Home
>
Get Organized - Organization
>
What Momma Never Told Me About Housekeeping

What Momma Never Told Me About Housekeeping

A lot of us grew up with Mom taking care of most everything. Now, we do things pretty much the way she did. What if there is a better way? If you are buried under the daily clutter of life, always wondering where you put "that damn thing", read on. There is hope. All you need is a little direction and you can take control of your house.

I always thought my mother was a great housekeeper, and she was. She was clean and had dinner ready and we had clean clothes etc... My mom rarely worked and she devoted most of her life to caring for her family. I do a lot of things the way she did them.

One difference between us was the amount of involement we had outside the home. I always seem to have a few more balls to keep in the air than she did. Throughout my child-raising years, I stuggled with keeping the house running (and running well) and doing things outside the home too. I did some research and found there are some basic rules, that seem only obvious once you hear them, to keeping things organized at home.

The toughest task in keeping your home organized is to keep the clutter to a minimum. How do you do that with kids, husbands, dogs, cats etc...? I see the disbelief in you eyes already. Start by getting rid of all the things you don't need. Sort every closet, dresser, shelf, cubby and keep a couple boxes handy while you do it.

One box is for garbage. A spray can that is 1/4 empty, and you have had it for 3 years, and you haven't needed it is garbage. Usually, the rule is, if you have not used it in one year, it is trash. Even I have trouble with that time limit, but be reasonable. If you are just storing this item for the rest of your life is it worth moving it around again when you do your next clean up? Be ruthless here, chances are you will never regret it.

Another box is for charity. Some things are too good to trash, but not being used by you. Let someone else enjoy them. Extra linens, clothes that don't fit, dishes, belts, shoes etc... that seem too good to trash can go to someone who would really appreciate them. You may know someone who could use them, or give them to an organization and take the tax write-off.

Some items may require special boxes of their own, according to your plans. Sentimental items like baby things may be stored in the attic or elsewhere. Just keep these to a minimum, again be reasonable about what you keep. Definitely keep things that are special to you, even think of creative ways to display them in your home so they double as decorations. Just look at some of the restaraunts we visit where roller skates, guitars, shirts, etc...are nailed to the walls!!

Now, you have sorted everything, where do you put it? A few simple rules help here, my two favorite are:

1. Store it where you use it.

2. Divide and Conquer

Sounds simple doesn't it? Store things where you use them seems obvious. The idea is this, don't just stick something in the cupboard. Put it where you will use it. Most of us have our glasses in a cupboard above the sink on the left or right. In most kitchens you can guess where some things are. That is because someone thought about where to place those items.

Where should the mixer go? As close as possible to the plug where you will use it. If not on the counter, in a cupboard as close as possible. You won't have to think where it is. You won't waste time walking across the room to get it. It is where it belongs.

Here is one. Where do you keep paper towels? The kitchen, of course, and where else? Anywhere you use them, you should also have them. Keep them in the bathroom vanity for cleaning the mirrors, keep them in the garage for checking the oil. Multiples in convenient locations saves you time and aggravation.

The other part of placing your stuff in the right spot is dividing the space. If you have a lot of small items are you going to just shove them in a pile? If you have a tall space and a lot of short items what do you do? You divide and conquer!!!

Picture the area under the kitchen sink. Is it a pile? Is it damp and dirty and practically useless? It doesn't have to be that way. Okay, if you have a leaky trap, you have a problem. Put something under there to catch the drips and call a plumber. The rest of the area can be divided quite well by putting plastic dishpans or some other type of container in there. Then, when you are looking for an item you can lift out the entire bin and look in it and even behind it quickly. Instead of pulling out each item one by one, you have half of it out in one clean swoop!

Think of your desk drawers. Is it a big tangled mess in there? Can you find anything? Drawer dividers are a simple solution to the tangle. Most any cupboard, drawer, shelf, closet etc...can benifit by having different categories of items separated. Kids rooms can get bright colored bins, other spaces can have wooden or wicker bins, or use the good old plastic dishpans, there are many options.

Here is a tip that will keep your kids out of trouble. Put the puzzles, games, action figures etc... in separate bins or dishpans and put the most annoying ones up high in the closet. This way they are not mixed into the bottom of the toy box and lost forever. Give them one bin at a time and be sure the items get put back in the bin when they are finished and returned to the shelf. This makes those items more interesting to the kids too. If they get bored, pull down a bin, see what is in there that they haven't played with lately.

Okay, now you have sorted, and divided and put things where you use them, now what? You guessed it....Keep It Up! Don't throw away all that hard work. You just spent hours getting control of your home, now you have the final assignment which is maintain what you have accomplished. It takes mere seconds to put something back where you got it. It takes dedication, it takes determination, to maintain your organization. If you take a minute here and there to upkeep, you will save hours later.

Good luck, it is a lifelong task, and we only stay ahead if we really want to. If you don't really care, admit it and get over the fact. If clutter is your enemy, go to war and mean it.

Susan Hoskins

car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a malware app called SpyLend is posing as a financial tool, hitting 100,000-plus downloads.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Clone Robotics’ Protoclone mimics humans with 1,000 muscles – too human for comfort.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson urges you to use Apple’s App Privacy Report to see what your apps are really up to.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how to smoothly transfer your data from an old laptop to a new one using cloud storage or external drives.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips to safeguard your personal information as scammers become more sophisticated with scam texts and other methods.

WeRide's unmanned electric delivery van, the Robovan W5, has 194 cubic feet of cargo space and can carry payloads up to about 2,205 pounds

Kurt the CyberGuy recommends deleting 16 browser extensions immediately in response to a report saying more than 3.2 million web users were affected by a security breach.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A robotics firm in China claims a robot has performed the world's first humanoid robot front flip, which is significantly more difficult than a backflip.

A digital ID may be even more secure than a physical ID. Storing your driver's license in your Apple Wallet is an ideal solution for commuters.

A cybersecurity firm has shed some light on just how common tax scams have become. Kurt the CyberGuy offers his advice for how to protect your refund.

Lifesize Plans offers immersive walk-throughs that allow customers the opportunity to tour a home's design before construction actually begins.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A man invested $4 million in bitcoin and lost it all with a single click when he was targeted by a vishing scam, which uses phone calls to trick people.

Expandable's Touchdown is a designer trailer that promises a luxury off-grid living experience and unfolds into a home in about 15 minutes.

Major employee screening company data breach affects 3.3 million people. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains what happened and gives five ways to protect your data.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals mind-blowing tech that gives you sunlight on demand.

New malware "FrigidStealer" targets Mac computers. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how lab-grown muscles power a biohybrid hand for scalable prosthetics and research.

Reports of task scams have significantly risen in the past four years, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some red flags.

iPhones have a hidden folder that eats up storage without you knowing it. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some tricks to free up storage on your device.

A recent ransomeware attack targeted Zacks, an American investment firm, and a cybercriminal claimed to have stolen records for millions of customers.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Researchers unveiled a new soft prosthetic hand that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.

Accidentally deleting a text message on your iPhone or iPad is not a problem if you still need the message. Apple has a built-in way to recover it.

What Momma Never Told Me About Housekeeping

Get Organized - Organization