It happens without warning. One day you realize that your house has become a collage of papers, garbage and things everywhere. You’re not alone. Today more than ever it seems that the remnants of life, like the waves of an ocean, continually pound on our doors, flooding our houses with all kinds of things until our houses bulge at the seams. A typical home is now messy and dirty to the point of exhaustion – yours.
All this accumulation also makes going home, or being at home, fill us with a sense of dread because we are overwhelmed by the myriad of things around us. Once islands in the stream, many houses are now as messy, crowded, dirty, and chaotic as the public places we try to escape from. Cleaning and cleaning the house is not the greatest fun, but it is vital to our well-being.
Recently, a study from the UCLA Center for the Daily Living of Families found that families have excessive hours, are dominated by children and disorderly. The study addressed something that has become a common problem in most homes today: too much stuff. And all of that makes us feel out of control.
Could your house be out of control?
If you have a perfectly tidy home or you just don’t care about the state of your surroundings, then having a runaway home is not a problem. But, if thinking about your home raises your blood pressure to an unhealthy level or if spending time there would make you prefer to have your teeth drilled, then you have a problem, and you may have a home that is out of control.
A home out of control is a source of frustration, shame, and tension. So where do you start if this describes your home? The first step in learning how to deal with a runaway home is to recognize the signs. Only then can you address the problem.
The 8 signs that you have a house out of control (OOCH)
1. It’s messy.
Anything that can be fixed in five minutes or less does not qualify as messy. A truly messy house has been hit by more bombs than its share: toy bombs, clothing bombs, paper bombs (magazines, mail and other stacks of paper), dirt bombs (dirt and debris in general), bombs of pets (hair, scent, food), collectible or hobby bombs, etc. And clutter is everywhere: the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, the bedroom.
2. You are disorganized.
No one can find anything from car keys to last year’s tax returns. A disorganized house is one where you spend too much time looking for things, and where you have doubles or triples of everything because when you didn’t find what you were looking for, you went out and bought another to replace the one you couldn’t find.
3. It sucks.
The smell can come from the puppy’s training on the new carpet, the musty smell from the roof leak, the cat’s box that has never been changed, or the litter everyone forgets to take out.
4. It is dirty.
This is that garden filth that makes you wish no one comes to visit. It’s the ring in the toilet, the Dallas-sized dust bunnies, and the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling that gently billow in the breeze. Dirt is penetrating and penetrating.
5. It doesn’t work.
This is a home where furniture is broken, the bed sags in the middle, things don’t work the way they should, and the repairs that need to be made take months or years. It’s not really functional and a lot of things have “fixes” like pliers to start the washing machine because the knob fell off.
6. Produces anxiety.
Does the thought of going home make you anxious? If you are happier at work or in places other than home, it is most likely because your home is out of control. It makes you tense because it’s dirty, disorganized, or messy, or all three. And, when you’re there, you can’t relax and often find excuses to go somewhere else to relax, like to the movies or driving through the country.
7. You avoid having visitors.
If you panic when the doorbell rings, then you are living in a house out of control. Guests should be a welcome sight in the home and you should feel safe enough to invite visitors in.
8. It is messy.
If every square inch of your house is covered with something, then you have too much stuff. There has to be some open space somewhere in your house because open space gives us a “visual break.” Look at the interior design magazines and you will notice the houses shown in them because there are not things everywhere to distract you.
Most of the houses have out of control areas.
Of course, not all households are out of control, but many households suffer from one or more Out of Control Home Symptoms (OOCH), or have an Out of Control Area (OOCA). These are areas like the laundry room or garage that tend to get out of control, and most homes have one. But regardless of whether your home is truly OOCH or OOCA, it doesn’t have to stay that way. You can take steps to put your home back in order and keep it under control.
The 8 steps to regain control of your home
1. Mess and straighten first.
Bring a garbage bag to each room and throw away anything you no longer want or don’t work for. Take another box from room to room for items you want to donate.
If you have exploded paper bombs, clothing bombs, and toy bombs in your home, control them. To handle paper, throw it away, recycle or archive it. Pick up clothes and wash, fold or hang them. Then corner the toys and throw away what is broken. And practice saying “When in doubt, throw it out.”
Then don’t forget to contain yourself. It’s easy to work in the living room, choose a toy for your child, walk into that room, and start working there. This is important: stay focused on the task and the space at hand or you won’t do anything.
2. Clean second.
Now that the mess is fixed and everything is fixed, it’s time to start cleaning in earnest. Thoroughly clean every room, including the kitchen and laundry room, and don’t forget to sweep the porches and outside hallways. Have the children clean baseboards, window sills, and clear cobwebs from the corners of the ceilings. Go from room to room and don’t leave until every room is completely clean.
Lastly, schedule some hired help and steam clean your carpets and upholstery. Steam cleaning does not use soap, which can cause carpets to get dirty faster and actually attract more dirt. This will also make your home smell better. Schedule this at least once a year. If your home still smells musty, ventilate it or consider cleaning your heating and air conditioning vents.
3. Repair what is broken.
The house is neat, clean and now he needs to work. Repair broken glass, leaky faucets or repaint water stains on the ceiling. Put your husband at work while you clean or tidy up.
4. Edit your stuff.
Collections and trinkets everywhere is what is classified as clutter. Clutter is a problem because of the emotions associated with it. For example, many people feel guilty about getting rid of things because certain items were gifts or inherited.
But the first rule of thumb to eliminate clutter is that you have to absolutely love something to maintain it. If you just can’t part with something, then don’t. Put as many items as you can in a box and then put it away. Then once you’ve gotten rid of all those guilty feelings, you can put the items at a yard sale, donate them, or just throw them away.
In short, if your house is filled with family photos in every inch of wall space, an explosion of sports memorabilia, or a collection of porcelain pigs that won’t end, for example, cut them out and then find a central place to display them. items rather than scattering them around the house where they can make you feel invaded.
5. Create a visual space.
Remove as many items as possible from the floor, tops of dressers, countertops, and nightstands so that your home has plenty of free space. Do you know how a hotel room makes you want to immediately jump into bed? That is because it is clean and clear. Cleaning up excess material will give your eyes, and your mind, a break.
6. Keep pets under control.
If possible, assess the impact of your pet on your home. Do what you can to create a life situation where both you and your pets are happy, but not where one of you is at the other’s expense. Many homes are pet-controlled to the point that the woodwork is scratched, the home is damaged, all surfaces are covered in hair, and there is an unpleasant odor in the home.
7. Organize your home.
Create areas to come and go where keys, backpacks, purses, wallets, mail, and other necessary items can be placed. This area should have a trash can where you can sort mail and a small hanging basket where bills that need immediate attention can be placed.
Then get to work organizing bill pay, files, warranty booklets, and all the small areas of your home that get cluttered like medicine cabinets, home offices, desk areas, pantries, laundry rooms, garages, spice cabinets. , etc. .
8. Go ahead and get involved everyone.
This is probably the most important step in getting, and keeping, a home under control. A house that is under control is not something that happens once and then is finished, like taxes. Keeping your house in order is more like exercising or taking vitamins. You have to keep it up. Keeping a home under control is a process, not an event. I have to tell myself all the time not to leave it, save it.
It also commits to it’s part of everyone. My pantry is an OOCA in my house mainly because a tidy pantry is important only to me. But, a family gathering was called for everyone to do their part to keep the pantry tidy. It will also save us from having five boxes of raisin bran or three bags of marshmallows.
Getting your home under control is a wonderful way to restore a sense of accomplishment and order to your life. It will also save you money because you will not buy multiple items because you can find what you are looking for. It will also help you create a home that is your refuge and where you enjoy spending your time. Lastly, you will be proud to live there and entertain guests. Now, let’s get to work!