Latest Blog Posts
Reading Time – 10 minutes
Thanks to the staff at Arizona Moving Professionals for being my guest blogger.
With children out of school, there is more time to establish new routines. If how your children take care of their rooms has been bothering you take the time to help them learn how to quickly clean and organize their rooms.
All children love making a mess and hate cleaning up. The ones tidying up are the parents. However, tidying up after your child can be problematic when they can do the chores themselves. Firstly, you are creating more work for yourself. Secondly, you are sending the message to your children that you (or somebody else) will always be there to clean up their messes. A group of scientists and psychologists researched this topic – and the results were quite astonishing. Namely, the results showed that children who had to do their chores from an early age grew up to have better relationships (not only romantic but also with friends and family) and more academic success. So, is there a better reason for you to start teaching your children to keep their rooms clean and organized?
Cleaning Should Not Be Punishment
How often have your children misbehaved and, as a punishment, you gave them a chore to do? If you are like most families, the answer is probably – many times. However, when you do this, the child instantly associates cleaning with something bad, dull, tiring, etc., and they start to hate it. Thus, banish the concept of cleaning as a punishment from your home! Instead, teach your children that cleaning and organizing their stuff is something good and worth doing. Show them that doing those chores can be a ‘ticket to other things.’ For instance, offer rewards. And, always offer them on a positive note – remember, if you are negative and keep telling your children what they have to do in a ‘grumpy’ manner, children will be grumpy back about it.
When Teaching Your Children to Keep Their Rooms Clean and Organized, Give Them Options
Speaking of punishments, a large part of what makes chores seem like punishment is that you always tell your children what they have to do and when they have to do it. This will always result in a boycott! Instead, give your children some options. For instance, whether you want them to help with your spring cleaning or have them clean and organize their rooms daily, you should start by offering a list of things that must be done and giving your children the freedom to choose what chore they want to do. This will give them a sense of control – and all children love that. Your children will clean with joy feeling they are in control and rather than forced to do something. And, what is more, by learning that cleaning can be joyful, they will learn to do it with pleasure throughout their life.
Keep the Chores Small and Realistic
If you tell your little one that they have to pick up all the toys, make the bed, organize their closet, put the books away, etc., they will become overwhelmed! For them, doing all these chores is just too much. So, instead of forcing them to do all of these chores in just one day, make it a task a day. For instance, they can organize their toys on Mondays; on Tuesdays, they can organize their books, etc. Moreover, do not expect your children to do those big tasks like vacuuming the house or moping the floors – always stick to small and realistic age appropriate tasks.
This rule is also applicable to adults. Just think about it – if you start with the thought everything is a mess and everything needs to be cleaned up today, you will probably find yourself overwhelmed. Your thoughts should be small and realistic – see what needs to be cleaned and organized and split everything into smaller tasks that can be done over the next week.
The same applies to other life events. For example, if you have to move, do not overwhelm yourself with everything that needs to be done, and do not force yourself to do everything in just a day. Moving specialists at professionalmover.ca advise that it’s always best to organize your time and chores. Create a moving checklist and list all the duties that await. Then create a timetable that will guide you through all the steps. That, and the help of a moving crew, will help you go through the process stress-free.
Make it a Family Affair
Another great way to teach your children how to keep their rooms clean and organized is by making this chore a family affair. Trust us; no child likes being sent off to their room and forced to clean and organize. That sounds boring and, to be honest, lonely. So, instead of having your child clean alone and you and your partner cleaning by yourselves, make this cleaning event a family affair. Clean together. And, while doing so, make sure to keep things fun – chat, listen to music, have a race who is going to clean something faster, etc. This will make cleaning and organizing with children less tedious for the entire family. Moreover, it will make it seem like a game – and once it seems like a game, your child will start doing it alone and on a daily basis.
Explain to Your Child Why Cleaning is Important
In most cases, children do not want to clean because they do not see its purpose. Why would they make their bed today when they will mess it up tonight? This and similar thoughts are present in young children’s minds. Thus, if you never take the time to sit down with your child and explain the importance of cleaning and organizing their rooms, they will never truly know why they do it. As a result, they will hate cleaning and organizing. So, we suggest teaching your children about hygiene and avoiding those tiresome cleaning and organizing myths. Talk about germs and bacteria. Make them connect the dots by talking about what happens to our bodies when they get in touch with dirty things such as the previously mentioned germs and bacteria.
Teaching your children to keep their rooms clean and organized is neither easy nor complicated. It’s somewhere in between. It will take some of your time and dedication, but you will reap the benefits if you do it right.
Share how you made organizing with your children fun.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Welcome to the new year. I hope you have challenges you conquer, joys you share and fun to revitalize yourself.
I am a naturally organized person. It comes very easily to me. Many people find getting and staying organized difficult. You will enjoy reading my guest blogger’s article on how to become neat by Sophia Perry of Arizona Moving Professionals.
Trust me when I tell you that a messy person can learn to be neat. As a former slob who daily transferred a ginormous pile of semi-dirty clothes from bed (when it’s sleep time) to the work desk, and vice versa, I can tell you, you too can transform. I don’t even know how it used to get to the point of having almost the entire content of my wardrobe on the bed. But it did.
And the story doesn’t end there. The most frustrating thing was the laundry. I wash one round. While it dries, the second is being washed. I still haven’t folded the first one, and the second is drying. Soon there is the third round. And the rest of my wardrobe is now clean but wrinkled beyond recognition, on an armchair waiting for something to happen. And when I finally get around to dealing with those mountains of clothes, I end up with a closet so messy that I don’t even know what clothes I have. I wish I could say these were my greatest issues, but… There were also dishes. Technically, the situation was the same as with the laundry. It’s just that I never managed to empty the dishwasher, so new dirty dishes piled up in the sink, and… Well, you get the picture. However, there is help! Much like the 12-step program, here too, there are steps to take to get on the path of tidiness.
1. Designate a place for each and every item you possess.
After a long day at work, believe me, I understand the tiredness. But don’t drop your pants, key, and shoes wherever you see fit and leave them lying there until you need them again. If you know that shoes belong in the hallway, keys on a peg next to the door, and jeans in the closet, go put them there. Repeat every day. It will start feeling normal. It will become an automatic thing.
2. Eyes on the prize – visualize the outcome and work on the road to get there.
To stay motivated, it’s vital to be realistic. Start small. Set a few attainable goals every day, and cross them off the list once you’ve done them. The crossing off will create a feeling of accomplishment and get you incentivized to keep going. It’s like training yourself. In addition to daily plans, start making weekly and monthly plans as well. Put them up on your fridge, so you remind yourself of what needs doing. It will bring some organization to your life.
Motivation can come unexpectedly. For example, once I heard a motivational speaker, whose name I can’t recollect, say: “If your bed is a mess, your life is a mess.” He explained that it’s his morning routine that makes him successful. He gets up, works out, and makes his bed. Making the bed is a task he completed early in the morning. So he set himself up for success. He already accomplished something. Needless to say, I have made a habit of making my bed every morning now.
Set small goals every day and cross them off the list. It will make you feel like you have accomplished something.
3. Stop with the hoarding.
Stop piling up clutter. Having too many things is what complicates the cleaning process. And not just that, too many items to wipe, move, and dust are downright overwhelming. As Marie Kondo says, and I’m paraphrasing – if it doesn’t make you happy, get rid of it. Also, if you haven’t used it for a long time – get rid of it. If you don’t need it – you’ve guessed it, it goes out. Finally, don’t accumulate sentimental knickknacks. Don’t get attached to things. They are just things. Many have fallen into this trap. If you don’t enjoy, need, or use something, lose it. A messy person can learn to be neat if they learn to declutter mercilessly! I have come to despise ornaments with no purpose, just because they add to the cleaning time. And time is precious.
Moreover, clutter can get in the way of productivity. Therefore, tidying up your workspace is very important. This is especially crucial if you work from home. There are already too many distractors. And several dirty coffee mugs, a mountain of clothes on your chair, and dirty socks on the floor are not helpful. Also, too many things on your desk, such as purposeless ornaments, don’t make for a suitable working environment.
Clutter can get in the way of productivity. Keep your workspace tidy and organized.
4. Simplify cleaning.
How can cleaning be simplified, you wonder? Well, simple. Organize your home so that it’s easier to tidy. Decluttering is one way to do it. But you can do more. For instance, I’ve realized that curtains really make my life difficult. So I got rid of them and replaced them with zebra blinds. They are stylish, modern, and, most importantly, easy to maintain. There is no washing, ironing, or hanging. Just an occasional wipe with a wet cloth and a bit of dusting. Good quality ones are antistatic, so even dusting is optional. Think of the areas in your home that cause you the most headaches, and figure out ways to make them more manageable.
5. It all boils down to making new habits.
Make yourself do something, even the smallest thing, every day. Not every week or every few days, but every single day. The point is to make it a habit to keep your home neat and tidy. If tidiness doesn’t come instinctively, you must train yourself. Basically, repeat until it’s a routine. Every time you leave a room, try to leave it better than you found it. Put a thing or two away. As you cook, put dirty dishes in the dishwasher as soon as you are done with them. Wipe the surface the second you spill something. Don’t let things get really filthy. So big cleaning will be less frequent.
If tidying up doesn’t come instinctively to you, make a habit of it.
A messy person can learn to be neat
Some people call it a creative mess. Some say they can only function in chaos. They claim they can’t find anything if their home is tidy. But is it really true? Or are those excuses? Old habits are hard to break, but a messy person can learn to be neat. It’s essential to change self-image. You are not a slob or a lazy person – you need to purge. Rid yourself of clutter and bad habits. Finally, make positive associations with cleaning. Listen to music or an audiobook. That way, an unpleasant, mundane task will become something more enjoyable.
Let me help you to leave your messy self behind. Book a 30-minute complimentary virtual organizing assessment. https://mindoverclutter.as.me/virtualorganizingassessment
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Need to wash your windows but you don’t want to spend the time doing it because the next rain will wash away the time you spent shining those windows. Try using a window cleaning product that attaches to your garden hose. First, you rinse the window with water then switch the setting to soap continuing to spray the window and then switch it back to rinse. You can clean your windows without your feet leaving the ground. One such product is Windex Outdoor Spray.
For cleaning the inside or outside of your windows try using Norwex cloths. You use water and the cloth, no chemicals. They do a fantastic streak free job. Norwex has many chemical free cleaning solutions. I have been using them since 1995.
Share the method you use for cleaning your windows.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
A reader sent me this link to a great article on cleaning, Alyson Voss a Freelance Writer – Lifestyle. I hope you enjoy these tips on how to keep your house clean.
In the day-to-day hustle and bustle, keeping the house clean can seem about as likely as winning the lottery—but it doesn’t have to consume hours of your daily time. Aside from the occasional in-depth cleaning sessions, you can stay on top of daily dirt and grime in just 30 minutes a day (or less!). With just a little organization and pre-planning, you’ll breeze through basic cleaning tasks in no time.
Follow this checklist to get your home in tip-top shape in just 30 minutes.
Set the stage
- Conquer clutter: Keep random objects out of your way by assigning each family member a “collection station” (use a large laundry basket or unused trash can) for corralling things that don’t have a home. Everyone is responsible for emptying their stations once they’re full.
- Gather your weapons: Use a cleaning caddy to bring your main supplies from room to room as you clean. Stock it with Lysol Disinfectant Spray, disinfecting wipes, cleaning cloths, and any other necessities. If your home has multiple levels, create one full caddy for each.
- Map out your route: Systematic patterns can shave serious time off your cleaning. One recommended method is to start each room at the top, to the left of the doorway, and move clockwise and down. Use a logical room-to-room path with no backtracking to save even more time.
Start your engines
- Focus, grasshopper: When you’re ready to start speed-cleaning, focus on the task at hand by putting down the phone and turning off the television. If you can’t stand the silence or need motivation, tune into your favourite radio station or kick up your most energetic iPod playlist.
- Skip the little things: Give yourself permission to ignore tedious, time-consuming tasks that don’t need to be performed daily. Extend tasks like dusting off knick-knacks, scouring spice racks, rearranging shelves, and wiping down window treatments to once a month.
- Wipe away germs: Instead of breaking out the spray and scrubber for every surface, use Lysol disinfecting wipes to quickly clean frequently touched or trafficked surfaces that are already relatively clean. You’ll save time, and you can give these areas a proper weekly cleaning with Lysol Disinfectant Spray to maintain pristine conditions.
- Banish the broom: If you vacuum carpets but sweep hard flooring, save time and energy by leaving the broom in the closet and vacuuming everything. It’s just as effective and eliminates one bulky tool. Invest in a 50-foot extension cord, and you can vacuum room to room without unplugging and re-plugging.
- Finish with a refreshing scent: As a final touch for each room, use an air freshener. Your home will look and smell amazing.
The more often you follow your speed-cleaning checklist, the easier and faster it will be. You’ll save hours of time, and the dirt, germs, and odours won’t have a fighting chance.
Need help getting your home organized so it is easier to clean? Contact Mind over Clutter to help simplify things to make cleaning easier.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
I was given an article by Janet Barclay of Organized Assistant that was from 1961 in the Toronto Daily Star. It is advice to a new bride on how to keep the honeymoon going forever by keeping her home neat and tidy with organization and know how. It was a delight to read.
Here are some highlights
- “Because you are working there is little time for housekeeping chores so they must be done consistently. If you get in the habit of leaving things until later the apartment will soon be a mess and you’ll be frazzled and bad tempered.”
- “Enlist your husband. With a working wife, he will likely be only too glad to pitch in for a few minutes a day”
- “Plan a grocery list. Bridegrooms are usually helpful if you can plan the shopping for Thursday or Friday night or during the day on Saturday.”
Forming habits and sharing responsibilities are good advice for then and now.
The article continues by describing a way to stay organized. We can learn a lot from this writer in 1961.
Have a daily cleaning schedule.
It helps to have habits so work gets done without having to put much thought or energy into it. Making beds, tidying up dirty dishes, clean up messes as they happen. But do you need to quickly dust, including pictures with a special cloth with the polish already in it, wipe off the stove, refrigerator and countertops?
The next thing in the article talks about things to take care of every 2-3 days.
If you have a list of things that need to be done once or twice a week it makes it easier to stay on top of things instead of spending a lot of time on the tasks later. Do laundry, sweep/mopping the floor, take out the trash or recycle. But do you need to polish several pieces of silver 2 to 3 times a week or clean the bathroom thoroughly?
Scheduling things weekly makes it easy to give others a chance to take responsibility for keeping the home organized.
Planning menus for the next week can make grocery shopping easy and more economical. Anyone can make supper if the menu is planned and the food is available. Carpet cleaning companies suggest vacuuming rugs once a week to extend the life of your carpets. Perhaps doing your laundry is a once a week task. Checking the refrigerator to see what food needs to be used before it goes bad will also save you money. But do you have to mend the socks for the man of the house, get the dry cleaning ready, wax the kitchen floor, clean the oven including the racks or change the sheets?
Think about the things that should be done twice a month.
For some people, it is grocery shopping, changing the beds, cleaning the house, and repairing things that are broken. Make a list that suits you and keep up with your organizing. But do you need to clean the windows, clean out your appliances or clean out your coffee maker regularly?
What would be good to do once a month?
Perhaps you would want to do more extensive cleaning in one room each month. Cleaning walls, window coverings, windows, blankets or furnace filters. If you spread out the work over a year, you will have cleaned each room by the end of the year but you will never have to spend a lot of time all at once. No need for a spring or fall cleaning blitz that can cause people to procrastinate because the job seems so big and overwhelming. Some people like to do food preparations, browning meats, dicing and freezing vegetables and/or baking once a month to make food preparation on a daily basis easier. You may decide to organize an area of your home each month. Some of these monthly tasks that may take minutes, and some may take a couple of hours. Plan what works for you. But do you need to oil the furniture or take down and wash the fixture?
Lastly, look at things that only need to be done twice a year.
Perhaps they are seasonal tasks. Put away or get out patio furniture, toys, car tires, bikes etc. But do you need to wash rugs, clean Venetian blinds or take all the clothes out of your closet and give them a good cleaning and airing?
The interesting thing about this article written in 1961 is how much things have not changed. A lot of things they suggested to do daily, weekly monthly or yearly have not changed. Doing a little each day, week, month or year makes it easier to stay organized. Having the tasks scheduled makes it easier to avoid procrastination. Although we hardly ever use silver, we have self-defrosting refrigerators and self-cleaning appliances, we don’t do a lot of ironing, we have now added to our schedules, software and hardware maintenance, cleaning more than one vehicle, pools, lawns, etc.
Cleaning Schedule / Organizing Schedule
When my mom died my sister made a cleaning schedule for my dad. It was similar to the ideas in this article. It was based on what needed to be cleaned each week and then one additional thing to clean each week which changed each week, and then a thing to do each month with each month different. By the end of the year the entire house, walls, drapes, cupboards, baseboards, and appliances had been cleaned with only a little extra effort needed once a month.
Some of you may sit down and make a list of things to do each day week, month, semi annually and annually. For others make the lists as you go. At the end of the year you will have good ideas of how to schedule cleaning and maintenance tasks to have a life that runs smoothly and leaves more time for fun, joy and happiness.
What things did your parents or grandparents do, that you still do, to keep your life and home running smoothly?
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space