Need advice/reassurance: Mouse droppings on clothes

[littlebearbear]

Hi Everyone,

I've been lurking for quite some time now, and I have found this forum to be INCREDIBLY helpful.  I've really made huge changes in the past year to simplify, declutter, and organize.  I finally feel like our house is clean, and I don't have a panic attack at the idea of someone coming over.

That being said, when we moved into this home about 1.5 years ago, we a few bags of 'clothes that don't fit anymore' into a spare bedroom.  These clothes were mostly mine and my DD's.  Well, I went into the room this week to survey my next zone to tackle, and I found mouse droppings all over the clothes, her old swing, carseat, etc...  I don't care about my clothes.  I will very likely never wear them again anyways.  However, I am finding that I am still emotionally attached to some of her things.  I guess it was a remind of the old chaos, and it was disappointing to see some things ruined because of our lack of structure before.  I am also expecting, so I had planned to pass some things on to our next child.

I guess I just need a bit of reassurance that it is just an emotional attachment - and it is OK to just get rid of everything and start over.  I mean, I can't possibly clean and keep these items for a newborn?!  I don't think I'd ever feel like they were clean enough - and I can't even clean them with the risk of hanta virus.  Ugh, I guess I just thought that I had worked through all of the big and challenging areas.

Thanks for reading.  I feel better already :)

[philomom]

On the Hoarders tv show, the organizers make the hoarder throw out anything with insect or animal droppings on them.

Like you, I would have trouble parting with all those sweet little baby clothes. Is it possible they only damaged the top of the pile? Or maybe you could wash a few to go into a special memory box just to save... but not to be worn by another baby.

[kt~mommy]

i would feel the same way! i have had a hard time getting rid of baby clothes that aren't going to be used again, much less ones that i had wanted to save for a soon-to-be baby sibling!  hugs to you. i would throw them out because like you say, there's no way of knowing if they are really clean. if it was for a 5-year-old i would have a harder time personally wanting to wash them, but i would not for a wee one.  let yourself cry about it, really. i was decluttering my upstairs rooms today and was feeling like such a failure as keeping house, i just let myself be sad because i am sad about it. i rested awhile, read a comforting book, then kept going with the cleaning. if there are specific pieces you love and hate to get rid of, maybe take a photo and go on a mission during this pregnancy to find "replacements" that are much like those items you loved and wanted for this new one. maybe that would make tossing out the old feel a little better?