Individuals may struggle to clean and organize the home. They feel as if they spend countless hours engaging in this task, only to make no progress. However, this task needs completion. When a person gets their home clean and organized, keeping it that way takes significantly less effort. Where should a person start? What tools make this task easier? The following guide to cleaning and organizing the home answers these questions and more.
Choose Where to Start
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The process must begin somewhere. Regardless of the condition of the home, pick one place to clean and organize. Some people choose to start with an area that needs little cleaning and organization. Other men and women decide to tackle the worst spot in the home.
They feel if they can bring this area under control, they’ll have the motivation to continue on to easier spots. Continue working in this area until everything has a home. Don’t move on to another area until this one is complete. A Roll Off Dumpster Rental makes it easy to discard items that are broken or no longer needed as this area is cleaned.
Schedule Time for Cleaning and Organizing
A person must set aside time to clean and organize. Otherwise, they find it easy to put the task off and go out with friends or spend time on the phone with a family member. Fixing the problem requires time and effort. Scheduling time to clean and organize makes this project a priority, much as scheduling a doctor’s appointment ensures the person will get medical care.
Schedule 15 or 30 minutes a day for the project. Many people find if they work for this period and then stop, they don’t become overwhelmed. Regularly spending short periods of time in an area allows for progress without discouraging the individual. When a person sticks to this schedule, they see progress, often in less time than they imagine.
Certain individuals, however, find they get motivation by dividing an area up into smaller sections. For instance, they may choose to tackle the medicine cabinet in the bathroom one day and the vanity the next day. They pick one area and finish it in a day. The next day, they move to another area in the room. If you select this option, set aside larger areas for days when you are off work. This allows you to clean and organize the area from start to finish.
Determine which method best meets your needs. What works for one person won’t help another individual. This may require trial and error by the person doing the work. Don’t give up until you find the right method. It is out there.
Dispose of Items
When cleaning an area, dispose of those items that you don’t regularly use. Many people recommend using the two-year rule to determine which items should go. If you haven’t used an item in two years, give it away or toss it. The dumpster rental provides the perfect place to put these unwanted items.
Items for donation should immediately make their way to the car. Putting them in the car gets them out of the house and makes it easy to donate them when you find yourself near a donation center.
If two years seems like a long time to keep an item, choose a shorter period. Some people adhere to a six-month rule, while other people discard things they haven’t used in a year. There is no hard-and-fast rule people must follow. A person needs to decide what works for them.
Inventory Remaining Items
Once items have been donated or disposed of, figure out what remains. A person must create a home for these items within the space. For instance, when cleaning a hall closet, a person might find a towel warmer. Is this towel warmer doing any good in the closet? Move the warmer to the bathroom where it will actually get used. At the same time, moving the item frees up space in the closet.
Make Use of Every Inch of Space
When organizing a space, don’t overlook any area. Never leave a blank space when it could serve as storage. For instance, use the area under a bed for storage, install shelves above doors, or use baskets on a shelf to hold items. Don’t overlook the walls when organizing a space. Install decorative shelves from floor to ceiling and fill them with stacking containers or colorful baskets as previously mentioned.
Color Coding
Consider color-coding items to make it easier to return them to the appropriate place. This step ensures better functionality of the area and allows all family members to know where an item belongs. Children can easily keep their rooms clean when parents use this method, but they aren’t the only ones who benefit from a color-coded system.
Consider using this method to organize items in other areas of the home. For example, use red bins for important paperwork, green bins for office supplies, and red bins for holiday items. When a family member needs an item, they know which bins contain this item. Once they finish using the item, they return it to the right bin without difficulty.
Three Rules
When organizing any area, keep three things in mind. Out of sight means out of mind. Use transparent bins to guarantee nothing is overlooked. If this isn’t possible, label all bins.
Ensure all items remain accessible once they have a home. A person won’t use an item if they struggle to get it out of this home. For example, items used daily need to be on a low shelf. Holiday items used for special occasions, however, can sit on a top shelf. The owner only pulls them out once or twice a year, so they don’t need to be as accessible.
Finally, remain flexible with storage systems. A person’s needs change over time, and the system should change as well. Consider this when purchasing storage items, as you want ones you can reconfigure as your needs change.
Every home can remain clean and organized. Some people find this task impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. Invest in a dumpster rental today to bring your home under control. Once this project is done, the home will look fabulous and you’ll have peace of mind, knowing you won’t have to deal with a similar situation in the future. Also Read about Creating a Laundry Room in Your Home and many more articles on Best Digital Mate.
