The Lazy Girl's Guide to a Clean and Organized Home

I am admittedly a lazy person. Now, I am not the type of lazy where I don't have a job and watch soap opera's all day. I am the type that has two full time jobs and when I come home I am too lazy to put my coat where it goes. I have learned that I have a finite amount of energy and I choose to spend it how I want to. I play hard and work hard. I do not clean or organize my house hard. I have decided that the more efficient I am at cleaning and organizing the less time I have to spend at it. So here are my tips for all you other lazy people out there, and anyone for that matter.

Plastic is your friend... Sometimes!
Walk into any store that sells bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen products and you will see a wide array of plastic storage containers. There are specific containers for absolutely everything. Some of these containers are genius. They will make organizing and using their contents a cinch. Other containers are completely useless. My advice is to buy special containers for things you do not use on a daily basis and also for items that have multiple parts.

Those tall skinny containers made for wrapping paper are great. Look for one that will hold several rolls and that has a top to store ribbon, tape and tags. This will keep your wrapping paper rolls from getting crushed and everything will be nearby and ready to use.

Plastic shoeboxes are also great, but not for shoes. I am way too lazy to return each of my pairs of shoes to their specific box after wearing them. Besides, sealing up a pair of shoes in a plastic container makes me wonder what it is going to smell like the next time you open it up. Those devices you hang on your door with pockets to put your shoes in are also not the perfect solution. A big box works for me. I need something I can kick my shoes off into. I don't have that many pairs of shoes. If you have more than a few pairs think about installing a low shelf in your mudroom, or closet (wherever you store your shoes). This way you can keep each pair together so you do not have to rummage through several shoes looking for a match each morning.

Let these two examples of when plastic storage containers work the best to help you decide when to use them. Forget about those pictures in magazines showing rows of neatly stacked plastic boxes. Before buying any container imagine yourself using it. Will it make your life easier? Or will it cause more work?

Labels, Labels Everywhere
Do not go out and buy a label maker and go crazy labeling everything. This forces you to have to put contents exactly where they go. This seems like a good thing, but not for us lazy girls. We won't end up doing it and then we become discouraged.

Having a filing cabinet is a great idea for storing paperwork, documents, tax stuff, etc. Label things very broadly. Labels like "tax stuff" and "receipts" works just fine. Don't feel like everything has to be too specific. You can dump it all in one main folder and if you need to find something you will know where it's at.

I prefer to use see-through containers for things I am storing for a long time (like Christmas décor). This way I can see at a glance what is inside. If you choose to use opaque containers and label them, make sure the label will come off in case you decide to use them for something else in the future.

Hide It
I know myself well enough to know that I can't keep fancy jars on the sink full of things like cotton balls and cotton swabs. I will end up using the jar to prop the half full bag of cotton balls against it. I don't have time to take things out of their original packaging to put in cute jars or containers. Put a cabinet in your bathroom, one with doors. If you are remodeling your kitchen never ever put in glass cupboard doors. It hardly ever looks like the magazine pictures where everything is neatly displayed and matching. If you can't see through the doors you can throw everything on the shelves and shut the door. Magically your kitchen and bathroom will look clean and organized.

Keep this same advice in mind when picking out an entertainment center. Choose an armoire or another type of unit that will conceal all the cords, buttons and knobs.

Say "No" to Dust Collectors
Keep knick knacks to a minimum. They visually clutter up a room. They also create more work since you will have to dust them. If you absolutely want to display special items put them behind glass. Get a glass curio cabinet to keep dust away. Realize you will have to dust the unit itself and wash off fingerprints from the glass. One big item to clean is better than individually dusting a lot of little things though.

I hope this advice will help you by making things easier in the long run. The less time I have to spend on cleaning the more likely I am to do it. Think of ways you can make cleaning your own unique home more efficient. I find that my friends clean their homes the way they do because they were taught to do it that way. Think creatively and see what you can change. Now get out and enjoy life and quite slaving over household chores.