apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My boyfriend can't quite grasp this concept... ugh.

We do this too and it definitely helps save time and keeps the house tidy. But, there is a difference between clean and picked up. I still clean often, but don't have to pick everything up constantly because if goes directly back to its spot.

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I wish my roommate could grasp this concept.

Yes, I think 'tidy' is often confused with 'clean'. I had a roommate who was very clean but also really messy. She'd leave half-empty drink containers, her coats, books, papers, half-finished crafts projects, and shoes all over the place, including common areas. I spent a lot of time ferrying stuff back into its proper place before I gave up and just started making piles for her to put away.

I did try talking to her about how things would look better (and she wouldn't lose things) if she took a minute or two to tidy her stuff up instead of strewing it all over. She never did learn. This eventually drove me so crazy that I moved out.

My wife would say that I need to learn this. She just doesn't understand the concept of creative chaos. If I leave a mug in the living room, it is not because I am lazy, it's because I am thinking outside the box, looking for new ways to express myself.

One easy concept I've used, that works better for me than take-it-out-put-it-back, is to keep a beautiful basket in the main living area. When you're done with something that doesn't belong in that room, it goes in the basket, at the end of the day (or sometimes week if I'm working a lot of overtime or in classes) I walk that basket around the house and put things back where they belong (books, recycling, toys, etc). The basket method makes it far easier for me to keep the house tidy without the pressure of keeping things perfect. Anything dirty, of course, goes where it belongs immediately (dishes, half empty soda, etc).

I need to work on this. I'm more a "I'll get to it when I get to it" cleaner rather than constantly putting things away.

Leaving a mug in the living room is thinking outside the box?

We recently decided that I am the put-away-er while my husband is the cleaner. I'm also the vacuum/mop/dust person but since I'm putting everything away anyway, it's just easier for me to go ahead and vacuum/mop/dust. Our house isn't 100% perfect at all times but it does feel much more under control since we started this pattern.

Usbek: I like that justification! I think I'll use that one, if you don't mind... ;)

My house cleaning consists of dividing my condo into 5 zones and spending 15 mins per evening( Mon- Fri , as soon as I get home from work and have pent up 405 traffic energy) cleaning that zone. I will grab a spray bottle and do the kitchen and dining room one night, and straighten the living room and 1/2 bath the next...and so on and so on....until the whole house is done and ready for the weekend.

It's amazing how much you can get done in one area in 15 mins....you end up doing things like cleaning the baseboards...the windowsills and the walls while you wait for the timer to ding.

My house is always clean... now that I began doing this

easier said than done friends

Hah, Usbeck... That sounds like my husband... And my response is something like Sowordspoint.

My husband works from home, and often needs access to his computer/fax machine/files/notes at odd hours. While 100% of our home can't be "put away" after use, I've managed to limit the chaos of sticky notes, magazines, and file folders to his office, to which I can close the door.

I used to be soooooooooo good at this--thanks to my grandma--and then I got married.

I have no idea why, but somehow I'm not as good at doing this as I used to be.

My house is always clean, tidy and every closet and drawer is organized. My office is the only room that looks like a bomb went off, thankfully I can close the door.

I do tend to work in other areas in my house (other than my office) durning the day where I need collateral, paperwork, writing material, etc..I bought a large basket bin so I can move these odds and ends around at different times and throw back in the bin at the end of the day where as before I would leave a stack of work materials in my living room.

I'm more of a throw-it-in-a-drawer person. My place looks all tidy, but open a drawer and it's chaos.

I live in a studio, so if I don't have things picked up, I'll go bonkers. The idea, however, is not only have a place for everything, but have room for everything. Also, slimming down what you do own is -awesome-... it helps so much! If you don't love it or use it, let it go!

This is a cool idea, though, even if execution is harder. But how long can you leave something out? half a day? 1 hour?

And you never know when you'll need a glass of water to throw on aliens, like in Signs.

The key is to first give every item a home to return to.

Without that, you're just moving piles around and shoving things into closets, cupboards, and drawers, thereby creating a hidden mess.

Personally, I am struggling with assigning every item a home in my house.

i'm the one who puts stuff away all the time, and my husband does not. it used to drive me crazy. then, i started piling up all the stuff he used and left lying around on his side of the bed. he wasn't able to get into bed at night until his stuff was put away. i quit complaining, he learned it was better to put stuff away as he went. problem solved.

It works for me, but only in some rooms.

Meerkat - "We recently decided that I am the put-away-er while my husband is the cleaner. I'm also the vacuum/mop/dust person but since I'm putting everything away anyway, it's just easier for me to go ahead and vacuum/mop/dust. Our house isn't 100% perfect at all times but it does feel much more under control since we started this pattern."
Yes, I'd say your husband feels things are much more under control now that you're doing everything!

Usbek de Perse - "If I leave a mug in the living room, it is not because I am lazy, it's because I am thinking outside the box, looking for new ways to express myself."
Wow. Have you thought of applying for an Arts grant to support your ahem work?

I was great at this when I had my apartment all to myself. Then I got married and part of my learning to relinquish control was learning to let him be himself. He had to get tidier and I had to be a little less compulsive in picking up. It's taken two years, but we are striking a balance now. Things get picked up and put away, but he has his "zones". And I no longer start cleaning up the dishes before he's done eating!

It helped that, by having put-away places, he's discovered that nothing gets lost. The bills go in a certain cubby in the desk. The remotes go in the basket. The keys get clipped to our shelf. Easy.

I like the 'outbox' idea, though. I go through the house with the laundry basket...

Folks often ask how we keep our house so organized, with se7en kids: we do a quick, 10 minute, tidy up before breakfast, before lunch and before supper - everyday... That means legos, books, toys, whatever they get returned to where they belong before a meal! Sounds mad but if we leave it longer it is chaotic. Just that little bit of tidying keeps everyone conscious of the "mess" they are making... and our house is never further away from tidy than a 10 minute pack up. Cleanliness is not the same as tidiness!!! But I sure couldn't keep everything clean if I had to pack up and tidy up first before I cleaned... there is only so much time in a day!!!

Good tip... Works pretty well actually. we've been doing this in our loft for one year now and yes, you can keep a "clean look" for weeks!

gosh, the room pictured above is beautiful

Sometimes you just can't spare a minute to fold a blanket, put something in its drawer, or hang up a coat; that's life. But rather than leave a trail of clutter in your wake, just make a point to always toss anything not put-away on the same couch cushion, same corner, or same chair.

I asked my rather messy college roommates to do this years ago. One of them loved it; she found that she lost things less often and didn't have to scramble to make room to sit when friends dropped by.

The other one... didn't get it. Our other roommate and I constantly gathered her things and put them in a very neat pile in the same chair every few days, and she would promptly topple the pile, insisting that the item in question was now lost, and that she had known exactly where the item was located in the mess spread across the coffee table, kitchen table, couch, bar, floor....

Some people clean up nice; some can't be helped.

"Personally, I am struggling with assigning every item a home in my house."

I agree with LilyC's comment. I, too, am striving to find a home for everything. Some things have their place but others ... this is my goal for the summer clean.

I agree with other got-marrieds. My single-girl apartment was always tidy (so much so that I once returned from a 3 week vacation where I visited my clutterbug parents, and thought I'd been robbed while I was away. I soon realized everything was just where it belonged).

Then I got married to a guy who was a pile-man, as in, "Let's pile everything in a pile, and I'll just dig when I need to."

Middle ground was needed. We both vacuum and dishwash as needed. We hired a cleaning service to do the heavy stuff. We also agree that his closet, his desk, "his space" is a pile-zone. He can pile away as long as the common ground and the main bedroom is de-piled once or twice a week.

Much happier now.