Confession- I am a Pack Rat!

(NOT my home......img courtesy of flickr)

pack' rat"
1. Also called trade rat. a large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest.

2. Informal.
a. a person who collects, saves, or hoards useless small items.
b. an old prospector or guide.


Too many times my apartment has ended up like the image above....full of garbage, knick-knacks, useless items, and just plain CLUTTER. I have garbage falling out of the garbage bin, newspapers strewn across the floor, soda cans and dishes piling up on the kitchen counter, and my entire wardrobe on the floor of my bedroom....both dirty AND clean clothes. It sounds pretty disgusting, and it IS.

I hate having such a disgusting mess of a home....wait, not home, House. A HOME is where you feel comfortable and can relax after a hard days work or taking care of the kids all day. A HOME is a place where you can invite friends over and watch your favorite movie or play the lastest video game in comfort. I don't have that.

If I hate it so much, then why does my house look so bad? Well, there's 3 reasons that play into it:

1. L-A-Z-Y/Procrastination....I don't know how I ever got to be this way, but I tend to hold off on doing things like cleaning for no good reason. My husband doesn't help the situation either. He constantly sets dishes (or garbage) down wherever he currently is sitting instead of getting up to put them away.
   
2. It's hard for me to throw things away. So I end up shoving it into my closet or dresser drawers.
3. Lack of Furniture AND Space. I have a small One-bedroom apartment, a ton if little items that need storage, and very few pieces of furniture that would fit as well as help get rid of clutter instead of create. Flat surfaces, like tabletops and counters, seem to attract the most clutter. What is needed? More Cabinets and drawers and shelves.

After a complete evaluation of my apartment, I realized I have the knowledge to remedy the situation. I have compiled a few tips and tricks to help any of you fellow pack-rats out there clean up your living space to be truly Liveable.

*Throw out all unnecessary garbage laying around. This means old letters, mail, newspapers, bags, etc. Don't forget to recycle what you can. We still need to do our part in the environment. ;)

*Get old boxes/bins and label them 'Throw Away', 'Yard Sale' or 'Donation', and 'Keep'. Put all the 'clutter' into each one of those boxes as you see fit. You can even go farther with the Keep box by organizing it by category: memories, office items, mail, hardware, bathroom, etc. Make sure you actually get rid of the Throw Away and Yard Sale boxes-DO NOT LET THEM COME BACK INTO YOUR HOUSE. That will just defeat the purpose of this tip.

*Buy a select few pieces of Furniture that can hold your 'Keep' items. Every item in your home needs a place and the key is to make most of the items unseen. Not everything needs to be displayed. If you place is horizontally challenged, utilize the vertical.

• Living Room/Office/Bedroom- File cabinets and the plastic drawers with wheels are great for storing most small items and important papers. Bookshelves (freestanding and wall mount) are great for pictures, knick knacks, cds/dvds, or even toys to show off.
• Kitchen/Dining Room- Wall mounted paper towel holders free up a bit of counter space. An Organize It All Recycle Bin will help put plastics, paper, and aluminum in their place. Garbage bins with hinged lids keep garbage from piling up and falling out.
  

*Organize, Organize, Organize. Like I said above...not everything needs to be seen. Place kitchen appliances that are not regualry used in a cabinet. Mail and Newspapers can go into a file cabinet or in your coffee table drawer. Pick out a select few of your favorite picture frames and display half on the wall, and the other half on shelves.

Last But not least;

*Clean up after yourself! If you use it, put it away immediately. If you dirty some dishes, rinse it off and put in in the dishwasher As Soon As You Are Done! If the garbage or cat litter is full, don't wait for your kids or partner to get home....clean it up. "Waiting" for someone else to clean just makes you prone to procrastination and laziness. Believe me, I make that excuse everyday and that's why I'm writing this blog.

If everyone in the household follows these tips, there's no reason you shouldn't be living in the home you've always dreamt about. You know, the ones that look like a tornado could hit it and it would still be clean.

Do you have any additional tips for a clutter-free home? Please share by posting a comment.