Getting the home organized is never easy, but sometimes keeping it organized can be almost as challenging.  However, with some work and cooperation from the rest of the family, it will be easier.  It takes time to get used to new habits, but with reminders (not nagging), everyone will be in the swing of things soon.

One thing that will help keep things running smoothly is to establish some daily routines.  Even though everything has a place, it takes effort to get it there.  So maintenance is crucial to the system working.  There are a few different ways you can keep the whole family involved.

One way is to make a chart showing all the rooms in the house and all the family members.  Each family member can be responsible for making sure a specific area is clutter free each day.  They go through each room with a basket or box and anything that isn't supposed to be in that room goes in the box.  Anything that is meant to be in the room gets put away.  Everyone then meets in a designated area, possibly the dining room, and they sort through the items to see what belongs where.  The people then return the items to the correct room.  Another way is to have everyone work on each room together, and then each person can take their own belongings to their rooms.  

If you have more than one floor in your home, running up and down stairs all day to put things away can get rather tiresome, even though the exercise is good for us.  One suggestion is to keep a box at the top and bottom of the flight of stairs (in a safe location) where people can deposit things they find that belong on another floor.  At the end of the day, or when the box is full, the things can all be put back where they belong.

Even the youngest members of the family can help.  Labeling things, at least at first, will help people remember where things go.  If the children are too young to read, pictures help, especially with their toys.  You can cut out pictures from the latest sale ad in the mail and tape them to drawers, boxes and shelves to help remind the children where their things go.  

Clothes can quite often begin to pile up, despite our best efforts.  Designate a place for all dirty laundry.  You can color code the baskets, or label them for white, darks and colors.  Everyone can then put their own washing in the baskets.  When a basket is full, it's time to wash.

No matter what system you decide works best for your family, consistency is the key.  In order to keep up on the clutter, everyone has to make the effort every day to help put things away.  

It is so easy to let disorganization and clutter take control of a house.  It can be overwhelming.  It didn't get chaotic in one day; it won't get cleaned up in one day.  It has to be taken step-by-step.  It is important to make a plan on how to get your house organized.  Walk through the house and make notes of what needs to be done in each room.  Once you have a list, make a goal to complete at least one thing off the list each day.  Keep the list where you can see it.  

Start with small projects, things you can see improvement in quickly.  Try organizing a closet.  Sort through it and get rid of things you don't need anymore.  You can donate them, get them ready for a yard sale or just throw them away.  As you make more room in your closet, think about ways to maximize your storage space.  You can add shelves and other closet organizers.  

As you move through the list, some projects may take more than a day.  That is ok.  You just have to make sure you keep working on it till it is done.  Take about thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the afternoon working on your list.  Before you know it, you've gone through the entire house and organized it.  The trick now is to keep it organized. 

Each day, keep up on maintaining your newly organized home.  The key is to not get into the "I'll do it later" mindset.  If you have something that is in the wrong place, take the time to either put it away right away, or have a designated area on each floor, like a box, to put things that need to go to another floor.  Then at the end of the day, everything in the box gets put away.  

Another idea to help keep the house organized is to establish a schedule where each room of the house gets a thorough cleaning one day each week.  It may take awhile to get in the new routine, but if the family works together, it will be easier.  If people remember to put their own things away, that will also help.  Try not to be too impatient when people forget at first.  Be sure to remind them gently, without nagging.

If you set up a checklist, similar to your original goal list, you can keep on top of the things that need to be done around the house.  Why not assign each family a specific area of the house to help keep organized.  They simply have to go through the room and make sure that everything is in its place.  While it takes time and a bit of effort, it will be worth it once the house is clean, neat and organized.

Recycling has become more and more prevalent in our society.  It has also become more important to our ecology and economy.  It not only reduces waste and pollution and overfilled landfills, it can also help keep things less cluttered around our homes. 

By looking around your home, you may have things that you don't need anymore, like old appliances - small and large.  By recycling them, it doesn't just reduce things that are just lying around - sometimes you can get some extra cash if you take the time and make the effort to take them to a local recycling center or scrap yard that deals in metal.  Although prices may vary based on demand, you can usually get a little bit.  If you aren't interested in the extra effort to take things to the recycling center for the pocket money, many fire stations collect aluminium cans for burn units at the local hospitals.

By setting up your own recycling center in your home, it can help reduce your own clutter.  You can have bins lined with bags that can hold various recyclables, set up in your garage, basement or utility room.  One can be for aluminum cans, another for plastic bottles, and another for paper.  Any time someone sees something lying around, instead of just tossing it in the trash, or letting the junk mail pile up, they know they can take the things to bins.  When the bins get full, you can either set them out for the city to pick up (if they provide a recycling program), or take them to the local center.

Almost anything in your home can be recycled.  There are e-mail groups that are dedicated to "recycling" or "freecycling" things around the house.  The lists are organized by local regions.  If someone has something they no longer need they can list it to the group and it is claimed on a first come, first served basis.  If someone is interested in the item, they e-mail the person off the list and arrange for a pick-up time.  The lists have been known to offer everything from coupons to large appliances.  However, most lists do not allow pets to be included.  These kinds of lists are great for people who just want to get rid of a few things and don't want to bother with a garage sale.

If you start small and work your way up, before you know it, you'll be a recycling pro and have a much neater house for your efforts.

When the time comes to clean out and reorganize the house, there are always items you find that you just don't use anymore.  Some things may even be gifts that you have never even taken out of the original package.  As long as the items are still in good shape, there are many ways they can find a new home.  Many people do not want to bother with a yard sale, so they prefer to donate the items to a charity.

Many items can be donated to area thrift or Salvation Army stores.  Quite often they will give you a receipt that will allow you to take it as a tax write-off.  It is probably best to call and check with them as to their drop-off policies.  Some places only take donations on certain days or hours.

Another option is to donate carefully used toys, books and clothes to women's shelters.  Many times the families staying there have had to leave their homes with just what they were wearing.  A few things for them to have while they are there can be a great comfort.  

There are other charities that also take clothes and household goods.  Some, including veterans' organizations like Purple Heart and Vietnam Vets, and other groups like Easter Seals, will actually pick up your donations at your home.  If you call them, they have set pickup schedules for the neighborhoods in your area.  They have a set procedure. 

Some hospitals collect books, sometimes specifically for the children's wing.  When your children outgrow their books, considering giving them away to a hospital or other charities for children.

Once you've donated things, you can reorganize what you have left and maximize your storage space.  This is something to consider doing every few months, because things tend to accumulate.  If you're unsure about donating some things, put them away, and if you haven't used them after a given time then you can probably go ahead and donate them.

A challenge every family with children faces is keeping the kids' bedrooms organized.  Between toys, clothes, and school things, it can seem impossible.  However, there are ways to get the kids' things organized and have fun at the same time.  There are many styles of storage units available.  Bright colors and cartoon characters from your child's favorite show is sure to be a hit.  By combining different units, you can have a place for everything.

There are many different styles of storage.  There are the standard under-the-bed boxes, storage that can be hung on the wall or doors, or closet organizers.  First, you need to decide what kind of storage will work best, not only for the amount of stuff in the room, but the age of the child as well.  Once you decide what type of storage you need, let the kids help choose the style.

Once the new storage is purchased, this can be a time to rearrange the bedroom.  Let the kids have a say in how they would like their room (within reason, of course).  By being involved, it gives them a sense of ownership and makes them more likely to want to keep things nice. 

To help your child get the dirty laundry organized, one of the simplest ways is to set up a basketball hoop above an open hamper.  By attaching one to the wall above the hamper, clean-up turns into a game.  There are hoops that have suction cups, so you can attach it to any smooth wall and not damage it.

Many things that are designed for storage in a child's room serve a dual purpose.  There are desk and chair sets that have storage in the desk and the chair.  There are also seats that have a cushion attached to the lid of a round barrel-like container.  The container is perfect for stuffed animals or other large toys, and gives the child a comfy place to sit while reading or relaxing.  

A cute storage unit is the collapsible bin.  These are fabric bins built around a large spring that can collapse into a flat circle for easy storage.  The bins are decorated to look like animals or people.  Some have a lid for the head, which is attached at the back like a hinge with velcro at the front to keep them closed, while others (like an alligator) have an open mouth.  The bin is the body and they have things like flippers, wings, paws, and hands on the container to add details.  They come in a wide variety of styles and in bright colors. There is sure to be one that any child will love.  They are perfect for either dirty clothes or light toys.

Once you get the room organized, find creative ways to help the kids keep their rooms organized.  If you have more than one child, maybe make it a contest to see who can keep their room the neatest for the longest.  Let them earn points toward a special treat for every day they clean up their room without being asked.  Find what works for your family and the work won't be as hard.

When kids play, it is almost a certainty that there will be a mess to clean up after they are done.  By having a playroom in the house, it can help keep the toys from taking over the rest of the house, including their bedrooms.  But, how do you keep the playroom from getting to the point there is no room to play?  Here are a few tips, including how to get the kids to help.

Start with sorting through all the toys and finding the things that they never play with anymore.  Have they outgrown them? Are they broken?  Make piles of things to pass on, or sell in a garage sale, things to throw away, and things to keep.  Sort the toys by type and then you can decide if you need to change the way they are stored.  You may not have to get anything new; you may have enough containers that aren't being used in other rooms around the house.

To help the kids put things away, borrow an idea from classrooms: label everything.  Make signs, either with words, pictures cut from magazines, or both; and attach them to the various containers and shelves.  The kids then have a clear guide for putting things away.  It also helps when they want a specific toy - they can just look for the signs and know where to look, that is if they've put things away.

Another way to help reduce the chaos is to reduce the number of toys in the room.  Divide the toys into groups, some to pack away for a time, and some to have out.  Store them in a closet, the basement, or anywhere else where they will be out of the way.  When the time comes to swap the sets of toys, it's almost like getting new toys without buying anything else.

Changing the way toys are stored can also help.  By having easy access containers, the kids can put things away more easily.  Younger children can have a hard time with lids, but there are nice fabric containers that are flexible and safe for them.  Some of these come designed to look like animals or people and are a lot of fun.  Clear plastic containers are also great because the kids can actually see what is in the box before digging through the whole thing.  

Stuffed animals seem to multiply like real rabbits at times.  There are a few options for corralling those critters.  There are Velcro poles that the animals stick to.  They can be tucked in a corner and do not take up much space.  There are also stuffed animal hammocks that can be hung up to save floor space, but these should only be used with older children. Have them at a height where they do not pose a choking hazard.  

The biggest key to keeping it all under control is maintaining it every day.  Get the kids into a new habit of only getting one thing out at a time and putting it back when they are done.  If this is too hard, then reduce the number of toys available, increasing them as the kids get used to the new system.

 When the kids come home from school, it is often accompanied by an avalanche of books, backpacks and sports equipment.  It can be a real challenge to keep things organized.  But the more organized they are, the less chance you'll hear, "Mom, where is my homework?"  It can sometimes be a challenge to find any extra space, especially in smaller homes and apartments. However, with some creativity, it is possible to make a nice homework center for the kids.

  
Do you have a spare bedroom?  It can be pretty easy to convert it into a homework area.  There are a few options for workspaces, old office desks, or even student desks from schools that have gotten rid of old desks.  Even a standard table and chairs will work, as long as they are at a comfortable height for the children.  

You can often pick things up at yard sales for a good price.  Add some hooks to the wall to hold backpacks; shelves for reference books and you have a great study room.  It is also a good idea to make sure that there is plenty of light.

If you have more limited space available, you could put hooks in a hallway, possibly near the entrance or in a closet, one for each child.  They are responsible for making sure that their backpack is on their hook when they come home and is only taken down when they are either doing their homework or going to school. Then they can do their homework at the kitchen or dining room table, putting everything back in their backpack when it is done and then hung on their hook.

Another idea to consider is to make a foldaway desk.  If there is a closet in each child's room, you can create a foldaway desk that attaches to the closet door.  Measure the door and cut a piece of wood to fit (allowing for a doorknob and hinges).  

Sand and paint the wood and attach it to the door with hinges.  Be sure to use screws that don't go all the way through the door, or bolts that go from the other side of the door into the wood.  

Attach another piece of wood vertically, also on hinges that can be pulled out to support the desk.  When the children aren't using it, fold the support and top back against the door and the desk is out of the way.

The key is to get a system in place and making sure everyone remembers to put their school things in the same place every day.  It may take a few reminders before the kids do it on their own, but eventually it will become something they do automatically when they come home. 

As your children continue to get more toys with each passing birthday, Christmas and other special occasions, space becomes a premium, and clutter can begin to take over.  So how do you keep it in check and still enjoy giving them new things?  You have to balance "out with the old and in with the new". If there are toys that are broken, or games and puzzles with missing pieces, they can probably be thrown away.

Why not set aside different times of year that you go through all of the toys and decide what needs to be given away?  This can be a month or so before birthdays and Christmas.  However, if you wait until after they get new things, they might be more willing to part with the older toys.  It is important to talk to the children about it beforehand, if they are old enough to understand.  Let them help decide which toys they might want to give away.   

As the children go through their toys, let the younger siblings see if there is anything they'd like to keep from their older brothers or sisters, but if they do they have to give up something from their toys.  Try to keep it even with how much the kids are getting rid of, as you don't want them to feel like they are sacrificing more than the others.

If the weather is nice, you could even encourage your children to participate in a family yard sale.  They get to keep the money for any of their things they sell.  This takes a bit more thought and organization.  First, they have to make sure that what they are selling is in good enough shape to sell, and that all the pieces are there.  

One important thing to keep in mind, especially with the younger children, is to give them time to adjust to the idea of giving things away.  Young children can often be generous with their things, but then later realize they gave away a "favorite" toy.  Let them practice for a few days, or even weeks.  Put the things away in a box where they can't get them.  If they realize they don't miss the toys, then they should be ok with going ahead and getting rid of them.

It is also good to encourage sharing their blessings by donating some nicer toys and games they've outgrown.  There are many charities that take gently used books, toys and games, including hospitals and shelters.  This is a great way of not only reducing the clutter in your home, but also helping someone less fortunate.

The master bedroom should be a comfortable place to rest and relax.  The more organized the bedroom is, the easier it is to relax.  You won't have to take time to look for things, which not only saves time, but also is less stressful.  Look around the room and see what things you can remove and give a new home.  

Start with the dressers and remove things from the top that are just creating clutter.  If there are things, like makeup, that you use all the time, why not find a better way to store them.  There are nice organizers that will fit into most any décor.  Drawer dividers can also help keep things organized in the dresser itself.   

Exploring under the bed can be an adventure.  There are many nice storage boxes that fit under most beds.  The boxes come in many sizes and materials, including plastic, cardboard and wood.  The wood and plastic ones often come with wheels, for easy access.  Some have lids that are hinged in the middle so you can pull them out from under the bed part way and access the belongings inside.  The great thing about the boxes is you can store anything from books to out of season clothing in them.

The closets are usually an area that needs a good bit of work to organize.  The best thing is to decide what you want to store there and fix the closet to do what you need done.  There are a great number of closet storage systems that can be adapted for just about any size closet to maximize the storage space.  Even just adding another bar to hang shirts on can increase your storage space.  But there are nice shelve systems that can incorporate hanging clothes, as well as shelves and boxes for things that can be folded.  There are also the shoe racks that can be hung on the back of the closet door.

One of the more recent additions to storage options are vacuum storage bag.  These are great for storing out of season clothing.  You can get more in each bag for the space once the air is sucked out of the bags.  These bags will slide under the bed, or on shelves, saving room for other things.

By approaching the master bedroom one area at a time, things will fall into place.  By keeping up on the clutter on a daily basis, the room can remain a place to escape it all.