Organizing

Checklists are great for regular cleaning chores but eliminating clutter will make the real difference. Here are some tips that will help you to eliminate and organize before you clean.

Give away all clothing that you have not worn for one year. Do not keep anything because you will grow up to it or down to it. Get rid of that great prom dress from 1970. No one will ever use it again, even under threat of death.

Do not save magazines or newspapers. That great looking recipe should be cut out and put in a file labeled Recipes To Try. The same for craft projects, beauty tips or travel ideas.

Kitchen counters seem to fill up with small appliances. If you do not use something at least twice a week store it in a cupboard.

Take a couple of hours and organize your kitchen cabinets so that things are together in one place.
Pasta together, soups together, etc. This will save you a huge amount of time every day.

If you open a jar of peanut for an afternoon nibble, put the lid on the jar and put it back where it belongs.
This will not only reduce daily mess, it will save you a few extra pounds each year.

Buy a drawer insert to help organize items in your junk drawers. Things alike should be rubberbanded.
Store coupons should be rubberbanded and kept in a separate place.

Small kitchen tools accumulate. Only good quality knives should be kept and these should be in a knife holder or knife drawer. All those little gadgets you never really use should be thrown out without mercy.

Women accumulate hair products and make-up that multiply and take up residence all over the house. Throw out everything you don’t really use and keep the rest in one place.

All this will help a great deal, but unless you make your bed in the morning, hang up clothes on the floor or furniture and put dirty clothes in the hamper, wash the dishes after eating instead of letting them pile up in the sink and hang up wet towels, everything else is pretty useless advice is going to help you have a place to live that isn’t a wreck. You knew all this without reading an article.

If everything else fails, a maid service once a week isn’t a bad idea. This is especially a good idea if
you are working, and the small expense can be well worth it in reducing stress.

Pat Schraier owns Cleaning-Your-House.com, a website devoted to cleaning tips. Download a free house cleaning checklist from http://www.cleaning-your-house.com

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