HELP PLEASE!!! My house is complete disarray.?

Question

I have just finished school and would like to take my summer to organize my house. I have 3 kids so keeping that in mind any tips to help, any web sites, anything that you may have done to get this done yourself. Thanks

Websites are really good especially if they have checklists!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

I'd just take it one room at a time. You could do this everyday, everyother day, or once a week until it's done. Make it your goal, and reward yourself when your done. (like you don't have to cook on cleaning/organizing days) Play some cool music as you do this, (for me the oldies work) Hit the bedrooms first. Make 3 piles. Stuff to keep, stuff to store and stuff to toss or donate. Start at the top and work your way down. Clean the fans/lights, then hit the closets, dressers/chests, then under the beds. Go through the cabinets/closets in the hallways, then the bathrooms. Again, start at the top with fans, light fixtures, then hit the walls. Clean out underneath the cabinets and medicine cabinet. Toss old medicine down the toilet so the kids or animals can't get to it. Then work on your sink, toilet, tub/shower and lastly the floors and mirrors. Then hit the big rooms, ie. living room, den, kitchen. Same principles. Start at the top and work you way down. You'd be surprise how great your walls will look after this. You may not have to paint as much as you thought. Take out all those books and nic-nacks out and dust them. See if they all still work in your rooms. Games that are in the closets or on the bookshelves may be something you don't need anymore, so you can get rid of them. The thing I hate to clean the most is the computer desk. With 5 kids, there's always junk there. Do I need to keep this old program or can I toss it? Once in a while I have to have the kids & husband surround me as I do some of this stuff. I figure if it hasn't been used in the last 6-12 mos. we probably don't really need it. You can get your husband and kids to do the garage. Good luck.

Answer 2

When i need to organize like this i first walk around my house and pick up all the laundry and put it in the laundry room. Depending on your house this may make it look a lot cleaner. Then i walk around and pick up all of the trash, including things i don't really need, and toss them out. Then i get a couple of bags and fill them up with donations. If you take out stuff you don't need you will have room to put things away. That's a problem a lot of people have. Their homes are messy because there's simply no room for everything. IF you have an attic or storage space, putting away winter clothes may make a lot of extra room for you. Buy some cute storage areas...baskets, an ottoman for toys left in the LR, etc. Also if you have the money buy yourself something nice for your home. It could be a new picture or couch or even slipcovers for an old couch. You;ll want to get to use the new stuff and it will motivate you. Ive found that breaking things into projects (i.e. remove the laundry) works better than doing a room at a time. Next time you go back to it it will be dirty again from the kids =) also, depending on their age, enlist their help and pehaps pay them a little.

Answer 3

If you have disarray it may well be that you have too many things.

The first step in bringing things under control would be to sort out as much stuff as you can that you really don't need or want.

Start this in your closets & dressers, keeping only the better things & things that you really need & want. Not enough room?
go though things a gain.

The thing is to find a place for every thing & keep every thing in it's place.

One don't need to be a fanatic to do this, it is just an ongoing thing of spending a little time each day picking up after each other.

Get the children involve in this, be sure to get their input.
Ask them where & what they think should be done to make the home neater.

The basic thing in having a neat house isn't in that a neat house keeper spends more effort over all than a messy person. but messes less & keeps up by doing things every day. There is less time looking for things because they are almost always in their place.

A messy person let's things lay around & things get cluttered & instead of picking things up just moves the stuff around when looking for things.

It don't take any more energy to put the soda can in the garbage than it did to get it from the refrigerator in the first place. If things get left laying around just make up your mind & tell the children that you will just stop buying things if they will be left laying around. But you have to set a good example.

Just find little steps that are easy to do but keep it up.

Answer 4

Take it a bit at a time. Set yourself goals. Buy a timer, a laundry basket and a smaller bucket or basket and put all your cleaning supplies in that, cleaning rags, etc.That way you have it all with you and don't have to run off to get different supplies and possibly getting disracted.

Pick a room or a section of a room. give yourself a time told. Say, 15 minutes and set y our timer. Put anything that doesn't belong in that room in the laundry basket. Clean, organize and do what you have to do in that room/section of the room. Then go take your laundry basket and bucket to the next room/section. Put away what is in the basket that goes in that room/section and put INTO the basket what is out of place in the room. By using the basket you again do not have to leave the area you are working in. Just carry your basket from room to room as you work and toss in and the put away when you are in a specific room

If you make your time goal at it to your 'won' list. Go though the house and keep either a mental list or actaully write it down of the time goals you made or beat.

You may not fininsh every room in that 15 minutes (that is why I suggested sections) but if you work daily you should be able to accomplish it all in short time.

Once you get your house tidy and clean and you are happy with your accomplishements give yourself a reward for your times that you made or beat. Set that reward before you start. How about treating yourself to a manicure AND peidcure. Or something that you don't ususally do for yourself.

Answer 5

Life has taught me to do the things I hate the most FIRST... because I will make time for things I like or don't mind doing. Also, there is inertia...movement comes first. Of course there are priorities but don't make a long list, start with just 3 things, one job at a time and you will be surprised at how much you get done! Good luck, I know the feeling. Oh yes, rest when the kids do if they nap, you deserve it.

Answer 6

I find it easiest to take one room at a time. I start with the worst, cause, you are more in the mood than when you get to the last.Go through everything. Get rid of stuff you don't need. Once you get through the worst and you see what a difference you have made, you will be anxious to do the rest. Then, make the kids keep toys picked up when they are done, and just try to stay on top of things.

Answer 7

The ideas given are all very good. I like to watch some of the home organizing shows like Neat and Mission Organization, amongst others. One thing that you seem to see on many shows is that you must get rid of items that are creating clutter like donating or tossing toys that don't get played with anymore, or clothing that you haven't worn for a long time, etc. Sometimes I think it helps to have an objective 3rd party help you with this, they can help you realize that you have to get rid of things that are just cluttering up your life, and also give you storage tips.

Answer 8

Check out flylady.com. It gives wonderful cleaning and organization tips that don't take a lot of time, and it's fun! She sends out emails from time to time that are fun, like they might say Quick! Go clean your entry area around your front door. You have five minutes! GO! Makes it a li'l game.

Answer 9

If you have the money, get organizational things, such as creative shelving, file folders, hooks to hang up jackets, racks for shampoo, etc, in the bathroom, and when you decide what will go where, it will help a lot. Good Luck!

Answer 10

HG TV has a show called "Mission Organization" and they have awesome ideas about organizing your home. They show you where to start and sometimes that is the hardest thing to do. Good luck to you.