It's About That Time.... SPRING CLEANING!!!

How many times have you heard, "Where in the heck did I put _____??  I just saw it!"  And then the frustration ensues, couch cushions start flying, the dog runs under the bed, and you still can't find it.  Sound familiar?  Believe it or not, amid the endless piles of laundry, dishes, old catalogs, bills, overdue library books, you have a house.  A house you would desperately love to show off with pride, as your home.  You might feel that your only hope is that a charitable neighbor nominates you for a cable show home makeover.  But, back to reality, it's really just time to dig in and find your home again!  Hopefully these tips for organizing and cleaning will help....

The first thing to do is to really look at your problem area.  Grab a notebook and a pencil.  Mentally survey each room and jot down the problem areas of the room, putting one problem on a page.  You'll see why in a minute.  The problem areas should be parts of the room that really bug you, or areas that attract clutter or messes.
Example:  Shoes that pile up next to the door, table piled with mail, end table with magazines from last year...  Carefully (but quickly!) analyze each room in the house and write down the areas that need improvement.
Don't forget about the hidden messes like junk drawers, medicine cabinets, garages, closets, and attics!  We don't usually notice the disorder until we try looking for something in one of these places and get lost.

Next, for each of the problem areas in a room, try to figure out why the disorganization and mess continues.  Sometimes this is best done while you're in the actual room, and it may be easier if you are drinking wine at the time.  All answers are acceptable here, including the fact that you live with slobs.  Typically there is usually more than one reason why an area of your home is continually unorganized.
Example:  Why are the magazines overflowing?  You may realize you have a fitness magazine with a headline that reads, "Get in the Best Shape of Your Life in 2010!".  It might be time to part with it, since you're doing 2011 spring cleaning. (or just cut out the section you want and file it away!)  You might have a giant bag of plastic grocery bags taking up space in your pantry.  Try to think of why you need that many plastic bags.  If you can't come up with a good enough reason to hoard them, maybe you can recycle some of them instead.
Continue the process for each of the problems in the room.  Write down the reasons for each problem in your notebook, then move to the next room.  When you're done analyzing all your problem areas, start go back to the beginning page of your "Spring Cleaning Notebook" and start making solutions, page by page.

Now comes the fun part.  Think about habits, behaviors, and tools that can make those messes disappear.

• Do you need special tools, bins, baskets or shelving to help organize things?
• Is the problem a habit that just needs to be enforced and practiced?
• Is it a combination of both of these things?
• Or do you just need to toss some stuff out?

Example:  Junk mail piling on your table.  Sort the mail while standing over the trash can.  Immediately throw away the junk.  Or find a sorter and organize it when it comes in, and downsize once a week.  Maybe reduce your mail by using online bill paying and opt out of credit card pre approvals.  How about extra coat hooks in the entry way closet?  Would that reduce the coats piling up?  Would a bowl or basket on the entry way table help track down keys? 

After you decide on your solutions, then it's time to implement the changes.  If you went through your home and only had a few changes, then you're lucky and can probably start immediately.  Make a list of what you need, buy the tools to get the job done and jump in.  Warning!  Organizational tools will not help if you don't use them!  You must also start to implement the behavior changes associated with keeping the mess clean.  While you're tearing things out, it's a great time to clean!  Start wiping down the walls and trim.  Dust the pictures that have been hanging in the same spot for three years.  Wash the curtains.  Sweep and mop in those hard to reach places.  Now is as good a time as any!
If you feel that you have substantially more work to do, don't expect that you will be able to instantly do the changes that you desire, espcially if your solutions involve hundreds of dollars of organizing equipment.  It may be necessary for you to pick one room at a time to overhaul.  And don't do it alone.  Make it a team effort.  Then the next time you hear, "Have you seen the _____?"  You can answer, "YEP!"