Falling behind in household chores? Does it seem like you clean all the time, yet never finish? Let me ease your mind with some tips. With good home organization, you can free more of your time to spend with your family or friends. My first advice to you is to organize everything. The easiest way to make sure that you are not constantly searching for things you know you saw just minutes ago, is to have a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. If you have a specific area to put each of your belongings, you can develop the habit of simply putting things in their place as soon as you're done using them. It is a good idea to keep the things you need the most in a handy spot and store the things you don't need but would like to keep. We all have little belongings that we keep for sentimental value or "just in case." Put those things in a labeled box or tote and store them away. Which reminds me of another point: throw away the things you don't really need or want. If it's so old that you don't recognize it, toss it! Also if things are broken, outdated, or haven't been used in more than two years, get rid of them. This will free up space for you to organize those things that you and your family members use most often. Once you decide what you want to keep in storage, you have to organize that, too. Here are some tips for organizing storage: You can keep like items together or you can alphabetize. You should label any boxes or totes, so if you need to find something it won't take very long. Speaking of storage, are you wondering how to organize your garage? The same rules apply. If you set up a place for everything, and get rid of things you no longer need, a bi-monthly visit should be more than enough to keep it neat. Now that we are passed the organization, let's talk about the cleaning. View the house in sections, not as a whole. Each day of the week you can focus on one room or section of the house and fix it up just the way you like it. Using all in one cleaners like Lysol all purpose cleaner with bleach will keep things bright, stain free and sanitary. It is also a good idea to use disposable wipes or paper towels instead of sponges for table and counter tops. If you use sponges, you should replace them every two weeks. You should vacuum one room per day, if you have a lot of carpeted rooms. It is also helpful to have a good vacuum. If you find that you have to pass the same lint ball three times to get it up, you need a new vacuum. Also, change the bag in the vacuum as soon as it is near full, and use some form of carpet fresh. Organizing your house will take time. Again, view the house in sections, rather than as a whole. It will help you feel a sense of accomplishment in knowing that you finished something! Remember that you can organize anything. The rule of thumb is "keep a place for everything and in its place!" |
