When you feel overwhelmed, take these baby steps and finally learn how to get control again!
This is my desk. Notice the small amount of space I have to work with. That is the story of my life, living in a small space and wondering where in the world things belong. I have decided that part of the reason I have been stressed out lately (besides the influx of pregnancy hormones and having a 3 yr old and 16 month old) is my disorganized and therefore dirty house. Yes, dirty. I firmly believe that a house cannot be cleaned unless it is organized, for clutter covers up dirt.
Stuff.
Where to put stuff.
Keeping up with this house was leaving me feeling overwhelmed and, quite honestly, like a failure as a housekeeper. I was spending time organizing when dishes were being neglected and the floor needed swept.
Then I found the most wonderful, amazing blogs. Ever.
They are my inspiration. And they have shown me that organization and a clean home is indeed possible! But before I try and do everything listed on their sites I must start small and work my way up. So here are a few tips I have gleaned from them and once I tackle these small things I will move on to more!
Whether you own your own house or you rent and you need tips about tenancy cleaning, these baby steps will help you out as much as they helped me!
Please join me on my journey from an embarassingly dirty and unorganized house to a home that is guest-ready any day of the week, with the help of House Washing in Oyster Bay NY! It is a huge goal to be sure, especially with such young children and no help, but I will start small.
1. Make a list
I am going to type a list and write down the chores that must be done daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, and annually. I Heart Organizing suggested you laminate it and stick it on the fridge. I like this idea a lot! But I will not spend 2-3 hrs designing it and making it all purdy. I want to…I love that part. But I must keep my focus! Simplicity births success!
2. Create a Command Center
This is a place that hangs on the wall and you store all your papers in it. For lots of creative ideas see OrgJunkie’s page. My breakfast bar has become a magnet for papers and then these papers become piles and these piles frighten me to the point of purposefully neglecting them. I have sadly seen these piles eat a few unpaid bills whole and there is no one to blame but me.
3. Do one load of laundry each day
This tip actually was given to me in the comments in another post. Heather from Faith Family and Fun told me she does one load of laundry each day and she has 5 kids so if it works for her it can really help me! Sadly, my bottleneck ends up being hanging up the clean clothes. I will fold and put away all the clothes and put the “to be hung up” clothes in a basket. Then they sit in said basket for weeks. If I can eliminate the stacks of clean clothes in the laundry baskets I think I will feel so much better.
4. Make the beds every morning
I feel like the house is cleaner when all the beds are made. The only problem is that as soon as the bed is made Lizzie takes that as an open invitation to jump on the bed. Thus ruining all my labor.
5. Purge, purge, purge!
I am good at this. I am proud to say I am down to 1 large rubbermaid container and 1 toybox of toys! (ok, that doesn’t count the smaller boxes of trucks, tea party supplies or small dolls.) But we are very trimmed down from where we were. It is so much easier for me to clean when I am not exacerbating myself trying to find a home for this silly item we never use. I also recommend this affordable residential cleaning services for a thorough and budget-friendly solution to your cleaning needs. Discover a renewed sense of comfort and cleanliness with Arbor Trail Cleaning Co’s personalized cleaning plans.
Do you have any other tips for me?
I am going to start here. Like I said, if I take on too much I will get tired of it and quit. I must start small and work my way up to it. I know it is possible to raise my children in a clean home. It must be! But I also will not tear myself down if some nights I go to sleep with a dirty floor or dishes on the counter. I know myself and I am not perfect. But I will strive to improve, for I can at least do that much.
Ack #5 I’m just no good at that. I so need to have one huge week long garage sale …Maybe in the next two weeks and then let good will come get what’s left. I’m so up for keeping it all but honestly WHat For? I ask myself that every day.
great list for the other stuffs
LOL I totally understand! My SIL is the same way. She keeps every single thing from her kids as they grow up. You should see the size of her garage where she stores it all. It is massive.
But yes – why?
I have another friend who has a toy room with a closet she can’t close because of all the toys. And she only has 2 boys. Again I ask, why? I totally believe that there is a freedom that comes from letting go of things that are not being used and don’t have a huge amount of sentimental value.
I use these tips a lot: Set a timer for 15 minutes and see how much you can get done (I like to start with vacuuming). Whiz around your house, then see how much time you have left –tackle a pile of paper, etc. It helps to put on some good music if everyone is awake, you may not want to stop until say, the CD runs out. I recently got my old CDs out of their binder and I find my mood is lifted A LOT by listening to something that was ‘mine’ and has nothing to do with my toddler, lol. I do this every once in a while and it really helps-I often go beyond 15 min. It’s also great for nap time, because you can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time and then not feel bad for taking a break. Your kids can (both) pick up toys at the same time. Set a timer for them and have them pick things up-maybe 5 for them. If they have organized boxes and baskets, be sure to review them with them so they put them away properly. Saves you from re-doing it.
It also helps a TON if you have a spot for recycling junk mail (assuming you recycle), open that stuff up on the spot and get rid of it. Make time to read any ads while kids are busy elsewhere and drop them in the recycle area, too. I use a calendar and put all my bills on it, write them in any color (blue is what I have now) and then write PD in red marker when they are paid, then I know that I’ve done it. Be sure to turn the calendar up the last week, to make sure nothing is due on the 1st, for example. I tend to pay most online, so I print out confirmation (or PDF it and file it on computer) and file it. Bills all go in the bill basket –now that my husband has sneakily changed most of them to online statements and not ‘mailed’–darn him, I have a copy emailed to me and mark them TO BE PAID in red in gmail and then paid in green – I leave them in my inbox so I can make sure they get paid, and archive them once they are. I had to do this because I missed the cell phone bill last month–first time in 10 years I’ve missed a bill–I kept expecting it to come in the mail, and didn’t know my husband had stopped it. Argh.
Always take SOMETHING that doesn’t belong when you leave a room, for example, finished laundry to it’s place from the laundry area, dirty glass from living room to sink/dishwasher, toys from random spot to toy box. This eliminates a lot of clutter. Do a final sweep for glasses/cups/ice cream bowls at night.
Another tactic I use is to just go room by room taking everything out of it that doesn’t belong. Empty glasses from bedside, cardboard tubes from TP/master bath and magazines to recycle area. Straighten up kid(s) rooms, etc. Then clean deeply once a week or 2 weeks. Since not much ‘migrates’ in our house, it stays ‘guest prepped’ to be guest ready within 1 hour. Don’t get me wrong, our house is still cluttered, we have a toddler, but using these ideas all together, it really helps.
Thank you so much Jill! These tips are priceless and I will be putting them into practice for sure. I love your timer idea. That will keep me interested in the task instead of it seeming like it will never end.
I didn’t say this in the post but I HAVE to have music on when I clean. I turn on Pandora.com to whatever I am in the mood for and rock out! I am just like you 🙂
And your last tip is a wonderful one. My house is so small that doing it won’t take very long. I love that idea.
Thanks Jill!
Re #6- It was once my practice to purge every 6 months- typically in April and October. It it hadn’t been used in 6 months or I didn’t plan to use it in 6 months, it went bye bye. If I wasn’t sure, I set it aside and it got one more 6 month stint in my house, but if after that was up, if it hadn’t been used, it was a goner too. I need to get back to this.
I am just like you. I just finished my bi-annual purge last week. Living in a small space I have to have it clutter free and yes – if we don’t use it why keep it? (Unless it has sentimental value of course, like a pocket knife Josh’s grandpa gave him)
Being that we are a family of 5 in a 1 bedroom, 700 square foot home…#5 resonates with me! Purge and simplify. Less stuff means less to organize. I also love #3, a load a day keeps the piles away…or at least usually. 🙂
Annie, you should try FlyLady system. I have a friend who swears by that method! For me, I am OCD so it all comes naturally. I am TOO organized & probably clean TOO much. :/
I have trouble putting away the laundry, cleaning it I can do… putting it away is another story. Maybe I should go do Hunter’s clothes since they are just sitting on the kitchen floor lol.
I have no tips at all because… I’m messy. Ahhh. I like your tips though! I should once again make a list. I like the laminate… because you can cross of the weekly stuff but than just wipe it off if you want at the start of the new week.
I was going to suggest FlyLady, but I see someone already beat me to it! 😉
I was going to suggest FlyLady as well. Seriously my house was spotless when I did her system but alas I had kids and moved and fell off the wagon. I am about to start it up again. When you first start she has a list of things for you to do – adding 1 thing a day. You don’t get burned out or overwhelmed that way and it really works! 🙂
I looked at FlyLady and I am intrigued. Honestly, the whole “love yourself” stuff kinda annoys me a smidge, but I can overlook it if her system for housecleaning really works.
But what always kept me from going very far in her system was that first babystep – shining your sink LOL I could not seem to keep my dishes done well enough to keep that sink clean! But just tonight I went to bed with a shiny sink and I think I can try and finally conquer that first baby step. I’ll keep trying her system. Thank you for the tip Melissa!
Yea the “love yourself” stuff annoys me too but I just ignore it and focus on the system. I also don’t follow her rule that says you have to have your shoes (with laces) on every day. I am a SAHM, I am not going to wear shoes every day, lol. I just wear socks. Ok now you have me motivated. My sink will be shiny tonight! Good Luck!
I really need to work on these things. Maybe I will join you on your quest. We moved like three or four weeks ago and the house is a total disaster! I really like to be more organized and have it be guest ready, I just never seem to keep it that way for long. lol I can’t wait to join you and see how you progress!
Purge is the #1 thing I need to do around here. When renovations halted in our master BR, it became a catch all. I am currently going through everything, so we can finish up and move ourseves into it this fall.
I know I really need to purge too! That’s so hard because everytime I finally give something up and get rid of it I find I need it a week later.
I am so going to join you in this! I get organized but fail to keep up with it. Love the laminated to do list idea!
Good luck! I’ll be following you to see what the next steps are!
Thanks! Sarah
Those blogs sound so inspiring, I’m going to have to check them out. I can’t stand clutter and am always thankful for any tips that will help me streamline the chaos. Thanks!
What has worked for me was moving to a new house. LOL Probably not really going to work for anyone. We have just moved out of an apartment into a house. A 5 bedroom 2.5 bath house. It’s too big for us, but the price was right (we’re renting). This morning, I decided to get up and sweep and mop the floors, do all the dishes, start the laundry and clean the bathroom. Now, I need a nap. So, if you want to follow my advice, move to a new house. 😉
My #1 favorite organizing tool is those over the door shoe hanger things…. we have one in each bathroom – all of our toiletries and stuff go in those and stay off the counter, PLUS the unsafe stuff is up high enough that little hands cant get to it.
Recently we put one on the back of the Girls’ doors – and it has been GREAT!! They keep all kinds of stuff in there, and since they are clear, you can see right where everything is when you need it.
We seldom ever close any doors around this house (I mean, the bathroom of course when we are in there, but for the most part all doors stay open) so the hanger things keep stuff pretty much out of sight!
Annie, I just found Flylady yesterday. When I started reading your blog, I was going to suggest her site. Now we can see how each other is doing with all our stuff.
Evie