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Family Life, the Universe and Everything with a Latte on the Side

Decluttered?! Keeping Your Home Tidy and Clutter-Free

Monday, 22 May 2017

Decluttering our home took a long time and, having done it, we want to keep it that way.  Doing this involves developing some new habits.  And keeping at it until they become second nature.  It only takes a few goes, right?!

Paw in a skip


Away Not Down

If Rev T had a £ for the number of times he'd said this to me, I'd be broke and he'd be rather wealthy. Everything has a place - a drawer, a shelf or a box etc - and gets put away after you've finished with it.  Clutter builds up when things are used and left lying around.  The floor, by the way is not a storage space.  Unless it's my side of the bed!  

Use It or Lose It

If you haven't used something for ages, will you ever?  No, get rid of it.  Don't keep items you're not using or are hanging onto "just in case".  Sell, donate, recycle, or throw away.  

Do It Now

Or, as Rev T says, "chores before fun".  Do simple chores that don't take too long as soon as you notice they need doing.  Washing up, making the bed, doing the washing, taking out the rubbish or doing the recycling etc don't take too long and mean less clutter and mess.  Which reminds me, I'd better follow my own advice.  That washing up isn't going to do itself.  Sadly.

One thing at a time

Doing all of the above means that we're only left with the major chores - laundry, hoovering, deep cleaning etc.  (I say, "only" ...)  We usually do one of these, or tackle a single room, a day.  As he's home, Rev T does most of this.  I pick up the slack at weekends.

The clean sweep

We try to do a quick sweep of the house before bed-time to make sure rooms are straight, washing up done, coats hung up etc.  This prevents mess from creeping up on us and taking over. Sometimes it all goes pear-shaped so one of us cleans like mad whilst the other welcomes unexpected visitors and attempts to prevent them from seeing distressing sights of untidiness and imperfection with offers of tea.

The proper clean

Although you might not get the idea from the previous paragraph, we do clean regularly.  (I like cleaning.  It's a great opportunity to think.  And you can see the difference when you're done).  We use nice smelling products.  Usually lemon scented.  We had an infestation of ants a few years ago and Google told me that ants don't like the smell of lemon.  Anything that encourages ants to stay outside where they belong is fine with me.

If I'm in the house on my own, there will be music.  Loud music for me to sing along too.  Cleaning goes quicker and is more fun when I'm singing along to something like Wham! "If you're gonna do it, do it right - right?  Do it with me ..."

How do you keep your house tidy?  Particularly teenager's rooms.  Let me know in the comments.

Please be reassured that no Paws were harmed during the creation of this post. 
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Posted by Tubbs

40 comments

  1. Anonymous22 May 2017 at 11:41

    I think keeping the kids rooms tidy is my biggest challenge. I agree that if we just put things back into there places it would help keep things from getting out of hand. Sometimes I am just too tired though. Really enjoyed this post! Thanks for linking up lovely, have a wonderful week #mg

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:31

      I feel your pain and your tiredness - and I only have the one! Thank you for hosting and have a great week

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  2. Siobhan22 May 2017 at 13:11

    I really need to schedule in some 'use it or lose it time' - our cupboards are full to bursting with clothes I haven't seen any of us in for years lol #GlobalBlogging

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:31

      Even though we're fairly good, I still find stuff everything I go round. Happy decluttering :)

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  3. Obsessivemom23 May 2017 at 08:52

    Oh I needed to read this. Cleaning and decluttering is the hardest task of all. With growing kids it's even worse. The worst bit are the clothes - since I gain and lose weight periodically!

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    1. Obsessivemom24 May 2017 at 08:44

      Back again from #TweensTeensBeyond

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    2. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:32

      Clothes are hard as I do the same. Thank you for commenting and for visiting twice :)

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  4. Anonymous23 May 2017 at 11:23

    popping back from #TweensTeensBeyond

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:32

      Nice to see you again!

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  5. Cheryl23 May 2017 at 12:12

    I should introduce the clean sweep before bedtime. Probably the "away not down" too. Tidy teenage rooms are an unknown. My tweens are both good, but I'm half expecting that to change on the stroke of midnight when they turn into teens and join their sister. #TweensTeensBeyond

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:33

      The Tubblet has never been tidy, but teenagers seem to have more stuff.

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  6. Susie / So Happy In Town23 May 2017 at 15:07

    Just what I needed to read as our house is driving me mad with all it's clutter at the moment - it's just mounted up as other things have seemed more important to deal with that the mess. You've inspired me to get decluttering! #tweensteensbeyond

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:33

      Enjoy! It's a great feeling when you're done but the process can be a challenging. And you're right, there's always something else to do

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  7. chickenruby23 May 2017 at 19:08

    decluttering can only truly begin once the kids have all left home. 3 years on, i'm going to make a start one day
    #tweensteensbeyond

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:34

      LOL! Good luck for when that one day comes :)

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  8. Laura Dove23 May 2017 at 21:35

    I really need to declutter, we have so much stuff, it drives me crazy!!! #mg

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:35

      Children just seem to acquire stuff without even trying! And getting them to get rid of it can be quite challenging. Unless your children are different to mine :)

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  9. little orange dog24 May 2017 at 10:47

    Oh I do like a good declutter. My youngest daughter and I have a few a year, my eldest daughter, well to be honest, I try not to go into her room. It's not the worst, she just has so much stuff!#bestandworst x

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    1. Tubbs24 May 2017 at 11:35

      I know! I'm amazed, since the Tubblet has become a teenager there is So Much Stuff

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  10. Fat Dad (MaFt)24 May 2017 at 13:44

    I *really* need to get into the habit of the bedtime 'clean sweep'... My house is just cluttered and it does my head in but really feels like a mammoth task to do anything about it.

    Also, as much as I love the 'use it or lose it' idea, whenever I do this the kids see stuff and then want to play with it again...! I'll never win!

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    1. MaFt24 May 2017 at 13:45

      Forgot to say...: #TweensTeensBeyond

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  11. Unknown24 May 2017 at 20:16

    I try and keep it generally tidy and then blitz at the end of the week when the grem is in nursery...however my baby is on the move and we have resorted back to a cleaner!!! Thanks for sharing with #bestandworst x

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    1. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:41

      Can't say I blame you! I'd love a cleaner, but we can't afford one really :( Ah well!

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  12. Unknown25 May 2017 at 02:57

    Clutter makes me bat shit crazy. This is kind of a problem considering I have four very active little girls and a clutter prone husband.

    Thanks for linking up to #globalblogging.

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    1. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:42

      Thank you for hosting each week :) The Tubblet is a terrible hoarder, but Rev T and I aren't very clutter prone

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  13. Unknown25 May 2017 at 22:10

    I was so worried about the husky in the skip! These are brilliant tips and I need to learn some of them because our house is out of control. Thanks for linking up with the #bigpinklink this week.

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    1. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:43

      It's okay! He was just modelling and suffered no ill-effects from the experience. Thank you for hosting

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  14. Jo - Mother of Teenagers26 May 2017 at 14:32

    I am a big OCD with cleaning and tidying and totally freak out with my teens. Despite my regular efforts to encourage them to recycle they seem to quickly replace all the old junk with new junk. So frustrating. #TweensTeensBeyond

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    1. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:43

      Weird how that happens whatever you do. Thank you for hosting :)

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  15. Lisa Pomerantz27 May 2017 at 21:29

    Keeping the house in order is disastrous. I have loosened up immensely. You have to with kids. But it is hard! There is so much stuff! I usually take an inventory and if it hasn't been touched, then they wont miss it. Donations help others too! <3 Great post. We have 1 bathroom where the shower is filled with %$#(! I have an idea now of what to do so we can once again of two showers! #livingfearlesslyauthentic #mg <3

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    1. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:45

      We donate as well - makeup goes to Refuge, bras to Africa and clothes to the charity shop to raise money for them. It's great that these things have a life of their own and are still useful. Happy decluttering :)

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  16. The Queen of Collage28 May 2017 at 14:17

    Having a declutter and tidy is rather therapeutic I find. The problem is though that I spend too much time tidying the living room and the girls bedroom that ours gets neglected. #mg

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    1. The Queen of Collage28 May 2017 at 18:48

      Back again via #DreamTeam

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    2. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:46

      It's so hard with children, but Rev T and the Tubblet are away for a few days so I'm hoping to get some more done in the evening. And some blog posts written!

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  17. Unknown28 May 2017 at 15:22

    Some great tips here! I definitely need to make more effort to keep on top of clutter! Thanks so much for linking up with #DreamTeam!

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    1. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:46

      Thank you :) Glad they're useful

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  18. Nicky Kentisbeer30 May 2017 at 21:21

    The whole decluttering thing is a cycle isn't it. A never ending one. I've managed to persuade my husband and daughter to do another Car Boot Sale - after him vowing for the last few years - never again. He always says he would rather pay me and take it to the dump. But we do have enough for a stall! I also like to have a good old think when I'm cleaning!! #tweensteensbeyond

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    1. Tubbs31 May 2017 at 11:40

      It is. We've already started again as summer is coming so we don't need to do the winter stuff. I also like having a good old think while I'm doing it. It's like therapy - only cheaper!

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  19. Sharon1 June 2017 at 21:05

    I think my last comment got lost so I'll try again! Our approach to housework is that we allow the house to descend into complete chaos and then spend a weekend sorting out. It remains spotless for a few days and the cycle starts again. Thanks so much for joining us at #TweensTeensBeyond

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    1. Tubbs2 June 2017 at 09:50

      Ah, the pre-weekend clean. We do that as well, then trash the place in two days. Followed by the post weekend clean. Thank you so much for hosting and have a great week :)

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