Tips on getting/keeping flat clean/tidy

syklops

Im putting this here because I honestly did not know where else to put it. Home and Garden seemed like the most logical place, but there is no actual Home and Garden forum, just sub-forums such as Interior Design, DIY, Gardening, etc.

Mods, if you want to move it, feel free, just not After Hours please. If you cant think of anywhere more suitable, move it to the Gentlemans Club, as I am a guy.

I just moved into a small but really nice flat, and not being naturally tidy, I am now committed to keeping it neat and tidy. The last place my partner lived in was cheap and cheerful, but honestly, had not been decorated since Stalin was a small boy. Partly as a result we were less inclined to keep it neat and tidy all the time, as it still looked crap when clean.

The new place, needs some work done to it, and we need to buy some furniture, but it is a really nice place, with a nice layout, and I want to be proud of it and show it off, and bring people round at the drop of a hat. This means keeping it tidy.

As I said I am not naturally tidy, nor is my partner, so it seems to be a constant struggle, so I was wondering, does anyone have any ideas, for taking the constant uphill battle out of cleaning and then keeping tidy?

The 2 main pieces of advice I have been trying to implement are:

• A place for everything and everything in its place
• Tidy as you go

Both are good, but does anyone have tips on dealing with the clutter and junk that my grand mother didnt have to deal with? Or ideas for training my partner into the Tidy as you go mantra?

Thanks!

Mr Magners

A simple tip I heard once to help keep tings tidy is every time you leave the living room/bedroom/kitchen - bring something with you to put it back in it's proper place.

It becomes a habit very quickly and you'd be surprised how much it helps.

leeroybrown

Two things:

1) Don't accumulate clutter. A lot of people I know fill their apartments with pointless junk that has no purpose and it all ends up making a mess. Even if it's in it's right place too much stuff will make even the biggest apartment seem like a mess. Don't be afraid to regularly sell, give away or dump stuff you don't need.

2) Sort out some storage now before you have a problem. Spend a few quid on things like decent kitchen/bathroom/bedroom bins, neat laundry containers (less than €5 each), plastic storage boxes (less than €10 each) and other things like canvas shoe/clothes shelves for inside wardrobes (around €10 quid for a set). Buy some shelves for books and dvds. Stuff like these really makes it easy to get stuff out of the way and into a proper place.

syklops

leeroybrown wrote: »

Two things:

1) Don't accumulate clutter. A lot of people I know fill their apartments with pointless junk that has no purpose and it all ends up making a mess. Even if it's in it's right place too much stuff will make even the biggest apartment seem like a mess. Don't be afraid to regularly sell, give away or dump stuff you don't need.

2) Sort out some storage now before you have a problem. Spend a few quid on things like decent kitchen/bathroom/bedroom bins, neat laundry containers (less than €5 each), plastic storage boxes (less than €10 each) and other things like canvas shoe/clothes shelves for inside wardrobes (around €10 quid for a set). Buy some shelves for books and dvds. Stuff like these really makes it easy to get stuff out of the way and into a proper place.

Funnily enough I had a bit of a tantrum about the place this morning, and so am going to tesco this evening to buy bins for almost every room. The theory being, if you are no more than 3 feet from a bin you might use it, rather than leaving your lint lying around.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, keep them coming. Im considering printing them out and sticking them around the place.

Cheshire Cat

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Essential-Storage-Terence-Conran/9781840915501

Great book with lots of tips and ideas (and affordable!)

livinsane

A large bookshelf did wonders for my living room. CDs, books and dvds can easily be strewn messily about the place but look great on a shelf.
I got a cheap flat pack Argos one, loads of colours to choose from.


Maybe some dettol wipes (like baby wipes for cleaning) would encourage you to clean surfaces more regularly.


Dont neglect floors (sweeping/hoovering). Makes more of a difference than you'd expect.

Dotsie~tmp

**

Ms. Chanandler Bong

http://unclutterer.com/ this site might have some helpful ideas. I love looking at it but I'm finding it hard to put the ideas into practice. In my head I don't hoard & am fairly tidy. In Real Life I hoard (though not as much as I used to!!!) & am tidy in the common areas of my shared house :-(