Getting Rid of Clutter

There was one episode in Oprah that showed several families being helped because of the clutter in their houses. It was pretty shocking that some houses could accumulate such clutter, but that episode showed the reality that it happens in some households.

It is true that family members are almost always busy with all sorts of activities. Work, school, meetings and functions, sports and extra-curricular activities. So back home, things may not be as organized as we want them to be. But to leave everything in disarray for months may not be acceptable. It is definitely a reflection of your personality and your family dynamics. Getting rid of our clutter may be a huge challenge often, but it is a necessary job we have to take. Here are a few tips to keep things rather organized:

1. Boxes, bins, envelopes and containers.

Make sure you have these to put your accumulating things. The children may have shelves for books, and study tables, but they would definitely bring home more papers from school. Done homework, projects, checked test papers. Put them in respective containers. Label them so you could find things whenever you need them. If you start collecting too many boxes and containers, you may look organized, but it could drive you crazy trying to locate things if they remain unlabeled.

2. After an activity, clear up at once.

If the kids are doing a project, have a bag for their scraps sit next to them. That way, they do not scatter bits and pieces of paper on the floor. If they need to stop and have dinner for instance, then they could leave everything on their tables perhaps. But if they would continue at another time, throw away the bag of scraps, and make them put back the things they used where they really go. There must be a box or a place for the glue, the pair of scissors, the scotch tape. Put everything back where they came from. That would make life easier when you need them next time.

Moms may do scrapbooks, bead stuff and all sorts of crafts at home too. Enjoy your time to have fun with your work. But once you feel that you have given enough time for the day, put everything in their respective cases. Bead shops and crafts stores carry various brands of plastic cases and boxes of all sizes that could be home to these things. These cases and boxes are necessary since craft materials are usually small and can get lost easily.

When you cook, don't you throw away peels, plastic covers and containers of fresh meat, and unneeded parts of vegetables because they would spoil and smell? Just because papers and other materials do not get stale does not mean that you could leave them lying everywhere. Clean up at once or you would need more time once they start to pile up.

3. Clothes should never stay on the floor.

That's why closets were made. You either hang your clothes or you can fold them. You may buy inexpensive clothing bins and put them in a spot under the hanged clothes or perhaps in your storage area. For example, summer clothes could stay there during the winter season. This would also help you avoid getting your closets all cramped up with too many clothes.

When kids choose clothes in the morning, sometimes they just grab them and then leave some on the floor. It would be very helpful to set rules about this. You can let them choose what they want to wear the night before, so they don't need to grab and leave a hill of mess on the floor because they are in a hurry for school. Remind them to hang unused clothes. Dirty ones should definitely go to the hamper. Your rules should include a certain degree of punishment if they leave clothes on the floor.

4. Always have periodic mini inventories.

If you want to keep last month's cellphone bill, do so. But after, say 5 months, would it be important to have several papers about your cellphone usage? To be safe, use a paper shredder for documents that you need to dispose. Have a folder if you want to file some, and dispose the others.

Check the children's clothes. They grow so fast and more often than not, there are several pieces of clothes that won't fit them anymore. You may give them to your nieces or nephews who can still use them. Doing this would definitely give you more space for new clothes that your children would need.

Check your own closet. Have you also outgrown some pieces? Did you buy a sweater 2 years ago and did not really like it, yet it is still there hanging? Let go of those that could fit others and make them enjoy wearing them.

Holding a garage sale may also be good in disposing unwanted stuff. You would earn a few dollars and at the same time be able to reorganize your home. It is sometimes amusing to see how things start to occupy every corner and nook of your house. But you just have to let go of some, specially if they are not of importance to you anymore, or if they are just occupying too much of your space.

5. Avoid buying just because they are on sale.

If you need a shirt or have been eying a pair of shoes and they're now on sale, then that would work for you. If your child truly need a new computer monitor and you can purchase it at a low price, by all means do it. But if you see an item on sale and would wonder for 10 minutes if you really need to buy it, it would be better to leave the store without buying it. Sometimes, people get too excited when they see the word "sale" at the mall. The trick is to enjoy it if you know that you have a need for it, or if you are anticipating certain occasions that would require gifts. It is not surprising to find things just lying around the house because you got them from the sale.

Always bear in mind that your house should be a place of comfort, relaxation and bonding. It is understandable to rest after a tiring day, but make sure to have your share in clearing up and cleaning up. If your clutter starts to accumulate, it becomes an annoying eye sore. Life itself would seem stressful and disorganized. Remember, you want to come home and say that it's truly your "home sweet home" .