No, not tax season...well that too, but time to purge our homes of any
residual souvenirs and junk from the following year (or years!). I am inherently tidy, but being a military
family only adds to my anal-retentive-anti-hording tendencies.
Also, since we tend to move a lot I don't get as much of an opportunity as the average family to "collect".
BUT even I can build up a wealth of junk (see above!)!
Less clutter creates less stress and a happy home for everyone!
Fortunately for you, my adoring family, friends and followers, I have a few rules, tips and tricks I follow to keep my home clear of clutter!
THE RULES:
1. The 6 month rule. This is the mother of all rules. It rules all the rules on the rules about clutter.
If you haven't seen it or used it in 6 months it goes: you do not need it!
Of course there are exceptions to this rule like holiday decorations, regularly worn clothes and a small sampling of your children's memories and art. However these exceptions have rules of their own!
2. Holiday decorations: If you didn't use them the last holiday, they go.
TIP: Store holiday decor in clear totes and write on the outside with a marker what's in them!
Organize by holiday to make it easier to go through later.
TIP: Store holiday decor in clear totes and write on the outside with a marker what's in them!
Organize by holiday to make it easier to go through later.
3. Regularly worn clothes: If they are hanging up in your closet and you didn't wear them while they were in season, they go.
TIP: place a sticky note on each piece of clothing,
at the end of the season take out anything that still has a sticky note!
TIP: place a sticky note on each piece of clothing,
at the end of the season take out anything that still has a sticky note!
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| See the purple sticky's?! This is a freshly purged closet ready for the next purge! |
4. Children's memories: this is tough but, only pick your top 5 from the holiday art, 1 or 2 pieces a month from school art, and keep only hospital things from when they were born. Kids bring home tons of paper, do not keep it all!
TIP: Display your child's art on a string, at the end of the month
you'll see how full it is and be forced to purge it!
5. Detach yourself. This is the hardest part because it's really easy to attach yourself to things. But remember they are just things! Don't get sucked into the "but I might use that next holiday" or "maybe I'll wear that again!" Because you wont...and you wont. Sorry.
Take all that stuff and donate it or have a garage sale, but only have a garage sale if you are really going to have a garage sale! Most of the time people just end up piling up their stuff in the garage and then what's the point?!
2. Always put it away. Never just set something down somewhere to put it away later, you wont and the clutter will just build! It makes the end of the day a lot easier to put away too.
3. Have a "junk drawer". Or basket if you're short on drawers in your house. This drawer is for those small little things like pencils, pens, scissors, rubber bands, note pads and such. You can throw stuff in this basket and let it get messy without feeling bad! I usually go through mine every 6-ish months.
4. Use the entire week to clean. Some like to do all their cleaning on one day, and that's fine, I just find it easier to space out the cleaning through the week. One day I dust, the next is bathrooms, vacuum and then wash floors. Breaking it up lets you feel accomplished that day AND it saves you time throughout the entire week.
5. Always make your bed! For some reason I always feel like I really have my, *ahem* stuff together when my bed is made!
6. Keep Counters Clear. If it doesn't have to be on the counter then it doesn't need to be. In my kitchen I use the 3 appliance rule: only 3 or less appliances get to stay on the counter! Everything else goes in a cabinet or pantry.
TIP: Display your child's art on a string, at the end of the month
you'll see how full it is and be forced to purge it!
 |
| Your child's "masterpieces" don't have to be displayed in a fancy way, they'll just be happy to have a place of honor! |
5. Detach yourself. This is the hardest part because it's really easy to attach yourself to things. But remember they are just things! Don't get sucked into the "but I might use that next holiday" or "maybe I'll wear that again!" Because you wont...and you wont. Sorry.
Take all that stuff and donate it or have a garage sale, but only have a garage sale if you are really going to have a garage sale! Most of the time people just end up piling up their stuff in the garage and then what's the point?!
Tips and Tricks:
1. Use nice baskets as storage. I have baskets everywhere, under end tables, in my TV stand, corners and closets. With little (even big!) kids it makes for a much faster clean up!2. Always put it away. Never just set something down somewhere to put it away later, you wont and the clutter will just build! It makes the end of the day a lot easier to put away too.
3. Have a "junk drawer". Or basket if you're short on drawers in your house. This drawer is for those small little things like pencils, pens, scissors, rubber bands, note pads and such. You can throw stuff in this basket and let it get messy without feeling bad! I usually go through mine every 6-ish months.
4. Use the entire week to clean. Some like to do all their cleaning on one day, and that's fine, I just find it easier to space out the cleaning through the week. One day I dust, the next is bathrooms, vacuum and then wash floors. Breaking it up lets you feel accomplished that day AND it saves you time throughout the entire week.
5. Always make your bed! For some reason I always feel like I really have my, *ahem* stuff together when my bed is made!
6. Keep Counters Clear. If it doesn't have to be on the counter then it doesn't need to be. In my kitchen I use the 3 appliance rule: only 3 or less appliances get to stay on the counter! Everything else goes in a cabinet or pantry.
Now you don't have to use all of these rules, you don't even have to do them at all. These are just what I go by to help keep my home clean, it's what works for my family! I hope these rules, tips and tricks can help inspire you in your own spring cleaning purge!
Happy Cleaning!
Happy Cleaning!
One thing we do with our kids art projects and school stuff is to take pictures of them and store all the pics in a file on the computer. Then throw them out. That way you can still see it but doesn't take up space.
ReplyDeleteThat's a GREAT idea! I've also heard of turning those photos into an album or scrap book too.
DeleteThanks for the tips Kate! I feel the same way about my bed, it MUST be made! And I love the colored tape on the clothes hanger idea!
ReplyDeleteI love it too! I really tests me to what I REALLY use in my closet!
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