Maintaining Order

You’ve worked hard to get your home organized. Belongings are in convenient spots, you can find what you want, and your home looks great! Now, how do you keep it that way? Here are a few organizing routines to help maintain order.

Always put items back in their assigned “home”.

Follow the one-in, one-out rule. When you purchase a new item for the space, remove an item from the home.

Spend 5-15 minutes daily, putting belongings in their assigned spots. With children, make this fun:

• Set the timer for 5 minutes and see how much they can get done.


• Make a reward a part of the routine: once the area is picked up they play outside, get to watch tv, or play a favorite game.


• Work with young children, making clean-up a fun time.

Have an “accountability partner”. Check in with your partner weekly to report on the condition of the area of concern.

When a shelf, cabinet, or drawer gets too crowded, select an item or two to remove from the home.

When each season ends, donate any clothing items you haven’t worn.

“No empty hangers” signal: Use this as a sign that there are more clothes than needed in the closet. Pick several items to give away.

A few routines to keep children’s toys manageable.

• Celebrate an “unbirthday” or a “1/2 birthday”. The child picks a toy to give away. Then reward the child with cake and ice cream!


• Before or after gift-giving celebrations: get rid of toys that are broken or no longer used. When you notice child hasn’t played with a toy or hasn’t worn certain clothes, ask, “Can we give this away?”


• Rotate toys. All toys do not need to be available at one time. Store some toys in a convenient location and switch what toys are in storage occasionally. When you bring the stored toys out, they are like new to your children! (If the child doesn’t play with the toys just out of storage, it’s time to get rid of the toy or put it in storage until a younger child is ready for the toy.

Keep a “donation” tote in a convenient spot – laundry room, garage, or trunk of your car. When you come across an item you haven’t used in over a year, toss it in the donation tote. Drop the items at your favorite donation station.

What routines do you have to keep your home in order?