Order in the house once and for all: advice from a psychologist

How quickly your home becomes cluttered has little to do with how much time and effort you put into cleaning. It really depends on two things:

on how well organized your home is;
depends on whether you have formed habits that help you maintain order.

Accordingly, in order to restore order once and for all, you need to organize your home and move from regular cleaning to systematic cleaning.

Test “My type of cleaning”

As a psychologist, I usually recommend to my clients that the solution to any problem begins with a diagnosis. Therefore, if you really want to restore order once and for all, first of all, determine the starting point - the situation in which you find yourself now.

To do this, try on statements from each group of questions.

If this does not apply to your situation, give yourself 0 points.
1 point – partially similar to what is happening in your home.
2 points – if you can say with confidence that this is about you.

Group A

The order lasts from an hour to several days. As soon as I put things in order, things begin to spread throughout the house again.
You need to allocate special time for cleaning (for example, on weekends)
Things in the house get lost. Sometimes I have to buy a second copy because I can't find what I'm looking for. About some things I don’t even remember that I have them.
In every room in the house there are several rubble-warehouses where things accumulate.
When cleaning, I move things from place to place because I don’t know where to put them.

Group B

Order in the house is maintained at all times. Sometimes during particularly busy periods of life or on some unusual days there can be a little chaos, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
There is no special time allocated for cleaning; usually cleaning is done in the “background”, between times. It takes no more than half an hour a day to maintain order.
I know exactly what things I have and where to get them when needed.
There are 3-4 places in the house where things tend to “settle”, but these accumulations of things are regularly sorted out. It takes literally a few minutes to analyze such places.
Each item has its own place where it is convenient to return it after use.

For each group of statements, you can score from 0 to 10 points, which reflect how pronounced each type is for you and which option you are currently using.

How many points do you have for each group of questions?

If you get a result from 1 to 3, this is not your cleaning option.
And if it’s 9-10, then this type of cleaning is maximally expressed.

Group A is what is typical in a situation where you do normal cleaning. Group B is what is typical if you have organized the space and moved on to systematic cleaning.

Iron rules to keep your home clean and tidy

In addition to the above recommendations, there are also purity rods. They are accidentally forgotten or deliberately overlooked, but these important(!) details will not only help keep the house clean, but will also be your calling card in front of your guests.

You need to start cleaning right! We don’t run around in turmoil throughout the room - first the bedrooms, then moves to the kitchen, and finish cleaning the bathroom! And always start from the door!

Important: Feng Shui strongly does not recommend cleaning or sweeping debris towards the front door. This is how you bring, according to the Chinese sages, your happiness, prosperity and positive energy at home. Yes, it sounds strange that street garbage should be directed towards the house. But this does not mean that he needs to be pulled into the bedroom.

The next additional rule is that we work from top to bottom! Even from a logical point of view, top dust and debris will fall onto the pre-washed floor, and everything will require new efforts to clean.
Don’t take on all the household chores – learn to share responsibilities among each family member! Even if it’s a little help from your husband or even if your child didn’t wipe the dust the right way, be sure to thank him. Believe me, let him now practice doing it not very well, then later he will not know much about it at all.
Don't stack things on a chair! This is the “weak point” of almost every inhabitant of the planet. And this cycle never ends. Remember - you either send the item to be washed or put it in the closet. If you are embarrassed that it has already been dressed, that is, you do not want to place it next to clean linen, allocate a separate shelf or hanger and place in the closet. Yes, at least put it in a case, but remove it from the chair where each family member hangs their set.

Things should be either in the closet or in the dirty laundry basket

This rule slightly complements one of the cleaning habits right away - always keep the dining table clean! It contains the most debris, which easily falls to the floor and spreads throughout all the rooms.
For the same reason - don’t be lazy to spend 5-10 minutes every day, it’s better to do it in the evening to wipe the floor in the kitchen and hallway. These are the hot spots for all the trash in the house.
The weak point is the mirror surfaces. They reflect all the chaos at home, so don’t be lazy and wipe them in a timely manner. This is especially true in the bathroom, where toothpaste stains often appear. We brushed our teeth and immediately cleaned up our “work” area. Teach this rule to your children too. Over the years it will reach them at the automatic level.
Always keep your toilet clean and fresh! Now there are a lot of air fresheners, tablets for the toilet or tank, gels or other necessary liquids. Firstly, this is the dirtiest place in the house, where a lot of germs always accumulate. And far from the most useful.
Secondly, traces of vital activity look extremely disgusting. Therefore, we get rid of them immediately. At the same time, do not forget that you need to work in those places that are not visible to the naked eye. This item is washed everywhere!

The trash can also often suffers because it is neglected. Once a week, do not forget to treat it with disinfectants and wash it well, so as not to pick off dried stains later!

The dirtiest places require regular cleaning

Why do you need order? The true meaning of real cleaning

The first and most important question, without an answer to which there will never be order in the house: why do you need order?

And to answer this question, you need to think about more global things. About what kind of life you would like to live.

Someone wants to have a lot of friends in life, to have some kind of parties, meetings, gatherings for tea. And for such a person, the ideal home is a house that is always ready for the arrival of guests. And someone, on the contrary, wants their own secluded place where they can hide from the world, relax and unwind.

And when we imagine our life, what we would really like to do, what kind of life we strive for, then the house that we need emerges.

Our home is our reflection

Home reflects how we live, think, feel. How we perceive this world. And so there is an interesting point here: when you put your house in order, you change internally.

You say goodbye to the past, determine your life values, begin to understand and feel what you need and don’t need in your life, what is truly important.

So it's best to start with what kind of lifestyle you want and what kind of home that lifestyle requires. And if you put your house in order after answering these questions, then through putting it in order you will learn even better what you want to do. And life becomes simpler and more interesting.

Before you clean up once and for all and organize a truly comfortable space, answer yourself these important questions: Why do I need cleaning? What kind of life do I want to live?

And only after that do you move on to the first stage of creating true order - decluttering.

Living room

Don't store dried flowers

They say that dried flowers not only spoil the interior, but also bring misfortune to the house. It’s one thing when creative compositions are made from dry bouquets, and another when the flowers have been standing in the living room for more than a week. Check vases with plants and throw them away at the first sign of drying. Also, do not forget to water your indoor plants promptly.

Put away your ironing board and iron immediately after use

Accidentally left household appliances and inventory have a negative impact on the design of the living room. After ironing things, put the iron and board back in their place, and the ironed items in the closet. The habit will save time and effort.

Put small items in boxes or on a coffee table

Things like chargers, remote control and books should be put back in their proper place after use. This is the main habit of a practical and orderly housewife/owner. You can purchase a convenient box for technical items, and shelves or racks for books. Keep the remote control near the TV or in one place.

Take children's toys to the bedroom or place them in a box.

If children live in the house, then they should also be taught order. There is no need to allow your child to throw toys all over the apartment. Find a separate place for them or buy a special basket. Don't forget to teach your child to clean up his toys.

Don't break this sequence if you don't want to get bogged down in cleaning

There is one mistake that wastes a huge amount of effort and time, and about which I want to immediately warn you.

Never, ever try to come up with storage systems and organize space BEFORE you get rid of unnecessary things!

Often in life we do things completely differently. Remember how many people unpack boxes with things.

We look into the box and find it a mess.
We are trying to somehow systematize things.
In the process, we get distracted by washing and wiping something somewhere.
Then we realize that there is a lot of unnecessary stuff here, and we throw away some of the unnecessary things.
Again we are trying to identify some categories and organize what is left.
And in the end, a huge amount of time is wasted because we go in circles.

The scheme should be like this: first decluttering, then laundering and only then organizing storage systems . Don't break this sequence if you don't want to get stuck in cleaning forever.

Bathroom

Remove detergents and cleaning supplies from view

Rags, sponges and chemicals displayed on display will not enhance the design of the bathtub. It is best to assign such things a special place in the locker or take them to another place. Household tools and detergents should not be left in plain sight.

Store your hair tools in a separate drawer

Hair dryers, straightening irons and curlers should not be left plugged into sockets or on the sink. After each use, put these items in a drawer or hang them on a hook. Don't forget to clean your combs too. For such accessories, you can purchase special storage organizers.

Don't hoard empty packaging

Things like empty toilet paper rolls, almost empty shampoos, and toothpaste containers should be thrown away immediately. You shouldn't accumulate them. Make it a habit to immediately throw away old packaging and boxes.

Wash things every day

Do not accumulate large volumes of dirty laundry. Try to run your washing machine every day.

How to free your home from unnecessary things?

All the things we have tell our story. Every thing is a reflection of some decisions that we made in the past. This is a reflection of the events that happened in our lives.

Therefore, sorting things out and putting things in real order is a way to take “inventory” in your life and see who you really are.

Alas. Few people can do without global decluttering and getting rid of unnecessary things. It seems that the tendency to save and collect is hardwired into our subconscious.

At the same time, only some people deal with unnecessary things easily and with pleasure: they give it away, sell it, throw it away... Others hold things in their hands for a long time, think, remember, and if they do part with the thing, they literally tear it away from their hearts.

If you're someone who has a hard time getting rid of things, here are a few key points.

First , find your own way of decluttering.

Marla Cilley (author of the Fly Lady system) recommends decluttering a little every day.
Japanese Marie Kondo (author of the KonMari method) suggests conducting a global decluttering operation and getting rid of all unnecessary things in one fell swoop.

Both approaches have their pros and cons, so just see what works best for you.

Secondly , in the process of sorting out the rubble, you will have to pick up each of the things. And each time decide what to do with this thing. The good news is that the further you go, the easier it will be.

Start by sorting out simple and understandable categories of things for you: clothes, cosmetics, dishes. If you start with old letters and photos, you'll likely be stuck forever.

The main bonus we get when decluttering is free space, which is so often lacking in our homes. Remember that free space appears even in a small apartment when only those things that make you happy remain there. And about the fact that free space disappears even in the largest house if we start dragging everything there.

For more details on what difficulties you may encounter when decluttering and how to solve them, see the article “Decluttering your apartment: how to stop regretting old things” (opens in a new window).

Tip #5: Use soft graces: blankets and pillows

The blanket often travels from room to room on my shoulders. When I want warmth, I take it out from the depths of the closet. But it can warm not only people, but also give warmth to an entire room.

Blankets thrown over the back of a chair or the armrest of a sofa seem to hint that they live in the room and use it. Cashmere, wool, cotton, checkered or striped. With them, any interior will be more homely and lively.

And the Pillows! To be honest, I only had one. She lay on the bed, covered with a blanket, and performed one function - she transported her to the world of dreams. Pillows can update and even change the interior. Place one on the armchair and several on the sofa, and the room will look new!

But it's not that simple. In addition to beauty, convenience is also important here. If family members, friends, guests, when sitting down, move or remove the pillows, then there is no question of any comfort here. No matter how luxurious the pillow is, first of all it should invite you to sit down.

Here are a couple of lifehacks:

pay attention to down pillows - they are the softest;
if you doubt the size of the pillow, make a larger error;
large square ones for sofas (35-50 cm), rectangular ones for armchairs (30x40 or 40x65);
the color of the pillow must match at least three things in the interior (curtains, carpet, wallpaper, etc.)

Here is the formula for cozying a sofa = a blanket on the back or armrest + 2 identical pillows in the corners + a rectangular pillow in the center. (More details about the number, location and size of pillows in our article)

There are many useful tips on soft coziness in the book “Home Sweet Home”. I read it in one evening and was inspired to buy new pillows!