A Neat and Tidy House

Happy Labor Day!

Lately I've seen so many books about how to clean your house or maintain it after you get it organized. The title of the most recent one is "Tidying Up." The old version of that is called picking up after yourself. My dad always told me to have a place for everything and put everything in it's place. Wow! That has been more than fifty years ago. Sad to say there is nothing magical about putting something back where it belongs after you use it.

Sometimes we just have to hear something said in a different way in order to get an understanding of it. So here is my take on "A Neat and Tidy House". I once heard someone say you can't organize clutter. We all have some of it. One person wants to keep everything and another doesn't keep much of anything. Neither of these extremes is correct. We have to have balance in our life. Here's an example: My parents came from the great depression. During that time in history you had what you had and you better hang on to it because you might need it. After they passed away and I was left with a thirteen room house to clean out. Oh, my word. You just wouldn't believe the little pieces of string and the rusty nails stashed away. Mind you they had probably been in the same place for thirty or forty years. So I have seen a lot of clutter in my lifetime.

The same person who said you can't organize clutter also said you shouldn't have anything in your house that does not make you smile. When you have so many hand me downs or do dads from so many different people it's hard to let them go. But when all that stuff doesn't make you happy it maybe time to take a picture of it and pass it on to someone else. Now don't misunderstand me. I have things I have kept from my family. I just don't have bunches of them. I kept the most important ones so I would remember them. The ones I did keep do in fact make me smile.

When you pare down you will discover your own personal design then you will want to keep things neat and tidy because you are enjoying your home. Plus if you designate a place for everything and you put it back where you got it everything will be neat.

You can get somebody to come in organize and decorate your home but if you don't maintain it you will be right back in a mess. I really believe a lot of the time the reason we don't pick up after ourself is because we don't like our home. You could be overwhelmed by all that needs to be done and don't know where to begin. You just have to start one area at a time and do a little each day. As you are working in your little area begin to find a place for things and practice maintaining your "new neat and tidy." Little by little one day at a time you will have gone through your whole house. Then all you have to do is make sure you tidy up every day by looking for things that are not in their place.

There is really no need to buy a book telling you in a bunch of words just two things. Have place for everything and always pick up after yourself by putting it back in the place where you found it.

"Tidy and Neat" to all!