You just finished organizing your home and now it’s all nice and clean. But will it last?

It’s one thing to do a major cleaning session and get your home under control, but a completely different thing to keep your home that way. Very often people fall back into their old habits and fail to keep up and maintain any headway that was made after the initial clean.

Here are a few tips to maintain organization and keep your home clutter free:

1.     Establish a routine

In order to maintain organization in your home, you have to make it a part of you and/or your family’s routine. Putting objects like books, mail, coats, shoes, and dishes in their newly designated places should become a part of everyday routine.  Household items should be put away immediately after use to prevent them from collecting in piles around the home. Don't put it down, put it away!

2.     Make organizing easy and accessible

Routine only becomes routine if everyone participates at all times, and that will only continue to happen if the routine can be completed. Putting objects into high shelves that need a ladder to be reached or putting them into a room that is out of the way for everyone in the home won’t encourage people to follow through. Make sure that storage bins, shelves, and drawers where often-used objects are stored are in a location that can be easily reached and accessed.

3.     Daily de-clutter

Regularly clean surfaces (especially flat surfaces like desks and counters that most often accumulate clutter) if items start to pile up, and do a quick walk through each day to make sure that everything has been put away and put away properly. A little tidying every day can really go a long way, and help to keep cleaning routines in place.

4.     Keep calendar updated

A master calendar is a great way to keep you and/or your family all on the same page. However, it will only work if it is regularly updated and followed. If using paper, the calendar should be placed in a commonly used area so that it is seen regularly, and easy to update. If using electronic calendars, ensure everyone is shared on the calendar. This way, everyone will know what is going on and needs to be done each day.

5.     Set times for a major clean

Although you’re maintaining your home’s organized state each day, it is still good to continue doing a major de-clutter of your possessions a couple times a year to help downsize and remove unneeded/unwanted items. Spring and fall is a good time, as are gift-giving holidays when you are anticipating receiving multiple items and will need a place to put them. 

Maintain a clutter-free space by making organization a priority! [TWEET THIS IF YOU LOVE ORGANIZED SPACES]