There’s a difference between tidying and cleaning. Getting rid of thousands of things on my minimalist journey definitely reduced the amount of time tidying we do, but I have 3 little kids and we still have a messy house most days. The Clutter Basket Hack gets our home tidy in less than 15 minutes!
Why the Clutter Basket Hack Works:
You can tidy up faster.
You can find a home for items that do not have a home... yet.
You can declutter as you redistribute items.
You find trash just laying about your home.
You can involve family members.
You can spark motivation to clean and declutter!
You can tidy up fast when company's coming.
This Clutter Basket hack also gives you a chance to find a home for any items that do not have a home. We had to do that with this baseball glove when we used our Clutter Basket hack in this video.
Sometimes you just want to get the kitchen cleaned up. Or you just want to be able to run the vacuum. But you have to spend more time tidying or putting things back into their home than actually cleaning.
According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter reduces 40% of housework in the average home.
I don’t know about that percentage but I do have a hack that may help you get to actually cleaning something faster. The Clutter Basket Hack!
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There’s a difference between tidying and cleaning. Getting rid of thousands of things definitely reduced the amount of time tidying we do, but I have 3 little kids and we still have a messy house most days.
The difference now is that is takes less than 15 minutes to tidy up most days.
What is a Clutter Basket?
Here’s my newest trick. I make it easy and fast to tidy up with a Clutter Basket. Any container will serve - laundry basket, canvas bin, bag, etc. Walk around your home and toss anything that isn't in the right place into the Clutter Basket.
Centralizing all the items that need t get back to their "home" makes for faster tidying up than doing things one at a time. Plus, it's easy to ask the kids to help gather and redistribute items back to the right place.
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How to Declutter When You Are Overwhelmed
You might have too much stuff, but recognizing that it can be hard to find time and motivation to declutter your entire house at once helps. Take it one day at a time and one box or drawer at a time.
But what do you do until enough one day at a times make a difference? The Clutter Basket Hack!
Why the Clutter Basket Hack Works:
You can tidy up faster.
You can find a home for items that do not have a home... yet.
You can declutter as you redistribute items.
You find trash just laying about your home.
You can involve family members.
You can spark motivation to clean and declutter!
You can tidy up fast when company's coming!
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What does a homemaker do all day?
Keeping a home involves many (sometimes endless) jobs and blessing. We are talking about tidying up quickly in this blog post, and of course, tidying habits can help lead to a routine of having less mess day to day.
Habit building takes time and it helps if all the household members do their parts. Like emptying the dishwasher. Then, plates are less likely to stack up by the sink. Putting away toys when done.
That’s all easier said than done but it’s still possible to do. That said allow yourself grace and forgiveness. Maybe the Clutter Basket Hack will help.
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My Favorite Baskets
Anyone else obsessed with baskets? The Minimal Mom talks about the magic of using containers to establish boundaries for your items in this video. I love ALL. THE. BASKETS. I think baskets and books are my personal, minimalist Achilles' Heel.
West Elm's Curved Water Hyacinth Baskets
Cotton Rope Baskets - I put these in the washing machine!
Foldable, canvas baskets
Reusable Grocery Shopping Box Bags from Creative Green Life
grocery bags (I try to get reusable paper bags if I forget my grocery tote bags)
your laundry basket
any container that will serve you - no need to spend money! Use what you have.
What if I have TOO MUCH CLUTTER?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Been there. By the thousands. This is a minimalish hack. You do not need to practice minimalism or even be on a journey of living with less. It's just a fast hack to tidy up!
If you are new to me, check out this video.
The audio is terrible but it was the onset of decluttering. I could not clean my house. I could not tidy. I could not donate or trash. I was paralyzed by STUFF.
Stuffocation. It's real. I felt like I was suffocating from the stuff. I'd had enough and slowly started making changes. One day at a time and one box at a time.
You may find my Facebook Group, Decluttering One Day at a Time, helpful. You'll need to answer all the questions and agree to the rules to get in, as it has more than 35,000+ members. I ignore all requests that haven't answer the entrance questions, and I want you to be a part of it if you need some support.
It's possible you have too much stuff to even try this trick. However, I urge you to try. Just putting 5 things back into their rightful, assigned homes in your house might be contagious for you. You may spark some motivation to tidy up a little more, part with something by donating it, or simply just trashing it.
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What is a Household Routine?
Ultimately the big picture answer is to have household routines in place that make homemaking possible. Our Clutter Basket Hack is one of our routines that allows for delegation and help while I'm cleaning something else.
I have a 5-step methodology that I apply to decluttering, organizing, and addressing anything I want to change. Big or small. A kitchen drawer or a house. Vision, action, organization, routines (habits), and systems (maintaining routines).
What is the Vision for your household schedule? Mapping that out on paper may help. Then, take action. Put your routine into place then organize it. What things would help it go smoother? More effortless? Doing this daily can build routines and habits, and eventually habits build systems.
If you’d like a video about how I did these 5 steps with our household routine let me know in the comments below.
FTC Disclaimer: Please note that some links may be affiliate links, and I earn a commission from your purchase. These links share products at no extra cost to you. I may receive some products in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own and are not influenced by brand, person, or company.