What are your best tips for cleaning up when it's mostly clutter? How do you keep it that way?
2007-11-13 08:13:33 · 6 answers · asked by Christine 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
You have to get rid of the clutter and it's a tricky thing. When you look around, it is usually the stuff laying around on surfaces that we blame for the mess.
...but it's not the problem.
That's the stuff we use every day, that is out and set down where we last left it.
The culprit to the clutter problem is almost always the stuff that is "PUT AWAY" because it is the stuff we don't use enough to see it very often. That's the stuff that is robbing you of storage space and keeping your well loved pieces from being stored properly instead of left laying around.
To start cleaning a real mess...you need to declutter. And I suggest really...aside from picking out obvious pieces of trash, just box up the surface stuff and get it out of the way for a time, while you unload cabinets, drawers, and closets. Pick through that stuff first. Then your everyday stuff has a place to go.
As for cleaning...it is easier to clean when things are housed in containers. Containers also further define where things go and when a thing has a home, it is more likely to get put away. So instead of the remotes going on top of the coffee table, they go in a basket on the coffee table. That extra step comes in handy when you dust the coffee table, because you just pick up the basket with all the remotes in it...dust and replace the basket, and move along. When you feel like delving deeper you can weed out items IN the container and clean the container itself. So tiny things like hair clippies, pencils, etc should be in a container that is well suited to getting it easily if you need it daily, and tucking it away if you don't.
Honestly...get RID of your clutter, it only makes cleaning harder and more frustrating.
2007-11-13 09:30:19 · answer #1 · answered by musicimprovedme 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I sort mail as soon as it comes in. Bills in basket, filing in file tray and junk right in wastecan. As much as I can is stored in containers or baskets so it doesn t look so cluttered. I try to simplify what is sitting around and actually rotate things so that I dont get bored with whats there. I have two containers of decorations that I rotate from. If I dont use something regularly I keep it put away out of sight and if I dont wear clothes in two years I give them away.
2007-11-13 08:24:17 · answer #2 · answered by Diane M 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What Barbara M said. Also, have a place for everything and put everything in its place when you're done using it. And someone else said that if you bring something new into the house, take something old out. That way it will be very hard for clutter to build back up again.
Good luck!
2007-11-13 08:47:30 · answer #3 · answered by Tigger 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your question is an oxymoron. You can't clean clutter. If you are calling your stuff clutter you need to take a long hard look around. You obviosly don't love your belongings.
2007-11-13 08:35:18 · answer #4 · answered by Cheyenne 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Get rid of the junk.
simply put but where do you begin? get 3 boxes sort everything in one room either, garbage, keep, donate....but be realistic and try to get rid of stuff you dont use...it's the only way to eliminate messes from coming back.
2007-11-13 08:40:46 · answer #5 · answered by Barbara M 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
if its clutter then its not wanted so be ruthless and bin it and you will feel much better
2007-11-13 09:36:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋