You may remember me stating in previous posts, I am somewhat allergic to clutter in my home! I am a stickler for items being stored in specific places in my home. One of my pet peeves is when a particular item has been used by a member of my family (ahem my husband) and not returned back to its rightful place. I then spend a few minutes looking high and low for it. There goes two minutes of my life I will never see again!
Adopting the “every item has a home” rule ensures that your home is kept tidier and the general running of it is smoother.
I prefer to tidy up as I go along – little and often is far more enticing than spending half a day at the weekends doing housework. My husband works alongside me – we are a team!
We still need to prompt our children to pack away their toys come early evening. Strangely enough my daughter tends to feel achy and tired the moment we ask her to pack away her toys. The fact that she was dancing and singing two minutes earlier does not appear to phase her at all!
My six tips for keeping your home in tip top shape;
1. Tidy up as you go along with cleaning and general housework. It then feels manageable rather than overwhelming.
2. If you have children, encourage them to play with a few toys at a time. Rotate their toys, specifically those which take up space. Allocate a set time in which they pack them away each evening.
3. Deal with letters as soon as you receive them, preferably in date order.
4. Keep hallways and entrances to rooms clear. If possible move your coats and jackets upstairs.
5. Encourage your children to take part in keeping the home tidy. As much as my daughter complains, she is responsible for packing away her clothes once they have been washed, dried and folded. Yes, it takes longer and would be far easier to do myself but how will she learn if we do not encourage this from now?
6. Have a good look around each room in your home and identify what is neither pretty to look or of any use. Do not have more than you need in each room as it grows more and more challenging to keep in order.
Do you keep your home clutter free?
If not, what do you find most challenging?
organisedlady 
Getting rid of items – being able to say “I can get by without this” – is easier for some people than for others. I grew up in a family that accumulated stuff as a matter of course and was loathe to throw anything out, and I know as well as anyone that this can be a claustrophobic way to go through life. IMO, it is best to be proactive about reducing clutter by keeping your possessions to a reasonable minimum in the first place – that’s what I’ve tried to do upon leaving home.
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Less is more Andy. I am a born minimalist!
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I try to declutter my home a few times per year. It’s easier said than done though. It never seems like I have enough time.
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Clutter can build up in no time Jason!
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I will admit, I participate in cluttering up my home. These tips will help, but with me, it happens in spurts, I clean at one time, I clutter everything up at one time.
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If it works for you William then no point in changing things up.
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The tactic you use with your children with clutter is a similar to one I use with my dog. She was famous for grabbing each toy out of her bin and scattering all her toys over the floor. Now she just gets a couple at a time. Of course, dogs are less likely to protest than children. I love how your daughter feigns illness when it is time to clean. Too funny.
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Pets are definitely more compliable.
My children are so dramatic and entertaining!
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Tidying up as you go is the best advice on keeping a good handle on clutter. My mom instilled that in me, and it’s not often I can stand to leave things out for long or too many dishes in the sink waiting to be washed. I have a friend who spends a lot of timp complaining his house is messy. If he would just put things away after they were used or spend ten minutes a day doing a quick sweep of the house to put things in their place, just think of all the time he would save because he wouldn’t have anything to bemoan anymore!
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It does mean being on the move often and not always going by how you feel. If I gave into tiredness, I would do very little in the evenings.
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Also hate clutter and hence do what you suggest on a daily basis. Needless to say I find your suggestions excellent:)
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Thanks Catarina!
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We’re both the tidy-as-we go kind, also. Things are rarely not put back where they’re found. He stacks papers in his home office and I use upright files in mine. When the dining room table disappears, it’s usual some project of mine!
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Rose Mary – glad your husband works with you. Keeping your home tidy can become relentless if your spouse does not come on board.
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Excellent tips and I definitely agree with your tidy as you go approach. I’m in the process of preparing for a move so keeping things tidy is a real challenge at the moment, but making the effort does help to reduce stress. Thanks Phoenicia!
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You are welcome Marquita. Moving is not for the faint hearted.
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Great tips for a clutter free home. My kids are teenagers and they do pretty well at putting back community items (items the whole family uses). Every so often, I have to remind them but I think as parents, it’s our job to draw attention to the ‘good’ habits and the ‘needs improvement’ habits so they learn. I want my kids to be independent adults.
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We are responsible for teaching our children to keep home – this goes for both sexes. They may (will) moan but will thank you for it years later.
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I have the same pet peeve about not putting things back. My wife will walk around the house while she talks on the phone and then when done, drop it wherever she is. Then she may go out, the phone rings and I can’t find it. Argh!
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Now that is annoying Ken! How do you cope?
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I just stopped answering the phone.
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Lol Ken!
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As a result of decluttering one house to sell it and then downsizing to a smaller one a couple of years, my house is now relatively free of clutter. I am not very good, however, with cleaning up as I go and dealing with letters, etc. right away so I do need to tidy clutter on a regular basis.
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Donna – I am sure you were surprised by the number of items you owned after having a clear out.
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I always enjoy the stories and examples you give with your posts! This time my favorite was the situation when you ask your daughter to clean up and she suddenly doesn’t feel well! I like to clean up clutter each morning for a few minutes before I go to the computer to start my work.
Rin
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Thanks Dr. Rin – I aim to keep my blog posts humorous. My daughter is an actress – no idea where this trait came from!
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