Woohoo! A clean house in an instant? Sign me up, right! Okay, we’re not just going to wave a magic wand and make your house look perfect, but we are going to give you 7 rules of organization that will make your home cleaner — after you do them. So let’s stop putting it off and get to work.
1. Make a Mess
Wait, what? Seriously though…if you’re going to get organized, you’ve got to start by going through stuff. You probably don’t want the stapler in the same drawer as your wax paper, but it happens. Often, the first step to cleaning things up actually makes a big mess. Create a staging area and label any bins or boxes you’re going to use by room or category. Get rid of what you don’t need and categorize the rest in a way that makes sense to you. Then, you can put it all away.
2. Think Outside the Box
You don’t have to spend $200 on big plastic bins and labels. Chances are, you already have a lot of what you need. Shoe boxes, boxes from your last move, large tote bags, coffee cans, mason jars, and clear plastic bags all have their place. If it can hold stuff, hold off on getting rid of it until you know if you can use it.
3. End Paper Clutter
Mail, school papers, messages, ugh! It’s everywhere. Tame it with a command center, and above all, sort through it DAILY to rid yourself of unwanted junk.
4. Change the Way You Think
Take Elsa’s advice and start letting things go. It’ll free up both physical and emotional clutter that you don’t need. Also, remember that organization is ongoing — you can’t just do it once and be done with it. It’s part of your daily to-do list, and if you keep up on it, you’ll never have to do a major overhaul again.
5. Make Your Bed
Yes, every day! It can make a big difference in your outlook when you come home from a tough day at work and find your bed neat and tidy. Making it a point to make your bed every day is bound to flow into other areas of your life, motivating you to stay on top of other things, too.
6. The Bedroom Closet
As the old adage goes, “clean closet, clean life.” Okay, so I made that up. But doesn’t it make sense? First, tackle the setup of your bedroom closet and so that it makes sense. Then, you can start getting rid of things that you don’t wear.
7. De-Clutter Living Areas
There are a lot of ways to go about eliminating clutter in your living room, family room, and kitchen. Here’s a great tutorial, but the process involves defining each room, using containers wisely, and minimizing the fluff.
