Now that you've purged, sorted, donated or thrown stuff away, and bought all the gorgeous containers, your space is looking amazing, for about five minutes.
Then life sets in. Your husband comes home and stuffs food in the fridge where he saw an empty space, you are rushing out the door to get to your daughter soccer game after work, the kids just threw their clothes on the floor in the closet. And so on and so on. This is life! It happens to all of us.
So how do we maintain those beautiful spaces we work so hard on?
Mainly, it is committing to putting everything back where it goes. It takes 2-3 months to create a habit. Take the time and Just Do It! (I swear Nike stole my tag line years ago!)
Set yourself up for success.
The first thing I ask people when doing their pantry is “Will you keep this up when you bring your food home?” Unfortunately, there are not any house elf, at least not in my house, that will do it for you over night. If you know that no one in your family will unpack items for the pantry, then leave stuff in the packaging. The only things I insist on decanting are baking products, flours, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Mostly because these things are not normally used on a daily basis and they stay fresher in the air tight containers.
Here's a quick checklist you can use to help maintain your organized house in high-traffic areas that might get overlooked:
Kitchen:
Set up a schedule for going through items. Use something you already do to trigger keeping up with something else. For example, I clean out my refrigerator/freezer the night before the trash comes. That way the food does not have to sit in the trash can and smell up my garage.
Go through your pantry when you make your grocery list.
Check your kitchen cabinets when you unload the dishwasher to be sure everything has been put back in its proper home.
Bedroom:
Go through your clothes, shoes, and purses at the end of each season. If you have clothes that you have not worn in the last year, you can probably safely let them go.
Keep a donation bin in a guest room closet. This makes it easy as you see things that have served their purpose, you can simply put them in the bin. I keep a note book, pen, and a non-cash donation value list with the bin so I can write down the item and its value as I add to the pile. That way I can attached it to the donation receipt right away.
Linens, Towels, & Pillows:
Keep one extra set of sheets for each bed, that’s it no more! I usually wash the sheets and put them right back on the bed. The only reason to have an extra set is if you have kiddos that may have an accident in the middle of the night.
Don’t have an over abundance of towels either, I do laundry twice a week so we don’t need more than 3 towels a person. Assess your laundry schedule and calculate the amount of towels you really need for each person.
Check the towels and linens as you wash them. When they start to get worn out, start looking for sales.
The Sleep Better Council suggest you replace your pillows every 3 years. Obviously, if you have pillows in a guest room that are not used that often, they should last longer. Depending on the type of pillow you have, they also suggest washing pillows every 3-6 months. I use the first day of each season, March 20, June 21, September 22, and December 21 as a reminder for many tasks, one being to wash my pillows.
Miscellaneous:
Based on most manufacturers recommend, change the filters in your Heating/Air conditioner every 3-6 months. This depends on several factors, a couple being if you have pets and where you live. If you change them every three months you have your ever dependable start of each season to help you remember.
Maintaining your home's organization can feel overwhelming at first, but remember it's a marathon, not a sprint. Take it room by room, step by step, and don't forget to document what works for you. When you have your plan, lists, reminders written down, it helps take the mental load off your shoulders and lessens that pressure and stress.
Comments