Today is a reverse Works for Me Wednesday. We’re supposed to ask a question of you, the readers.
So here’s my question. What’s your best organization trick? Now I know that some of you may have struggles in the housekeeping area if you read my blog, and feel like you don’t have advice to give. Believe me, I’m there. I generally try to not give any advice on here, since I am, after all, a slob. But I share my struggles and what is actually making a difference for me. And one of the things that I’ve noticed, especially through participating in Works for Me Wednesday, is that we all have something we do that we’re proud of. Something that we’ve figured out that helps life run a little more smoothly.
I heard a woman say once that her best trick was to never leave a room without scanning it for something that needed to be moved to the room where she was going. A glass to go to the kitchen, a hairbrush to go to the bathroom, or whatever. This is awesome advice. I haven’t made it a habit yet, as it’s so contrary to the way my brain works, but I do have it in my head as something I need to work toward.
I may struggle with organization in MOST areas, but I’m really proud of a few of my systems in the kitchen, which I’ve written about before. Like pre-cooking my chicken breasts and my ground beef.
What is your best trick that you use to make things run more smoothly? I’d love to know. Believe me, I need all the help I can get!
Anonymous says
Stairs are a bit of a challenge for me because of health issues, so instead of running up and down them as I clear clutter, I put things that need to go upstairs on one or two of the steps or in an empty laundry basket at the bottom of the stairs. I wait until I have multiple items and a real need to go up the stairs and then just carry the all up at once.
Penny says
I do the same thing.
Mom2fur says
I prep my meat ahead, too, which saves lots of time. If you do nothing else, that sure does help!
I like the idea of taking things from one room to another. I have heard it called "FIFO"–Full In, Full Out. I try to follow this.
I have some good ideas for paperwork. We have a two-drawer file with hanging folders. Each folder holds one file (you don't put papers directly into the hanger, I learned), and they are color coordinated: purple is tax info, green is health, blue is cars, for example. I keep my warranties and booklets in the bottom drawer (in red folders), and I divide them not by type but by room. For example, the TV and DVD booklets and one A/C manual are in the folder marked "Living Room."
I'm not terribly organized, but I can put my hand on what I want maybe 80% of the time–not bad!
Mar says
I do the dishes every night. We don't have a dishwasher and I've been known to have a LOT (and I do mean a LOT) of dishes piled up in our rather small kitchen. It's really hard to cook a meal when there are no pans and no counter space available!
I always put my keys in the same place. On the few rare occasions when they aren't there, it's a pain to trace back to what we did when we came home to find them.
Anonymous says
Always do dishes before going to bed and do at least one load of laundry a day.
I'm a complete neat freak. Once you get everything organized it does have to be kept up with on a constant basis. But it really is easy once you get the intial organizing done. 🙂
Anonymous says
I do laundry twice a week for four people. I always put laundry away(fold or hang) as each load finishes drying. It drove me crazy everytime I went to wash a load and put them in the dryer to find a load that I hadn't taken out of the dryer. So I just concentrate on the laundry until it is done. I have found some great articles and printables at http://www.Organizedhome.com for a household notebook, declutter, cleaning, and organizing. There is also a link to organized Christmas, maybe I will get to that next year. Love your blog, I'm
working on getting it together too.
Anonymous says
Do a job all the way. Like Laundry I do complete load. Wash, dry it, fold and put it away. Usually I wash and dry it and Iwill come back later when I have time. By then I have 5 or 6 baskets to fold. When I clean if something needs to go in the other room. I will put in the next room. Example ifI am living room something needs to go to bathroom or my room. I put in the kitchen which is the room between the bathroom. So now I time myself how much longer takes it take to put something in its proper place all of few seconds but my kitchen and other stay cleaner longer.
The (Almost) Amazing Mammarino says
When you start cleaning a room, start in one corner and clean thoroughly and then slowly work around the room. You will see your progress much faster (which will spur you on). For instance, if all of your kitchen countertops are cluttered, you will see more of a difference if you clean one whole section completely rather than taking a few things/papers off of each countertop or surface.
Also, work in small spurts. It's better to try to organize one shelf at a time than the whole closet.
I highly recommend http://www.flylady.com!
My motto is: "Done is better than perfect!" Good luck!
S says
My best tip came from my friend and neighbor. She said that she puts each child's clean laundry into a separate basket and then they are responsible for taking it upstairs to their room. Since we have a second story laundry shute, getting clothes to the laundry room is no problem, but getting them put away was always the step I never finished up. Now I'm done when it's in their baskets. I have improved on this by now if I find other items belonging to them on laundry day, I stick those in their basket too. So laundry and clutter both get tackled on laundry day.
J. says
I love this blog! I've been reading the archives for the past few days and I love your honesty! This is a little late, but my best clutter tips are about laundry.
1. When folding sheet sets, fold up everything except for one pillow case. Then tuck the fitted sheet, the flat sheet, and the other pillow case into the extra one. It makes it so much easier to just grab the whole sheet set.
2. Instead of taking the laundry out of the dryer and moving it somewhere else to fold, just stand at the dryer with an empty basket and fold it straight out of the dryer. It only takes a few minutes and then you don't have to look at a laundry pile for 3 days. Everytime I think I'll just pile it up on the desk chair, it stays there. But if I do it at the dryer, laundry is done super fast.
Both of those come straight from my grandmama :).
Anonymous says
I am reading from the start here in May of 2011, so this is like time travel I guess. I posted 4 times yesterday, which is the most ever for me.
My tips are (and I can't believe I'm giving any because I haven't a leg to stand on)
Dishwashers are not meant to be loaded perfectly. When we ate out constantly we got stuck in a cycle of stacking up dishes on the counter. Loading the "perfect load" Different thing depending on whether I or DH was loading it. Then we wouldn't run it if two more dishes could fit in. Now it just goes it however it fits, and you run it right away. Also the silverware basket rests on top of the silverware organizer very nicely and that takes 5 minutes of unloading. Since I'm better at Organizing than maintaining all the dishes that we eat off of are in cabinets near the dishwasher.
Find one room and really finish it, I've been for years cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, and still feeling lousy because the results were always that the room looked slightly less trashy but now you could see the things that were really clutter but had been in the same spots for months. So I got my best room the living room into really good shape, and now it's super easy to clean, and that motivates me to clean better in other rooms. The dining room is still messy, but my standard for messy has gone way up.
Savor the victories. Every time I clean my LR in 5 minutes. I just look around for a few minutes and see how good it feels. I've spent years feeling terrible about being a slob, and it never helped me get better about it.
Slob with OCD
shirley says
i too have started reading your blog from the beginning a few weeks ago. finally! someone who gets me!!
my tip is that i try to multi-task whenever possible. for example, i make my hot tea in the microwave each morning. it takes 3 minutes. i try to unload the dishwasher, or at least part of it, in that time. i also use my afternoon “chill time” to fold laundry and watch a little tv that i’ve recorded earlier for me. things that the hubs doesn’t watch. plus, if i watch it after the fact, i can always fast forward through the commercials.
Sally H says
Trash cans — lots of small trash cans. I have at least one, but often multiples per room. They are as close to the cluttered areas as I can get them — one next to the computer desk, one (in the same room) in my sewing area, one near the dryer (for lint and pocket clutter), one in every kids’ room (which they use, but I have to empty), etc. My thought is that if it is handy, they will use it. Mostly it works, but I need (and don’t have room for) more than one in the kitchen for husband who can’t seem to throw away cooking trash.
Found your blog yesterday and have read through from the beginning. THANK YOU for having the courage to reveal the flawed person we all are. I had to stop reading an hour ago and go clean something. I have the first two of my non-negotiable tasks lined up. (I’m starting with two because they are things I already usually do but want to make them better habits.)
Candice says
Sally.. i wish i could mail you all the adorable things in korea… i found the most wonderful place for someone trying to organize/deslobify! tiny( and large) baskets.. mesh and solid plastic… bins and trash cans down to the tiny one i got for scraps thats the size of a pop can! and wall hangers/hooks galore! here in korea they are big on “use every inch of space because we have tiny places!” and whats best of all.. so much of it is ADORABLE! and CHEAP! i cant wait to take my little cute organizers back stateside with me next year and use them in a place with normal storage!
Lindsey J says
I threw away ALL of my children’s socks and bought new – but only the kind that have the colored writing on the bottom. (hanes) This makes matching a cinch and I can tell whose socks are whose (I have 5 kids).
When I have unmatched socks at the end of the load, I put them in a bag hanging on the wall. Once a month I try to match everything in the sack, and if there aren’t matches I throw them all away! (this takes great will power for me!)
Totally transformed my laundry time!
Shanna says
Time travel-heehee- that’s what I was thinking yesterday!
1) From my mom- who never, ever had a pile of clean dry clothes anywhere with 3 kids- fold directly out of the dryer and do it fast and furious. This is the same as J. ‘s grandma. My mom just throws open that dryer door and starts whipping through that laundry and stacking it on the dryer. This way it doesn’t get wrinkly and it doesn’t travel all around the house for days. My mom would say that putting it in a basket and taking it somewhere and folding it and stacking it in the basket blah, blah, blah was a complete waste of time. “For heaven’s sake just fold it when it’s warm and it’s just like it’s ironed!! If you do it fast it only takes 5 minutes!” I did fall into the watch tv and fold and it made a huge mess with laundry migrating all over the house. I think this goes with other comments of finishing an entire load to the bitter end before you start another. I will say that forcing myself to fold or hang the laundry actually makes me slightly nauseated sometimes because I SO don’t WANT to!
2) Clean the shower when you are in it. First do an initial scrub down, then pick a day of the week to just clean while you are naked before you start the shower! I use vinegar and water or laundry detergent and water in a gallon size bucket with a big towel (hand towel size) and soak the rag then pour the soap all around so it flows down the walls. Then just quickly wipe everything start showering and rinse while you are getting wet. This eliminates the “I don’t want to get all wet and icky” feeling. Give yourself 3-5 minutes. If you use vinegar you can wipe down the outside of the door with it too. If I feel like buffing I just use my towel I dried off with and buff the door inside and out and throw that towel in the bin -voila! I used to be a professional housekeeper and the first shower cleaning was always 45 minutes the subsequent cleanings 10 minutes- even using a toothbrush.
3) Never, ever use bar soap. It’s just a huge mess and makes horrible soap scum.
Now I will have to do the dishes again like last night! Nony, this blog is bringing me into “responsibility for the family mode” big time, I thank you soooo much!
Janie says
Just did this and I am so happy about it…lots of decluttering to do with a 3, 5 and 7 year old, whose bedroom and playrooms are always a mess and hard to pick up. I was feeling so resentful because I never got to our master bedroom. So I let the kids rooms go and walked across the hall to our master bedroom and bathroom and tacked em but good! For a week- and they’re now straightened and relaxing. And the other rooms are coming along. So I guess the trick is work on what will give you the most positive emotional feedback. Oh my other cheat is I and stash and dash the clutter until it’s almost irrelevant to my life. I have 5 bins of kids toys that are stashed- thought I could be one of those “I rotate the kids toys every month” moms— ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! So now they’ve forgotten about them and I can chuck em all without too much guilt. Hopefully…soon…
Deeann says
I do the chicken and hamburger freezer cooking and I make meat loaves, meat balls, hamburgers and browned meat all at the same time… huge help!
I also make twice baked potatoes all at once… take a whole bag of potatoes, wash and poke them, and throw them all in the oven to bake. When they are ready, take them out, cut them in half if they are huge, or take a slice off one side, scoop out the skins leaving a layer of potatoe so the skins aren’t too thin. Mix toppings like cheese, bacon bits, ranch dressing or sour cream, etc into the potato then spoon it back into the shells. Put on cookie sheets in the freezer just till firmly frozen and then throw them all in plastic bags. They reheat in the microwave really well and taste wonderful. I also make huge pots of soup at a time, pour into several bowls to cool in the fridge and then freeze in freezer bags layed out flat to save room. baked spagetti frozen works well too- I made a bunch of individual serving bags for a lady friend in a nursing home one time so she could have that instead of the meal if it wasn’t something she liked.
For laundry, I have “load size” laundry bags in the bathroom, one white and one dark, everyone knows to put white /light clothes in the white one and every thing else in the dark one. When one fills up, it gets run. My kids are old enough to do laundry, I am the one that folds it right out of the dryer into a basket and then I sort it into each persons basket on the stairs and they put it away. It usually adds up to one load a day.
Motivation: each day I read a couple of Nony posts and it gets me motivated to go clean something or do one of my non-negotiables. Thanks Nony!
Danielle says
#1. As soon as I bring home something expensive (TV, Wii,) I take the warranty/instructions out of the box and staple the receipt to it. Put it in file cabinet.
#2 To clean my showers…As I am letting the conditioner set in my hair-Grab an exfoliating glove-throw some shampoo or body wash onto it-scrub walls and tub-rinse. (Don’t forget to rinse your hair!!-don’t ask!!!)
Susan says
I love the exfoliating glove idea!
Donna says
First I”ve been reading your blog, the last week or so, backwards like you say. 🙂 Love it, So nice to know I”m not alone, even though a few years behind you 🙂
I clean houses for a living, all day, you know big nice fancy homes.
I noticed one day, one of my most orginzed custmers, has a laundry basket for each person. Then when your done, a load, it’s all for one room. Amazing, has worked great for me, and the laundry pile 🙂 I still need to get this habit down pat, but yes, a hamper for each person.. She even has a small basket under in kitchen sink for all kitchen cloths! I watched her over the last 7 years have kids and never miss a beat in the laundry department. And yes, theer’s may homes I clean with the spare bed, full of laundry needing to be folded.
Thank you for your blog,
Donna
Nony says
Love this! Thanks for commenting. People who DON’T struggle with laundry really do fascinate me!
Shirls says
I’m also one of the “Time Travellers”. My best tip is, in fact, a timer. I use an old cell phone for this purpose and also as an alarm clock. It’s amazing how focused you can get on a task when you know that timer will go off in fifteen minutes.
Susan K. says
keep a spray bottle of vinegar water (50/50ish) under the bathroom sink. Spray the base of toilet and the surrounding floor or/and wall nightly or as needed to keep smells at bay. It’s also handy for keeping it disinfected.
Martha G says
I used to really struggle keeping my house clutter free. I thought it would be better once the kids left home, but for a while it wasn’t (Ok, it still takes some effort). I use open bins, tubs and baskets in the linen cabinet to store my wash clothes, kitchen towels, spare toiletries (I coupon and stock up on this stuff a couple times a year so I always have lots) and other stuff you keep in there. They don’t all match, but I used what I had on hand that fit in my cabinet. Even though I have a very large cabinet, it’s easy to let it get out of hand. I also only use square or rectangular bins so I can push them into corners without wasted space.
Laura says
Hi Nony,
Another time traveler here. I’ve been reading your blog for about a week now and have just subscribed. I know you hear this often but I feel like you are writing about me. I do so many of those “slob brained”things.
My favorite laundry tip is to keep one of those mesh wash bags in each kids room for undies and socks. Once a week, collect them all up. Zip the zipper and toss them all in the machine together. Then each person gets his/her bag back when they are clean. Cuts out so much sorting and folding its amazing. Oh and best part clean underwear are never more than one load away.
Kristin says
Oh my gosh, you are a genius! That is brilliant.
unmowngrass says
Sounds good! I might take it one step further and give everyone two mesh bags for underwear. That way you can wash, dry, return to room and pull from mesh bag to wear, and just put in the other one when dirty. Socks might be a problem… just buy the “loads of socks the same” and use yet more mesh bags to do this once for pants and once for socks?
Mandie says
One of the many organizing books I’ve read touched on something you have said here-put things where it makes sense to YOU, not where you think they should go or where someone else would put them. And I suppose this isn’t really an organization strategy, but it’s something that’s made a difference in my life. I have always been terrible about cleaning my face at night. Unfortunately my genetics predispose me to have large pores and I read that not removing your makeup causes the foundation to settle in to your pores & stretch them out even more. So it finally dawned on me that I could take my makeup off while sitting in front of the TV at night. I have cotton balls, eye makeup remover, cleansing cloths, toner & moisturizer all in a cute little bag under my end table & this has enabled me to clean my face & moisturize 95% of the time. I know it’s not as good as using a washcloth & soap, but it’s better than sleeping in it & stil having to remove gunky eye makeup before showering the next morning.
unmowngrass says
Great idea! I suppose you need a trash-can by your seat too?
Mandie says
Truthfully? I have a stone-top end table, so I just put them on the table until I get up to get a drink or go to the bathroom. My table accumulates so much stuff over the course of the evening I have to do a 5 minute put away/throw away before I go to bed every night anyway. 🙂
Fish says
My advice is simple but something your blog is helping me concentrate on try lots of things until you find what works for you. I do this for the three major struggles and so far since I have focused on what works for me instead of doing it blank’s way I have suceeded.
Anonymous Slob says
When I’m not in the mood to clean my room, I divide it up. First I’ll tell myself that I only have to make up the bed and clean on one side of it, usually my husband’s side, which is much neater. Once the bed is made and the floor and nightstand are clear, I can’t help but want to dust the nightstand and sweep that side of the bed. By then, there is enough of a difference that I want to keep going. So I clean in front of the bed and finally my side. It always works for me.
When I’m wiping down the toilet in the mornings, I also wipe the hard to reach tile behind and beside the toilet every couple of days because I know the mop doesn’t get in there very well.
I started mopping with water and ammonia. This really cuts through the dirt in the kitchen, breakfast area, and bathrooms. I steam mop the rest of the house, since those rooms don’t get as dirty.
I keep my little kids’ clothes stored in my closet. It is MUCH easier to put away and pick out clothes each day, rather than having to go upstairs. Also, they are being trained to throw their clothes in the hamper, something I didn’t teach my older kids.
Twyla Hajdukiewicz says
My best organizing tip is to get rid of guilt gifts. We all have them – those things that people we love give us that we really don’t like or don’t use anymore but feel guilty letting go of. Sometimes they might even be family heirlooms. But if I don’t like it, don’t use it, and don’t have a place for it, I usually manage to let it go – sometimes by giving it to someone else I know who really needs/wants whatever it is. (Some things I’ll put in a box with a date and if I don’t open the box for several years I toss it or donate it, though I usually look through it just in case, at which time I end up wondering why I ever saved it.) One caveat: if they are family heirlooms, I check with other family members to ask if they want them and tell them that I plan to get rid of them if no one in the family wants them in their house because I am no longer willing to store them in mine. I remind myself during this process that the people who gave me or left me the things would rather I be happy when I think about them than that I think about them with irritation each time I come across the whatever it is that I have to clean/move/store/deal with.
Dana White says
All so true! And I love the last sentence especially!!
Tiffani N. says
I have two clutter baskets for my husband in which he can place anything he wants and I won’t bug him about it. It helps keep the counters and dressers clear and keeps me from being tempted to add to the clutter pile.
Kimberly says
I didn’t see anyone mention the hanger trick. Not sure where I first read it but when you do that major clean out of the closets clothing goes on the hangers and the hangers are hung backwards. Next time you do the closet clean out you know exactly what hasn’t been worn. Just get rid of everything on backward hangers.
Just found your blog, it may be the help I need I haven’t been able to regularly have people over since the twins arrival now over a year ago.
Cyndi says
My laundry put-away system works for me.
I stand in front of my “closets” ikea wardrobe units mine and hubbys are next to each other and baby’s dresser is near them also. I don’t fold onto stacks, I just put things directly into the drawers/hangers. When I come across an item that goes elsewhere I put it either an empty basket or a stack. For my older daughters i gather them in a basket for her room and do the same thing. If the basket is mostly towels I stand in the bathroom (usually during kids bath time) and put towels directly away, saving kitchen towels in a stack for the kitchen. Now here’s the kicker: I fold minimally. Each kid has different drawers for each type of item, and they don’t own too much to fit without being folded. My older daughter dresses herself and messes up the folded drawers anyway looking for an item, so I stopped folding. I only match socks that I see easily. The rest go in an unmatched basket, which I dump out and match 1-2x a month (they own plenty of socks to match 20+ pairs each time each kid). Adult socks all match each other, so they’re just in a basket in the drawer, no matching or balling, we can easily count to 2. I also have a Little basket for underpants, camis, bras. Small kitchen towels are just tossed in the drawer. My littles set the table and we use small kitchen towels as napkins, so the drawer would get mussed up anyway. it works very well for us because I don’t have a bunch of tiny stacks to put away, which would get knocked over or messed up before I’m don’t folding. I can stop and start easily when I get a minute and laundry is contained in baskets (in the situations where I have small piles destined for other rooms, I can just scoop the pile and put it back in the basket I’m working on for later).
Pam Milburn says
I used to teach school, so had more time for deep cleaning in the summer. So, every summer I would do something I called “certifying” a room (this term made my family know it was serious stuff.). Here’s how it works: I list all my rooms, including garage, storage building, pool building. I pick a room and start by looking in a focused way at everything in that room. I make sure I know what is in every drawer, closet, etc. and make sure I want to keep it for another year in this room. Then I clean the room.
There’s something about looking at everything every year that makes you start realizing what you are keeping for no reason, and helps you get better at putting like things together so you can find them and/or reduce if you have too many of something. Every year my piles got smaller, and “certification” got faster. The entire thing used to take me three months, now I can do it in about two weeks.
I feel it is a luxury to dust and sweep, etc. these things can be done once or fifty times with the same end result. Better to use your time decluttering and organizing as these things work to make overall life easier.
Another major thing I do is I never buy something new (like candles, lotion, shampoo, makeup, etc.) unless I have either used what I have or thrown it away. I also try to used as few cleaners as possible…two or three instead of twenty specific things…)
Dawn says
I really LOVE the idea of “certifying” a room. It does impart another level of importance.
Sabriena says
I like to pre-cook my meat too. One thing that has REALLY REALLY helped me with laundry, is I’ve started keeping all of our clothes in a common closet. We just have a little closet for the washer, dryer, and hot water heater, so I use a nearby coat closet for all the clothes for our family of 7. For some reason, there are two coat closets right next to each other in this house, and I’m getting ready to switch mine and my hubby’s clothes into the closet we actually use for coats. There should be enough room to do both. Before I started keeping a family closet, there were clothes and wet pullups all over the kids’ floors, and piles of clothes in mine and my husband’s room. And even if I DID fold the laundry, I usually didn’t get it put away because I’d have to take it upstairs (ugh). I changed ways when I realized that we were all getting dirty and bathing every evening, so we were having to run upstairs to get clothes and bring them back down for the shower. We only have a toilet in the bathroom upstairs. Now the rule is, nobody is allowed to take clothes upstairs or even take off pullups until they come down and get dressed. My husband is the only one who disobeys this rule… and sometimes his clothes don’t get washed because I really don’t think to go upstairs and check if there is any laundry crumpled up on his side of the bed! I am trying to remember to do that.
My husband thinks the system is stupid, but I say since he has done about two loads of laundry since we got married (while I was stuck in bed with a newborn), and since I usually lay out his clothes for the day anyway, he doesn’t get to choose… 🙂 He rarely complains about it now, but he still thinks it’s dumb.
But it sure Works for Me!
Kelly O. says
Another time traveller here 😀 I don’t have many tips because I’m still very much struggling but there are a couple of things I’ve done that have helped.
I don’t sort laundry by color so I bought two pop-up hampers for each person plus two each for delicates, sheets etc. Once a week we move the hampers with dirty laundry to the garage where the washer and dryer are, and immediately put out the other set of empty hampers ready to throw laundry into. When I do a load I flatten the hamper, when I fold it I usually stack the folded laundry on the flat hamper to carry it up to the person’s room. Then I stash the folded hamper next to the open one. I found really great pop-up hampers at Daiso.
I clean with wipes a lot. I find it so fast and easy to grab a wipe that I really have no excuse. Windex wipes, Scrubbing Bubbles wipes, Swiffer wet pads for mopping, Swiffer dry pads for dusting, Lysol or Clorox wipes, even baby wipes! And I keep duplicates of cleaning supplies in each bathroom and the kitchen. If there’s a package of Windex wipes RIGHT THERE under the sink, it will only take seconds to clean the mirrors, so I’m more likely to do it than if I have to go get them from somewhere else.
Geena says
My keys go in a tiny pocket on the outside end of my purse. (I look for one with this type of pocket when buying a new one.) If they are not there, it’s panic time, because I (almost) always put them there.
I have 2 laundry baskets for clean clothes, in addition to the ones for dirty ones. That way, I don’t have to wipe one out to get clothes out of the dryer. I usually fold clothes in a timely manner, but if both clean baskets are full, I know it’s time to get some things folded.