is astounding. There is no air or spare space. Everyday is like unpacking once arrives in a hotel room on a vacation.