Organization For the Next House

So I have been trying to figure out a better way to set up our house when we move. Ways to make it run more efficiently and easily, while decreasing clutter and piles which tend to accumulate.With two kids I need my plan to be manageable and relatively simple. I have been scanning Pinterest and various other blogs about home organization. This has helped me so far as I am cleaning and organizing this house, and I plan on setting up the house with these idea's enacted from the beginning.

1. Bedding- I saw an idea on pinterest where you put sheet sets together and then place them in their pillow case and stack them in the linen closet. I am going to do that but take it one step further. I am planning on hanging each sheet set with a pant or skirt hanger in the closet where the bed that they go to is. For baby girl she will get one of the pillow cases that doesn't go into a set to hang her sheets from. This way there is not a big stack of sheets anywhere and it will be easy to change the sheets.

2. Towels... I am not sure about this plan yet, I am still mulling it around. However as of right now I want to put a hook or hooks in each bedroom for the used but still clean bath towels. That way they are not piling up in the bathroom, getting mixed up, or falling on the floor and having to be washed extra times. I have contemplated storing towels in each room also, but I don't think that is as practical as storing the sheets in each room. It is just as easy to store them all together.

3. Laundry- Right now the washer and dryer are in the bathroom, which is in the middle of our house. This means it is easy to walk by and throw clothes on the washer, when we have enough for a load I start it, so we have been just doing that. Well in the new house we will have a laundry room that is on the far side of the house. This is awesome, however I can see piles of clothes, towels, and sheets piling up because they don't get walked to the laundry room. So each room will have a laundry basket, might put one in the bathroom we will have to see how the space looks. Then I will alternate diaper laundry and regular laundry like I do now. I am able to keep up on the laundry for the most part with that system (ignore the huge pile of laundry waiting to be folded on the couch right now).

4. Dishes- These have been the most frustrating part of this house. Next house we have a dishwasher! The plan, rinse any dish that can be ran through the dishwasher and then put it in the dishwasher. If it cannot be ran through the dishwasher then wash it right then or they will all get washed mid-day after lunch. There is no reason for dishes to be piling up on the counters.

5. Kitchen- Clean constantly, pick up the mess from each meal and wipe down the counters. It only takes a few minutes to clean up from one meal, it seems much more intimidating when it is a whole day worth of messes.

6. Floors- I have lived with hardwood floors for a little while in my life, here is what I know. There is lots of sweeping involved. I am going to get a swiffer and make washable pads for it, that way I can go through the house at least once a day and clean the floor. Once a week I will mop the floors (or as needed). Area rugs will be vacuumed as needed or at least twice a week like I try to do here.

7. Toys- Pick up constantly, make sure they all have a home. Work with Matthew on putting toys away as he is done with them.

8. Mail- Check the mail and walk in through the side door- throw all junk mail directly into garbage or recycling. It should never enter the house! Will keep a filing system that is easy and convenient to sort and store the rest of the mail.

 I think that covers the sources of most of my messes. Of course there is still cleaning and disinfecting the bathrooms ect... however I think if I can manage to set up and use the above methods that we will have an easily organized smooth running house. The key is consistency I think, and having a place for everything. I am excited to make our next house a home, a place where you feel welcome and safe, a place where people can just drop in and see us and I won't be embarrassed, a place where my kids will learn good habits so eventually when they go stay with friends the parents are happy to have them over. My goal is to figure out, how to maintain a house without cleaning all day every day, my kids are more important than a spotless house! I think these simple changes and habits will make that goal a possibility.