Best keeping your house tidy/uncluttered tips - Page 3

[vm9799]

Originally Posted by meandk0610

this may sound crazy, but here goes...

what about things like candles, books, tools, tape, glue, staples/staplers? i'm just thinking about all of the books that i have that i don't want to get rid of but are not going to read soon, candles that we have for their scent that i bought on after-christmas 50% sale, things like that.

things like this are fine to keep.....just give them a designated 'home'. we have all of the above and they are stored in their place until needed, which in my house goes something like this:

candles - dining room buffet
tools - dh's territory so in the garage or in the basement in his workshop
tape/glue/staples/stapler - in my studio
books - we have several areas around our house for book storage depending on the subject.

the point is that everything has a 'home' and everyone in my house knows where it is and where to put it back. your 'home' for your things may be different and that's fine, just as long as you know where it is. makes life SO much easier (and cleaner!)

[meandk0610]

Originally Posted by vm9799

candles - dining room buffet

doh. i never thought about all that empty space in the dining room!

[SunShineSally]

I am so stealing "Don't put it down, put it away!"

My tip is I clean as I go. That way it will not get overwhelming. Ds knows the rules at 5 that dishes go on the counter when done with them. Or in the dishwasher if I say he can open it . Also we do not leave the house if it is a mess I cannot stand to come home to a dirty house!

I have a schedule I do major cleaning on Sundays Ds goes with his grandparents and my fiance he works 11 to 6 so I have the house to myself :so I clean it all up (but I love to clean I love the feeling after it is so cozy ) I also do laundry twice a week so it is not overwhelming and I dread it. I do the normal wipe downt he counters and what not of course many times a day and Ds helps clean his toys up and what not. Now to work on my fiance to clean up his stuff!!!!!!!!!!!! :

[AFWife]

Pretend you have to move in a week. What would you HAVE to take and what can you toss out? Because I've been there and moved in a week's time. It really makes you reevaluate what you previously thought was necessary.

[greenmansions]

Originally Posted by SunShineSally

...I have a schedule I do major cleaning on Sundays Ds goes with his grandparents and my fiance he works 11 to 6 so I have the house to myself :so I clean it all up (but I love to clean I love the feeling after it is so cozy ) ...

OMG I am lucky if I get an hour a MONTH to myself in the house. What I could do with that much time per week! Ahhh. I am green with envy.

Originally Posted by AFWife

Pretend you have to move in a week. What would you HAVE to take and what can you toss out? Because I've been there and moved in a week's time. It really makes you reevaluate what you previously thought was necessary.

DH and I have agreed to do this if our house gets out of control full. If we were to say, we need a bigger house, we don't fit in this one anymore, we'd just act as if we were moving. We'd basically pack up each room and purge as we went along, then clean the room well and unpack again. I really think if we got cluttery enough, that is what it would take to get us back on track. So far, we are not there yet.

One thing I do that helps me with keeping my house tidy is that I unload the dishwasher first thing each morning while my breakfast tea is brewing. That way I can load the day's dishes in right away after each meal or snack and the clutter does not build up on the counter. I manage to do this most days and it really makes a difference.

I, like a previous poster, often clean the bathroom while the kids are in the tub, or when they want me to stay in with them while they poop. I'll clean the sink, wipe the counter, straighten the towels - whatever little tasks I can get done. I really loathe being stuck in the bathroom with them, so it helps pass the time more quickly and productively.

[becoming]

Originally Posted by meandk0610

this may sound crazy, but here goes...

what about things like candles, books, tools, tape, glue, staples/staplers? i'm just thinking about all of the books that i have that i don't want to get rid of but are not going to read soon, candles that we have for their scent that i bought on after-christmas 50% sale, things like that.

Candles: We only keep one candle at a time. When it burns all the way down, we buy another one and toss the old one. We buy really big, expensive candles that last a long time and smell really, really good, and I burn my candle every single day. I usually buy one a month or so.

Books: Our nightstand has two deep drawers in it, and we keep our very small collection of adult books in there. I don't like to read the same book twice, so I very rarely buy a book. We use the library for books and keep those books in our library bag hanging on the back of my closet door until time to take them back. DS1 has a bookshelf in his room that holds all his books, and the little ones' books are kept in a basket in their room -- they have a little reading corner with a rocking chair and their book basket.

Tools: We use a cabinet in our laundry room for all the tools that stay inside the house, and DH has a workshop outside for all his bigger tools.

Tape/glue/staplers/staples: We keep all our art supplies and office supplies in the same little cabinet in our kitchen.

And we have the bare minimum of all of the above.

[FreeRangeMama]

Books are our biggest problem. My dh works at a library and often brings home large stacks of library discards (the elderly volunteers send him home with large stacks of children's books once a week!). We love books. I have books on shelves in literally EVERY room in the house. I routinely purge the ones I hate (if I have to read one more Magic School Bus book.......) but really, books are so wonderful that it is hard to let them go. We have 6 bookshelves (not including the one I just bought off Kijiji but have not yet picked up....) and it isn't enough. We all have a hard time letting go of books.

I am in the middle of a huge declutter. It is hard because we are a family of 6 in a small home so even though we really don't have much unnecessary stuff it seems as though we are cluttered with only the basics. Homeschooling just adds to that because it just creates even more things to add to an already full house! I am finding that good organizational skills and a healthy dose of creative storage is an invaluable skill that I need to practice more. That and finding beautiful ways to display the things we cannot get rid of (books, yarn, educational supplies). It is like an art form

[momofPL]

FreeRangeMama, could some of those children's books be donated somewhere? I know as a teacher I am always looking for books as the kids go through them quickly because my motto is "get the books in their hands!"

My favorite saying at work is OHIO or Only Handle It Once! Works great for all the paperwork. I bet it would be good for clutter or bills at home.

[FreeRangeMama]

Oh I donate the books frequently I have garbage bag full waiting to go on my next donation drop off. But there are SO MANY great books out there and it is hard to give up the good ones. Especially with 4 young kids who just love books (and one of whom is a voracious reader).

We have a new rule, for every recycled toy they make they must return another to the recycle bin. They make all kinds of toys and art out of boxes, tins, plastic containers, and whatever else they find. I love the creativity but we can't keep EVERY creation (especially with 4 of them making their own to keep). And I am limiting paper. That sounds horrible, but they will draw 20 or 30 pictures and stories a day and then leave stacks of paper everywhere. I just found a two year old collection of maps of the world hand drawn by my then 6 year old. Each map has it's own page so that is a lot of paper! He stashes these things everywhere.

We have a huge chalk board and I am encouraging the art to go there instead (save for 5 pictures on paper a day). That should really help the baskets and bins of precious art that no one can part with. I am hoping it will also help with the 5 year old with his perfectionist tendencies. He can just erase the parts he is unhappy with and try again.

[LisainCalifornia]

I have built in shelves over my fireplace, and have 6 Ikea wicker baskets there (all same size/color) that hold candles, matches, batteries, flashlights, scotch tape, staples, paperclips, etc...

This way it keeps them away from the kids (they forget the tape is in there, and never use it up!) and I can easily find candles and matches in a power outage.

These baskets fit perfectly on the shelf (slide right in with only a tiny amount of space on top of them) and look neat and tidy. I am able to keep plenty of candles to use when we need them. Some baskets have scented/seasonal candles, and others have emergency candles. Office supplies all go in one basket.

[m00npie]

Originally Posted by eclipse

One of my biggest problems is kids (and adults. ahem, dh, I'm looking at you) creating trash that never makes it to the trash can. Things like soda cans and junk mail and the part of the Netflix envelope you tear off before sending the movie back, and crumpled paper or scraps from kid projects that exploded, or packaging from whatever thing dh just brought home.

totally just described my house lol
i dont really have any tips i usually do all my picking up after the kids go to bed, and pray its stays clean until lunch time...
we are pack rats its terriable. DP will not get rid of any of his stuff. doesn't matter if he hasn;t touched it in 2 years someday he may need it
as for me Clothes are my down fall i swear between me and my girls i could cloth a small village lol right now we are gettng ready to move so i'm starting a decluttering mission. gunna have a yard sale and whats leftover i'm going to donate.

[EcoFriendlyMommy]

Originally Posted by SAHDS

Mine would be that everything needs a place. Otherwise, you're just moving things around and never really putting them away. It makes cleaning so much easier and quicker. Way less stress.

I second this! My DD who is almost 3, amazingly enough, LOVES to clean up and help around the house. So if we all know where it belongs, then everyone can help out putting things away. Also, it makes it easier to edit because if we can't find a home for it then it is easier to ask "do we really need this?"

[cheerlp7]

idea for daily school art projects

i read of an idea to purchase a plain white document frame at walmart or a thrift store for every child in the house

remove the glass and let them color and paint on the frame however they would like after the paint dries put the glass back in and place school artwork in and hang it up in their room or play room and you can change out their daily pieces if they want you too and that way you wont have a pile of projects that the kids dont want u to throw away and when you put a new one in either scrapbook the old one right away or recycle it or they will create clutter fast!

[MonkeyPrincess]

Originally Posted by eirual

Accepting that it never ends. I used to complain that I had already done the dishes today, or I just finished all of the laundry and there's already more, or I just cleaned the bathroom, you can't shave today!, etc. It's taken upwards of 5 years, but I have just recently come to terms with the fact that it's never done, and that's just life.

Yes!! I have just recently come to this conclusion as well...don't know what took me so long.

[greenmansions]

Originally Posted by MonkeyPrincess

Yes!! I have just recently come to this conclusion as well...don't know what took me so long.

Accepting that it never ends. Hmmm. I need to work on this. Maybe that will help with the frustration I so often feel.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by becoming

We only keep one candle at a time. When it burns all the way down, we buy another one and toss the old one. We buy really big, expensive candles that last a long time and smell really, really good

This is a good idea. Of course, I have more than one out in the house (I have a 5 clear hurricanes on various surfaces, plus one jar candle in the kitchen.) But I have a little cabinet full of other pillars, votives, etc, that I need to just use up. People ALWAYS give me candle holders as gifts, though---THOSE pile up more than the candles. I like my clear hurricanes best-- no specific style, theme, color, so they go with every season. I can't even tell you how many Christmas candle holders I have gotten as gifts over the years. *sigh*

Originally Posted by FreeRangeMama

Books are our biggest problem. We all have a hard time letting go of books.

I always have kept books, too, until someone suggested I sell them at Half Price Books. Now I have big pile waiting to go out the door!! I love having them around, but I rarely reread them, except for a select few which I am keeping, plus career-related books which I won't give up. But otherwise, it feels good to have books around...but it will feel even better to know I am sending them out into the world to share with people who haven't read them yet. And if I make a few dollars, that's just icing on the cake!

(Half Price Books, by the way, recycles or donates anything that doesn't happen to sell in their store. I'm not sure what Goodwill does.)

[ScarletBegonias]

this thread is one of my favorites. it always inspires me.


~Boudicca~ really hit the nail on the head. i used to like having lots of "extras", but i've come to realize it only makes more work and stress for me and less time for enjoying my family.

[SAHDS]

We don't have many extra candles, 3 large pillars, for when the power goes out - emergency candles. Playing Uno by candlelight is great fun. Those are kept in a kitchen drawer with birthday candles, matches (regular and waterproof) and our 2 long lighters.

[AFWife]

We tend to just DUMP things on the bar (it's a nice open space) any ideas on keeping it uncluttered? Maybe a couple of cute baskets or something?

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by AFWife

We tend to just DUMP things on the bar (it's a nice open space) any ideas on keeping it uncluttered? Maybe a couple of cute baskets or something?

For us, the general rule on the breakfast bar is that NOTHING goes on it. Of course, things end up there and do pile up, but the ultimate goal is clean and clear. I might set a lit candle on it, but then I put it away later. I find when things are piling up on my breakfast bar, it's things that need a place of their own, i.e. bills and mail. We have an in-tray in our office, but since the mail has been piling up on the bar, obviously our in-tray system is not working. (We're moving it to the laundry room which is the way we most often come into the house, from the garage.)

I think if I put baskets on my breakfast bar they'd just fill up with stuff and would never be empty. And if I wanted them empty, it'd be solely up to me to clean them out. No thanks!