What are some ways you keep your home organized?

Question

Yes, I'm a neat freak. I have everything organized the way I like it and God forbid it ever get crazy--just kidding but I do like everything to be neat. I was just wondering how other parents organize their home in order to keep their sanity--maybe I'll get a few more ideas?

Okay--I'm not asking for organization websites. I'm asking for actual experience.

Answer 1

I like those shoe boxes/Cubbies! My wife and I have 5 kids so there are 7 of us! We each have at least 3 pairs of shoes.... the girls have many more.... when we were just setting them by the door it was crazy!

For the mail I like a box that stands up with different openings to put the newly acquired mail and the bills and then the outgoing mail. It works nice.

Labeling things works REALLY well, especially when the kids are learning to read. Trust me, husbands DON'T know where things are supposed to go LOL! With labels they really will try and put things in the right place and it cuts down on arguments as to who lost what LOL! I found that going to Microsoft Word, typing up some fancy names for stuff and labeling worked good.

SHELVES, SHELVES AND MORE SHELVES! We have a lot of books, DVD's, VHS tapes etc. The more shelves we have, the neater things look.

An extra shed with labeled tote boxes works nice. We have holiday boxes, summer clothes boxes, winter clothes boxes, etc. Ya gotta get that stuff out of the house.

I find that putting recipes on the computer helps. Then when you need that recipe just print it off and toss it when you're done. Then you don't have a box of recipes laying around. They always seem to get dirty and greasy anyways.

For the kids, we went to the Walmart and bought a lot of clear plastic drawers. We have labels on each drawer such as, color crayons, coloring books, animals, etc. It saves the toy boxes from getting way too cluttered. The kids can find which toys they want right away and they know where to put their stuff away.

Hope that helps.

:)

Answer 2

Check out the stores in your area and see what sort of containers, shelves, etc. that you can afford, and talk to your roommates about going in on things together. I've found that a really good thing to do (even though it's a total pain) is to go through my stuff and fill up a kitchen-size trash bag. (Something I need to do again!) I like to try & find stuff that I can use for more than one thing- I have plastic drawers (not very classy, but oh well) that I use as a bedside tables, etc. See if you can get a label-maker, too. Those are nice.

Answer 3

Pick up every evening before your family goes to bed. Everyone should put their own belongings away.Take a basket or box and walk from one end of the house to the other picking up things that are out of place. Put a stack by the door to the room it belongs in. If kids or you have that room then spend 10 min putting things away.After baths take a wet clothe and wipe down the bathroom fixtures.After supper the whole family should put away their own plates,etc and everyone pitch in on cleaning the dishes,cabinets,floors,etc.Clean the cabinets as you go while cooking and keep a sink of hot soapy water for the pans and utinsils you are finished with.As you complete the meal you can wash the pans and utinsils so that all that is dirty will be the dishes you eat out of.Every sat. do the vac,sweeping good,mopping,light dusting,laundry,change sheets,gro shopping for the wk, and plan meals.Once a mo. clean the furniture with oil/polish,mop and wax if needed,clean cabinet fronts,fridge,stove top to bottom.Plus do the regular laundry,sheets,cleaning each room,sweep the porch and driveway,balcony,etc.that way your home will always be neat and orderly. Once a mo. it will be cleaned well, moving furniture,etc.while doing the floors and furniture cleaning. With the whole family pitching in you will finish in about 2-3 hrs. Then the family can have fun together.sometimes I like to go ahead and mix up meatloaf,salmon,cut up veggies in the way they are needed for meals that are planned and bag them in the amount needed for each meal or recipe.I will freeze the meatloaf or casseroles,or meats in a baking dish and then they are ready to thaw and cook. The veggies are ready and you will not be so hassled after working all day.Plus the messes from cleaning veggies,and mixing casseroles,meatloafs, etc will be done in one day and the stinking trash will be gone all at once. I do them as soon as I bring in the gro. and don't have to think about what to have each night. If you are late then a family member can put the dish in the oven and the family will still be on schedule.At night when everyone is ready for bed lay out what you and the family will wear the next day especially if it is uniforms and needed equipment and backpacks,attaches',money for special reasons, or notes to tachers or housekeepers,etc.You will have an easier morning and a great start for the day! I hope this works for you. It worked for me when I had my 3 kids still at home. I do it with my grandkids when they stay overnight and have school the next day.

Answer 4

An example would be for instance the kitchen. Only keep things you use for everyday use. Put away or get rid of the extra gadgets, utensils, glasses, dishes.
Another would be to get rid of things that aren't sentimental that you haven't used in a month. I know it seems like I answered a clutter question, but that will help you be organized.

Answer 5

I keep all my take out menus in a folder, I have a blue washing basket for dark colours and a white one for whites, I put the clean clothes at the bottom of the piles in the draw so that all the kids clothes get worn. I pay $20 extra rent during the year so that a Christmas time we are 2 weeks ahead and don't have to pay over the festive season. same goes with power and phone bills. I line my cutlery draw with aluminium foil so the they get polished.

Hope these help.

Answer 6

When the living room is full of stuff that don't belong there, I grab a laundry basket and dump everything in it. This way the living room gets cleaned in less than a minute. Then i carry the laundry basket to each room of the house and put away the stuff that goes in that room. this works very well when you have someone coming over and toys are spread everywhere and very lil time to put stuff away.

Answer 7

you would absolutely die if you say my home..
three children, two dogs, two cats...and the house is much smaller than the one we had up north ( still can't get used to it)..
but things are all over the place, but i know where it all is....
we use rubber made containers for toys and other stuff we use the garage for storage, no basements down here..
and shelves of course..
I need to build a few more in the garage up against the walls, but..it takes time and money...
smile
they say it gets better...I keep asking when...they say patients...have patients..

good luck

Answer 8

Shelves with baskets or bins are great for childrens storage... you can put pictures on the front to teach your child where to put each thing. I would say the biggest thing is to teach them to put it away when they are done.

Answer 9

we made a responsibility chart it is very affective...we each have our own my daughter gets stickers at the end of the day for completing all her chores...at the end of the week she gets to open a envelope and see what we will do for fun that weekend....it is really fun and keeps us all on the same page..keeps the house clean too.

Answer 10

I use a bins and baskets of different sizes and put them on shelving units.