A disorganised house?

Question

My house is totally unorganized i ve never been a tidy or organised person but now the mess and dirts really getting to me everything needs sorting, cleaning theres piles of ironing piles of washing toys everywhere the place is a night mare but where do I start? I can only get things done at night as I have 5 kids to look after

Answer 1

Have the kids help by picking up their things. pare down the toys, so that they can all be stored. Send the ironing out to the dry cleaners, and the washing to the laundrymat,you can get it all done at once so that it takes less time. Then if you have machines at home just get into the habit of throwing in a load of wash every day before you cook supper.
Teach the children the "pick up the toys" game and the one who pick up the most toys the fastest gets a treat (mini choclate or granola bars are great for this) if you have any kids age 5 & up give them a short list of chores to do everyday, make a chart so they can check it off, little things like make the bed, wipe out the bathroom sink, pick up dirty clothes etc. You can even offer a small allowance as an incentive if you like.
Sort the mail as it comes in the house, throw out cataloges & junk mail and keep the bills in a file folder untill they need to be paid.
I find that popping in some upbeat music and grabing a duster gets me ready to tidy up. I usually do a good cleaning in the house once a week, and tidy up every evening.
Another thing you might want to consider, if you are getting a beefy income tax check (like i am) you could hire a maid service to come in & do a deep cleaning, then you will be relieved of the lions share of the work, and you will only have to keep it tidy.

Answer 2

Since you don't specify that the 5 kids you look after are yours or you babysit, I'm not going to give you the useless "have the kids help" answer. I know as well as you do that it often takes a lot more energy to get kids to do something than to do it yourself, and I'm sure if having them help was a possibility or would work, you wouldn't be asking this question.

When you are pulled in so many different directions at once, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. You work a little here and a little there and don't see any progress.

My trick is to take a sheet of paper, cut it into squares and write a single chore on each piece such as "laundry", "dishes", "kitchen counters", "table", "beside garage door", "sofa", "bathroom", etc. Fold them, put them into a container and pull out one at a time. Concentrate on ONLY that job until it's completely done then pull another chore. In this way you will see the progress you've made, acknowledge to yourself you HAVE accomplished something and not be as overwhelmed.

Since I use this method on the weekends, I will also add in a few "treats" such as sewing or allowing myself (like right now) to a little computer time...

Answer 3

OK this is what you do..you make different piles,. stuff you just truly don't need anymore and want out of the house which causeing it so much clutter, sign up for free on www.freecycle.org theres one in almost every place now you'll love it give it away heck you can even get stuff off it, then once you get rid of the stuff you don't need then pack away summer clothes that are not being used and only keep out warm clothes and acouple of short stuff, then as for toys really look into them, and look at really gets played with get rid of the rest its silly, you can do this all a night anyway i think you get what I'm tellen ya have fun

Answer 4

Involve your kids and if you have a spouse him too. Start with the stuff that is broken,warn out, don't like, cant stand etc. Get garbage bags ready for the stuff ur throwin out and storage totes for those that you are keeping. By doing this you can start in your closet and have each child if old enough to do so, go though theirs as well. Pull out the stuff u never wear, think maybe if u had the right shoes,bag,shirt,hat etc you could wear it maybe. Clean as you go and stack things on top of ea other if possible on the shelf in your closet. Stuff in the far back would be things you don't need all the time-holiday decortions on the shelf in back, dress's hangin in the back etc.. Good Luck all else fails get one of your best friends over to help..

Answer 5

Clear an area & get out the garbage bags...get rid of anything that hasn't been worn or used within the year. Purchase only clothing that doesn't require ironing or fold it immediately after it dries...that eliminates one really huge job from your life (I never iron).
Get laundry baskets (of different colors) & label one for each of the 5 children (for their toys) & make them responsible to pick them up at the end of the day.
Give them each one cup to use for the day in 5 different colors & these can be rinsed after every use.
Make a chart of what has to be done & if your children are old enough ...they can get off their little butts & help you.

You shouldn't feel solely responsible for their mess...good luck to you. This is also only a start...get busy & the children will also enjoy their new, clean home.

Answer 6

i'd describe myself as ingenious; I act, I draw and that i write yet, i'm honestly organised and not at all in any respect messy. I absolutely must be organised or i'd not at all end any of my ingenious products, even if that be getting to charm to close lines for my next play, making waiting a plot or arising communicate, or drawing sketches. i do not imagine being ingenious is a criteria for being disorganised and messy. you could't generalise.

Answer 7

First Rule to organization is to clean up after yourself anytime you or someone makes a mess. With 5 kids, bless your heart you are only gonna be able to keep so clean.

Answer 8

get some like rubbermaid tubs. you'll have to decide on how many you need. then when you firtst start in a room pick up and throw any loose things laying around on the floor and seperate them into the tubs depending on where they go and then you only make one trip per tub, then you should be able to straighten,dust etc

Answer 9

Get the kids to help. Or their dads. Why should you do it all. Get them all into good habits and cut your cleaning time in half. They will take the piss for as long as you let them take the piss.

Call in Kim and Aggie.

Answer 10

start with one room at a time -- do the easiest room first - it will give you a quick sense of accomplishment. getting the kids involved is a good idea as well. it will help them understand the fundementals and help them grow into more organized adults them selves.