HOUSEHOLD ORGANIZATION
How Can I Have A Neat and Organized Home?
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Start With A Plan
As with most any project, the first thing to do before undertaking it, is to come up with a plan. Your goal is an organized home. It isn't going to happen overnight. One of the first things we recommend is to decide where to begin. If your main living areas--the places visitors see when coming to your home--is your main concern, then by all means start there. Is an organized kitchen something you'd like to have right away? Then begin in your kitchen. Or if you want a nice restful bedroom for yourself and spouse, or clean rooms for your kids, then this is where you should start. There is no "right" or "wrong" place to begin. It's all based on your preferences.
For the sake of this article, let's say you prefer to start with areas that are visible to your visitors. This would be the livingroom, main bathroom, and perhaps your kitchen.
Let's Clean and Organize Our Livingroom
What is it that makes your livingroom messy? Is it newspapers or magazines left laying around? Perhaps kids toys? Do people leave shoes, sweaters or jackets laying on the couch? This is clutter, and most of these things do not belong in your livingroom. Have a talk with the members of your family and encourage them to put their coats or shoes in their rooms rather than leave them lay in the livingroom. Explain that you are trying to clean and organize your home so that company can drop in without notice and you will not be embarrassed to let them come in. Enlist their cooperation to help keep this room neat and clean. Very few of us store very many things here, so this should be your easiest room to organize. Since little is stored here, there is no excuse for clutter. As for the magazines and newspapers, you can buy baskets or magazine racks fairly inexpensively to corral the reading material. This will neaten up your livingroom so that you can welcome company in at the drop of a hat. Keeping the clutter down means less work for you--all you have to do is vacuum and dust a couple of times a week and you have a neat, clean and organized livingroom. And if you have a separate family room for your family to gather in, it will be even easier to keep clean!
On To the Bathroom!
Well, that was certainly easy, or at least it should have been! We're going to tackle the main or guest bathroom next, since your guests will probably need to use this room if they are visiting you for very long.
If you are lucky enough to have a guest bathroom, one that's not often used by the family, this one will be a quick fix too. You'll probably only need to pop in here once a week or so to give everything a quick clean, check that there are clean towels, toilet paper and soap. If this is a truly dedicated guest bathroom, family belongings do not belong here. Have your family members move them to their proper places.
If the bathroom your family uses is the same one your guests will use, you'll have a bigger job ahead of you. Baskets and totes will come in handy here, too, especially if your drawer space is limited. A tote with cleaning supplies should be kept in the bathroom to save time and energy when it's cleaning day. No need to gather cleaners and scrubbers from other areas of the house so you save time when it's time to clean the bathroom.
The Kitchen
The kitchen is usually a well-used room, it's often the messiest one since everything our family eats is prepared here. Seems that cleaning and organizing the kitchen is a never-ending job. It's going to be a bigger job than your livingroom or bathroom, so feel free to take a couple of days to get this room in order. Here are a few hints for a clean and organized kitchen.
• Break the Kitchen Into Sections
Clean and organize one section at a time. Don't do too much at once.
• Get Rid of Items You Don't Use
As you go through your cupboards, discard any old spices or cooking ingredients that may be past their shelf life. Get rid of anything you don't use in the way of utensils, dishes, and other kitchen items.
• Fnd a Home For Everything
Don't just let things sit on the counter if you can avoid it. Find a permanent home for as much as possible. Sure, your toaster and coffe maker probably will have to sit on the counter, but other things shouldn't.
• Use Bins and Baskets For the Small Stuff
Measuring spoons and cups, potato peelers and other small utensils can be corraled in baskets or bins. If these have to be stored on the counter due to lack of drawer or shelf space, they will look better in a container of some sort.
• Keep on Top of Things
Most of staying organized is really all about us: Discipline may be needed to take care of keeping things organized. Put things back in their place when you are done with them. Don't let dishes pile up, put them in the dishwasher (or wash them if you don't have a dishwasher); keep your counter tops and stove wiped off.
Sources and Other Information
Finally, here are some good sources for addtional tips and for supplies and storage items to keep your home organized. We only covered three rooms, but most of what we have covered can also be applied to your bedrooms, family rooms or other areas.
One of my favorite sources for household cleaning and organizing is FlyLady.net. You can sign up for their mailing list and receive tips and cleaning instructions in your email several times a day. FlyLady has a routine where certain areas of your home are cleaned each week. She'll send you directions on what to clean next, and many useful ideas for organizing your home. Additionally, she posts organizational tips for the holidays, like Thanksgiving & Christmas.
The other online source I enjoy is Sidetracked Home Executives, or the "She" Sisters. They began organizing homes back in the late 1970's with their witty books and approach to cleaning and organizing. Their website is called shesintouch.com and is full of useful information. They also have a discussion forum where others share tips and hints.
If you are looking for totes, bins or baskets, you'll find many to choose from at your local Walmart, Target, Home Depot or local kitchen stores. For household organization books, we recommend any of the books by the "She Sisters," such as Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise; or by other authors: Clutter Control: Putting Your Home On a Diet, Emilie Barnes' 15 Minute Home and Family Organizer, and Confessions of a Happily Organized Family.