Thanks for the thought... but I think that if I added 17 new baskets to my life I might go insane :)

I DO use what i call the cleaning basket... I bring it in when I do a room and dump anything that does not belong in that room in the basket... after done with that room I walk the basket through the house and put away the stuff that has strayed.

maddiemom

dirtchicks method works for the initial de-cluttering ... although boxes or paper bags are cheaper than baskets (unless you have a lot of baskets already).

It lets you get the clutter out of where you are working quickly. The trick is to DO NOT PUT THINGS AWAY from those baskets until you are ready to declutter the room they belong to.

I agree that those baskets (or whatever container you decide on) will help out a lot but you do need to get rid of the junk you don't use anymore.
Sue102

Well, I'm trying to get more exercise, so I don't use the basket method. I make more trips, but when I'm on a roll, I can keep rolling...

If a family is just getting started with trying to maintain, I suggest a "staging basket" in rooms like family/living rooms. It really helps the kids get the stuff up off the floor and gives it a temp. home.

We finally got rid of our last staging basket this year. I always used laundry baskets, since they are easy to transport when you do want to get the things the the correct home.

Gloria

Thanks - I'm going to try the baskets

My tip will make you LOOK more organized: I am a librarian, and one thing we do to keep things looking neat is "face" the books on the shelf. That means pulling out all the books to the edge of the shelf, and then pushing them back in about an inch, so they are all exactly lined up. So take everything down from your bookshelves and line up all your books (a good time to dust them, too.) You will be amazed at how much more orderly your shelves - and your room - looks!

(You might even want to find a different place for all those little knick-knacks that end up on bookshelves.)

I also find it easier to dust if I "face" the books (though I usually line them up about 1/4" in from the edge). I push them back before I dust, them pull them out after.

I am DESPERATELY trying to keep DH from setting stuff in front of the bookshelves. I used to do it a lot, too, but I've stopped. He still does.

My philosophy is: "get it out w/ one hand." I want to never have to move one thing to get to another. No more lidded boxes; only drawers. No knickknacks in front of the book I want. No more nested bowls.

Wish me luck!

("facing" the books means there isn't ROOM to set something)

I use two similar tips: Whenever I clean a room, I bring in two boxes or bags, one for garbage and one for stuff that belongs in other rooms. When I leave the room I'm cleaning, I dump the trash in the garbage can outside and return the misplaced stuff to their proper places. Also, I find a lot of personal belongings scattered thruout the house. I keep a decorative basket at the base of the stairs and expect everyone to retrieve their own belongings as they head to their bedrooms. It's great when someone calls out "I can't find my mascara,hairbrush, necklace,whatever" at 7 am with the schoolbus a block away. I simply say "Did you look in the basket?"

I'm like Claire, I just move fast and put things away as I go. The key for me is to never walk from room to room empty-handed.

I purchased something from Penney's last month that is finally helping me manage the belongings and papers of my nine people family: a cabinet with 9 compartments. I've tried stackers, folders, baskets, shelves etc. to no avail. This piece of furniture gives me a "mailbox" for everyone in the family. If I find something of theirs, it goes in the mailbox. Real mail goes into their mail box. Hair do-dads, school paperwork, Cds, whatever will fit into the compartment each person has been allotted. When I bought it, it was about $70 cheaper (I paid $179. plus tax) and I had a coupon code for free delivery. It took about four hours to put together. I have it in white. Its charming and doesn't take up too much floor space. Plus, it sort of matches my kitchen (bead board and shaker), and I have a collection of pitchers on the top so we can't pile stuff there either. It really is sturdy and the door stay closed with magnets. Here's a link:

Here is a link that might be useful: JC Penney's Nine Door Cabinet

What a pretty (and useful!) cabinet. If my family was larger I would find the space and $$ for this.

Thanks for sharing.

That is a GREAT cabinet!

I sort of wish they made one two-wide, though I guess I should stop w/ that, right?

That would be a great thing in my house; I bet it's WONderful in yours, cup!

I love that the door drop down; don't ask me why, but I do. I guess bcs they're lower than shoulder height; it feels like you don't have to lean over to see in.

Do you have baskets or trays inside? Or just the stuff itself?

of course, my problem would be that everything would stay in there. But I can see wanting *some* stuff to permanently stay in there, in our home. Like keeping DD's hairbrush in there, so she doesn't have to go to her room to get one every time (though if she'd comb it as part of getting dressed...)

Thanks for the compliments. I do have a plastic hand basket in each "door" that holds stuff in the compartment. It's a Rubbermaid basket that is about twelve inches long and seven inches tall and is flexible, almost like a handbag, and it has holes in the sides. I bought them at Target nearly two years ago for about $2 each. They're white but Target has also sold them in pink, purple, and at Halloween black and orange (I guess the intention is that children would use them to hold their candy). I hope that these handbaskets come back, because they are very good at holding lots of little stuff.

Yes, you do have to lean or bend to see what's in them, but since my children are little, they're down there anyway. The little ones don't mind sitting on the kitchen floor to look through their "mail box" and think the whole concept is very cool. Right now they even have their Valentines candy in their mail boxes.

I wanted to order another cabinet for my "girls" bathroom, planning on certain items in each compartment (hair dryer, ballet hair do-dads, brushes, wash clothes, toliet paper, extra toothpaste and shampoo and even towels or bath mats), but the price went up and my "free delivery" coupon expired, so the cost right now is closer to three hundred dollars, rather than the two hundred that I paid last month.

Anyway, thanks again!

And by the way, does anyone remember Blazedog's organizing tips thread?