How To Organize And Clean Your Home

Keeping stuff organized is one of the most frustrating jobs in the world!

Unless you are one of those annoying people who seem to be born with the clean quirk (like me!), keeping things tidy does not come naturally and is hard to learn. Writers make lots of money by writing books about home organizing and house cleaning – you might have bought one, hoping you’ll find the magic formula that will cure your organizing and cleaning problems. The sad truth is there is no magic formula. The cure may be found in teaching yourself to form good home maintenance habits.

When you think about it, allowing clutter to pile up is one of the biggest time wasters in the world. If you clean up after yourself, you don’t need to spend precious time cleaning and organizing your home later.

Often, we don’t think about having our home look neat and tidy. We just come and go, leaving clutter and chaos in the wake. What is lacking is an “instigator” or a “reason” to trigger our awareness that our habitat has sloughed into an unorganized, cluttered, untidy mess. Here’s an idea! Try “tricking yourself” into the mood to get organized!

Imagine this – you’re at work on Friday and receive a call from an old friend who lives out of town. She’s coming to visit on Sunday – at first, you are thrilled! Then … that old dreaded feeling creeps in and settles in. Your house is a mess! Good grief! It could take weeks to get it shoveled out and organized.

But don’t despair. Strategize by making a plan to efficiently and quickly organize and clean your house in one day!

Organizing and Cleaning Living Areas:

1. Don’t panic. Stay cool – time saving ideas come easier if you make a thoughtful plan.
2. Concentrate on removing unnecessary clutter first. You know how – pick up and throw out old papers, empty soda cans, old magazines, anything that looks junky and tacky.
3. Organize items in the room so that it looks neat. Put books in bookcases, magazines in racks or on coffee tables, sorted according to size.
4. Remove lamps, knick-knacks, photos, etc., from tables; polish surfaces, then replace items.
5. If your home is carpeted, use a carpet sweeper or vacuum to clean the carpet; if it is hardwood or other flooring material, shake scatter rugs outside, then damp mop floor and replace rugs.
6. Be quick! Make every motion count.

Organizing and Cleaning the Bathroom:

1. Spray cleaner on shower stall and bath tub. Let set for a moment, then scrub down with a large household sponge and rinse well.
2. Spray cleaner and sanitizer in toilet bowl and let stand while you wipe down the rest of the toilet surface with a cleaner. Then use the bowl brush and scrub the inside of the toilet; flush thoroughly.
3. Clear clutter from counter surfaces; wash the counter with spray cleaner and sanitizer. Sprinkle appropriate cleanser in sinks, give a quick scrub with a wet sponge or cleaning rag, rinse well and dry.
4. Replace necessary items on the counter; organize remaining items by either throwing away or putting them in a more appropriate storage place.
5. Dust where necessary; mop or vacuum floor; spray with room freshener.

Organizing and Cleaning the Kitchen:

1. Collect and rinse any dirty dishes and stack them on the counter.
2. If you have a dishwasher, put them in it and start it. If not, fill your sink with hot soapy water, wash and rinse, dry and put the dishes in their cupboard.
3. Wipe counters, tables and chairs, wipe smudges off refrigerator, make sure your kitchen range is sparkling clean by using a window glass cleaner on the surface.
4. Damp mop floor.

The Finishing Touch:

1. Put a nice table cloth on your dining room table.
2. Arrange a fresh fruit bowl or flower bouquet and place in the center of the table.
3. Place some scented candles around the room where they may be lighted safely.

The best plan to avoid having to spend extra time cleaning and organizing your home is to pick up after yourself and train your family members to do the same. It’s sort of the “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” theory.

Assign tasks. Have one person go through the house and pick up clothing that gets tossed around – coats and shoes get put in closets, dirty clothes go into a laundry hamper. Make another person responsible for taking dirty dishes back to the kitchen, picking up soda cans, old newspapers and magazines. (If your children are involved in this program, it won’t be long before they are reminding each other to pick up after themselves!)

The motive of getting your home clean and organized is not to make it pristine where no one feels comfortable, but rather to make it an inviting and peaceful place in which to relax. A cluttered, disorganized, messy house imparts a feeling of unease and chaos.

Now, when your phone rings and you learn your friend is coming for REAL, you won’t panic! When he or she arrives at your clean and organized home, you can relax and enjoy the visit – kick back and entertain!