Posts from — May 2007

Although some may think of organizing a home as a daunting, dreaded task, the end result provides an extremely rewarding satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment. It may feel overwhelming at first because the tendency is to see the job as a whole. It appears to be an unending chore to be put off at all costs. However, the mind must be set to take this task in steps. Conquering the worthwhile task of organizing can be achieved one step at a time with a positive attitude and the proper tools.

Most people think of cleaning as something that goes along with organizing a home. So, let’s explore cleaning for a moment. Your cleaners should be organized, too. Many people have an over-abundance of cleaners, which is simply not necessary. If you have several piece bottles of the same product, combine them.

If you have old cleaners and are unsure of their age and effectiveness, toss them out. Some cleaners are effective for several different jobs, which can reduce your spending and storage as well. [Read more →]

One of the worst habits a person can fall into is hanging onto things no longer needed. Learning to let go of clutter is one of the hardest things for a packrat to learn. Some people just see to be born with a tendency to hoard things.

Sometimes a person has a problem with letting go of clutter because of a poor financial state they were forced to endure. Children growing up with little to claim as their own may develop a habit of hoarding things once they acquire a better lifestyle. A person constantly on the move in their younger years may hoard clutter once they settle down.
An older person who has lost a loved one may have a hard time letting go of any clutter that belonged to their loved one.

A parent whose child has run away or been kidnapped or slipped into a coma may not be able to let go of the clutter belonging to that child. [Read more →]

Have you ever heard someone say, “I can make a mess like nobody’s business?” This remark isn’t limited to children! In fact, some adults seem to take pride in their mess-making abilities. Children are quite often the first ones to come to mind when someone mentions the mess making topic, however.

A young girl was once overheard making a remark about being in competition with her older brother to make the biggest mess in their respective bedrooms. Much to the mother’s relief, this didn’t include food or drink!

The same young girl seemed to be born creating clutter. Since becoming old enough to toddle around the home, she was discovered to be a natural explorer. She could indeed make a mess like nobody’s business. She would go from room to room pulling anything and everything within reach out of doors, drawers, and cabinets. Her delight was in un-organizing anything her mother had organized.

On the contrary, her brother was taught at an early age to be organized. He enjoyed helping around the house. When he would visit the home of a friend with a messy house, he would return home to remark that he was glad his home wasn’t like that. Over the years, these two children switched roles. [Read more →]

When you consider home organization, remember access. Remember out of sight, out of mind. Think of removing things you’ve quit using, things that you’ve saved that have gone out of style, and things someone gave you that you really don’t want.

When you decide to organize your home, please keep in mind that if you make it difficult to keep things in order, all your hard work will be temporary and basically for nothing.

If you have children or frequent visitors, keep this in mind when deciding home organization. Using containers that are hard to open or shut or that make it hard to identify the contents will become a source of frustration. Also, if maintaining your efforts at organization is a chore, your family will be less likely to cooperate. Containers that are colored, pretty, easy to open, easy to identify, and that are within reach will appeal to your children and your guests.

If you have memorabilia that is clutter with value, consider donating it to someone who would appreciate it and use it or display it in their own home. Maybe a museum would like it if it is antique. Simplify your decorating to both reduce your clutter and your cleaning. [Read more →]

How many times have mothers all over the world asked their children to get rid of clutter? How many wives have convinced their husbands they don’t need their high school memorabilia or all that fishing clutter they no longer use? How many families have had to get rid of clutter because they’re forced to pack and move to a new state? There are even (gasp) husbands who are neat freaks and are continually frustrated by their clutter bug wives! (Yes, ladies, it happens!)

Have you ever noticed something missing after your wife or husband held a garage sale or hauled off a load to charity? How many parents are forced to wait for someone to baby-sit their child so they could sort through the overflow of the toy box and get rid of the broken toys and just plain trash to avoid a scene? [Read more →]

If you’ve lost sight of your carpet, can’t find your clean clothes in the pile on the floor, and don’t remember if that basket holds trash or important paperwork, it’s time to de-clutter. If you need a hammer and nails but have to wade through old toys, paint cans, and things that have gathered dust in your garage to find them, it’s time to de-clutter.
Have you given up having family dinners because you’ve lost the dining room table under the accumulated mess?

Do you shudder when you open your refrigerator because it’s a constant reminder that you’ve neglected it? Are you afraid when you need something the kids borrowed and you are forced to search through the endless clutter in their rooms to find your belongings? Do you have to clean out your seat into an already overloaded trunk just to give a co-worker a ride home?

People continually add to their daily stress because of the clutter in many, if not all, areas of their lives. Then they finally get a day off work only to once more ignore de-cluttering in favor of going shopping, running errands, or taking the kids somewhere to have fun. So, the clutter continues to build. They may feel they sacrifice enough of their time already and work too hard to spend their precious off-time decluttering. Yet this may be the one area that could simplify their busy lives. Gaining control over clutter can relieve stress. Sometimes a person will attempt to de-clutter their homes by cleaning and clearing only what can be readily seen by any visitors. This is similar to the child who shoves everything under the bed or into the closet in an attempt to fool mom and dad, or at least to get them off their backs temporarily.
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