DeClutter & Organize - Clean It Guide

5 Tips for De-Cluttering Your Home

September 24, 2019March 21, 2019 by KeepingItClean

Piles everywhere! Despite our best efforts our clutter can get out of control until it seems as if it’s taking over our homes. A cluttered home can cause a lot of stress. How many times have you looked and looked and looked some more for something and not find it? Have you ever paid a bill late because you misplaced it? How about having to buy something you know you have but couldn’t find…only to find your original item weeks or months down the road? And sitting down with a glass of wine isn’t very relaxing if you’re kicking over stacks of magazines.

Tackling clutter and getting organized can seem like such an overwhelming feat that we don’t know where to start and keep pushing it off. Breaking down the process into smaller, more manageable steps can help you slowly – but surely – cut through your clutter and help you achieve the neat, organized home you’ve always dreamed of.

Tackle a Small Task First

Your home doesn’t become a cluttered mess overnight. It’s a newspaper here, a backpack there, some toys over there. It takes time to make the mess, so you need to accept that it will take some time to get through it, too.

When embarking on your de-cluttering mission, start with something small. Your kitchen might be making you crazy but what part of it is the worst? Did an overflowing drawer send you over the edge? Can you see your countertop under those piles? Start there and maintain your focus. De-cluttering something on a smaller scale will be easier to conquer and will give you a sense of accomplishment that will motivate you to tackle the next task.

Set a Timer

You don’t need to spend 20 hours a day de-cluttering and organizing. You’ll be amazed at the progress you can make in 30 – or even 15 – minutes a day. Select a spot to work on and set a timer. From the second the timer starts until it ends, focus only on the task at hand. Don’t get distracted by the TV, phone calls, email, Facebook…you get the point. If you finish your task within that time move on to the next area and work on it until time runs out.

A Three-Pronged Plan

One of the easiest ways to sort through the clutter is to divide things into 3 categories: keep, toss, and give away. Have a garbage bag handy and put your trash right in. If you’re going to keep something, put it away immediately. For those things, you’re going to give away, put them into a box and out of sight. Not sure whether you should keep something? If you’re even debating it, is it really that important?

Give Everything a Place

Clearing through the clutter will make it easier to get organized, and one of the keys to organization is to ensure everything has a place. Make sure the storage spaces make sense and are convenient to where you’ll be using those things. If you need storage solutions, there are limitless ideas online. There are stores devoted to storage and organization, companies that can do it for you, and self-storage facilities that will be happy to rent you a space in which you can store your things.

Keep Clutter at Bay

Once your home is organized, you don’t want to slip into those old bad habits, and you don’t have to. After using something, put it away. And if you bring something new into your home, get rid of something old. Avoid the piles and enjoy your clutter-free home.

How Do I Clean My House Safely and Naturally? – Declutter Your House, Organize for the Season

September 24, 2019March 20, 2019 by KeepingItClean

Cleaning Safely and Naturally

Spring Cleaning means switching over for a new season, doing a more thorough once-over of the entire home, and sorting out a winter’s worth of clutter., Here are some simple tricks and tips for a spotless and organized home going into the high-traffic summer months.

Safe & Green Cleaning Conditions

Work with the windows open and fans on to avoid breathing in unhealthy cleaning fumes.
Wear thick vinyl or rubber gloves to protect your skin.
Use “green” cleaning products that won’t damage the environment or your body yet work just as well.
For a basic multipurpose cleaner, a one-to-one ratio of distilled white vinegar and water can be used as a very eco-friendly alternative.
Use rags instead of paper towel to conserve paper.
Don’t move anything major, like a couch, fridge, oven, etc., without help.
Don’t use anything taller than a step ladder to reach those high places, and make sure someone steadying it.

Organize

We all have those drawers in our desks, kitchens, and bathrooms that keep all of the things we need, but just don’t have a place for. Most dollar or department stores carry dividers or cutlery holders that can be used to put all that necessary junk into some sort of order. In closets, laundry room and garage, hooks, and clips are useful to gather things together or get them off the floor.

Work Smart & Clean Efficiently

Work from the corner of the room out towards the door, so you’re not going over anywhere twice.
When tidying, make piles so you move many things once rather than doing small trips.
Always vacuum, sweep and mop last.
Clean one room at a time so that you can feel a sense of accomplishment that is motivating.

The Only 3 Quick & Easy Closet Decluttering Tips You’ll Ever Need

March 21, 2019March 9, 2019 by KeepingItClean

Letting go of clothing can be an emotionally complicated issue. But I gave away seven trash bags of clothing and shoes to charity last week, and I don’t regret one thread!

How did I know what to give away and what to keep? The following rules helped me cut the nostalgia and get down to business.

Ask 3 Questions of Each Piece

If you answer no to any of these questions, the piece is history.

Have I worn this in the last year?
Do I feel good in this?
If I didn’t feel guilty for some reason, would I still be hanging on to this?

These questions helped me chuck about one-third of my clothing. And what of feeling bad about getting rid of something I spent money on or someone gave me? It lasted for about two seconds. Then all I felt was clean goodness.

If in Doubt, Try it On

After trying some stuff on for my 20th college reunion coming up this weekend (yikes!), I collected another pile to give away. Why? Things still looked good — they just didn’t look good on me.

Yes, my shape has changed, but so has my style and station in life. Midriff? I’m not so hot on showing it anymore, and some of my glittery, vintage sweaters were just too darn short. Plunging necklines? Maybe for a night on the town with hubby, but do I really want to flash the playground every time I pick up a sand toy?

When It Hurts Too Much

If giving stuff away is really just too painful, here are some alternatives:

Put it on hold: Bag up the questionable stuff and keep it in your attic or basement. After three months, if you don’t miss it, toss it.
Go the wrong way: Turn all your hangers the wrong way. After you wear something, turn the hanger the right way. After a year, toss anything on a backward hanger.
Beat wardrobe fatigue: If you really want to save money and not completely say good-bye to your clothes, organize a clothing swap. If you exchange pieces with a group of friends, you can get free new clothes and your old stuff will be in good hands.
Give it away to your . . . children? My daughters’ dress-up bin is a lot more interesting now that it has disco dresses, frilly black slips, and beaded purses.

So I hope I’ve given you some ammunition to wage war against the clutter. If you tackle your closet, please come back and tell me how it went!

How My Family Went From Making Excuses To Helping Clean The House!

March 21, 2019March 9, 2019 by KeepingItClean

These are tips that the entire family can and should use. All family members living in the home should help take care of the home they live in. Almost everyone can do something, even small children.

These are tips that the entire family can and should use. All family members living in the home should help take care of the home they live in. Almost everyone can do something, even small children. There is NO reason why Mom should clean up behind herself and everyone else too! After all, if everyone is partaking of the blessings of the home to live in, everyone should help take care of it. While no one will change overnight, incorporating these tips into your daily life will soon make new and neater habits for even the messiest of the messies.

If you make a mess, clean it up immediately.

Don’t say you will get it after a while, do it now. Once you walk away from it, chances are that you won’t go back to it. Make a habit of cleaning up as you go! This saves time and keeps the home clean and organized. Washing dishes as you cook works great if you don’t want a pile after the meal, fold and put away the laundry as soon as it’s done, and have the kids put away toys they are done with before they take more out.

If you use it, put it back where it belongs.

Don’t wait until later, do it immediately! Again, once you leave it, chances are you won’t go back to it, and whatever you used will not be put away. Have family members learn to put things where they belong when they are done with the item. The famously “I can’t find the tv remote” comes to mind!

Have a place where things live.

Everything has a home! Instead of just laying something down anyplace, always put it where it belongs. If you make a habit of putting things up THEN and having the family do the same, it will become a habit to automatically put things away in the correct place.

Never go to bed with a dirty kitchen.

Even if you don’t do dishes right after a meal (I don’t), make sure the kitchen is clean before bed. If the kitchen is clean and someone decides on a snack after, have them clean up anything they mess up. Wipe the counters, the stove, and the table, and make sure the sink is empty and clean.

Bathrooms should always be clean!

Keep Clorox Wipes in the bathroom so that anyone can use them immediately if needed. These are great for cleanups! – I get mine here in 3 pack bulk, which is cheaper.

Donate unwanted items.

When you are cleaning out, have a bag or box for items no longer needed or used. Donate them, sell them, but get rid of them! There’s no greater clutter than things we don’t need. Clothes that we no longer wear, toys the children are too old for, books we have read, and that just sit on shelves. Whatever is in your home that’s not needed, get rid of it as you clean. When you put items not needed or used in that bag or box, make a note to have the items out of your home no later than seven days from the date you packed them. Don’t just move the clutter, get rid of it!

Set aside time to clean daily.

If your home is really cluttered, make yourself start the cleaning process by taking at least 15 minutes a day to clean it. It’s a great thought to try and clean the entire house at once, and if you can do that, great! But for the person that cannot do that, make it a goal to start at 15 minutes and work on up to more as you go in the following days. Start with the kitchen and bathroom. These are two rooms that should always be clean and sanitary. Make it a goal to clean those two rooms and keep them clean. Then work on the rest of the home. Once you have a room clean and organized, KEEP it clean and organized!

Each of these tips is attainable! While everyone is different and works at a different pace, at the same time, everyone can do this! It cannot be stressed enough that ALL members living in the home should do their part. There is no excuse for anyone not to help out unless they are physically or mentally unable to do so. Even a baby that crawls at six months can be taught to begin put their toy into the toy box.

Get everyone involved and get organized!

Sources:

https://www.wikihow.com/Maintain-a-Clean-Home

https://sanalisyan.com/home-and-garden/how-to-maintain-a-clean-home/.