Cleaning and Organizing Your Home To Make Way For Greener Living (Week 2)
Amanda Drews, 16 minute read
A clean and organized home helps you know what you have and what you need. It helps build habits and sets you up to make greener living possible. Don’t skip this important step!
In this post, we’ll discuss:
- Why having a clean home helps you live a more eco-friendly life
- How to divvy responsibilities and set cleaning goals with the people in your household
- How to successfully meet those goals
- Tips on organizing your home
- When it’s time to call a professional
- I don’t feel like reading, just take me to the video!
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How does having a clean home help you live a healthier and more eco-friendly life?
I know it seems a bit off topic but hear me out. Remember we are taking this whole eco-journey on from the very basic beginning.
I know you don’t really want to clean your house right now. You’re busy… it’s just going to get messy again anyways… your toddler will make a bigger mess as you’re cleaning… I get it. But having a clean and organized home and developing good habits is an important part of taking those first steps to living a greener life. And the more organized it is, the cleaner it will STAY!
First, you’re going to feel much better when it’s done.
There’s something about a clean house that clears your mind and refreshes you. If you feel overwhelmed or stressed, it’s amazing what just a few minutes of dedicated cleaning can do for your mental health. A clean home also clears the air and surfaces of all sorts of nasties that could potentially make you ill as well. No sense in worrying about natural ingredients in your shampoo when you’re breathing in mold growing in your home, right?
Second, your home is going to be a lot safer.
Not as many tripping hazards as you walk around your home, less valuable items for the puppy to chew on and destroy and (God forbid) there’s a fire, you’ll have a cleaner escape path and less fuel for it to spread (multiple obvious benefits there.) Clutter can hide hidden dangers such as sharp objects too. You want to see those scissors under the mail pile before you feel it!
When you have clutter everywhere, everything just blends into everything else and it becomes normal. More and more builds up, along with your tension. If I let clutter get out of hand because I’m busy, I inevitably end up raging at some random moment towards whoever is closest to me. Nobody wants that.
Third, when your home is organized you can see what you have and what you need.
This will cut down on buying extra items you think you might need but aren’t sure about. This saves you money and the resources it took to make that product. It will also help keep your home more organized because you will have less junk to store.
Write down a list of what you want and need.
Remember we did this already as a general list of items we are looking for? Do it week to week as well. A shopping list can help whether it is written down or you yell at your Google Home (my favorite method), to put it on your phone’s shopping list. A more organized home will help you even if you forget your list. It will be easier to remember what you need if you don’t have all the clutter around. If you buy most of your groceries or household items online, still find a place to keep track of them or use a specific email for purchases.
Designate who is responsible for what
Having an organized home means everything has a place. Everyone in the household has to be on the same page as to where those places are and be responsible for putting their own items in their appropriate homes. Every couple and family is different and each person has different roles. So if you have a partner, you’re going to have to make it clear who is responsible for what AND when that responsibility needs to happen.
This goes along with some of those goals we made for your Greener New Year. Not just general “you keep the kitchen clean”, but ones that are quantitative and trackable. Try ones like these examples below:
- I will wipe down the stainless steel appliances every Sunday night.
- I am responsible for making sure the counters are free of clutter and wiped down at the end of every day.
- The first of every month, I will dust the house, mops all floors and vacuum each room.
- I am responsible for my laundry and our daughter’s, my husband is responsible for his laundry and our son’s. Once the basket is full, then it is time for them to go in the wash.
- Before we sit down to watch a family movie, we spend 5 minutes all cleaning up together.
- No personal items are left out in the main area of the house overnight. Everything that is yours goes to your bedroom or office by the end of the night (this is my personal favorite).
- Your bedroom floor must be clean enough that the robot vacuum can go through it before you watch TV.
- Every Monday your room needs to be clean to earn TV for the week.
Adjust those timelines and responsibilities accordingly for your home and family. Sit down with each other to work them out. Remember that duties are rarely exactly 50/50, but when no one is personally responsible for tasks, it can create big tensions if one person is typically left doing them by themselves.
Respect each other’s duties as well. My husband is in charge of all the dishes but I make sure my plate is cleared of food or in the dishwasher if there’s space. I do all the garbage and recycling but he flattens his boxes and makes sure his recyclables are clean, empty and dry before putting them in the bin. Help each other out so everyone succeeds.
If you are having trouble remembering to do your part of the chores, put it in your calendar.
If you clean every Monday night as a family, post it up on a physical calendar for everyone to see or set an appointment in your phone. Reward yourself afterwards! Family ice cream time after cleaning? If you shape it into a tradition, your kids will know what to expect when they’ve completed their task and it will become more of a habit.
We make sure to put maintenance tasks as a recurring monthly or yearly appointment. This makes it easier to remember to change the air duct filters, test the fire alarms or clean the dryer vent. I tend to do heavy cleaning on the first of every month and some big yearly projects on New Year’s Day.
For example, our filing cabinets live downstairs so I’ve designated one spot on our main level for mail that should be filed away later. That way I can just throw it in there and file all of it on New Year’s Day. Typically, half of it ends up being stuff that I didn’t actually need to keep anyways so that saves on filing space in the end! Filing boxes can be good solutions for small spaces if you don’t have room for a filing cabinet.
You might prefer to do a certain task and a little bit of cleaning every day or you may like spending a chunk of one day a week getting it all done. Decide if you want to clean room to room or do a certain task in all rooms and then move to the next job. Make a schedule that fits your life and is doable.
Get Organized! Give everything a place
If you are finding yourself just putting items wherever for now, it may be time to do a bit of organizing. Same thing if your drawers are overflowing with stuff.
Gather items you already have around the house like baskets, plastic drawers and bins. See what you can use before going out and buying items to organize with. If you don’t have what you need, look on Facebook Marketplace, Next Door or a thrift store. You can put out an ISO (in search of) out and see if anyone has those items they are trying to get rid of. If all else fails or you just really want new storage containers then go out and buy some.
It would drive me nuts if all my baskets were different in our open hall closet. For baskets under the vanity I don’t really care because I don’t see them as much. Sometimes you find exactly what you need new and that’s ok. Just keep in mind who makes it, what it’s made of and what will have to happen to it when you are done with it.
Make sure your items are visible and not overflowing out of their containers.
Having things in piles or heaps is not going to help you see what you have or need. Go through each drawer, every closest and all the shelves and pull everything out. That’s right. EVERYTHING. This way you can wipe down said drawer, closet or shelf to get rid of dust and gunk. You can also look at each item and decide if that’s something you actually use, might use, or have no idea what that thing even is or where it came from. Taking everything out will get easier in the future as you become more organized.
Tips for organizing personal care items:
- Separate items either by who uses them or the type of item they are. Hair care (shampoos, gels, hairspray, ties, headbands), skin care (lotion, razors, masks, sunscreen), makeup (I prefer the open slotted tool holders), travel items, and first-aid/ medical (bandages, ointment, medicine)
- Keep items that are used daily in one place that is easy to access such as a shelf behind your bathroom mirror.
- The items in your shower should only be ones you use ever day or week.
- Pack a travel bag for toiletries with items you might want for vacations or heading to the cabin. This way you won’t have to worry too much during last minute packing. This is a great place for tiny hotel shampoo bottles from your last trip. They get thrown out anyways after your stay in the room so don’t feel bad about taking them home.
- What to put in your travel bag: shampoo and conditioner, dry shampoo (I reuse small skin care containers to put this in), deodorant, a razor, travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small sampling of meds for emergencies. You don’t want to be in a new place where you don’t know where the pharmacy is and have a sudden illness!
- Be cognizant of what you put in your bags. Especially if there’s a chance a kid could get into it or if you are using it for flying.
Tips for organizing closets, drawers and more:
- Label everything!
- Limit kids toys to what can fit in one shelf/ toy chest/ basket for an area. If they get new toys, get rid of ones they don’t play with to make room.
- Try a toy rotation. Every so often trade that basket out for a different one you have in storage (if you have the space.)
- If you haven’t worn an item of clothing in the last 2 years, get rid of it. Same if you don’t fit into it or feel fabulous wearing it. An exception is if you are going through a period of weight gain or loss.
- If you are sentimental about something or are keeping items you hope to fit into soon, have a designated area for them and only keep what fits in that area.
- Choose a system to hang your clothes by. That could be colors, seasons, style, purpose, event, warmness etc.
- Only have a specific number of hangers to fit the space in your closet. If you buy something new, get rid of something else.
- Have a place to put all your empty hangers when you pull a clothing item out. This will make it easier when you are putting clean laundry back and make it look neater overall.
Make moving seasonal items easy for yourself. 
Shoe storage
- Make switching out winterwear easy. We use a storage unit with four drawers that goes right back into the storage room once spring hits.
- Use dividers in drawers when possible to separate your small items. In the kitchen, make sure you can see all the items. For socks, underwear and bras, I put one rectangular divider in the center of my drawers so it naturally divides the entire drawer into thirds.
- Have a spot for lonely socks. When you do your laundry and find only one sock, put it in that drawer where it can wait for its mate to be found. I go through this drawer twice a year when I switch out summer and winter clothes. The single socks that are left are put into our rag pile.
- In a wardrobe slump? If you have someone who will give you an honest opinion about your wardrobe call them over for a happy hour and fashion show! Siblings are often good for this! I did this with my sister and tried on some of my clothes for her. She made me realize I was wearing the entirely wrong type of shirt for my body shape.
- Fold items items in drawers so you can see them and they have their own place. When you go out shopping, think of the space you are comfortable storing things with. This can often deter you from buying things you don’t need or don’t have space for, which will end up saving you money.
Know when it’s time to call in the pros
There may be a point where you realize the systems you are using aren’t effective or you are unable to physically clean or organize. Call in some help! Ask a friend who keeps their home organized to give you some tips or treat yo self and call in a professional cleaner or organizer.
That last tip came from my friend Christine, who is a professional organizer here in the Twin Cities. She owns Nicely Sorted and can help out when what you have tried just isn’t working. Here’s an idea, if you know someone that just had a second baby, gift them a session with a professional cleaner or organizer! Just having someone from outside your home and personal life take a look at how you organize things may offer some great insight.
Here are a few of Christine’s favorite type of items for organizing!
- Stackable Bamboo Drawer Organizers
- Silverware Drawer Organizer
- Acacia 16- Inch Wood Lazy Susan
- Mocha Water Hyacinth Storage Cubes with handles
You’ve successfully decluttered your home! What should you do with the items you don’t need anymore?
For items that could still be reused by someone, take a little time to ensure they go to a place where they will get the most use.
Look for friends who may be interested in your used items or have a neighborhood swap! Use NextDoor, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist or see if there are any organizations in your community that will take donations. Always be cautious and safe when dealing with people you don’t know online.
You could get a bit of cash back by selling your clothing at a garage sale or online. Plus anyone that is willing to buy that item will probably be more likely to wear it. There are also consignment stores or websites that may offer some money for your clothes. Don’t expect a big payout! Many places have strict guidelines they follow for what they can take as far as conditions, styles or brands. I have never consigned online but here is a good listing for some of the biggest sites.
Although I haven’t gotten rid of clothing through consignment for many years, I love shopping at Style Encore for women’s clothing. This is the same company that owns Once Upon A Child (kids items), Plato’s Closet (teens and young adults), Music Go Round and Play It Again Sports. There are also a handful of bridal consignment stores and many online options if you’ve decided to let go of your wedding dress. Only give it to a small shop owner to sell if you REALLY trust them to actually pay you. Made that mistake!
There’s always the tried and true curb alert. Throw a “FREE” sign on your items and put them outside for a day or two (weather and city ordinances permitting.) Don’t be a trashy neighbor and leave them out for too long though. Weird, nobody has picked up that stained kid’s mattress you put out months ago in front of our townhomes! True story.
If I’m giving away clothing, I like to take a picture of some of the items laid out and post something like “Free bag of Women’s size 6-8 /mediums. Lots of summer dresses! Please pass along or donate what you don’t end up keeping.” The picture helps because then they can get a sense of my style and I worry less about them just throwing the ones they don’t want in the trash.
There are also thrift stores to donate to as a last resort. I say this as a last resort because there are many issues with places like Goodwill. However, they also do provide a place for people to shop for used items at a low price. I’m not here to tell you what to do, just giving you the options you have.
1). Set up a way to keep track of needs and spending.
2). Sit down with your partner or family to write down who has what responsibilities and when they have to be completed by.
3). Add duties to your calendars as needed.
4). Pick a day and do a massive cleaning overhaul to start from scratch. Or pick a room a day if you are overwhelmed. Keep an eye out for objects that may help you organize.
5). Identify which areas of your home need to be organized and get what you need to make that happen.
6). Get help if you need it!
If you are not sure on how to get rid of items that are waste, don’t worry! Click HERE to move on to week 3. We will set up recycling systems so we can organize and improve recycling at home. We’ll then launch into some Waste 101 knowledge to give you the background info you’ll need to get rid of your waste the best way.
