Friday 15 June 2012

My Messy House

My house is messy. All. The. Time. And I hate it. But I know its my own fault. Keeping on top of ones housework is not my forte, I'm afraid.



I have been searching for tips regarding general cleaning and house tidying and staying ORGANISED (this is they key, I think), and in my research stumbled upon a few gems:

+ FlyLady - this lady is a bit full on, but I can see her sense in the 'get dressed to shoes' mantra in the morning. Getting dressed and putting shoes on makes you feel more organised and like you mean business. You're more likely to sloth around the house in your pj's and slippers. I remember when I used to work from home once a week before Miss L was born, I'd always make sure I put a decent set of clothes on (no pj's or trackpants!) and footwear of some kind. This made me feel more in 'work mode'.

+ Martha Stewart - the Queen of domesticity!!! I love this simple '6 things to do each day' checklist she has devised.

  1. Make the bed (its true. It really does make the room feel tidier);
  2. Manage clutter. This is brilliant. Whenever you leave a room, look around and check to see if there is something there that shouldn't be, pick it up and take it to where it should be. Easy! This is good when you have a toddler who likes dragging various toys and bits and pieces all over the house.
  3. Sort the mail. Don't let that junk mail pile up! Read bills and stick them to the fridge. I have a handy magnet clip on the fridge to store bills.
  4. Clean up while you cook. I try to do this... Stack the dishwasher as you go. Fill the sink up with hot, soapy water and chuck pots and pans in there to soak.
  5. Wipe up spills while they are fresh. I don't do this. Oops! Must try harder Martha!
  6. Sweep the kitchen floor every night after finishing the dishes.


+ The Organised Housewife - she has some excellent tips on how to declutter. My biggest problem is I hold onto items for sentimental value. I had a large folder full of my uni assignments (posters, project sheets, A3 books that I made, etc), but why the hell did I need to keep them? I purged them all (after having a flick through, taking a trip down memory lane and wondering why the hell we did so much bloody collage for a Town Planning degree??!!!). It felt good to get rid of them. Now, I just wish I could be as ruthless with my shoe collection. There are some ugly, scuffed shoes that have no chance of being revitalised, but I can't throw them out! Silly! Must sort that out quick smart.



All have great ideas that I'm trying to implement. I love Martha's tip of sweeping your floors every night after doing the dishes. So simple, but the impact is great! Particularly when you have a messy cockatiel who loves flinging seed all over the place!

Another tip that I find great (and I think I remember reading it from that super cleaning/organising Australian guy that Oprah loved (name? Peter somebody maybe?) and he said to try and keep your surfaces free of clutter - tables, coffee tables, benches, etc. This is one rule that I desperately need to follow. Our kitchen table currently has 3 piles of various items on it - magazines, Miss L paintings from day care, old photos, receipts, etc etc. My problem is lack of space to store these!!! I might need a trip to IKEA this weekend for some storage inspiration.

How is your house? Do you have any awesome cleaning, tidying, decluttering tips you'd like to share?

C xo