How do you keep home organized, clean and neat? - Page 4

PamfromCT · ‎05-22-2014

@sandy53 wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
I'd you do not wash your dishes immediately and put them away, they will not wash themselves.

The same with paperwork and clutter. I walk around the house bedore I go to bed at night and make sure everything is straightened up and tidy.

I don't want to have anyone have to come into my home at night on an emergency basis and see a mess. You never know when you might have to call for for police or medical help.
When my best friend died suddenly of a heart attack, it was especially sad to come back to her home from the hospital and find it a mess. The kitchen had dirty dishes, pots, and pans from the bacon and egg lunch she had made for herself that day. It certainly added to my grief. I learned a huge lesson that day.

@sandy53, I likely misinterpreted your post, but it made me very sad. Perhaps you might not realize that sometimes people don’t feel quite well or normal before a major cardiac event. That might have impacted her normal routine.

And I can tell you that even if your home isn’t picture perfect, it is nothing you should be concerned about if someone is having a medical emergency. Kind of like worrying your hair is not right and your nails need doing if you are having a stroke.

When a dearest friend was dying of ovarian cancer, her DH was doing the best he could, and I can tell you I don’t even remember if there were dishes on the sink or whatever.

rnmom · ‎03-11-2010

@CherryHugs - I haven't read everyone's responses so I apologize if this has already been mentioned, but it seems to me like the things you are talking about are things that have to be done at least daily, if not several times a day, in order to keep a space neat and tidy.

For example, after each meal I always clean up the mess, which means food put back away, dishes put in the dishwasher or washed out and drying, all counters cleared off and wiped off. An organizer that I used to follow called it "erase the evidence". When you are done you shouldn't even know that you had anything out, everything should be put back away to "normal".

Mail I also go thru every day when I bring it in. Trash to trash, shred to shred and stuff that I need to keep like bills gets put away into a letter holder until I get to it, off the counter.

Dirty clothes always get put in hampers. I do laundry when the hampers start to get about half full. I have a hubby and 2 boys, 12 and 15. They will sometimes help with laundry too if needed, but I usually do some every 2-3 days. Clothes always get put away immediately after taking out of the dryer, no sitting around waiting.

Every day I go thru the whole house and tidy up. That was another thing from the organizer, I believe she called it a "whole house tidy". The organizer was called Flylady in case you're interested, she used to have a website, not sure if she still does or not, I haven't followed her in a long time, but she has a lot of good, practical advice.

Anyway, every single day I go thru and clear surfaces and put random things back where they belong. If I don't do it every day then things will pile up. If I do it every day it's not too bad and doesn't take too long.

Same with cleaning, I have 4 dogs so I vacuum almost every day. I wipe out the toilets every day, wipe down counters, etc. Just little things that don't take long but really make the house feel neater and cleaner, even if it's really not.

If I just put things away and cleaned and then didn't do anything for a few days my space would be a mess again too. Unfortunately, it is a constant process that needs to be done all the time in order to keep a place looking neat.

But, if you do this stuff long enough it will just become second nature after a while. I've been doing it for so long that I honestly don't even think about it anymore, most of it is just a part of my daily routine.

Oh, and make your bed every day!

AngelPuppy1 · ‎03-13-2010

Maybe make yourself check lists of things to do daily and then things to do weekly, etc. I am not very organized either. I have found that if I see a list and I can check the things off as I do them, it gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I can look at my list and say to myself --- Wow --- I did all that! Or even if I just do 1 or 2 things, I feel like I at least know where I am spending my time. Also, some things if you just do them as you go along, then there is not a monumental cleaning job. I absolutely hate cleaning the bathroom --- for me that is the worst thing ever! I am picky about keeping the mirror clean and the sink and all around it wiped off. So, I don't wait until these areas are a mess, but after using, I make sure to wipe these things all off. It's not deep cleaning but it makes things look neat and clean until you get to the deep cleaning. Same thing with other areas in the house. Say for instance the kitchen --- I keep the sink and the counters all wiped off and dried off all the time. The fridge, too. If something gets spilled on the stove, it gets wiped off as soon as it happens! Once you use something and are done with it, put it away. Hang up clothing or toss immediately in the hamper. This keeps the house from taking over and feeling overwhelming. Also, if someone drops in unexpectedly the house will look fine!!!

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." - Steve Martin

sandy53 · ‎03-12-2010

@PamfromCT wrote:
@sandy53 wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
I'd you do not wash your dishes immediately and put them away, they will not wash themselves.

The same with paperwork and clutter. I walk around the house bedore I go to bed at night and make sure everything is straightened up and tidy.

I don't want to have anyone have to come into my home at night on an emergency basis and see a mess. You never know when you might have to call for for police or medical help.
When my best friend died suddenly of a heart attack, it was especially sad to come back to her home from the hospital and find it a mess. The kitchen had dirty dishes, pots, and pans from the bacon and egg lunch she had made for herself that day. It certainly added to my grief. I learned a huge lesson that day.
@sandy53, I likely misinterpreted your post, but it made me very sad. Perhaps you might not realize that sometimes people don’t feel quite well or normal before a major cardiac event. That might have impacted her normal routine.

And I can tell you that even if your home isn’t picture perfect, it is nothing you should be concerned about if someone is having a medical emergency. Kind of like worrying your hair is not right and your nails need doing if you are having a stroke.

When a dearest friend was dying of ovarian cancer, her DH was doing the best he could, and I can tell you I don’t even remember if there were dishes on the sink or whatever.

No, that's ok. It was a very sad day for me. It was such a picture of how everything changes in an instant. She had lunch and then went out to mow her lawn. Just a normal day that ended up not normal at all. It's strange what we remember in a traumatic situation and that was one of my impressions from that day. No one should be expected to keep a perfect house.

Harpa · ‎03-10-2010

Since I really do not like disorganization, I just clean up right away. Put away that first item! Everything has a place.

If you're saving things for later, things tend to pile up. Then what are you left with? A bigger mess; a bigger job!

Of course, my office is still very active, so my yellow sticky notes are somewhat piling up.

PamfromCT · ‎05-22-2014

@sandy53 wrote:
@PamfromCT wrote:
@sandy53 wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
I'd you do not wash your dishes immediately and put them away, they will not wash themselves.

The same with paperwork and clutter. I walk around the house bedore I go to bed at night and make sure everything is straightened up and tidy.

I don't want to have anyone have to come into my home at night on an emergency basis and see a mess. You never know when you might have to call for for police or medical help.
When my best friend died suddenly of a heart attack, it was especially sad to come back to her home from the hospital and find it a mess. The kitchen had dirty dishes, pots, and pans from the bacon and egg lunch she had made for herself that day. It certainly added to my grief. I learned a huge lesson that day.
@sandy53, I likely misinterpreted your post, but it made me very sad. Perhaps you might not realize that sometimes people don’t feel quite well or normal before a major cardiac event. That might have impacted her normal routine.

And I can tell you that even if your home isn’t picture perfect, it is nothing you should be concerned about if someone is having a medical emergency. Kind of like worrying your hair is not right and your nails need doing if you are having a stroke.

When a dearest friend was dying of ovarian cancer, her DH was doing the best he could, and I can tell you I don’t even remember if there were dishes on the sink or whatever.

No, that's ok. It was a very sad day for me. It was such a picture of how everything changes in an instant. She had lunch and then went out to mow her lawn. Just a normal day that ended up not normal at all. It's strange what we remember in a traumatic situation and that was one of my impressions from that day. No one should be expected to keep a perfect house.

@sandy53, I am sorry. It is obvious I misread your meaning.

Someone posted something about keeping things neat and tidy, in case emergency people came I to their home. I guess that set me off, but again, I am sorry for my misinterpretation.

Yes, your life can turn in an instant. You certainly are right.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

Every time you get up from a chair, sofa, or bed, glance around to see what needs to be put up or thrown away. A piece at a time makes a huge difference in the day.

Make it a habit! Go to another room? Need to put something away? DO IT!

cotton4me · ‎03-09-2010

I try to keep up with everything as I go along. I make my bed as soon as I wake up in the morning. I clean the dishes after every meal. I never leave anything in the sink. I sort and process the mail as soon as I pick it up. I throw away the junk mail and pay any bills, which are very few.

I use letter-size plastic bins to store paperwork. I have one for paid bills, one for tax items I receive throughout the year, one for banking items, etc. I have a bin for everything. These help me stay organized; otherwise, I have difficulty remembering where I put a receipt, etc. I get them from Target.

images (2).jpg

CANDLEQUEEN · ‎03-09-2010

My husband and I follow simple rules, when you use something, put it right back when you are finished. If you dirty a plate, put it in the dishwasher after using it, instead of leaving sit out on the counter. After cooking,clean up the kitchen immediately after eating. Make your bed every day! Clean up the bath after you shower, and do hair and makeup......

In other word, just pick up after yourself every day, and every night before bed-look around and make sure everything is in its place. Once you get in the habit, and see how nice your home looks, it will get easier!!! Big one, de-clutter every so often, its amazing what we will allow ourselves to hang onto! Also fold and put away laundry right away instead of letting it sit......all of this contributes to clutter!

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

I'm OCD, so being organized is easy for me.

I feel that my house is always clean enough to welcome anyone in. I don't clean any more for expected company than I do for us routinely.

I do not ever want to live in a spotless house. This house was built as a family home, and I want anyone who walks thru my front door to immediately see that a family lives here.