Clutter, Clutter Everywhere – How to Get Rid of It

Everyone has a room or spot in the house that is comppletely unruly. There’s a simple and quicky way to tidy it up. Before I give the tip, if you have to, have someone help out. They may even help talk you out of keeping that super cute Elmo doll you haven’t seen in a year. Ok, tip time!

– Take 3 bins and make them Donate, Keep, and Trash.
Donate- Things that are in great shape that you don’t use, and it can benefit someone elses’ life.
Trash- Anything you can’t salvage. If it has holes/tears and cannot be used by anyone, throw it away!
Keep- Seasonal items, clothes you WILL wear, or anything you plan on using in the months ahead.

As you noticed, there is no “maybe” pile. The reason is because you don’t need one. You have to make a decision! Now you see why I said have someone help.

Moving into a new house is always stressful, and clutter builds up. If you have noticed, anyone, before they move, has a yard/garage sale. I have an easy way to keep the items you’re moving with seperate from your sale items. When you’re packing away you’re moving items and come across your yard sale ones, put those yard sale items in a seperate box and make sure to mark it. When you have everything packed, put your yard sale stuff on the top shelf of your closet, and your moving stuff on the bottom. That way, you are not confused about where everything is. When you move into a new house, don’t just set boxes anywhere! Place the boxes in the rooms in which they belong. It’s alot easier to find the items and you won’t be as stressed.

Working full-time, double/triple shifts leave NO time for cleaning. There are many ways to help this- clean before you leave the house. Any one who has come home from working hard never wants to clean- all they want to do is relax- and I don’t blame them! However, if you do not have the time to clean before you leave, do it right after, and then you will have the chance to relax. If you have kids, play a game with them that centers around cleaning. Give them each 5 minutes to pick up as many toys as they can, and the first person to finish (and the toys have to be put in their correct spot), gets a small prize. Do this every so often (not every day- it can get expensive!), and they will jump up at the chance to help!

Kitchens are sometimes harder to organize- especially at the holiday. This may sound like a neat-freak, but make sure your cabinets have a theme inside them. Canned items go in one cabinet, sugar, flour, and the like go in another, and so on and so forth. This will help you find items easier when you are on a time crunch.