DeCluttering and Cleaning up

[PrincessFiona]

I am so SICK of the clutter in this house that I could pull my hair out. I feel like I am constantly tripping over someone's something.

I need some good decluttering tips. Short of some of you coming over to my house and doing it for me (which I would gladly accept! ) help me out on how to get started. Do I just pick one room and spend a lot of time in that one space coming up with an organizational plan and getting rid of stuff? Which room do I start with? The common areas in the house really bug me, but they are also the most trafficked and in the worst shape.

Someone organize my house for me! What do you suggest?

Kris

[diggitydot]

Our house isn't spotless by any means, but clutter drives me batshit crazy.

My tips:

- It's a family issue so the ENTIRE fam needs to become involved on some level. Even if it's just 15 minutes each day. You are not 100% responsible for the tidiness in the house. ALL of your kids are old enough to help in some way.

- I start in one room and go with the big stuff first. Things that make a big impact with little effort helps keep me motivated through the little annoying shit.

- Purge. Get rid of shit that you don't use and won't use. This means getting rid of clothes you don't wear or that aren't your current size. Yes, I know that most all of us are holding out that we'll fit back into something hiding in the back of our closet, but get rid of it. It's taking up space that could be better used and is taking up emotional energy better used for something else.

- I tell the kids that they can't get any new toys/clothes/movies/books until they go through and thin the herd. That's usually a good motivator for them. And THEY need to be the one doing it. It's a valuable skill to learn.

- Get into the habit if putting things in their "home". Make the kids do the same. Nagging my three stooges with, "That doesn't live there," isn't my idea of fun, but they need to learn to put their shit where it belongs, not just wherever they choose to drop it.

- Buy storage containers. Label them. Make the kids use them.

- For younger kiddos, I make a checklist they can use. DS is 11 and he can now make his own list for cleaning his bedroom. Helps cutdown on the dicking off when they know what to do next. I usually have him go in order of largest items to smallest, that way he isn't bogged down trying to pick up all of his Legos around mountains of blankets and pillows.

[houseelf]

I don't know about you, but I'm hiring Diggity. LOL

[Urowife]

It's so hard! I'm doing the same thing in preparation for our move in six months. This time, I picked themes to help direct my efforts. I started off by organizing the toys. I went through, and got rid of old toys, sorted stuff, etc. Found storage for the new toys they got for Christmas, etc. I'm not done yet, but it has helped to focus my efforts on one area. After the toys are organized, I will tackle my closet, as I have a ton of old clothes I need to get rid of.

Picking a room usually isn't a good technique for me because I tend to just relocate piles of clutter to other rooms. One thing I try to do is to find a permanent home for everything. Usually I find that if clutter piles up, it's because it doesn't have a home, so it just lives on the counter/table/floor. Anyway, I hope you find a technique that works for you!

[Meenah]

i don't know about you, but i'm hiring diggity. Lol

me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[diggitydot]

Picking a room usually isn't a good technique for me because I tend to just relocate piles of clutter to other rooms. One thing I try to do is to find a permanent home for everything. Usually I find that if clutter piles up, it's because it doesn't have a home, so it just lives on the counter/table/floor.

That's my experience, too.

[Deebs]

Move every two years!

I like to play games (even if it's just me).
- fill a trash bag to toss daily
-fill a bag or box to donate daily
-stack all the papers in one place , turn on a couple hours of TV, file and toss
Once I get a handle on having less, then I work on finding better places to keep things that are staying.


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[Thirteen]

My rules:
If it hasn't been used/worn/played with in a year's time, it goes.
(Exceptions: my small, personal collection of books that I cull through every 3-4 years or so, deep sea fishing tackle, and DH's collectible soccer jerseys and track jackets)

If we have too many of something, and I can't find enough space for it, it goes. Shoes, toys, linens? They go.

No knickknacks or shelf collectibles - they always get out of control, and then furniture must be purchased to accommodate all the things.

If you have large collections of CDs or DVDs, convert to digital and give away the hard copies.


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[diggitydot]

I loathe knickknacks. I can't convince the kids that we don't have to cover every single available horizontal surface with something. DD1 is definitely of the mindset that more is more. I am definitely a minimalist.

[BonBon]

I pretty much use Diggity's method, and to a smaller extent, Deebs'. Though hopefully we're done moving!! 5 houses between 2001 and 2009 was a bit much.

Like Thirteen, I don't do knickknacks. I hang no photographs. I keep the house pretty austere.

Before Thanksgiving, I tackled the entire kitchen. If I haven't used it in a year, out it went. Have a box for donating, a box for recycling, and a bag for trash. Be ruthless!! Even though I joke about being a slob, I live by "a place for everything, and everything in its place." Visual clutter jangles my brain and I can't focus.

One thing I have a terrible time parting with is books. We have hundreds of books, and neither of us can part with them. :-/

[BonBon]

I loathe knickknacks. I can't convince the kids that we don't have to cover every single available horizontal surface with something. DD1 is definitely of the mindset that more is more. I am definitely a minimalist.

I indoctrinated them young!! "Wow, look at how smooth and clean your dresser is. Doesn't that look great??"

[diggitydot]

I indoctrinated them young!! "Wow, look at how smooth and clean your dresser is. Doesn't that look great??"

I've been doing that since damn near birth. For whatever reason, our kids make weird emotional attachments to inanimate objects.

[SoonerTexan]

I purge constantly too. And I just spent over $300 on Ikea storage for all the damn toys.

I hate clutter. DH doesn't mind it and keeps crap around though. That's my biggest battle.

[MrsK]

I am so SICK of the clutter in this house that I could pull my hair out. I feel like I am constantly tripping over someone's something.

I need some good decluttering tips. Short of some of you coming over to my house and doing it for me (which I would gladly accept! ) help me out on how to get started. Do I just pick one room and spend a lot of time in that one space coming up with an organizational plan and getting rid of stuff? Which room do I start with? The common areas in the house really bug me, but they are also the most trafficked and in the worst shape.

Someone organize my house for me! What do you suggest?

Kris

Start small. Pick one drawer or shelf that is driving you nuts. Tackle it and then do another one tomorrow. The momentum will build.


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[samssugarmomma]

Start small or you will get overwhelmed! Rather than picking an entire room, I'd start with where the "fires" are and put them out. What's cluttering the common areas? Papers, coats, shoes, mail, laundry? Make a list if where the fires are and tackle them one at a time.

Does your family have a "drop station" for when they walk in the door to corral their crap? What does your family need there? (Hooks for coats and back packs, place to put mail and school papers for you to look at, hooks for keys or a basket for keys?). There are some great ideas on Pinterest.

Our drop zone is really three areas - in the garage there is a shoe rack where the shoes go, then right inside the garage door is the coat closet (with no door on it) so there are no barriers to hang up your darn coat. Then right next to it is a table/ hutch where each kid has a place for their back pack and each kid has a bulletin board for important papers. Then mail goes right onto my desk. Right inside the door is our family calendar and key rack. DH and I both get a small bowl for our pocket crap. I can post a pic if you want - pm me though cause sometimes I forget to check threads I've commented on.

Once you have a system for whatever area you picked first, show everyone what it is so they have no excuse to mess it up. I usually say something funny like, "it makes mommy cranky when I have to tell you over and over to hang up your coat. Please hang your coat here so I don't have to tell you over and over. You don't want a cranky mommy, do you?"


What's the next area? Homework crap? Mail?