This house drives me crazy on a daily basis though it’s not its fault. It’s mine and the clutter I’ve let build up. I’m working through it though slowly, trying to stay ahead of the piles that accumulate from the daily dropping-and-not-putting-away of stuff. We all have those junk drawers and catch-all surfaces, right? Yeah. Doesn’t make me feel any better to know that I’m not alone.

Today I started to tackle the cold storage room downstairs. I have a dresser in my new upstairs closet to move down there and some general picking up and tossing that needs to be done. I managed to get quite a few things tossed and donated (hooray for moms who take our junk!) but in the process discovered a baggie of this between my deep freezer and one of the shelving units onto the carpet. Niiiice! It was supposed to be in the freezer. I was doing a purge of the fridge freezer a week or so ago and I think it’s from that. Over the past couple of days I had noticed a slightly-off smell but on the opposite side of the room. I wondered if it was a bit of mold as the room used to be quite damp (it’s since been waterproofed). So my storage room smells like shrimp. I’ve used baking soda, vinegar, Febreeze, bleach, and cornstarch. I’m letting it rest overnight and we’ll see how it is once it dries again. I may end up getting some sort of charcoal to put on it as an odour absorber. Since the smell is in the carpet fibres and not just the air, spraying the room with Febreeze or hanging fabric softener sheets won’t do the trick (I don’t think). The carpet is industrial carpet with a rather short looped pile so it’s not like it’s a thick and plush one but it seems to be hanging on to the smell all the same.

Here was the view this afternoon. It made for treacherous trips up and down the stairs as I ferried garbage bags and things to put in the shed. It’s amazing how much stuff came out of such a small room.

I forgot I had a Christmas tree. I was considering putting one up this year (B and I have Christmas at my mom’s) and was thinking of doing a real one. I still might.

Hangers anyone? Just one of the many boxes my mom took away for me.

And here’s a hint of what the room will look like once it’s complete. The deep freezer will be pushed back to the wall on the left and I’ll put my three stacking recycling bins at the end of the short shelf. I plan to put a curtain across the doorway too, against the stairs. I’ve had the curtain for over a year. Maybe I’ll get it hung before 2009 is over.

The above picture was taken mid-way through the process this afternoon so it already looks a little different. I ran out of time before picking B up from the bus though so much of what was removed throughout the day was set back in to clear a path off the stairs for the evening. Day two begins tomorrow! First up: Operation Odour Elimination.