I have seen many types of clutter from my work in social work, being a landlord, growing up with a hoarder, and having children. Depending on your personal habits, your family's personal habits, and the size of your house, it can be clutter or filth. Clutter is a result of having too many resources, worrying over not having enough, not picking up after yourself., others not picking up, and too much stuff in that space.
There are days that my house gets wrecked. I prefer to do a big baking and meal planning day, I clean up when I am done. My husband is a TALKER, he loves to say, "don't be afraid to drop in." Last year, we were heading to ending the school year as we always do. The children were finishing up their school projects and I was instructing the kids as I was doing my kitchen work. There was a knock on the door. It was David and his wife who decided to stop in without a text or phone call. My husband was at work.
The counter was loaded with English muffins, loaves of bread, muffins, roasted vegetables, and cooling protein from my weekly meal prep. The dishwasher was running, and the kitchen sink was loaded. My dishwasher wasn't working well, it needed two cycles to get things clean. We had a warranty issue, The wife looks at me in disgust. Mind you the dining room is full of active school. The living room is pristine, and the floors are swept and washed. However, she honed in on my kitchen. She made a flip comment. I asked her to leave.
Now, at the end of the day, my house is always set straight. I cannot go to sleep in a dirty kitchen. My family is messy. They are regularly a whirl wind through the house. I have things in place for them. Shoe storage by the door. Peg racks on the back of bedroom doors. The bathrooms have bins. Everything has a place. I could go on and on about what methods I use. The reality is I am naturally neat because I grew up with a Hoarder. It was a survival skill to be functional in my childhood. I needed to always know WHERE my things were.
I group things together in monochromatic groups. Clear spaces throughout the house in the warmer months bring light to your home. It makes things easier to clean. In the cold months, I bring more things into our open living space. Warm throws, electric candles, the electric fireplace.
How deal with clutter? Use cupboards and closets to take things from the view that are needed in the area. Buy seating, end tables, and such with storage.
If you haven't used an item in 2 years, get rid of it. If it is an heirloom, you don't care for, donate it or give it to a family member who will love it. Chose one or two hobbies that you can master.
Stop buying bins and hiding them all over the house. You know under beds, couches,or" gasp" out in the open.
Is your house operational? Does your spouse complain? Can you clean your house easily? Is your family happy? Can your easily prepare meals? Do you have methods to deal with the daily debris? Do you have one area of the house you are proud of?
In the end, a homemaker needs to be happy in her home. She needs to have a system in place to keep the ship upright. I do 90 percent of everything in the house. However, I expect the children to do chores. I expect my husband to pick up after himself. However, I make it easy for him to clean up after himself. Pegracks to hang his clothes up, a basket for his hygiene stuff., etc. He knew from the beginning, I was neat, The second he saw the inside my car.,
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