If you struggle with those you live with not dealing with their own stuff or leaving their stuff out around the house – particularly older kids or teens – just use a basket!
I tend to add stuff to the stairs as I find items that belong to the kids. I used to use a different step for each kid but that quickly failed me because the kids would come along and play with their things then leave items spread out across the stairs!
I decided to try baskets instead.
Use the baskets to help you sort stuff as you do your general house tidy up. If the item has a home on the same floor that you are tidying- just put the item away as you find it!
You can control how you use the baskets to make them work best for you. If it makes sense for your household, maybe having a basket per person will ensure everyone can take responsibility for their own belongings! If that doesn’t work for you, try a basket for each room or each floor of the house. You could even have a basket for stuff that is ready to be returned to someone.
If you can use the baskets to keep up with the clutter that builds up during the day, then at bedtime, it becomes very satisfying to grab a basket and put the stuff away. I will add a caveat, though! Nothing can be left in the basket. So if you grab a basket to sort the stuff and put it away, you must deal with ALL of the items in that basket! Anything you don’t want anymore can be put into a donate bin, the garbage, or recycling.
All items MUST be put away!!
There is something simple about not having to go around the house picking stuff up from everywhere at bedtime because most of it should already be in the designated basket from tidying through the day. If the baskets belong to each person, make each person EMPTY their basket at bedtime. For the kids out there, this does not mean dumping the basket into their rooms or closets or under their beds! The rule must be set that the items must be properly put away – or suggest to people that maybe they don’t truly want those items. If the items don’t have a specific home in the rooms, you may need to help your kids create homes for the items.
Over time, this will help everyone get used to spending at least a few minutes every day picking stuff up and putting it away in its proper place. Getting into the daily routine of this is so critical for helping clutter stay in it’s home, rather than taking over your home.
If, for whatever reason, the basket cannot be dealt with in the evening, do it first thing in the morning. If you are sick, try to do one thing per every few hours as you muster up the energy. If you are going away, make sure it’s all put away before you go – just think how nice it will be to come home and have that clutter away as you dump luggage or gear at the front door after being away.
If you hate stuff on the stairs, find a spot by the front door or another high traffic area where you could place some labeled baskets. A simple shelf can make a huge difference. Use them, show the kids or other members of the house how to use them, and work at putting a bit of stuff away each and every day.
Again, it’s all about creating the habit that every single day there needs to be some time and effort into tidying the house and putting stuff back in its home. It’s great to pull stuff out and play, but it’s also nice to be able to sit on the couch without sitting on something!
Enjoy a tidier living space this year! Get started today and label bins or baskets! Make it a race (again as long as stuff is actually going where it belongs!) and see who can empty their basket first. People may even catch on that if they leave less stuff out, they will win by default because they either won’t have anything to put away, or, they will only have a few things to deal with.
Good luck!
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