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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
This may be well answered by the ladies, but I don't want to be sexist, so anyone! It gets messy in one day,
then I get overwhelmed and depressed. Suggestions..pppppppplease!Thanks,
Jay
Posted by reluctant on January 6, 2004, at 22:08:18
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
Jay,throw everything out. Or, move . . .
(I have the same problem! so no useful advice)-r.
Posted by DramaQueen on January 6, 2004, at 22:38:42
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
I disagree with your female comment, some of the biggest slobs I know are female, myself included. To answer your question, I think that some of us are just wired this way (messy). I have been trying to clean up for a month, no luck! Get another dresser or something and stuff everything in it. I am sorry I don't have any really useful suggestions, I am seeking help myself, but I wanted to speak for all the messy girls out there.
Posted by Karen_kay on January 6, 2004, at 22:40:28
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
How do you boys manage to do this? Assuming you are a boy of course, don't want to be sexist :)
I think organization is the key. Do you have a clothes hamper to put your dirty clothes in? If not, get one. Wait, is it just your bedroom??? Listen, you need to be organized. When you use something, put it back when you are done. So, if you use a dish, put it in the sink when you are finished (or dishwasher if you have one). Put the book back on the night stand or shelf after you are done reading it. Just simple things like that make a difference. Get off your duff for a second and your room won't be a mess. (I hope you don't feel offended by that, just saying that a few seconds will keep your room clean!! :) And if you don't have a place to keep everything, then buy stuff... Book shelves are like $20 at Walmart. It will be worth it if you want a girl to ever come over!
Posted by tabitha on January 6, 2004, at 22:48:27
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
you know, take a tip from forest management..
Seriously, here are my tips.
1) put stuff away immediately, so the mess never accumulates (I never manage this one for very long)
2) let it become a total pigsty then wait for a mood upswing to facilitate a whirlwind cleanup (unreliable, hard to plan ahead)
3) try to do #1 as much as you can, then clean in little bits at a time when you can. Somebody here said do a '10', meaning pick up ten things. Every now and then I just decide to touch the worst piles of stuff-- the ones that have been there the longest. It gives me a little mood boost just to prove I can have some impact, even if the job doesn't get finished.
4) think of it as cleaning for someone else. Imagine you're an old person or an invalid and you're doing volunteer work cleaning for them. Helps cut the emotional ties to the stuff-- think of it as someone else's stuff.
Posted by DramaQueen on January 6, 2004, at 22:50:12
In reply to Re: How do I keep my room clean??? » jay, posted by Karen_kay on January 6, 2004, at 22:40:28
I think it gets to the point of no return. Your home/room gets so messy that you don't even know where to begin. At least this is my experience. I look around and I see the aftermath of a major storm. (I must have left the windows open:)) To resolve this I need to throw everything out. I can't fit another piece of furniture in my tiny space. I am a girl and I have to go to the boys', my place is too messy and too much work to fix up. Funny thing is the boys I know are so neat and organized. It is embarrassing :)
Posted by Elle2021 on January 7, 2004, at 2:28:32
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
Okay, first you need to go through your closet. Get a box and take out all the clothes you HAVEN'T worn in the past year. (These are clothes you don't like but haven't been able to give up yet). The same goes for shoes. Donate this to the Goodwill (if your in America, I don't know if Goodwill is in other countries). Next buy TWO laundry baskets. Start sorting the dirty clothes you have into piles that can be washed together. Put the first load in, and put the rest of the dirty clothes in the hamper. When the first load finishes, put it in the dryer (or hang up the clothes that need to air dry). Put the next wash in. Now, if your washer and dryer are anything like mine, your second wash will be done before the first wash is fully dried. Here is where the second hamper comes in. Put it in the laundry room (or wherever your washer and dryer are). Put the wet clothes in it. Put another load in the washing machine. When the load in the dryer is done, immediately fold it and put it away. If you don't your clothes have the potential to fall behind the dryer and get lost or get wrinkled. Now put the next set of wet clothes in the dryer. Don't get ahead of yourself. Never have more than two loads of wet clothes (one in basket, one in washer). I know this seems lengthy, but I feel it is worth explaining, since clothes seem to cause the biggest mess.
Make sure you put things back as you use them. You will be able to find them easier the next time you need them, and it will cut down on clutter. Don't save things you don't need. If you don't have a use for it right now, then either give it away or throw it away.
Make your bed every morning. It's surprising how tidier the room looks when the bed is made. Don't use the top of dressers as a storage place. Only have things on them that you need (picture frames, etc.). If you eat in your bedroom, take the dishes back to the kitchen.
Simple little things will keep it clean. But, if you get manic sometimes like I do (or you have OCD like I do...) then you can wait for one of those to kick in. And cleaning your room will be fun... :)
Elle
Posted by Penny on January 7, 2004, at 7:59:49
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
Oh boy, Jay, I wish I knew! I was just talking to the mother of some of the kids I sit for about this the other day. Her house is always very 'lived in', i.e., messy! She'll clean it up, but 2 hours later it's as though she did nothing. But the family I used to nanny part-time for, who had two small children and no cleaning person, had a house that was almost always immaculate. I was living with them when it was on the market, so it had to be in 'showing condition' all the time, so they could leave with a moment's notice if a potential buyer wanted to come by. I don't know how, with a 2 and 4-year-old, the mom managed to keep the house so *clean*, but she did, and still does, even though their current house isn't on the market!
But, I'll tell you - when I lived with them (in their guest house) I had to learn to become 'neat' when their house was on the market. Now that I'm by myself again, my house is a mess!!! Too much stuff!!! So, if you want incentive to keep your room clean, live somewhere where you have no choice!
Do you live in an apartment or a house? Alone or with roommates? Is the entire place messy, or just one room? I 'cleaned' for New Year's, but decided that I would clean the living room, bathroom and kitchen, as I was having company. I closed the door to my bedroom, which was filled with stuff that I still haven't unpacked since moving in OCTOBER, and I left the dining room alone, which is also filled with boxes. My other recommendation on how to stay 'neat' - don't have so much stuff! I think that if I didn't have as much stuff as I have, it wouldn't be nearly as big a deal to keep it picked up and put away.
Sigh. Let us know if you work this one out! It's one of my biggest challenges.
P
Posted by cubic_me on January 7, 2004, at 8:09:12
In reply to Re: How do I keep my room clean??? » jay, posted by Penny on January 7, 2004, at 7:59:49
I always used to have a really untidy room (with little places to put my feet amongst the mess to get to the bed), but I threw out loads of stuff (or gave it to charity) and got a load more storage and that makes the place look alot tidier. And if people are coming round and will see the room, I just shove everything in a closet, make the bed and have a quick vacuum (hoover).
Do you really need the old clothes, half used bottles of hair gel and old school books?
Posted by Camille Dumont on January 7, 2004, at 9:00:27
In reply to Re: How do I keep my room clean???, posted by cubic_me on January 7, 2004, at 8:09:12
Well, I think people have mentionned good ideas. The first thing I think is to sort through everything and ONLY keep waht is ESSENTIAL in your room and easily accessible. The rest should go in boxes in the attic or something. Its hard to get messy when you don't have tons of things in your room.
As for cleaning, the hardest part is the first big clean up, but once you get it done, you'll have a "fresh start" and then its just a matter of some little maintenance. For me it works better with a routine ... every night (or whenever you don't mind) I just do a lil 5 min cleaning up ... putting dishes away, putting dirty clothes in the basket and throwing out wath is no longer usefull. Its not too hard and its a good way to do it if you're not the sort of person that can put things away quickly right after you use them.
Posted by Poet on January 7, 2004, at 9:34:19
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
Hi Jay,
I think an easy way to keep a room clean is to take a few minutes to de-clutter. Then it never becomes overwhelming- you don't have piles of stuff that make it hard to find things you need.
Hang up your clothes or if dirty put them in a hamper every night. Make your bed- straighten out the covers. Throw out those scraps of paper: grocery store receipts, etc. Empty the waste basket before it's over flowing.
I'm a neat freak, so for me clutter free, helps me overlook the cat hair on the quilt!
Poet
Posted by Karen_kay on January 7, 2004, at 9:54:09
In reply to Re: How do I keep my room clean??? » Karen_kay, posted by DramaQueen on January 6, 2004, at 22:50:12
Oh, I know! I have a friend like this. have a nasty/nice???? habit of cleaning house when I stay somewhere. I picked it up from my mother. It's polite and proper to clean when you stay at someone's house. And if you are there for an extended period of time and they have a job, you CLEAN house. Well, her house makes me shudder!!! Honestly, I don't know how I can stay there. And I clean it every time. But, I honestly don't mind a bit! As she doesn't have cable and has good choices of music, it keeps me busy and I KNOW she appreciates it. But, her apartment has piles of trash everywhere!! Is this what he meant? I was thinking more along the lines of a few clothes here and some trash on the dresser...
So to clean a MESS:
-Take a trash bag and throw away all unimportant papers and documents.
-Get a filing cabinet and folders for important documents (that helps!) AND USE IT!
-Pick up dirty clothes and put them in the hamper. If you don't own one, buy one. (I have two, color coded. A white one for whites a dark one for darks. My boyfriend STILL doesn't understand the concept????)
-Place books, videos in the appropriate place.
-Make your bed.*Now, resolve to keep your room clean. Pick up after yourself and it won't get this way again. If it is just a room, it shouldn't take longer than a few hours to clean up and vacuum, dust, ect as well. Also, in my house, we DON'T have knick-knacks or anything like that. It helps to keep the place less cluttered. My sister has the same problem trying to keep her house clean and I notice that she has tons of stuff. I have nice furniture and art work to decorate with, just not a lot of stuff sitting around to have to mess with. It helps me keep my house spotless!!
Good luck keeping your place clean.
Posted by fallsfall on January 7, 2004, at 13:08:34
In reply to Re: How do I keep my room clean??? » DramaQueen, posted by Karen_kay on January 7, 2004, at 9:54:09
Horizontal surfaces attract stuff. Reduce the number of tables etc. that you own.
Try to underfurnish your space - either by having a big space with not too much stuff or by having really minimal stuff in a smaller space. The extra floor and wall space makes it seem less cluttered, even when it's a mess.
No Nick-Knacks.
Go for the minimalist look.
Good luck
Posted by tabitha on January 7, 2004, at 16:51:20
In reply to Re: How do I keep my room clean???, posted by fallsfall on January 7, 2004, at 13:08:34
No knick-knacks? Horror! I love to collect odd little items, bits of nature (rocks and twigs), postcards, junk (pieces of glass, interesting bottlecaps), etc and make little shrines out of them. Eventually they all get archived as I get tired of them. So I ended up with a couple boxes plus an entire tall dresser devoted to my knick-knack archives. I finally reduced my collection some, but I can never part with them all. The good thing is they're mostly in drawers where they don't get dusty. They're all sort of arranged on decorative tissue paper in the drawers. I go in and look at them now and then, and occasionally I revive old items for my active displays.
Posted by Dinah on January 7, 2004, at 16:54:10
In reply to How do I keep my room clean???, posted by jay on January 6, 2004, at 21:46:30
It's a lot less work. I am at peace with my clutter. I am one with my clutter.
If it weren't for the puppy eating all my son's toys and my books, I'd be just fine with clutter.
Dirt isn't good, but messy can be charming. (Or so I tell myself.)
Posted by Karen_kay on January 7, 2004, at 17:33:28
In reply to Re: Or learn to accept clutter...., posted by Dinah on January 7, 2004, at 16:54:10
No dirt, no mess ICK!!! I can't stand it!! I'm odd in that I throw EVERYTHING away! And I do mean everything. Pictures, clothes, shoes, bags, knick knacks, everything! I just don't keep so-called junk around. I regret some of it later. I'll go to my closet and say, "Hmmm, where's that sweater?" and suddenly remember I gave it to my friend. And pictures are the worst. My sister has more pictures of trips my boyfriend and I have taken together than I do. That's kinda sad :( But, I just despise junk! If I have junk around, then it creeps out! Like it has feet or something... I just don't get it???
Posted by socialdeviantjeff on January 7, 2004, at 20:59:28
In reply to Re: Or learn to accept clutter.... » Dinah, posted by Karen_kay on January 7, 2004, at 17:33:28
Well... You guys think you have neatness issues?! I live with my parents and have managed to turn my 10x12 room into a bedroom/computer room/aquarium&terrarium display/home theatre/library/music studio/storage room/livable space. I have an old military locker for a closet. I could write a book about neatness for convicts, xcept that it's never clean. Sometimes it's abysmal (like right now). It usually takes a couple weeks to build up to the cleaning point. Or I wait until I have angry Energy. Or when I switch meds. There's usually a three day window where I can clean up a little.
Yes, I am a slob. Half of it is the psychatric thing, the other half is having created my own little world in a space that is just too little. A couple of things: I don't let anything get moldy or mildewed or rot(a challenge with 2 fish tanks and 1 turtle tank) and I keep a huge HEPA filter on 24x7 for the tanks and to keep the garage smell out. I have also been known to do laundry once in a while.
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