I’m back to that stay-at-home-mom life.

“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”

Last week was my first week back to being a stay-at-home-mom and I stayed so busy doing the mom thing that I didn’t get to share with you. ALSO… Mad love to all you working moms out there who are somehow making it work AND keeping your sanity (mostly). You are superheroes. True Atomic Moms.

Anyway…

I had been working a part-time job for several months and, while the job was great, the anxiety that I had while trying to keep my household together was just too much for me.

I guess I should tell you I have some mild OCD tendencies. I really hate it when things are out of place. I need the throw pillows arranged correctly on the couch. I need the armchair turned at the correct angle. I need the cups sorted and placed on the correct shelf according to type and size.

When things are out of place, I get cringy.

Ooh, yep. Cringy.

To say that my house was in disarray would be an understatement. Bedrooms hadn’t been getting cleaned. Chores hadn’t been getting done. The floors were dirty. The dishes were piled up. And the laundry, OH!

So last week I started Operation Clean Sweep. I began in the kitchen because, honestly, I knew there was no decluttering needed there. I’m very careful about buying only what we really need in that area of the house so everything that we have are things that get used. I did a deep clean and moved on to the diningroom. Again, no decluttering needed since there is no storage in there. Deep clean and move along.

When I say deep clean, I’m talking floors, walls, baseboards, counters, cabinets, etc. Everything!

This is where it gets a little hairy. Because we are changing seasons I decided to get rid of some clothing that I knew wouldn’t fit my kids come spring. They’ll be going to the donation center when I’m finished. I went through the downstairs bedrooms one by one, then the closets, decluttering to get rid of anything the kids had outgrown. Clothes they don’t wear (even if they fit), toys they don’t play with, books they dont read. Everything gets considered.

I’ll admit to you that my room was probably the worst. The master bedroom is always the martyr, right? sacrificing itself for the good of the rest of the house. All the random junk seems to make it into the master bedroom before it actually finds a home.

Now lets talk about this for a minute because it is so, so important. Everything that you own should have a home. A place where it belongs. When you need something, you should know exactly where to find it, and exactly where to put it back. And PUT IT BACK. Take the thing home so you know where to find it next time.

You will not know where everything is 100% of the time. It just never seems to work out that way. Life happens and things don’t get put back. And by life I mean kids. Kids happen. You will, however, be able to easily find your things the majority of the time and that is worth it!

So as you declutter and free up more space, really make note of what you’re keeping and put it in a logical place. If its something you need often, make it easily accessible. If its something you rarely use put it in the back of the closet, cabinet, etc. Or better yet, put it in a clearly marked container and store it in the attic or garage. Remember that eventually you’ll be decluttering those areas too, so don’t store things that you don’t actually need. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to go through it again later.

My method of decluttering may be different from some, but I have found what works best for me. I told you that I started with the kitchen and diningroom. After I got the diningroom finished, I set it aside as my designated donations space. One thing I have learned about myself: I hate bringing piles of things and clothing into the livingroom of our home. We spend most of our time there. It makes me feel claustrophobic and, again, cringy.

I try to put our donation items in a rooms that we can go without using for just a couple of days; a diningroom, guest room, or unused closet. If you bag it up along the way you can even put it in the garage, but don’t forget that its there. The plan is to make sure it goes to the donation center within the week. Otherwise all your hard work was for nothing.

The other thing? I do a quick clean of the room BEFORE the decluttering. I know, I know. “Why would you clean when you’re going to throw half of that junk out anyway?” “Why would you clean first, then also clean last?”

I cannot seem to focus in a seriously cluttered situation. When the kids have toys, clothes, books, and papers all over their floor, how am I supposed to focus on what to do with each item? I need like things to be grouped together. Dirty clothes get taken out. Clean clothes get put away. Trash in a bag. Toys in the bin. Books on the shelf. It’s so much easier for me to go through a closet and pull out the things that I want to get rid of versus having to look at clothes from the closet, floor, and hamper. Then I can look through all of the toys together to do the same. Decluttering can sometimes feel overwhelming but starting with tidy (not necessarily clean) space will definitely help.

I hope that any of these tips have helped you. They sure did the trick when I put them into practice last week. I feel like I can rest so much easier now that the hardest part is done. Keeping it this way is far easier than getting it this way. Now I can focus on other things, like making dinner instead of bowls of cereal.

What’s your biggest struggle in keeping your home clutter free? I’d love to hear some of your thoughts and opinions! Now, I’m off to fold some laundry. 😉