When people move into a new home, they often feel as though they’ve made a fresh start with a clean slate. You may have already sold or given away furniture and belongings you didn’t really need from your old home, and find yourself left with the essentials. It feels great to rid yourself of excess junk, but how do you stop your new home from being filled with all the unnecessary bits and bobs all over again? How can you keep your fresh new home, fresh? Here are some key pointers to help you keep your home organised. Most are easy to implement, so take the tips on board and see how being organised and decluttering can make a difference in your life.
Instruction manuals
Every piece of equipment, appliance or technology, will come with a manual. People don’t always wish to read through them, but should something go wrong, you’ll want to get your hands on them. The best way to store manuals is in magazine boxes that can be kept in a cupboard or garage. This way they’ll be safe from being ruined, won’t get lost, and free up other spaces (e.g. the bottom drawer in the kitchen – manuals always end up there!) Use three different magazine boxes for three different types of equipment – one for household appliances (kettle, toaster, etc), one for technology (phone, TV, etc), and a third for major fixtures (air conditioning, hot water, etc).
Kitchen
The kitchen is often the busiest part of the home. The last thing you need to be wasting your time on is looking for the lid to that pan or container. Segment your cupboards to store particular items so that all mugs are in one cupboard and so on. Pots and pans should be kept close to your stove or oven. Store them standing upright with lids stored inside the pots they belong to.
Plates, cups, mugs, and saucers should all be stored with their matching sets. If you have a lot of mugs and cups, have a cupboard dedicated to them. Plates, serving platters, and decorative plates should all be stored together as well. For the pantry, store all tins and jars in rows, and have labels facing towards you. It may sound finicky, but this way you’ll always know what’s where and will avoid rearranging things to find items.
Kid’s items
The kids always seem to have an abundance of toys that they absolutely still really need and want. It’s important to keep their items tidy and organised, not just to keep the house tidy, but also to keep your family safe from unnecessary trips and falls. The best way to keep toys organised is in dedicated toy boxes and shelves. Keep the most used toys on shelves that are easy to reach, and rarely used toys in storage boxes.
Clothing
There’s most likely a pile of clothing hanging in your wardrobe that you no longer wear or like. Determining what these items are that you no longer wear is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of clutter in your bedroom.
To do this, turn all your clothes hangers so that they face the same way. When you’ve worn an item, replace it in the wardrobe facing the opposite way. After a period of time, if there are any clothes still hanging in the original direction you placed them in, you know they wouldn’t have been touched in a while. The best time frame in which to do this is over six months or a year, so that seasonal items can be included. With clothes you plan to get rid of, you can either sell or donate them to charity.
Set up a cleaning schedule
Once everything is in its place, you want to ensure that it stays that way for as long as possible. Set up a cleaning routine where you decide on which days which chores will be taken care of. It may be something as simple as writing down Monday as laundry day, Tuesday as bathroom day, and so on. This will ensure that tasks are completed each and every week, and chores won’t pile up and overwhelm you.
If you have children old enough to learn about their responsibilities within the home, don’t be afraid to include them in the schedule, and make sure you stick to it! It’s easier for children to commit to their roles when they don’t receive their weekly allowance, or even better, the chargers to their devices (or the newly changed WiFi password!)
Doing some, or all, of these tips will keep your new home as efficient as it was the day you moved in, with little clutter and plenty more space to live. Having a clean and tidy home makes you feel more relaxed and rejuvenated – making living in your new home just that little bit more enjoyable.
