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By Woman's Day Ever pop in on a friend unexpectedly and everything’s in its place? She had no time to clean up, yet her house is immaculate. How does she do that? We wanted to know, so we went to the neat and organized— readers whose homes always look great— to find out their best strategies. 1. Stop It Before It Starts “We live minimally, so things look clean and organized without much effort on my part. When we go away we don’t buy souvenirs, I don’t save my kids’ report cards, and their art projects don’t even make it into the house. I know, I know, you’re thinking I don’t have a sentimental bone in my body. But really, in 10 years, are you ever going to look at your kids’ kindergarten report card?” Sheryl Balfan, 42, Boca Raton, FL 2. Faster Food “We have a ‘fast food’ basket in our fridge that contains sandwich condiments, meats, cheese, tortillas, flatbread and other things that can be used to make a quick lunch. Everything is in one place and I don’t have to spend hours searching for the mustard.” Amy Bayliss, 34, Baton Rouge, LA 3. Kid Power “With four kids, it’s tough to keep everything in order, but I use the children to my advantage. We play ‘Beat the Clock,’ which turns cleaning into a competition. I set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes and send the kids off to straighten up. They need to pick up everything from the common rooms and clean their own rooms. Whoever finishes and makes it to the family room couch first wins.” Nina Restieri, 41, Old Greenwich, CT 4. Bag It “Our pantry used to be a huge mess—lots of forgotten, half-eaten bags of stale chips, pretzels and Goldfish sprinkled throughout the pantry shelves. Now when I get home from the grocery store, I portion snacks into ziptop bags and keep them in a pretty basket. It not only neatens up the pantry, it keeps bugs away, makes packing lunches easier, and gives us built-in portion control.” Alethea Elkins, 38, Newtown, CT 5. Use It or Lose It “I have four kids and no room for clutter. The rule is, if you didn’t use it, wear it, play with it, eat it or know of it in the past six months, it goes out the door. They can do what they want in their own rooms, but the rest of the house is mine! So if you spill it, drop it or leave it lying around, chances are you won’t ever find it again since I’ll throw it out.” Ronit Rogoszinski, 43, New York City 6. Do a Sweep “Every morning I walk around the house to open the shades and I take a basket with me. Anything that doesn’t belong in a room goes in the basket and gets returned to where it should be. By the time I get to the kitchen, most of the clutter has been organized.” Leanne Naidoo, 28, Fort Lauderdale, FL Get the rest of the tips here! Stories You Might Like: What is your best organizing tip? Provided photo |
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