Cleaning….ugh. It is an endless cycle in my house. It will be clean in the morning and look like a frat house by noon. Some days I swear all I do is go in circles from one room to another. Tidy up one room only to return a few minutes later and it looks like I haven’t cleaned in a month. That is the cycle I was in for a long time, until I decided to change things up. See, I have three boys living at home. I homeschool two of them. Yes, they have their chores, but let’s face it kids clean is not the same as mom clean. I needed some help. Unfortunately, professional help was and is out of our budget. I needed to get creative and problem solve. I teach my kids to critical think and problem solve all the time. It was time that I put my money where my mouth is and solve my biggest problem. My house.
The first thing I did was to locate where the biggest problem area was in each room. There is always one place in each room that makes us crazy when we see it. The entry way with shoes all over. The bookshelf overflowing, or that table that just catches everything. I wrote down my major issue with each room, and set on solving that one problem first. Our entry way was a dresser type furniture piece. The drawers overflowing with hats and gloves. Shoes had no real place to be except on the floor in front of the dresser. I had hooks to hang things, but there was a lot of wasted space above. My solution was to streamline that area. Put shelving up above the coat rack. Get a different furniture piece that could hold two big baskets in it, and a place for shoes down below it. I got some fun decorative baskets to put on the shelves to hold scarves and miscellaneous winter things. I sorted all of our winter garb and narrowed down to one basket of gloves, and one with hats. The area was instantly cleaner, and had a put together look. Now that is what I and everyone else entering the house sees first thing. Another problem I had was with the kids backpacks and coats. They just collected by the front door off to the side. When company was coming over, I would have to put them up in their rooms. I decided to get a mini locker system for two that fits perfectly in the space next to the front door. Now each child has their own space to hang their items keeping them off the floor. I also don’t have to stress about moving them when company comes. The best part is that now all of their stuff is in one place. No more running around the house to find their belongings in the morning.
The next helpful hint is to look at a room from the entering point. Think of having a line sight of clean. Right where your eyes gravitate to. Make that space organized and minimal. Then when you walk into to the room the first things you are seeing is not the cluttered mess. If you work on the line sight and the problem places first, it will make you feel so much less overwhelmed with the rest of the room.
When putting my house together for homeschool this year, I really wanted it to be functional. I also did not want books and binders everywhere. In the past school took over every inch of the house. I also didn’t want to dedicate an entire room to school only as I know my kids will want to work in other areas of the house. My first thought was to think up. What wall space could I use for a command center. What items could get off of the surfaces of counters and tables. When you go to a hotel the hairdryer, mirror, and other commodities are hanging on the wall. This frees up the counter space and also frees up clutter. I started to think like this. What could I put up? I decided to hang up mail boxes on the wall, one for each child and myself. This way all of our binders and workbooks could be put away easily after each day. Now we know where they are when we need them, and I don’t have find them a home when I want to clean up. I also did this in my bathroom, and the kitchen. It is so much easier to clean when the surfaces are empty or have very little on them. I put a mini book shelf on top of my desk to allow for more storage of binders, and a file cabinet underneath. This keeps the desk area tidy, and is very easy to clean up in a hurry.
I started to notice a real difference when I shifted my focus to functional, and less is more. For instance in the living room we have throw blankets. I used to artfully drape them over the side of the sofa and back of chairs. Inevitably they would end up on the floor or scrunched into the side of the sofa. This drove me crazy and always gave the living room an unkempt look. I purchased a blanket ladder and set it beside the couch, and I haven’t stressed about it since. Sometimes just not seeing the mess makes all the difference. My curriculum book shelf was always a mess. Books, games, and whatever else I needed were not ever neatly displayed on the shelf. I did, however, use all of the items frequently. I decided to get a pantry type cabinet to put in place of the book shelf. Now I just close the doors, and no one but me knows what lies behind them.
The last thing that helped me the most was just finding a home for everything, and slimming down. I do major clean outs in the spring and fall, but there are areas that seemed to always get ignored. When I began to clean out and apply an organization strategy to the area, it was so much easier for me to keep clean. The kids toys are a great example. I have two book shelves for games and toys. I routinely go through their toys and put like items in baskets on the shelves. Once we get too many to fit on the shelves, it is time for a shake down. This keeps me from feeling like I’m on a never ending cleaning ride, and makes it easier for the kids to clean up themselves. I find it easier to keep like things together. All of the musical instruments are in one area by or on the piano. All of the art supplies are right next to the art desk. School supplies and calendars are by the desk. You get the point. It really does simplify your life and your cleaning time.
I have found since making these few changes that my cleaning time as decreased by more than half. It takes me only a few minutes to straighten up, and less time for the deep cleaning. I don’t panic now if my sister-in-law calls and tells me she is on her way over. I can run through and put things in their home, and wipe off surfaces. My stress level with the upkeep has diminished. I finally feel as if I am in control of my home, and not the other way around. I hope this has helped you to find some inspiration for your space as well. Let me know what tips you have found that help you to organize your home and feel more in control. Until next time, Happy Cleaning!