Can't keep up with *stuff*!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do 10 minute cleanups before going to bed. My threat - used once - is that if I have to clean it up I'm putting everything in a garbage bag in the garage for a while. Everything.

I'm going to start using this. Clean it up or it goes into the garage until I say it comes out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a perfect reason why people opt for a larger new build. With a new build you have separate entrances and places to keep dirty things and organized.

I used to think that too, until I moved into a bigger newer house with a garage, mudroom, upstairs laundry, and more/better storage. Now we just accumulate more crap. At our little rowhouse we were forced to keep things lean and organized because we had no other choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do 10 minute cleanups before going to bed. My threat - used once - is that if I have to clean it up I'm putting everything in a garbage bag in the garage for a while. Everything.

My kids are 2 and 4 and I do the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Some good ideas here:

http://www.whitehouseblackshutters.com/40-bags-in-40-days-2015/

http://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a perfect reason why people opt for a larger new build. With a new build you have separate entrances and places to keep dirty things and organized.

I used to think that too, until I moved into a bigger newer house with a garage, mudroom, upstairs laundry, and more/better storage. Now we just accumulate more crap. At our little rowhouse we were forced to keep things lean and organized because we had no other choice.

Stuff is like a gas -- it expands to fill the available space.

My DH kept coming home with new forms of storage, which made me seethe. No storing until you've pared down and made a plan.

[Anonymous]

What if each kid has a basket and all their 'stuff' books, papers, clutter has to be collected in that basket at the end of each day and its their job to sort through it and put it away.

Also, I would start with a simple 3 things in the morning and 3 things before bed that everyone has to do each day. Add to it when or if necessary, once the routine starts. Some kids might respond better to a simple checklist/routine. I would keep this separate from any other chores they are responsible for. Just something simple and daily that must be done (make bed, wash breakfast dishes, bring dirty laundry to laundry room)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move to a smaller house in a warm climate where you can use your outdoor space year round. In the moving process, ruthlessly cull, cut, organize into neatly categorized storage bins, donate, and/or throw out your accumulations.

yes, this is a totally reasonable suggestion. Just pick up your life and move somewhere else that's warmer, and take less stuff with you.

[Anonymous]

I don't have kids, so I'm just fighting my own mess, but there's a lot of it! One thing that has helped me tremendously is realizing what is not realistic. For example, I always kick off my shoes when I come in the house -- I'm not going to take them to a shoe rack in my upstairs bedroom right away. I'm just not. So I put a basket near the front door where I can toss my shoes. (no room for a rack there)

Same thing with mail. Ideally, I would take all mail to my office and open/deal with it there. I never do this; I just open it in my kitchen. So I set up a small filing system in the kitchen for mail.

My house isn't a perfect showplace, but finding fixes for my reality, instead of aspiring to a system I will never do, has helped me a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have kids, so I'm just fighting my own mess, but there's a lot of it! One thing that has helped me tremendously is realizing what is not realistic. For example, I always kick off my shoes when I come in the house -- I'm not going to take them to a shoe rack in my upstairs bedroom right away. I'm just not. So I put a basket near the front door where I can toss my shoes. (no room for a rack there)

Same thing with mail. Ideally, I would take all mail to my office and open/deal with it there. I never do this; I just open it in my kitchen. So I set up a small filing system in the kitchen for mail.

My house isn't a perfect showplace, but finding fixes for my reality, instead of aspiring to a system I will never do, has helped me a lot.

I agree with this - put the storage system where the stuff naturally ends up. Don't force yourself to fight your instincts every day and try to bring the stuff (e.g. the shoes) to the inconvenient storage.

[Anonymous]

My MIL had a great habit of muting the TV during commercials and everyone would do a task really quickly. She called it a cute name I can't recall at the moment. Someone would empty the trash, another would get the cordless vacuum out, someone else would load the dishwasher. When the commercials ended everyone would sit back down and watch the show. It worked well for the family because it made it fun, limited the time to small manageable chunks and everyone was involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do 10 minute cleanups before going to bed. My threat - used once - is that if I have to clean it up I'm putting everything in a garbage bag in the garage for a while. Everything.

We do an end of the day clean-up, too. But it's MY responsibility to remind them.
I bought a locking cabinet at Sears for our garage and anything of theirs that they don't pick up at night and put away is locked away for several days. DH lost his sneakers for awhile and DD her school library book among other things, but they are learning....

[Anonymous]

also check out Apartment Therapy's January Cure, which I'm sure could be done any time of year:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/categories/the-january-cure

focus on one room at a time.

[Anonymous]

I can only stand a "reasonable" amount of clutter, meaning we don't have to be prepared for the Queen to visit, but if a friend were to drop by I prefer to not be totally embarrassed.
I will ask you one time to pick something up or put it away or whatever. If you don't, I will do it - but I get to choose where it goes. Perhaps a high shelf, perhaps the trash. You never know.

DD and DH are both well accustomed to this rule. I don't mind asking them once and yes, it's been enforced a number of times. That's why they listen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a smaller house in a warm climate where you can use your outdoor space year round. In the moving process, ruthlessly cull, cut, organize into neatly categorized storage bins, donate, and/or throw out your accumulations.

yes, this is a totally reasonable suggestion. Just pick up your life and move somewhere else that's warmer, and take less stuff with you.

It does sound lovely, don't be such a sourpuss PP.

[Anonymous]

Yup, get the kids involved, NOW They lose what they don't pick up. Kids who help clean up have a sense of "ownership" in what they did. It's my 12 yo DS job to clean the bathroom sinks and toilets. This weekend I heard him say to 9yo DS "is that where your toothbrush goes? These sinks don't clean themselves you know!"