Cleaning and organizing all my aquarium stuff!

[Complexity]

My house has been completely taken over by aquarium paraphernalia. I've been working very hard to get it all cleaned up and organized, and I'm down to a pile of stuff in my living room. This is taking me forever!

There's the filter stuff. And the substrate stuff. Rocks. Driftwood. Pythons, one for regular and one for sick fish. Cleaning brushes. Scrapers. Backgrounds never used. CO2 parts. Tweezers, scissors, and all kinds of planted tank stuff. Fertilizers. Battery powered vacuum. Pliers for CO2 nuts. Canister tubing. Air tubing. Backup air pumps. CO2 tubing. Lead strips for plants. Hose clamps. Food. Food. Food. Meds. Plastic plants for Q/T and H/T. Bottles of Prime, vinegar, excel. Syringes. Test tubes and test kits. Thermometers. Extra parts from filters. Plumbing parts in general. Silicone. Glue. Paint. Caves. Drip acclimation parts. CO2 regulators. Check Valves. Spare tanks. Spare filters. And goodness knows what else!

I'm tired just thinking of it.

I'm almost done getting it all organized and put away.

Am I the only one who's house has turned into a big storage unit for aquarium supplies?

[fishboyt]

No, you're not the only one! :)

[mark razmandi]

No, you're not the only one! :)

x2

[Complexity]

I got two more piles done! Put together the tank lids and lights that I was going to modify, but never got around do it. They're back in one piece and put up. Sorted all the CO2 stuff and put it away.

Now I have 4 laundry baskets and 3 smaller boxes of junk to sort through and put away. It's 6:00PM. I have put this off for so long because I just don't know what to do with it all! If I did 1 basket and 1 box an hour (surely, I can do that), I'll be done by 10PM.

I have a goal now.

On the other hand... I could shove it all into one big box and call it a day.

[mark razmandi]

I got two more piles done! Put together the tank lids and lights that I was going to modify, but never got around do it. They're back in one piece and put up. Sorted all the CO2 stuff and put it away.

Now I have 4 laundry baskets and 3 smaller boxes of junk to sort through and put away. It's 6:00PM. I have put this off for so long because I just don't know what to do with it all! If I did 1 basket and 1 box an hour (surely, I can do that), I'll be done by 10PM.

I have a goal now.

On the other hand... I could shove it all into one big box and call it a day.

what else are closets for? my idea of cleaning up is shoving everything into the nearest closet lol

[Complexity]

Well, that's what I'm doing, but everything is first going into plastic boxes and are being labeled so I can keep it all organized. That way when I need something, I can actually find it; plus, I'll be able to easily put it back up so the mess can't grow into such a huge disaster again.

Everything is out of the baskets and most of it is organized. Still have a few things that don't have 'homes' yet. Probably another hour's worth of work.

And then I'll be DONE! Finally!

[Complexity]

Oh, I have found a way to get my husband to appreciate it when I clean the house. Make a mess. Leave it. Make it bigger. Mix it all up. Grow it into more rooms. Stack things everywhere. Put out baskets to organize it and then leave them. Scatter stuff in as many rooms as possible. Make it nearly impossible to clean or walk. And then let that sit for a few months. AND THEN get an even bigger aquarium, adding to the already huge mess.

And then finally clean it up one day.

Trust me, he'll notice. And he will appreciate the cleaning.

My husband hasn't stopped commenting on how good the house looks since I got started cleaning up this mess!

[mark razmandi]

Oh, I have found a way to get my husband to appreciate it when I clean the house. Make a mess. Leave it. Make it bigger. Mix it all up. Grow it into more rooms. Stack things everywhere. Put out baskets to organize it and then leave them. Scatter stuff in as many rooms as possible. Make it nearly impossible to clean or walk. And then let that sit for a few months. AND THEN get an even bigger aquarium, adding to the already huge mess.

And then finally clean it up one day.

Trust me, he'll notice. And he will appreciate the cleaning.

My husband hasn't stopped commenting on how good the house looks since I got started cleaning up this mess!

lol that sucks ....for him :P

[Complexity]

The funny thing about it is that we were having issues over him leaving my stuff alone. He used to move my stuff around to the point it drove me crazy. I could get something out, be in the middle of using it, stop to go to the bathroom, and by the time I came back, he had already put it up!

Even worse, he has no sense of organization. For example, he once tried to organize stuff in the garage. My ideas are to put insecticides together, tools together, gardening equipment on certain shelves, things like that. His idea? Put cans of the same size and shape together (regardless of the use).

He's also a master at "oh, here's an empty spot!" and that's where he stuffs it.

Right now, my main closet which I have very well organized has two chairs in it. It is not large enough for two chairs! His reason? They need to be repaired. So instead of repairing them or getting them repaired, he stuffs them into a closet. And there they sit.

So when he moved my stuff around, i could never find it. Very frustrating!

I started fighting back, finally. I realized that after 24 years of marriage, he wasn't going to change unless I did something new and different. So.... every time he moved something of mine, I would move something of his. It didn't matter what. Just something. What made it really fun is that he has ADD so it would really confuse him! I'd take his wallet and put it in a drawer. I once removed the soap from the shower. Just little things. He once decided that he didn't like where I had a few clothes that I was meaning to take to the cleaners so he moved them. So I moved some of his clothes. He did not like that! Funny how it's okay for someone to move another person's things, but not to have their own things moved!

So this whole time, my husband has done a fantastic job of putting up with the mess. I sometimes wonder if part of the mess was my subconscious rebellion. He has had to work around all kinds of aquarium paraphernalia. And he's done it without complaining.

But now that I'm getting it all cleaned up, he sure is appreciating it!

[mark razmandi]

The funny thing about it is that we were having issues over him leaving my stuff alone. He used to move my stuff around to the point it drove me crazy. I could get something out, be in the middle of using it, stop to go to the bathroom, and by the time I came back, he had already put it up!

Even worse, he has no sense of organization. For example, he once tried to organize stuff in the garage. My ideas are to put insecticides together, tools together, gardening equipment on certain shelves, things like that. His idea? Put cans of the same size and shape together (regardless of the use).

He's also a master at "oh, here's an empty spot!" and that's where he stuffs it.

Right now, my main closet which I have very well organized has two chairs in it. It is not large enough for two chairs! His reason? They need to be repaired. So instead of repairing them or getting them repaired, he stuffs them into a closet. And there they sit.

So when he moved my stuff around, i could never find it. Very frustrating!

I started fighting back, finally. I realized that after 24 years of marriage, he wasn't going to change unless I did something new and different. So.... every time he moved something of mine, I would move something of his. It didn't matter what. Just something. What made it really fun is that he has ADD so it would really confuse him! I'd take his wallet and put it in a drawer. I once removed the soap from the shower. Just little things. He once decided that he didn't like where I had a few clothes that I was meaning to take to the cleaners so he moved them. So I moved some of his clothes. He did not like that! Funny how it's okay for someone to move another person's things, but not to have their own things moved!

So this whole time, my husband has done a fantastic job of putting up with the mess. I sometimes wonder if part of the mess was my subconscious rebellion. He has had to work around all kinds of aquarium paraphernalia. And he's done it without complaining.

But now that I'm getting it all cleaned up, he sure is appreciating it!

whatever works right? very clever!

[Complexity]

I did it! It's all cleaned up! FINALLY! Yea!!! It's time to party! I got that monkey off my back!

I never thought I'd be so happy about cleaning my house. )

[Zulaab]

Dont you start school tomorrow ?

[Complexity]

Yes, I do! I start this morning. That's why I really wanted to get that mess cleaned up no later than last night. I had wanted to get more done, but the mess was my #1 priority. And I did it!

Now it's off to school! I only have 1 class for today so it's not bad. Tomorrow, I have 4 classes - back to back - 6 straight clock hours. Ouch! Seemed like a good idea when I created the schedule.