I just had my 6 month cleaning check from the rental management. We’ve get a walk thru every 6 months to make sure the unit is in good condition and we are “treating it well”! It’s a great way to make sure we are keeping on top of purging and organization of our stuff. I know that I wont let things get out of hand because every 6 months I will have a check-up. Here’s a few tips that I thought I would share that help me, and can help you to make sure your home is clean and organized on a regular basis.
1. Purge the toys
This is a great time to clean out the older and unused toys. I’m sure you have just received some great new ones for the holidays and many of the others have been forgotten and fallen by the wayside. If you have broken toys that the kids have had a hard time parting with in the past, get rid of them now because they are interested in the new toys. If you are missing pieces to others, either purchase new pieces so the item isn’t useless or get rid of the item all together. Make sure that you include the children in these decisions though, so that they don’t come to you one day asking for a toy that they desperately wanted to keep but you got rid of it not knowing.
2. Then compartmentalize them
It is easier for children to keep their toys clean and organized when there is a distinct location for every item. Help them know where every item goes by labeling the boxes, tubs or baskets. If you child is too young to read, take pictures of the items and print them out as a tag to go on the front of the box. Then when it comes time to clean up they know exactly where each item belongs. Teach them that every time they get the toys out, they need to put them back into each container before pulling out another. Keeping all like toys together helps with their imagination as well as your sanity!
3. Label your decor boxes
As you are starting to put away holiday decor make sure to label each box and container down to every detail. This will make it easy to locate items needed for next year, or easily know which boxes wont be needed when you change a color scheme or decoration change in future years. You wont need to pull out each container and sort through it unnecessarily.
4. Clean the unseen
There’s many parts of the house that don’t get touched during the everyday cleaning and organizing. Right now while you are packing up holiday decor and organizing the house, take a look around and clean up those areas that get overlooked; the corners where dust collects, the tops of frames and shelving. One of those areas that I tend to overlook on a regular basis is the tops of the fan blades on our ceiling fans. Those collect dust like it’s their job. Use a damp rag and a tall ladder to reach it. or if yours are too tall, use a damp mop with a long handle to reach the blades. Cleaning these small areas of the house will help make your house look sparkling clean at the end of all the organizing.
5. Use short curtain rods
These can be a lifesaver, or should I say space saver, in your life. Use them in a closet, cupboard and other small spaces to bring items up in the air. You can hang your cleaning sprays on them to clear up your shelf space for other organizing needs. Put two of them inside a cupboard to place cookie sheets up toward the top to make more room on the shelf for other baking items.
6. Rolling Bins
They make bins on wheels that are really slim. Slim enough they can fit under couches and beds. These are perfect places to organize items but keep them out of site. Use a rolling bin under the couch to store your extra blankets or decor items that you may switch out often. They are also great to use in the bedrooms to store your out of season clothing items.
7. Organize your finances
Start the year off right. Create a chart for your budget, and a designated place for your receipts to be places to help with balancing the bank account. When you create places and documents for this cause, you are more likely to stay organized and save yourself some headache as the year comes to a close and you are scrambling to get ready for tax season. Start now and save yourself later. Always remember to keep important documents in a safe and secure place.
8. Clean out the closets
Get rid of what doesn’t fit or hasn’t been worn in a while. I know we all say “I’ll wear that one day”. But if that one day hasn’t come in the last 6 months of in season time, toss it out. You can try to sell it or give it to charity. But get it out of your house and make some more room in that closet for an item you will wear, or just more room to keep your closet nice and organized.
9. Organize the refrigerator
How many times have you had to sift through 10 different containers just to get to the ketchup bottle. Or knocked over a juice box trying to get to the leftovers in the back. Take the time to evaluate each item inside the fridge and get rid of the expired food or the stuff you just don’t eat. Once you have purged, put all like foods together. Use small baskets to group foods with one another which will also make them easy to get out of the fridge. Also take this time to clean out the drawers, soak them in the sink and wipe down all the shelving and sides of the fridge.
10. Organize your electronics
Check all your electronics to see if they are working, need new batteries or are ready to be recycled. Also check to make sure everything has their matching cords or get rid of extra cords. I know we all have them hanging around the house. Get rid of all those extras. If it doesn’t have a home, there’s no use in keeping it! Once you know what cords you are keeping, make sure to attach them to their coordinating electronic. If it’s a spare cord (like extension cord or phone cord) make sure to keep them in an organized manner and stored neatly for when they are needed.
What other organization and purging tips would you give?
I like the fridge. But it is empty. Not my fridge. Its always full. What would you suggest?