You said cleaning was a drag, why do you keep writing about it?

By badbadivy

My focus on this site is "design on a depleted budget", yet I write about cleaning all the time. One might wonder, what does cleaning have to do with designing when you're po'? Well, grasshopper, it has everything to do with good design.

Cleaning is free and requires very little equipment and no special knowledge. It's not overly physical, and can be done both by the very young and the very old. Clutter and mess makes even the most beautiful and expensive design look like crap.

Tribbles and clutter have a lot in common- once it shows up, it continues to compound and get worse and worse. The key to controlling clutter is to get it out and then keep it out. Here are some handy de-cluttering tips:

Get rid of items you never use, unless there is serious sentimental value. Your high school yearbook? That has sentimental value. The crock pot your Aunt Martha gave you for your wedding? Not sentimental, yo.
If you think you might use it someday, but it is easily and/or cheaply replaced, toss it. My kitchen was never happier than the day I tossed my gigantor roasting pan. I can pick up aluminum ones if I ever cook Thanksgiving dinner again. (Which is doubtful since the Great Food Poisoning Debacle of 1998.)
Stop paper clutter at the curb. When I get my mail, I walk directly over to my outdoor trash can and start pitching the junk in. Caveat: Credit card applications and anything with my serious personal info on it then are taken directly to the shredder.
WalMart and Target are the devil- shop only when necessary and STICK TO YOUR LIST. My mom jokes about the $50 WalMart cover charge. It's hard to get out of the store without buying a bunch of extra stuff, but resist, resist, resist!
Steal your kids' toys while they sleep. Kids will put up the biggest fight when you try to get rid of their toys that are outdated, broken, or otherwise, but they'll never miss the toys if they don't see you getting rid of them. Caveat: Make sure they don't see the toys in the trash can, or drama will ensue.

Now, I know you guys have some great anti-clutter tips, I want to hear them!

Tagged:
clutter cleaning budget-friendly