Well, if you are organizationally challenged then getting your home organized is a chore all in itself. However, for a wannabe keeping it organized can be the biggest challenge!

I have some good news for the determined…with some work and forced cooperation from the rest of the family, it will be easier. It takes time to get used to new habits, but with nagging gentle reminders, everyone will be on their was to the cleaning zone.

One thing that will help keep things running smoothly is to create some daily routines. Even though in a perfect world everything should have a place, it takes a lot of effort to get it there. So staying on top of things is crucial to your new system working.

Here are some creative ways you can keep the whole family involved:

Charts are Us - Create a chart showing all the rooms in your house and all the family members (even the little ones). Each family member can be responsible for making sure a specific area is clutter free each day at a pre-established time. You can provide a basket for each person. They will go through their area with it and throw anything in it that isn’t supposed to be there. Once they have filled their basket, they can start putting things away…and start again if there is a big mess.

The Gathering Place - If you have more than one story, running up and down stairs all day to put things away can get old pretty fast. One way to help is to keep a box at the top and bottom of the stairs where people can put things they find that belong on another floor. At the end of the day, or when the box is full, the things can all be put back where they belong.

Little People Can Organize Too - Even the youngest members of the family can help. Labeling things, at least at first, will help your little people remember where things go. If they are too young to read, try a picture. You can save it from the original package or find one similar in a magazine. At the younger ages, they actually LIKE to help in most cases, so this should be “fun” for them.

Make a Mole Hill out of a Mountain - Yeah, you read it right. LOL! Clothes pile up real fast no matter how much laundry you do, the pile just keeps growing. It has a mind of its own. One way to help is to designate a place for all the dirty clothes. You can label the laundry baskets for white, darks and colors. Everyone can then put their own clothes in the baskets. When a basket is full, it’s time to wash. This is also a great way to teach the little ones colors and organization skills.

Remember, consistency is the key to successfully keeping your home clean. It also requires team effort! So, think of creative ways to get the whole family involved and then not only will you have less of a load to carry…you will help break the cycle of the wannabes!

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean

Speaking of mates, I just cannot get the man’s smelly work shirts to not have SOME mild smell in the under arm area. LOL! I mean I do it all…the soak with THREE different cleansers…the LONG wash with THREE different cleansers…and I finish it off with the FOUR dryer sheet drying time! AHHHHH! He should bottle whatever it is that comes out of his pits! LOL! We could REALLY get a handle on terrorism with the strength of my wonderful husband’s under armor! OK, OK, sorry…LOL…I LOVE my husband. However I do NOT love washing his work clothes!

Then there’s the teenager! LOL! My goodness! WHERE ARE her clothes??? She complains about having NO clean clothes. They are always MIA when I begin a load. I even make the announcement…”I am washing clothes! If you want something washed, NOW is the time!” She comes waltzing into the laundry room with ONE shirt, a bra, and a pair of panties! LOL! AHHHHHH!

Do you think I will ever have NO laundry??? LOL! What about you? Does your mountain ever shrink??

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved