How I’ve Refined My Organizing & Cleaning

So if you’ve read my post on “becoming minimalit” you know that decluttering is the first step.

…and honestly, that’s like half of organizing in my opinion at this point.

Why? Because it cuts down on what you would otherwise need to organize.

So here we go.

Organizing

Start with putting like with like, as much as you can, from keeping dishes and kitchen things in the kitchen, to keeping all the clothes that fit you in your closet(s), to ensuring paperwork is all together. This means you know what you have in totality.

I also suggest being a bit selective with your decor. I’ll be the first to admit that I have to remind myself of this consistently. I have definitely had to pare down my items over time, and I have to be aware to (try) not bring more items into my home.

I also suggest not storing hardly anything out in the open, whether board games, dishes, small appliances, paperwork, movies, extra candles, spices, dish rack, jewelry, toiletries, makeup, hair products, or other similar items. Pack these away and if they don’t fit, in my opinion that’s a sign to declutter the extras, file or shred paperwork, check the expiration dates on applicable items or at least use things up before buying more. These are things that can be stored in cupboards, dressers, baskets, storage totes, filers, closets etc. That said I don’t recommend plastic storage for any food or out on display, with the exception of storage totes on storage shelves in, say, a laundry room, or garage.

I will say there is a balance for me between leaving blankets casually out on a couch, and having extras folded in a basket so that the couches still have space for sitting, and the bed is easy to make. As for pillows I keep at most 2 per couch, and 5 on the bed, including memory foam pillows, a decorative pillow for each side to side against and a lumbar pillow.

I also don’t keep anything on the kitchen table. Though because I have an “old school” table I keep a simple yet classy table cloth and flowers on it.

Cleaning

As far as cleaning goes, as I put things away, usually as soon as I’m done with them, I am able to get to cleaning quite promptly right now. I try to clean my kitchen surfaces when I’m done cleaning up a meal usually with a quick wipe-down of surfaces. For the rest of the house, I try to start with a dusting when the house looks like it needs it. I then go to vacuuming the rugs and carpeting I have. I then go on to mopping floors. I also get to may bathroom sometime during this process.

We use mostly a microfiber cloth to dust as well as a small dusting wand that I can throw the duster portion in the wash. For vacuuming I mostly use a stick vacuum, which I would recommend, though as far as I’m concerned, you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on one. Additionally I use a spray and wipe mop with a machine washable mop head, one for the tile and one for the wood floors since they need different cleaning solution formulas and mop heads, these are always hung up and ready to go so it’s easy for me or my husband to grab and use for wiping up spills if heeded.

I also keep all cleaning products under the sink in my kitchen, hanging up in the stairwell (we have a rambler home so it’s behind a closed door by the kitchen), or in the bathroom for those specific supplies.

Things I don’t do, I don’t buy disposable dusters, or mop heads, as I don’t want to spend the money on replacing and it means I don’t have to remember to buy it either, yes the reusable one’s need to be replaced every once in a while but it’s far less often. While I don’t buy many cleaning supplies, I do buy toilet cleaner, dish soap, and disinfecting wipes, though I make most of the other supplies I need from what I otherwise purchase, or from concentrates.

I also keep trashcans in each bedroom, and one in the kitchen tucked under the sink, as well as a covered one in the laundry room for the whole downstairs. I also keep a grocery bag for recyclables next to the garbage can under the sink as often as I can.

All that said

I know that i have a lot of current lifestyle situations that may make these processes easier or harder than it would be for others perhaps.

So take this advice with a grain of salt, please. My goal is that even one thing can be helpful to each reader.

We are very intentionally choosing to be selective in what we keep for the sake of our future, and because we’ve learned so much from helping clear out items from family member’s collections, we can be more aware, avoid overcollecting, and hopefully avoid a lot of the decluttering time down the road. That said I’ll be the first to admit that I probably still keep too many clothes, and probably too many momentos, but I’m getting better at what comes into the house, even while still getting rid of things on a consistent basis. I also love taking family pieces that I can use around my home, heck, I’m even turned old souvenirs of my grandpas’ into a Christmas ornament to remember him in another way during the Christmas season.

So for me organizing and cleaning is about making the most of my spaces and things.