Keeping the house neat and clean can seem like a never-ending task. While you’re tidying up the kitchen, chaos is unfolding somewhere else. There are ways to achieve the goal of a clean house, and a few simple tips can help you make the changes you need to get there. Keep reading to find out more.
Sure, you’ve heard that the best way to keep things tidy is to prevent the mess from taking over, but without a plan, that can seem like a pretty abstract and unachievable goal. The plan involves keeping things out of your house that will only add to the clutter and cause headaches later.
Create a drop zone right at the entry point of your home. Everyone should take off shoes and hang up coats and bags. Depending on your space, your zone should involve a bench, cubbies with liners for shoes, and lockers and hooks for coats and bags. Upgrade an existing closet to optimize hanging and shoe storage space by installing custom wire or laminate shelving that perfectly suits your needs.
In addition, start to say no to tchotchkes and other miscellaneous junk that often finds its way into your home. Pass on free things you don’t need. Take your junk mail straight to the recycling bin.
Take a look around your house and assess the problem areas. If your laundry room is a constant headache, think about how your family runs and make organizational changes that will make keeping things neat easier.
The same goes for every spot in the house that gives you trouble. No matter your space or budget, you can probably maximize efficiency in your closets, cabinets, and storage areas by using custom storage solutions. Shelving, for example, that includes baskets and pull-out shelves, hooks and hangings space, shoe storage, and space for whatever else your storage needs require.
It’s no fun (and not fair) if one person is left cleaning up the mess every night or weekend. Make sure everyone knows what is expected of them when they enter the house after school or sports, and then install the custom shelving and organizing solutions that make it easy to follow through.
If someone in your house is regularly hauling lacrosse sticks and muddy cleats through the door, make a plan for that with an easy-to-clean tray for catching dirt and a place for him or her to hang the stick and gear bag in the mudroom or garage.
You can probably close your eyes and see the spots that really collect clutter in your house, day in and day out. Be honest about the problem. If paperwork is piling up on the counter or someone’s home office has taken over half of the dining room, a well-thought-out custom solution could turn things around.
Scour the house for a small space that you might convert to an office – an underused closet could be just the thing. If your closets are overflowing or your kitchen cupboards are a mess, take the time to purge anything you don’t need.
It can be disheartening to wade through clutter every morning just to find an outfit or to make dinner at night. You deserve better, and talking to an expert about custom storage and organization that is designed to meet your specific needs can make it happen.
Some things do need to be stored. We all have things that we don’t use every day but need or want to hold onto, such as holiday décor, seasonal wardrobe, or sentimental items. This storage itself isn’t a problem, but it can become a problem when it takes over the parts of our home that we need to use every day.
Maximize the long-term storage you’ve got to make sure you don’t have holiday decorations in your linen closet and winter coats and boots crammed in your closet in July.
The great thing about long-term and seasonal storage is that it doesn’t need to be very convenient to access since you won’t need to get at it very often. Use the storage space you do have by installing shelving up to the ceiling.
Go overhead in your pantry and closets as well and use that inconvenient space for dishes you only need for entertaining or for a place for your summer clothes and sandals all winter long.
You won’t believe the difference it can make to spend the end of each day doing a quick sweep of the house. Have the family divide and conquer. Set a timer and see how many things you can return to their rightful places in twenty minutes. Play music and do things that need to be done every day, like washing the dog bowl and wiping out the bathroom sinks. Pick up everything that was left on the kitchen counters.
Knowing that customized wire shelving and laminate shelving systems could help you organize and keep your whole house tidy is one thing, but it isn’t always easy to figure out what will work. If you’re unsure or want some help, call in the experts at Harkraft who have been helping Twin Cities homeowners organize their homes for decades. We can help you see the possibilities. Contact us today to find out more.
