How to make it easier for us

[Trishann]

I know for alot of us cleaning house takes us longer and sometimes have to walk away from it because of the soreness and pain. Well I have been trying to decluttering my home so it would be easier to clean and hoping a shorter time to clean.

Well I thought maybe starting a list of things to help organize the house would help so many of us.

My first thing on the list is paper work. You wouldn't believe all the papers that seems to get dump any place that is bare. I think I am going to get a box and everytime I clean, all the papers will get dump into the box. Then once a week or once a month, my whole family can go through it and see what to keep and what to throw away.

Hopefully we can help each other with some helpful hints.
Thank you, Trishann

[traceann]

I have bins - these metal bins that I keep for just that purpose. And then at the end of the week I go through and toss what's not needed. I have one for paid bills, at the end of the month, they get filed in an accordian file thingy.

And for me, junk mail never makes it any further than the front entry - I go through the mail as soon as I bring it in, toss what's junk, keep the good stuff (like bills, lol) and then I have a basket by the shredder for things like credit card solicitations etc. to be shredded when I have a few spare minutes.

Our house was (and sometimes despite my best efforts) is the same as yours, if it's an empty space - it's woo hoo let's fill it up with junk! LMAO!!! I call my hubby and opportunistic plopper - if there's somewhere to plop it - he will, lol.

I finally got smart (ok, ok, it was hubby's idea, I admit it! ) and moved the dishware into the cabinet over the dishwasher, sure makes unloading a snap!! No muss, no fuss.

I again, am a big fan of bins, lol. Kmart had these great metal ones with metal lable holders on the front of them on clearance a year ago or so, so I bought all of them - there were 7, lmao!! And they are purple, but since they are metal I can paint them if I like, lol. I keep one right at the front door in the summer for garden gloves to be deposited, garden tools that find their way in the house, etc. All the outdoor activity stuff is in there - including the bug spray. Sure saves me time and energy instead of hunting all over the house for them when I need them!

I love this thread Trishann! I hope to learn lots from everyone!!!! Thanks for starting it!

[SharonA]

I am one of those people who feels that everything has a place and that it needs to be put back in its place when I am finished using it. I hate clutter and get very nervous if things get cluttered up. It takes so much less time to put things back where I found them than just putting them down somewhere to be put back later.

[Trishann]

Hey Tracey that is a neat ideal. I don't have a big house so instead of bins I got a small plastic draws that I can put the papers in. I automatic tear my junk mail up at the beginning too. Computer papers is the worse problems I have to get in order. Everyone is making copies and then it gets thrown everywhere. Thanks for the advice, that is great.

Sharon, I am like you too. But I just can't do it anymore, keeping up with everything. That is why I am trying to get things out or put in order. I was really good at one time keeping things in order but now I am just running in circles with it. I don't have the pace to keep up.

I hope you both have a very nice day. Believe it, we have sunny again today. It sure do beat ice and snow and the coldness. We had our share of this crazy weather.

Sending hugs, Trishann

[ICNDonna]

Now if someone can tell me how to stop loading our table with clothes from the dryer ...... We were gone all day yesterday and there are two loads there waiting to be folded and put away. Does anyone else have a problem with unmatched socks coming out of the laundry? I toss the odd ones in a box, then sit watching TV while I go through them and usually get matches.

Donna

[leelee88]

LOL... I thought I was the only one with those mail piles...I like that idea Tracey about the bins..My husband and I were just talking about getting organized this weekend.. So I will let you know how that goes..We have a filing cabnet, but we never file things.. Guess we are going to have to start, because I have already lost some important papers I needed..

[leelee88]

Lmao... Donna you are so right! How do we loose so many socks..

I just bought 4 big packs for the boys and I could only find 6 matches.. I buy them the same socks, because trying to buy differant colors was just getting to hard to try to find the matches, and even now with all of thier socks matching I still cant find pairs.. I believe we have sock munsters....lol

[traceann]

Yeah, Trishann, I hear you - our house is small too, so any little bit of clutter makes it look like a disaster area! lmao!!

I am so glad to know that I am not the only one with the "missing sock" issues! LOL My hubby wears all white ones, so like you leelee, I would think that'd be easy enough. Wrong. Seems like EVERY time I do the laundry, there's one orphan...ugh! I like your idea Donna for having a collection box. I think I am going to do the same thing - then when I have enough I can sort them out and see what's what!

[jen74]

That is funny about the socks, I have this problem also. Our place is pretty small and clutter piles up fast. My hubby is a school teacher and my table seems like it is always full of papers. Pretty soon I will forget what my table even looks like since I hardly can see it most of the time :o). At least now I dont feel so alone in this.
Jen

[waterflow]

The easiest way I think would be to have someone else do the cleaning or when It is so bad move. Leave all the junk behind for the next family. They should invent houses that can be washed down with a hose. Furniture and all would be water proof. You open one side of the house and just hose it all down and have a big dryer to dry it all.

[mary124]

My family just piles everything in the kitchen and or the dining room and they all get upset with me when I move it all when i have the time (usually the weekend when they are gone to work and I am home by myself) that is when I go thru everything. I have bins for bills to be paid, that are paid, etc. shredder for credit card offers. My husband keeps putting his junk on the bar and I keep moving it to the den, needless to say he keps getting mad at me for moving things, but after 5 years of living in this house (its a big one) you would think he would take a hint??
As to the missing socks, I just started to get mis-match socks!! Don't know whats going on- I guess Texas is bigger than I think? Or maybe they are finding their way to some other state?

[Want2BPainFree]

Institute a no shoes in the house policy with your family.
A new rule not to drop things and run.
Buy convenience cleaning supplies if you can afford them. I currently cannot, but hope to one day get back to them. It is so much easier to dust with a swiffer, sweep with one, and mop with one when you don't feel good.

[Trishann]

Hey Sonja, I am going to get one of those swiffer wet Jet. My daughter and her two children will be staying with us for 3 weeks. My daughter's husband is oversea and she wants to be with Mom (me). I think a swiffer would be so much easier especially with grandchildren staying here. That is a great ideal.

Tracey you are so right about if you get a few things out of place, the house looks clutter because it is small. I hope no one wants to visit while my daughter and grandchildren are here. I don't want to spend all my time cleaning the house. I want to spend my time with my daughter and my grandchildren.

Waterflow, that would be great to just let someone else do it. If we move away, I think packing would never end. Today my husband and daughter started working in the sheds. We got rid of lot of stuff. We spend about 3 hours on it and I was completely wipe out.

Oh yes, about the socks and shoes. That is another never ending thing.

Can you believe this one? My husband clean out his hunting stuff and throw alot of things away. He had pull over sweaters back from 27 years, yep, it doesn't fit him no more. But he kept the pull over sleep bag that snaps because he loves taking it hunting. That is other thing that is about 27 years old. It was mine before we got married.

I don't know how we manage getting all of this stuff in the house and sheds. But it's time to do a good cleaning. I hate trying to get something out and have to make a big mess just trying to get to it. We have been working together, thank God, and hopefully soon we will get it all done.

Sending hugs to all, Trishann

[traceann]

Ah your house Trishann DEFINITELY sounds like ours, lol! Only I admit it, I am the pack rat, lol. Hubby's constantly at me about it, Oh well, you never know - it might be something I'll need someday!

His dad and he have a term for stuff that's not really needed, like knicknacks of sorts and what not - they call it a "storage problem", lol. I'll be looking at something neat when we're all out shopping and his dad will look at him and say "looks like a storage problem to me!" - but his mom's the same way, lol. Where does he think I get half my stuff?? hee hee hee!!

[waterflow]

I love my swiffer wet jet!! It works great for day to day mopping. You do still have to scrub once a month and wax but it sure is better lugging that thing around everyday then the mop and bucket. Look in the Sunday paper for a coupon of $5 off. They don't always have them but once in a while do. I have the battery operated swiffer duster too for the wood floors. Kill sweeping and dusty with one stone.

Hey, maybe we each have the other persons missing sock?? I was thinking about buying the same kind and color. That way when one turns up missing I can just mate it with the other pair that has one missing. WHere do the socks go to? I know when they went in the dryer they were all mated. Take them out and poof. Gone.......

I have an awful problem with yarn. It is taking over my bedroom. I have leftover skeins and can't throw them away but I am working at using them up. Maybe then I can see the one wall of my room. I used to be so organized and neat until the IC happened. It affected my organized brain cell some how.