The Mess: Part I

Today I found out about Oprah Winfrey's new "Clean Up Your Messy House" site: http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/1. I wanted to copy some of the tips, but they refused to paste into Microsoft Word, nor did the site have a "print version." However, I found out I could copy what I wanted onto a blog post! Which leads to something I've been planning to blog about for quite a while. While I was recovering from my bike accident last spring/summer, I couldn't do a lot of cleaning, and no one wanted to help. I couldn't even hire any of the local kids to come over. (The only thing a couple girls ended up doing was weeding outside, which was good, too.)

Rosanna and Caroline are the big reason behind the mess. They leave clothes, papers and stuff all over the house, besides having rooms that look like a hurricane hit them.

In fact, I'm going to be changing the URL for my blog to "the messy nest." When I get that done, I'll e-mail or leave comments in people's blogs.

Keep Your Home Clutter Free

Zone Maintenance

Maintenance begins when you've achieved your ideal. Your home is a place where you are relaxed and comfortable and inspired to live the life you want. You're surrounded with things that are meaningful to you. You remember the past, look forward to the future, but live in the present. You've found the right balance.To keep it this way, make sure everyone in your home knows and follows the golden rules:

If you get it out, put it away.
If you open it, close it.
If you finish it, replace it.
If it's full, empty it.
If you take it off, hang it up.
If it's dirty, wash it.
If it's garbage, trash it.

Daily Purging

You'd be amazed at how much you can accomplish in 10 minutes. Every day, take five minutes to straighten up and five minutes to focus on cleaning out the clutter in a drawer or on a shelf or flat space, and your house will always be in order. Think about it—if you do this five days out of every week, you'll have purged 260 small areas in your home at the end of a year. Those small projects really add up.It's best to use the same time slot every day. If you're a stay-at-home mom, do it when the kids nap or leave for school. If you're a morning person who either works from home or never has trouble getting to work on time, then make it part of your morning ritual. If you're always in a rush in the morning, pick a time when you get home.