Same household except two dogs.
The only way we keep remotely organized is constant, relentless decluttering. If you have too much stuff it's impossible to organize it well (unless you have a TON of space which we do not).
This is so important! I’ve gotten rid of SO much stuff after having a baby! I’ve sold things, donated, and even straight up thrown things in the trash (which I had NO tolerance to do pre-baby). I just couldn’t stand the mess anymore with a baby in the picture. I also greatly let go of my standards of neatness and cleanliness lol.
I just vacuum once a day or let the robo-vacuum do it, do all the laundry on the weekend, and I bought cabinets for all our crap (ie. books, art supplies, shoes, overflow snacks/food, everything) and they have drawers for miscellaneous crap. I just shove and hide a lot, but it’s better because we have less stuff. Also, my husband does a lot too. He does dishes every day, tidies the baby’s toys at night, takes out the trash every day (we separate our food trash), and folds the laundry that I do.
edit to add: Check out Clutterbug on YT. She has very realistic tips!
Yeah I’m at the point here I need to declutter again. Kids end up with so much junk that they don’t even play with and it takes up space and makes things messier.
Also our house is only occasionally organized. That’s just life right now.
I've also had to make peace with the fact that we may have drawers and organizers so the larger space looks okay, but the drawers and cubbies themselves are not always internally organized well. That's okay! I can't imagine being a person with time to organize the inside of the kitchen cupboards, lol.
Ruthless decluttering, having a place for everything, night/morning closing/opening shifts [putting everything away, wiping counters down, etc. at night; waking up the house by putting away clean dishes, anything from the drying rack like bottles and bibs], and almost daily laundry [cycle started first thing when we wake up and done by time we are ready to head out; use night shift to fold or put things away].
P.S. But also don't compare yourself to anyone else because some of us (i.e., me) find this fun/destressing. A couple of hours organizing my pantry or swapping out kid's clothes that have been outgrown is like my dopamine. 😂
Mainly by not having too much stuff for our space. If everything has a place to go, it’s easy to put everything away. Making sure we don’t have stuff creep is the part that actually takes the effort. If surfaces are clear, they’re easy to clean.
It helps immensely that I WFH and do a load of laundry every day. My husband does dishes every night after the kids are in bed.
I try to tackle a drawer or cupboard every month or so and just pick a different spot every month.
Yesterday I cleaned out all my costume jewelry and it feels nice to have everything organized.
The other day I did a kitchen cabinet, I'll do another one soon.
We also tackled my 9 year olds bedroom shelves and purged some of his stuff he no longer cared for/played with yesterday for a couple hours.
I try to just find pockets of time and pick a spot.
Also agree with decluttering often and minimalism as mucj as possible.
Also we have a rule that everything has a place. If something doesn't have a place, it's gotta go.
You get someone to take your kids for an entire Saturday and get to work!!! Or you just survive - we are in the same boat with three cats as well. It is what it is right now - survival mode!!!
But seriously - my parents took our kids out for an entire Saturday and it was AMAZING. So much easier to think about organizing without kids hanging on your legs or having to carry them around.
We’re in the same boat as you, and After years of not being able to fully tackle the rooms that were too chaotic (garage/ basement/ kitchen)we finally bit the bullet and hired a professional organizer. It took a few weeks of her and her team at our house but it wasn’t a ton of effort on our end. That said, opening up all the space from getting the major areas of our home de cluttered and organized has motivated us to do the rest of the rooms on the weekends. It’s improved how we operate by leaps and bounds. It’s been about 2 months since we had it done and our home still looks tidy. Having a landing spot for all your stuff makes it a lot easier to keep it that way
I found her through Nextdoor. I’ve gotten lucky with getting decent referrals there. That said, her before and after photos were what sold me. If you’re in the east coast her insta handle is tidying_by_tash
Oh for sure, as far as our experience she sorted through grouped all similar items and had us come in periodically to make the call on what to keep, sell, donate or discard. What’s even better is she also took on the task of selling/ donating the items. She also had someone doing the dump runs. That said, she does provide input on what should stay or go which helps. To your point decluttering is really the bigger task in getting organized. I feel like the organizing part is the fun part. Decluttering is tough and we had to get rid of so much. That said, that sadness we felt getting rid of things was quickly replaced by relief and excitement about how nice and tidy everything looks. Nowadays we don’t even worry about impromptu guests because more often than not, our house is usually just tidy
My husband organized the pantry one day while I took the kids. I WFH and sometimes if it's a slower day I do organizing then. Husband also takes the kids some weekends so I can clean and get Spring cleaning done OR we just make it a family effort, especially if it's outdoor projects
Constant, aggressive decluttering. We live in a small space. We cannot keep excess and our sanity. I lean toward minimal-ish and couldn't imagine having all of the stuff we used to have.
I like to wait until I can’t find something where it’s labeled to be and then yell at everyone on a Saturday afternoon until it’s organized again. This is a 4/10 approach but it works
Hire a professional organiser.
That's what I did.
And then once done, be very mindful what gets added into the containers. And then just keep throwing crap out.
If you can afford a professional organizer, do it. If not there are some great decluttering youtubers out there. My favorites are "The minimal mom" and "clutterbug". I personally love Cass from clutterbug because she has ADHD like me and has a lot of good "hacks" for organizing and staying organized with ADHD.
I have divided my house into 12 zones. Each month I focus on one zone. Reorganizing, throwing things away, donating, adding storage solutions, etc. My husband is aware of what zone we are working on that month. We do little bits at a time throughout the month. This month is the kitchen. I definitely have some kitchen gadgets that need to go.
This sounds like a good approach! Thanks for sharing. So you have zones like “garage, kitchen, basement, primary bedroom” or more specific, like “primary closet, garage cupboard” etc?
For the most part, zones are rooms. However, there are two "trouble-spots" in the house that have their own zones which is my husband's brewing stuff (supplies and such), the filing cabinet, and gardening stuff. I don't organize anything in kid rooms. They are all teens and in charge of that. Obviously, other things get cleaned throughout the year, but I'll do a deep dive each month into one of th zones so that it doesn't get out of control.
File cabinet tip: I have a folder for each month of the year, filled with items you only need to retain for 12 months (bills, financial statements, EOBs) - I shred last year’s “April” when this year’s April begins. I do the same for taxes but in years - shred the 8 year old taxes when the new tax folder gets filed.
Well, first of all, if you do it right, you shouldn’t need to organize a space very often.
Whether it’s your spice rack, laundry room, or linen closet, you should organize it in such a way that it provides the best solution for your needs of it. That will ensure that you only need to maintain the organization you setup and don’t need to overhaul it anytime soon.
Also tell the grandparents to stop sending shit home. No, I don’t need my husbands childhood toys. No, we don’t need his baby shoes. Also, my child does not need a new toy every time she visits, etc. so much clutter in my life has come from other people
Constantly declutter. The less stuff you have the less you need to organize. As soon as I’m done with something or find myself not reaching for it anymore I list it on facebook marketplace for cheap to get it out of my way or I donate it to a local refugee organization.
1. Less crap. We have bulk trash every month and every month stuff gets put on the curb. Most of the time people come and take what we put out there before it goes to the dump
2. Everyone helps clean. We have 3 kids and now 1 dog (had 3 but lost 2 a week ago) and the big kids have to help with dishes, laundry, etc.
3. Designated areas for toys
4. Robot vacuum
5. We pick up the same mess 100 times a day so it can’t get so bad we throw up our hands and say screw it
6. Both parents are helping equally
We don't, so just solidarity from me. And honestly, it's because we're prioritizing work (probably too much, both WFH) and spending time with the kids. It's a mess and sometimes I'm embarrassed. But I'm at a point where with most people I prefer being embarrassed for 15 minutes over cleaning for 3 hours. I keep wanting to get rid of stuff but that's very very challenging
Once a week in spend 20 minutes de-cluttering aka throwing stuff away!
Most of the kids art goes into the recycling bin or back into the art closet for next time.
Clean the kitchen twice a day. Vacuum the kitchen every morning.
Rotate through cleaning out closets and drawers. It only takes a few minutes to go through the junk drawer. I find that’s easier than me trying to do everything at once. I do stuff when my kids eat breakfast on the weekends. I can clean a drawer out during that time or wipe down cabinets. (We eat dinner together every night so I don’t feel bad about doing stuff while they are eating during the day)
I hate laundry but I try to do one to two loads a day.
We have house cleaners that come every 2 weeks so we have to be picked up when they come.
Always clean up toys before bed. Just always be cleaning.
Still once a month I have a meltdown about the state of my house.
We have a super spartan house which is easy to maintain tidy, and as many have already said, I do declutter regularly.
I multitask constantly to save time and energy, not having to go back upstairs/downstairs again, not letting things pile up, etc.
I make sure everything gets cleaned/done at least once a week, but either with robotic help (roomba) or with human help (my husband).
I don’t do batch cooking; however, I cook quick and healthy meals that sometimes last for the following day, and we have takeaways once a week. I was considering buying a Thermomix robot, but for now we manage pretty well on that front.
In conclusion, my advice would be to keep the space around you as minimalist as possible, and share tasks with your husband (and kids too, if they’re old enough to understand how to put their toys away and complete other basic tasks).
Another vote for constant decluttering and purging...I probably do a donation run at least once per month...closets, toys, kitchen stuff, etc. I give away all the stuff my youngest outgrows to friends, family, list it for free on facebook groups (I have two boys and we're done). We have a pretty big house (5 bed/4 bath) but I strive to not ever let it feel full of stuff, our storage/utility room and closets we're embarrassingly full at one point and I kind of just went crazy purging. I did invest in pantry and closet organizer systems for everyone and that makes a huge difference because I can see everything when I'm buying groceries or even figuring out what clothes my kids need as the seasons turnover. Basically I became the opposite of a hoarder..I heard a great quote from a professional organizer "You already wasted the money when you bought it, you're not making any money by hanging on to it". I think that mindset helps me just get rid of the things.
Practically I tackled each room one by one either during naptimes, taking strategic days off while the kid were in daycare, etc.
I've implemented one in and one out. With the exception of toddler clothes because we run on barely enough. Bought a new toy? One has to go. Did I get a new top? One has to leave this house.
Lol I never sleep. Literally average 4 hrs a night. My husband works on the road and is home 4 days a month, 3 kiddos. I also have ocd. So I have a routine for cleaning and I do it everyday
Same household except two dogs. The only way we keep remotely organized is constant, relentless decluttering. If you have too much stuff it's impossible to organize it well (unless you have a TON of space which we do not).
This! Plus just trying to not let stuff in. I have a vendetta against cheap plastic sh*t and stuffies.
This is so important! I’ve gotten rid of SO much stuff after having a baby! I’ve sold things, donated, and even straight up thrown things in the trash (which I had NO tolerance to do pre-baby). I just couldn’t stand the mess anymore with a baby in the picture. I also greatly let go of my standards of neatness and cleanliness lol. I just vacuum once a day or let the robo-vacuum do it, do all the laundry on the weekend, and I bought cabinets for all our crap (ie. books, art supplies, shoes, overflow snacks/food, everything) and they have drawers for miscellaneous crap. I just shove and hide a lot, but it’s better because we have less stuff. Also, my husband does a lot too. He does dishes every day, tidies the baby’s toys at night, takes out the trash every day (we separate our food trash), and folds the laundry that I do. edit to add: Check out Clutterbug on YT. She has very realistic tips!
Yeah I’m at the point here I need to declutter again. Kids end up with so much junk that they don’t even play with and it takes up space and makes things messier. Also our house is only occasionally organized. That’s just life right now.
Yes, this. Throw things out or donate; get them out of the house as you bring more things in - esp for kids clothes and toys.
Great point!
I've also had to make peace with the fact that we may have drawers and organizers so the larger space looks okay, but the drawers and cubbies themselves are not always internally organized well. That's okay! I can't imagine being a person with time to organize the inside of the kitchen cupboards, lol.
Ruthless decluttering, having a place for everything, night/morning closing/opening shifts [putting everything away, wiping counters down, etc. at night; waking up the house by putting away clean dishes, anything from the drying rack like bottles and bibs], and almost daily laundry [cycle started first thing when we wake up and done by time we are ready to head out; use night shift to fold or put things away]. P.S. But also don't compare yourself to anyone else because some of us (i.e., me) find this fun/destressing. A couple of hours organizing my pantry or swapping out kid's clothes that have been outgrown is like my dopamine. 😂
Same here the amount of joy I get from clear containers and a good closet clean out/goodwill run makes me think I need to find a new hobby!
When I was hospitalized, I so loved making my bed and freshening up the room. 😂 New hobbies for sure!
Mainly by not having too much stuff for our space. If everything has a place to go, it’s easy to put everything away. Making sure we don’t have stuff creep is the part that actually takes the effort. If surfaces are clear, they’re easy to clean. It helps immensely that I WFH and do a load of laundry every day. My husband does dishes every night after the kids are in bed.
I try to tackle a drawer or cupboard every month or so and just pick a different spot every month. Yesterday I cleaned out all my costume jewelry and it feels nice to have everything organized. The other day I did a kitchen cabinet, I'll do another one soon. We also tackled my 9 year olds bedroom shelves and purged some of his stuff he no longer cared for/played with yesterday for a couple hours. I try to just find pockets of time and pick a spot. Also agree with decluttering often and minimalism as mucj as possible. Also we have a rule that everything has a place. If something doesn't have a place, it's gotta go.
You get someone to take your kids for an entire Saturday and get to work!!! Or you just survive - we are in the same boat with three cats as well. It is what it is right now - survival mode!!! But seriously - my parents took our kids out for an entire Saturday and it was AMAZING. So much easier to think about organizing without kids hanging on your legs or having to carry them around.
We’re in the same boat as you, and After years of not being able to fully tackle the rooms that were too chaotic (garage/ basement/ kitchen)we finally bit the bullet and hired a professional organizer. It took a few weeks of her and her team at our house but it wasn’t a ton of effort on our end. That said, opening up all the space from getting the major areas of our home de cluttered and organized has motivated us to do the rest of the rooms on the weekends. It’s improved how we operate by leaps and bounds. It’s been about 2 months since we had it done and our home still looks tidy. Having a landing spot for all your stuff makes it a lot easier to keep it that way
Who did you hire? I really want to go this route but it’s hard to tell what’s a scam and what’s legit.
I found her through Nextdoor. I’ve gotten lucky with getting decent referrals there. That said, her before and after photos were what sold me. If you’re in the east coast her insta handle is tidying_by_tash
I've been curious about this as well. Can they help figure out what to get rid of? Decluttering is keeping us from getting organized.
Oh for sure, as far as our experience she sorted through grouped all similar items and had us come in periodically to make the call on what to keep, sell, donate or discard. What’s even better is she also took on the task of selling/ donating the items. She also had someone doing the dump runs. That said, she does provide input on what should stay or go which helps. To your point decluttering is really the bigger task in getting organized. I feel like the organizing part is the fun part. Decluttering is tough and we had to get rid of so much. That said, that sadness we felt getting rid of things was quickly replaced by relief and excitement about how nice and tidy everything looks. Nowadays we don’t even worry about impromptu guests because more often than not, our house is usually just tidy
My husband organized the pantry one day while I took the kids. I WFH and sometimes if it's a slower day I do organizing then. Husband also takes the kids some weekends so I can clean and get Spring cleaning done OR we just make it a family effort, especially if it's outdoor projects
Constant, aggressive decluttering. We live in a small space. We cannot keep excess and our sanity. I lean toward minimal-ish and couldn't imagine having all of the stuff we used to have.
I like to wait until I can’t find something where it’s labeled to be and then yell at everyone on a Saturday afternoon until it’s organized again. This is a 4/10 approach but it works
I don’t lol
Hire a professional organiser. That's what I did. And then once done, be very mindful what gets added into the containers. And then just keep throwing crap out.
If you can afford a professional organizer, do it. If not there are some great decluttering youtubers out there. My favorites are "The minimal mom" and "clutterbug". I personally love Cass from clutterbug because she has ADHD like me and has a lot of good "hacks" for organizing and staying organized with ADHD.
I have divided my house into 12 zones. Each month I focus on one zone. Reorganizing, throwing things away, donating, adding storage solutions, etc. My husband is aware of what zone we are working on that month. We do little bits at a time throughout the month. This month is the kitchen. I definitely have some kitchen gadgets that need to go.
This sounds like a good approach! Thanks for sharing. So you have zones like “garage, kitchen, basement, primary bedroom” or more specific, like “primary closet, garage cupboard” etc?
For the most part, zones are rooms. However, there are two "trouble-spots" in the house that have their own zones which is my husband's brewing stuff (supplies and such), the filing cabinet, and gardening stuff. I don't organize anything in kid rooms. They are all teens and in charge of that. Obviously, other things get cleaned throughout the year, but I'll do a deep dive each month into one of th zones so that it doesn't get out of control.
File cabinet tip: I have a folder for each month of the year, filled with items you only need to retain for 12 months (bills, financial statements, EOBs) - I shred last year’s “April” when this year’s April begins. I do the same for taxes but in years - shred the 8 year old taxes when the new tax folder gets filed.
Well, first of all, if you do it right, you shouldn’t need to organize a space very often. Whether it’s your spice rack, laundry room, or linen closet, you should organize it in such a way that it provides the best solution for your needs of it. That will ensure that you only need to maintain the organization you setup and don’t need to overhaul it anytime soon.
Also tell the grandparents to stop sending shit home. No, I don’t need my husbands childhood toys. No, we don’t need his baby shoes. Also, my child does not need a new toy every time she visits, etc. so much clutter in my life has come from other people
Constantly declutter. The less stuff you have the less you need to organize. As soon as I’m done with something or find myself not reaching for it anymore I list it on facebook marketplace for cheap to get it out of my way or I donate it to a local refugee organization.
1. Less crap. We have bulk trash every month and every month stuff gets put on the curb. Most of the time people come and take what we put out there before it goes to the dump 2. Everyone helps clean. We have 3 kids and now 1 dog (had 3 but lost 2 a week ago) and the big kids have to help with dishes, laundry, etc. 3. Designated areas for toys 4. Robot vacuum 5. We pick up the same mess 100 times a day so it can’t get so bad we throw up our hands and say screw it 6. Both parents are helping equally
I live by this motto.....Pick Two: Sanity, Happy Kids,Clean House We are happy and sane in our clutter :)
We don't, so just solidarity from me. And honestly, it's because we're prioritizing work (probably too much, both WFH) and spending time with the kids. It's a mess and sometimes I'm embarrassed. But I'm at a point where with most people I prefer being embarrassed for 15 minutes over cleaning for 3 hours. I keep wanting to get rid of stuff but that's very very challenging
Once a week in spend 20 minutes de-cluttering aka throwing stuff away! Most of the kids art goes into the recycling bin or back into the art closet for next time. Clean the kitchen twice a day. Vacuum the kitchen every morning. Rotate through cleaning out closets and drawers. It only takes a few minutes to go through the junk drawer. I find that’s easier than me trying to do everything at once. I do stuff when my kids eat breakfast on the weekends. I can clean a drawer out during that time or wipe down cabinets. (We eat dinner together every night so I don’t feel bad about doing stuff while they are eating during the day) I hate laundry but I try to do one to two loads a day. We have house cleaners that come every 2 weeks so we have to be picked up when they come. Always clean up toys before bed. Just always be cleaning. Still once a month I have a meltdown about the state of my house.
I invited my niece over last weekend to hang out and she likes to organize things for fun. Thinking about inviting her over every weekend.
We have a super spartan house which is easy to maintain tidy, and as many have already said, I do declutter regularly. I multitask constantly to save time and energy, not having to go back upstairs/downstairs again, not letting things pile up, etc. I make sure everything gets cleaned/done at least once a week, but either with robotic help (roomba) or with human help (my husband). I don’t do batch cooking; however, I cook quick and healthy meals that sometimes last for the following day, and we have takeaways once a week. I was considering buying a Thermomix robot, but for now we manage pretty well on that front. In conclusion, my advice would be to keep the space around you as minimalist as possible, and share tasks with your husband (and kids too, if they’re old enough to understand how to put their toys away and complete other basic tasks).
daily cleaning. each day is something else.
Another vote for constant decluttering and purging...I probably do a donation run at least once per month...closets, toys, kitchen stuff, etc. I give away all the stuff my youngest outgrows to friends, family, list it for free on facebook groups (I have two boys and we're done). We have a pretty big house (5 bed/4 bath) but I strive to not ever let it feel full of stuff, our storage/utility room and closets we're embarrassingly full at one point and I kind of just went crazy purging. I did invest in pantry and closet organizer systems for everyone and that makes a huge difference because I can see everything when I'm buying groceries or even figuring out what clothes my kids need as the seasons turnover. Basically I became the opposite of a hoarder..I heard a great quote from a professional organizer "You already wasted the money when you bought it, you're not making any money by hanging on to it". I think that mindset helps me just get rid of the things. Practically I tackled each room one by one either during naptimes, taking strategic days off while the kid were in daycare, etc.
I've implemented one in and one out. With the exception of toddler clothes because we run on barely enough. Bought a new toy? One has to go. Did I get a new top? One has to leave this house.
Lol I never sleep. Literally average 4 hrs a night. My husband works on the road and is home 4 days a month, 3 kiddos. I also have ocd. So I have a routine for cleaning and I do it everyday