Home

[Foolywooly11]

I'm much more comfotable in my home if it's clean & organized. Everything has a place. I could probably find just about anything in my house...blindfolded! I wasn't like that in my younger years, but, as I age, it just makes life easier.

[house_cat]

I'm a list maker... always have been.

For years, this is the list I've used. I have it laminated and delight in crossing things off with a dry-erase marker.  I made my own list, but there are many of them on Pinterest and other websites, available to download.

However, like everyone else, I'm getting older and the heavier jobs were becoming harder and harder to tackle.  DH decided recently to hire a cleaning lady who comes twice a month. It has only been about three months and I'm telling you that it's absolutely life changing.  The amount of free time I now have is worth every penny.  I understand not everyone has the means to hire help. For many years, it was unthinkable for us.  Sometimes, though, it's a matter of rearranging priorities. We don't eat out often or spend money on theatre, concerts or other entertainment - for us, those are not priorities. 

Tidying up is a breeze, compared to cleaning bathtubs, showers and floors.  Maybe when I retire I'll start doing it all myself once again. If not for DH, who just happens to be much messier than I am, a good cleaning once a month would be sufficient.

[blackhole99]

I have a small house and everything except the bathrooms and bedrooms are open for all to see. I can't stand clutter so everything has to be in it's place and rooms have to be clean and smelling good. My husband does most of the heavy duty cleaning inside and out. I donate older things when I bring in new things, all I can say is, you have to keep after things.

[GCR18]

"Can't seem to stay organized".  That is the key sentence.  It sounds to me that you need to scale back. Get some empty boxes and pack things you have in the room(s) that you don't use. Be honest with yourself.

Rearrange what's left and put the boxes out of sight.  If you don't go looking for something in those boxes in two months, donate them.

[sidsmom]

@FlowerBear 

I adopted a ‘system’ waaaaay back in the 90’s when I was working.

The SLOB Sisters...many might remember them.

They suggested a card system, which was a process I used

at work, so it worked well for me personally.

Long story short, do a little bit everyday on a schedule.

Instead of cleaning the entire bathroom, I would Windex the mirror

on one day, sweep the following day & wash rugs on the weekend.

And I could easily do these little tasks before going to work.

It was a lot easier than to say ‘clean entire apartment on Sunday’.

[RedTop]

I don’t get embarrassed at how my house looks when people drop by, because a family lives here.   My house was not built to be a showplace.   

I think my home is always clean.   I saw the initial assessment by the Home Health nurse when they first started taking care of my husband; “patient appears quite comfortable in a very clean, orderly home”.  As long as I maintain that, I’m not too worried.   Bath and kitchen surfaces are wiped down daily.  I dust furniture weekly, and swiffer floors 2x a week. 

Neat can sometimes be another story.   Teacher daughter has to empty her classroom, and all those boxes come here for the summer.   Right now I have stuff in my living room, my garage, and my basement that will be here until August 10th.   Anytime trucker daughter is off more than a couple of days, everything she has in her truck comes here until she returns to work.   It’s amazing what one person needs for 5-9 days on the road, and what will fit in the sleeper of a big rig!

[GAQShopr53]

I was gong to invoke my 5th amendment right and remain silent on this post but I have to break my silence. I had a system that each day I would dedicate a room and then move on to the next room and so forth. I will say that my bathrooms and kitchen always stay clean. My dining room somehow became my temporary office and now I am working to decutter and reclaim the space. I have a spare bedroom that houses all of my stuff that I probably don't really need. 

Now the hubby on the other hand has this tendency to wait for me to clean and then follows to mess up. Now I don't even bother with trying to clean every day. I even had a lady to clean my home every 2 weeks but that did not work out because she was just too slow and didn't clean the way I wanted it done  I may need help. Now I am in the process of decluttering and giving items to those who may need them. I wanted to sell those things but just got frustrated with the process. 

With that being said I am probably no help at all on this one!

[sidsmom]

@GAQShopr53 

Your post made me giggle.😆

[BirkiLady]

Sounds like you have clutter. Recycle or pitch whatever is "messy". An organized life is never a disorganized life. Good luck clean out the excess stuff.

Once it is gone, do not let it build up again. Take stuff to the trash can or the recycle bins each day! Life is so much easier and your family and friends will appreciate it when visiting in the clean home. 

[1Snickers]

    I clean  one week and the maid the next. On the weeks she  cleans  I clean other things that she misses or deep clean, organize and sort items for charity,etc.

   Like others here I NEVER leave dishes in the sink and empty trash daily. Beds made (mine & dogs). 

    Before bed I straighten the den and kitchen. 

    My car keys and remotes live in cute baskets so I don’t have to search for them. 

    My son used my upstairs studio room for a playroom. It has a spiral staircase and balcony. The written rules there were: Do not play on stairs or balcony. 

          Anything played with must be returned to its shelf ,

you will be given a 5 minute clean up warning. 

           No darts allowed!

     Kids loved that room and followed the rules.