A Faster Way To Clean
Cleaning day — what an old-fashioned notion! The idea that you should give up one entire day of your week for scrubbing and mopping might have been appropriate when folks didn't have jobs outside the house — but this system doesn't work so well with modern schedules. It's hard for busy families with working parents and afterschool activities and other responsibilities to fit in a whole day for housework. And when you work 9-5 Monday through Friday, you surely don't want to sacrifice your “off” days to chores. More importantly, there's no reason you should have to — if you stay on top of the dirt throughout the week. Each time you have a few free minutes, why not take care of one small cleaning job, rather than saving it all up? That way, you can finish your cleaning by the end of the week, leaving the weekend for fun!
- wipe splatters and fingerprints off the bathroom mirrors
- clean the ring out of the toilet and wipe down the seat
- wipe down the bathroom counters
- wash your bathroom rugs
- wipe down the tub and shower walls with disinfectant
- load your dishwasher and let it run while you do something else
- empty your dishwasher and put the dishes away
- wipe down the kitchen counters
- clean the grease and food splatters off your stove top and vent hood
- wipe down the inside shelves and veggie drawers of your refrigerator with disinfectant
- empty your trashcans and take out the trash
- put a load of laundry in the washer or dryer
- fold some clean clothes
- hang up your clean laundry
- make your bed
- change the sheets
- vacuum, sweep, or mop in one room
- dust one room (or if you have big rooms with lots of nick-nacks, just one shelf)
- wash the windows in one room
- go around the house with a lint roller or brush and clean pet hair off the furniture
See how easy that was? 
Contrary to popular belief children were not put on this planet to perpetuate chaos — hell-bent on undoing your housework and leaving piles of clutter trailing behind them. Kids actually thrive on order, but it's not something they can easily maintain until you teach them how — and children have short attention spans, so you can't expect a 6-year-old to stay focused as long as an adult might. You'll get a better response (and your children will experience a greater sense of achievement) if you ask your kids to complete just one small task at a time — something concrete and specific. With the right action plan, there will be no misunderstanding about what you expect from your offspring, and your kids will soon be picking up after themselves without you even asking! Have your kids:
Some of the best storage space you will ever find is over your head. Those high, short shelves in the tops of your closets are perfect for hats, smaller luggage, boxes of holiday decorations, and other items you don't use very often. Hang things like cookware and bicycles from the ceiling using special suspended racks. Those sturdy rafters in the attic, garage, or basement are great for heavier items like sports equipment or yard tools. No limits — the only rule is be creative! A metal pole strung between two beams is perfect for off-season, dress-up, or vintage clothing — a large square of netting tacked at the four corners can hold stuffed animals — and some thick plywood laid across your attic rafters will create an entirely new level of storage.
Oftentimes, we focus too heavily on storage that is at eye level — forgetting about the extra space we have near the floor (under the bed, at the bottom of a closet, along the base of a wall in the garage, etc.) However, the last thing you want to do is simply create another pile that clutters up the floor and trips you up. Like any other storage, floor space will serve you much better if you containerize and create some structure. Long, flat boxes are great for subdividing the space under your bed. Shoe racks will help you make the best use of your closet floor. And you can create a ton of additional storage in your basement, attic, laundry room, or garage by lining the base of the wall with low shelves, pull-out baskets, and bins.
Another place to find extra storage is along a vertical surface. Almost anything can be attached to a wall — just be sure to use strong anchors if you plan to hang anything heavy. Give your tools and garden implements a home on a peg board in the garage or basement. Hang see-through mesh bags of toys from colored hooks on your child's wall. If your home lacks a hall closet, create one with an attractive coat rack in your entryway. Put up some pegs in your bedroom closet to make room for belts, scarves, and purses. Hang coffee cups from the underside of your kitchen cabinet shelves. Or store grocery bags in a holder on the inside of your pantry. All it takes is a little creativity, and a hammer!
And as long as we're hanging things, let's take a look at your doors. While racks on an entry door often look cluttered and junky — an enclosed closet, pantry, or bathroom door can be provide a valuable source of storage space. Just make sure that you attach all organizing paraphernalia firmly — you don't want your racks or pegs coming loose the first time you slam the thing shut! You also need to be conscious of blocking your hinges (putting your hooks toward the center of the door solves this problem). And if you prefer not to permanently damage your surfaces, stick with racks that hook over the top of the door rather than screwing in.
One final word on using “dead space” — don't be deceived by unconventional storage areas. You may wonder, at times, what your builder was smoking when he created some of the closets and cubbyholes in your house — spaces that seem too skinny or short or angular to serve much of a purpose. These storage areas may initially appear useless, but you can always find something to put there. You just have to think a bit outside of the box (or outside of the cabinet, as it were!)
Imagine taking a trip to a new city without a map, a GPS, or even directions to your final destination. How would you ever get there? That's what organizing without a plan is like — you can make as much forward progress as you like, but you have no idea if you're even headed the right way (in fact, you might just be going in the exact opposite direction of where you would like to end up!)
Organizing involves more than just moving your stuff around. Decluttering is about devoting your space to those objects that you actually use and love — and being willing to let go of the rest. If you want your organizing experience to be a successful one, expect to make some hard decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of.
All the space in the world won't do you a bit of good if you can't see what you're storing. Many people waste as much time searching for items that they have “organized” (read as “hidden out-of-sight and out-of-mind”) — as they did when it was all just heaped together in a pile! You should never have to guess where you have put something away.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your storage is creating “in-between” spots for your belongings. The minute you say, “I'll deal with it away later” — you've not only created extra work for yourself later (two steps instead of one), but you have also diminished your chances of actually putting the damned thing away at all!
A lot of storage spaces are so big that they become almost impractical. Just dumping your stuff into a huge gaping closet or cabinet doesn't make you organized — in fact, this sort of arrangement can actually encourage clutter. Sometimes it's better to break large spaces up into smaller components.
Most people wish for expanded storage, but you actually have more room than you think — if you look in the right places. Glance around and see if you've been overlooking spots that contain unrealized organizational possibilities. Taking advantage of underutilized “dead space” can sometimes double or triple your available storage. 
Remember that your storage is a dynamic system — it should continue to evolve as your interests and lifestyle change. The system you set up today may serve your every need right now, but will it still work for you in a year or two? Organization is a journey, not a destination. And while you can certainly clear up your clutter worries, it takes regular maintenance and revision of your systems to keep it that way.
Do you ever plan to buy anything new ever again? Even those of us who are committed minimalists are going to eventually bring home a new acquisition — it's unavoidable! But if you stuff your storage spaces to overflowing, where will you put your purchases?
It may seem like common sense, but we don't always think to put things nearest the point where we use them. A poor choice of storage location makes daily life vastly more complicated than it needs to be! The most direct route to “efficient” is via “convenient,” so keep your storage close to where that activity occurs.
Don't think that once you have set up your storage spaces, you can simply sit back and rest on your laurels. You may be “done” for now, but your system is going to need a little annual TLC if you expect it to keep the clutter at bey. Sure, if you set up an organized space and then never touched it, things would remain in good order — but daily use, changing needs, and the addition of new “stuff” will kill good organization if you aren't careful! 
Before you can create an organizing “grand plan,” you need to takestock of your belongings — it's time for an inventory! Do you have sporting goods stashed in different areas throughoutthe house, clothes in three different closets, no set home for all those extra electrical cords, and miscellaneous”homeless” items scattered here and there? Let's go on a room-by-room tour and start gathering like items together into piles. Be sure tocollect up everything (and I mean everything) you want to store in a particular spacebefore you begin organizing — leave no stone unturned, open every cabinet, look in every drawer, sift through all the piles. There is nothing more frustrating thandesigning the perfect closet, then realizing you forgot 15 pairsof shoes that were hidden away under the bed!
Look around your house — do you see anything that is clearly out of place? Any bowling balls stored in the kitchen or power tools thrown in with the toys? Don't laugh — I've actually seen both of these situations! You might think that you're “organizing” your home when you put an item away in the first available cabinet or closet — but your storage will serve you better if you think in terms of logical categories. Begin by sorting your belongings according to purpose — sports, travel, grooming, etc. Then group similar items together — travel accessories with your luggage, rags in the same place as other cleaning equipment, office supplies in one spot. Don't forget accessories and related items — keep the knife sharpener with your cutlery and the extra bits with the drill.
Getting at your belongings shouldn't require a lot of strain or effort. Take a quick look at your existing storage — do you have to bend and stretch and squat in order to reach items you use all the time? You can make your life great deal easier by keeping motion in mind as you organize.
You can't just throw any old box of stuff in a storage space and call it “organized.” Even those items that you wouldn't normally consider to be “fragile” can be damaged if they are improperly packed away. Attics, garages, and basements are usually the worst offenders — thanks to the extremes of temperature and moisture. Are your storage spaces climate-controlled? Do they get really hot in the summer? Cold in the winter? Damp when it rains or is humid? Do you have problems with insects or other rodents? You may need to wrap or seal an item, toss in some cedar chips, or purchase a special container to keep your treasures safe. And if you think there is any chance of damage in this location, pick a different storage space.