When I wrote my article “Fifteen Minutes to a More Presentable House,” a few of my friends said my list would take them longer than fifteen minutes. After clarifying that I run around like a maniac for those fifteen minutes, one friend pointed out that my house must still start in a better place. And that got me thinking, how do I keep our home organized enough that I never loose my cell phone or library books? So that I can find the birthday candles and out grown kids’ clothes and last year’s empty Easter eggs?
Everything must have a home. Every item must be designated a place where it belongs. Thus, you always know where to look for something and where to put it back. When you get new items, you should take a moment to purge old ones to make new homes.
- Don’t bother putting something down if its not its home. My mother taught me this one. You are just going to have to pick it up again later, so take the time to put it where it belongs the first time.
- Do a little every day. My mother is a master at this, with lists that break down every nook of the house and designate a day to clean it. But for me, its mostly putting items back into their homes. We spend some time daily cleaning up toys, clothes and books from the day. Some days the house is in perfect order, but most days its passable so that you could stumble to an exit without stepping on any Legos. Occasionally, I chip away at a larger mess, such as putting away new items after the holidays or tackling the messes behind closed doors (yes, I have one, too; its in my basement).
- Get everyone else to help. There is absolutely no reason mom needs to be the only one cleaning up. While it might be harder to get a husband to change his ways, you can teach your children very early to put toys away and put used dishes in the sink.
- Make routines. Ours include emptying the leftovers out of the fridge before we go grocery shopping, or to cleaning all the dishes out of the sink before starting dinner. Additionally, I wipe down the counter after the dinner dishes, and I immediately sort and recycle the mail upon bringing it in the house. These little routines help me keep everything under control.
