For the most part, I have my Laundry Act together. It’s a rarity that someone doesn’t have clean underwear or my husband’s clothes aren’t ironed for the week.

But you know what I’ve found to be true, especially when it comes to mothers?

If you have your act together in one category, there’s another category that needs a lot of work.

Those people that seem like they are perfect in every aspect of life?  They can’t possibly do it all…

and do it all well. 

My Biggest Challenge at Home: Floors

I have several challenges that keep my home from being spic and span – I have 4 children 7 & under, we homeschool, there’s people here to dirty up this house all. day. long., the almost 2-year-old is the worst wall writer ever, on and on.

But my biggest challenge related to my actual house is our floors.

I detest keeping our floors clean.  Really, I do.

It’s never ending.  As soon as I vacuum, someone tracks dirt through the kitchen or someone spills Cheerios everywhere.

Note that I don’t say this as a complaint, just as fact.  I’m so very grateful there are little people in my house all day and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  However,  it does present a challenge that some other people might not face.

My worst issue was our kitchen floor.

I found it difficult to vacuum because it was overwhelming.  I had to take all of our kitchen throw rugs outside, shake them off, vacuum them, and then wash them every few weeks.  Next I vacuumed the floor, mopped the floor, and then put the rugs back.

The whole process from start to finish took about an hour.  I don’t have an hour to spend on one kitchen floor/hallway.  There had to be a better way.

And then it dawned on me. 

Get Rid of the Kitchen Rugs

It was an epiphany, and I’m not even exaggerating.

Get rid of the kitchen rugs.  So simple and the perfect solution.

Those rugs made the whole task seem completely overwhelming, not to mention the fact that I had to wash them, dry them, blah blah blah.

The Result

I got rid of the rugs in July and I haven’t looked back.

I vacuum the floor every morning right after breakfast and it takes about 10 minutes, start to finish.  (No, I don’t mop every day, although our floors could use it.)

What’s even better is that I don’t have to wash those rugs every few weeks.  I’m saving myself time, energy, and effort in my Laundry Routine.  I’ll take it.

Will they ever go back on my floor?  Probably not til my kids are much older and they are the ones that vacuum and mop the kitchen floor.

What’s the Point of This Post on Rugs?

I’m so glad you asked.  It really does relate to laundry, I promise.

For lots of people, laundry is completely overwhelming.  So much so, that they can’t make themselves start the task.  They are paralyzed with where to begin.

If you’re one of those people, think about why laundry is so overwhelming to you.  Is it because there’s so much of it?  Because people constantly wear the clothes you just washed?  Because you can’t get it all put away?  Because you have a million other things you need to do instead?

Your Laundry Task

If you are overwhelmed by laundry (like I was about my kitchen floor), figure out what the problem is.

Then figure out a very small solution.  It doesn’t have to be anything big like hiring a laundress once a week {although it could}.

My solution for my floor was to get rid of my kitchen rugs.  Your solution might be to teach your oldest child to fold clothes, or spend an evening at the laundromat getting caught up, or maybe even outsourcing it to a laundry service.

Whatever your own solution is this week, make sure you do it.  Don’t just dream about how great it would be to have a houseful of clean clothes, actually follow through with it and do it.

You’ll be so proud of yourself and you’ll love your results.

What is the kitchen rug in your Laundry Routine that you need to get rid of?

I’ve shared with you several times how I store our children’s clothes for future use.  (Yes, we do have 4 children and before you ask, we’re not sure if we’re having more little ones.  So for the meantime, we’re storing all children’s clothes in the attic.)

This week I am doing the Great Clothing Swap.  I tend to complain write about it with each change of the season and this one is no different.   My technique is only becoming more refined, which means good things for you.  I pass along all of the mistakes I make so you won’t make the same ones.

So here is a list of my best tips if you’re getting ready to do The Swap yourself.  Hopefully it will save you a little time and effort as you sort through your own children’s clothes.

Have your storage containers ready before you start.

I use XL Ziploc bags, which you can find at any Walmart or Target.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sorted the kids’ clothes into beautiful little piles and I don’t have a Ziploc bag to put them in.  I’m fresh out.  Then that beautiful pile of sorted clothes will sit on someone’s dresser for weeks on end until I have time to go to the store for more bags.

It’s taken me years to learn this, but one trick to not having those piles is to have a stash of bags on hand.  Whether you use XL Ziploc bags or stackable totes or under-the-bed Space Bags, make sure you have enough of them before you start a big Clothing Swap Project.

Be realistic about what is necessary to keep.

If you have an overabundance of clothes, be very realistic about what is actually needed.  We’ve been blessed by hand-me-downs so many times since having children.  If we receive a bag of clothes, I go through it carefully to see if it is in fact pieces we really need.  If not, I take out the ones we don’t and pass them along to someone who can use them.

Also, go through clothes carefully at the end of the season.  If your child hasn’t worn an item or if you see that she has 7 pairs of jeans (way too many!), make sure it goes in the ‘donate’ pile.  There’s no need to take up premium space to store clothes that your younger child won’t wear or won’t need.

Mend items before storing them.

Buttons fall off and seams rip.  You won’t believe how thrilled you’ll be if you make those repairs before storing those clothes for the next child down.  Conversely, it is quite disheartening to get a bag down from the attic and the top 3 items need to be mended.  If you’re like me, you just take those items out and you’re certain that you’ll “repair them later” only for them to sit on your dresser for weeks on end.

Can you relate?!

Make sure the clothes are completely dry before storing.

Last week, I opened a bag of 24-month clothes for my baby (my baby!  Boo hoo.) and WOW was it not a pleasant smelling bag.  Apparently there was an item that had not dried completely before I sealed up the bag.  I had to send the whole bag through the wash on the steam sanitize cycle and the mildew-y smell disappeared.

I occasionally take clothes straight from the dryer and bag them up if I know they won’t be worn again that season.  Apparently I did that in this case and one article wasn’t completely dry.

So lesson learned: always make sure clothes are completely dry before storing in their containers.

Have a plan about where excess clothes will go.

So what are you going to do with those clothes that you’re certain your younger child won’t wear?  What are you going to do with those 4 pairs of jeans that the next child won’t need?

Have a plan in place: take them to Goodwill, send them to your neighbor for her children, or donate them to a local charity.  Whatever you choose, just have a firm plan in mind.

If you don’t, you’ll have piles of clothes sitting around.  Ask me how I know.

Give yourself a deadline.

If you’re doing the Great Clothing Swap at the change of seasons, give yourself a deadline.  I live in North Carolina, where it’s 65 one day and 83 the next.  I’m not a fan of that unpredictable weather, mainly because I have to have out 2 seasons’ worth of clothes for the 6 people in our family.  That’s a lot of clothes to deal with.  It’s much better if the amount of clothing choices are limited in order to keep clothing clutter at bay.

So my deadline is November 1st.  All summer clothes have to be sorted, bagged, and in the attic by November 1st.  If it’s 80 degrees after that date, the kids will just have to sweat in long pants and long sleeves.  I’m only kidding.  Sort of.

Have a specific area for when you later find out-of-season clothes.

Because you will.  You will forget about those clothes stuffed in the diaper bag or the ones in the “car bag” left in the trunk, or the extras kept at Grandma’s house.

Decide now how you’ll deal with those and where you’ll put them.  Maybe you need a bin on top of the dryer solely for that purpose.  Maybe you need a dedicated area on your closet shelf.  I personally keep a labeled Ziploc bag in each child’s closet and throw them in there when they’re found.  When the bag is full, up to the attic it goes.

If you don’t have a plan for randomly found clothes, you’ll be dealing with swimsuits in January.  Believe me.

Do you store clothes for younger children?  What are your best tips for storing children’s clothes?

I get endless emails from readers who want to learn how to iron their clothes so they look as if they were professionally ironed.  Dry cleaning is expensive and people are looking for ways to save on every day costs.

Last year, I posted a video on YouTube with 2 of my tips for ironing the perfect pair of pants.

Now I’ve created another video with 2 more tips  for ironing the perfect pair of pants.   So the next time you iron a pair of pants, implement these 2 suggestions.  You’ll love your fabulously pressed finished product. 

(If you’re reading in RSS Feed or via email, you’ll have to click through to view the video.)

A common complaint I hear from readers is that their “laundry room” is in a horribly less-than-ideal location, such as the garage or the basement.  Laundry is difficult enough to manage without having to wash clothes in a place that was really meant to park a car.

So today we’re going to talk about ways you can still have a “laundry room”  in your garage without losing your mind.

There are some simple strategies you can implement to make your laundry room/garage seem more tolerable.  And all of them don’t involve money (yay!).  So read through these solutions and make a plan to make your laundry room experience in your garage a little more bearable.

Get It Clean.  I mean really clean.

When I was growing up, my best friend’s parents had their laundry room in their garage.  And it was the cleanest garage I’ve ever seen to date.  Y’all, my friend’s mom vacuumed the garage floor.  That’s some serious cleaning right there.

I’m not saying that you need to go vacuum your garage floor (although you could if that kind of thing makes your heart sing), but starting with a good, thorough cleaning would make your laundry room/garage seem 100 times better.

Take as many items out of your garage that you can.  Sweep down all of the cobwebs, get rid of the spiders, giveaway any and everything that needs to go to a new home, and sweep the floor meticulously.

You will not believe how much better you’ll feel just completing this one step.  No one likes to work in gross conditions, whether that room is your garage or not.

Now, if you can’t take more than 3 steps in your garage without tripping over something, that’s a different issue.  You’ll need to devote a weekend (or two) to getting rid of a few things.  But I promise you: it feels so good to have things straight and clean.  You’ll be ridiculously more productive in a place where you can actually walk around.

Organize your laundry space.

After everything is nice and clean, you need to organize your laundry space.  Now you may have to spend a little bit of money here, as organizing supplies/shelving aren’t always cheap.

But I will assure you if you can get the space clean and organized, it won’t seem so tortuous, despite the fact that you’re in the garage.

Do you have overhead cabinets you can use in your laundry area?  Can you install some utility-type shelving above your washer and dryer?  Would it work better in your particular space to have a rolling cart to house your laundry supplies?

Since a garage is a little different than having a ‘real’ room, you will probably have to be a bit more creative in finding the perfect organizing solution for you.

Spruce it up a little.

Just because your laundry room is really a garage doesn’t mean it has to be dark and dreary.

Can you paint the corner of your garage where your washer and dryer sit?  Are the windows where you could put up a nice valance?  Is there a spot to hang a bulletin board with all of your favorite little stain makers?  After your floor is clean (see above), is there room to put a small rug?

You know your own style.  If you prefer things on the plainer side, then streamline.  If you prefer things to be pretty with flair, search Pinterest for some fabulous laundry room inspiration and get busy.

Make it look like a place you actually want to be.

Adjust the temperature.

I’m not sure how it works up north, but here in the south we don’t have temperature-controlled garages.  It’s no fun doing laundry in a steamy hot garage when it’s 95 degrees outside.  And I can imagine it’s even worse going out to the garage when it’s freezing cold.

So how do you have to modify your garage to make it bearable in more extreme temperatures?  Do you need to put in a space heater?  A garage fan?  An all-in-one heating/cooling window unit?

Do you need to insulate your garage door?  The garage windows?

Could you install one of those shop lights that radiates a lot of heat to help out in the cold winter months?

The trick to this step is implementing your fix before the temperatures become extreme.  I can promise you will be much less cranky if you choose to install that garage fan in 70 degree weather as opposed to 98 degree weather.

Prevent trouble before it starts.

To prevent future headaches, make sure you take care of these problems before they happen to you.

• Make sure you vent your dryer to the outside.  And by all means, please make sure your dryer vent is clean.  I just heard of another dryer fire in our community this past week caused by a clogged dryer vent.
• If you live in an area that has the occasional freezing temperatures, make sure your water lines to your washer are insulated.  Frozen pipes are no fun.  A garage full of water after the pipes unfreeze is even less fun, I would imagine.

photo source: AngryJulieMonday via Flickr Creative Commons

My husband and I bought our front loading washer and dryer in November of 2007 – a whopping five years ago.  When I was a faithful coupon shopper, I bought detergent bottles where the top is screwed back on after use.  Those are the detergent bottles that hold anywhere from 32-64 loads.

However, I haven’t coupon shopped since I had our fourth baby {oh the shame!}.  And since my laundry life is a little on the high-maintenance side, I buy laundry detergent in the bulk-size containers exclusively now.

Since I’ve started using the bulk dispenser, my detergent cup consistently looks like this:

Awful, isn’t it?

Imagine my sheer delight when I removed the cup from a brand new detergent bottle and just happened to look at the bottom.  The cup states very clearly: Toss in wash or rinse and let dry.

Say what? My little detergent cup has looked disgusting on my beautifully organized washer top for the past two years?!

Just throw the detergent cup in with the load of clothes.

That’s laundry life changing information right there!

A Word of Caution About Your Laundry Detergent Cup

If you’re like me and this is brand new information, let me give you a word of caution: don’t throw the cup in with the wash every single time.  Only throw it in every 3-4 loads.

Front loading washers spin at extremely high speeds.  After washing my detergent cup repeatedly, it did warp and look like it wouldn’t make it to the end of the laundry bottle. So be cautious in just haphazardly throwing it in the wash every single load.

Which Detergent Has These Washable Cups?

While doing a monthly shopping trip at BJ’s this past weekend, I looked at all of the detergents in the laundry aisle.  All of the major brands – Tide, Arm & Hammer, All, Gain, Era – seem to have a cup that can be washed in the machine.

The brand name bulk fabric softeners – Downy, Gain, Snuggle – also contained this washable wonder cup.

So did you know?  Did you know those little cups can be thrown in the washing machine with the dirty clothes?  

Are you a family that uses tablecloths and cloth napkins often?   We mainly use them around the holiday season here at the Hill House.  I think people (meaning me) often don’t use nicer cloths and napkins because we perceive it as work to get them ready for an event and then to get them clean after said event.

But the steps to taking care of tablecloths and napkins don’t have to be difficult.  It’s especially helpful if you store them correctly in the first place.  I’ve written extensively on the proper care of tablecloths and cloth napkins.  Hopefully, one of these posts will answer all of your fine linen questions.  If not, ask away in the comments below.

How to Wash, Iron, & Store Tablecloths and Cloth Napkins

How to Care for Tablecloths – This is the go-to source if you’re looking for specific washing instructions.  It also includes information for storing your tablecloths to avoid those square folding lines.  Ironing instructions are also in this post.

Caring for Table Linens during the Holiday Season

Since people tend to use cloth napkins and tablecloths during the holiday season, I’ve written several posts around that.  Make sure you bookmark these and return to them in mid-late October.  You’ll be so happy you already have the post bookmarked and can find it easily when you’re wondering how to remove that awful stain or how to prepare yourself for the holiday parties you’ll host.

Preparing Your Table Linens for Holiday Parties – This post includes ideas and a small planning guide to prevent you from waiting until the last minute to get your holiday linens ready.  Unlike food, table linens are something you can prepare far in advance and then cross off of your to-do list, leaving room for more important last minute items.

Caring for Tablecloths and Cloth Napkins – This post contains specific stain removal advice for tablecloths and napkins. If you’re battling a lasagna stain (tomato-based) and a red wine stain (tannin), well… it can get tricky. Make sure you know how to properly care for stains so you can use your table linens for years to come.

Stain Removal Guide for the Holidays – If you’ve made it through your holiday meal without spilling anything on the tablecloth, I’d call that laundry success!  However, if you need detailed stain removal advice for your table linens this is what you should read.

There are more Room by Room posts to go around if you’re looking for more ideas regarding the laundry room:

Jami from An Oregon Cottage writes on her dining room transformation before and after.

Christine from I Dream of Clean gives tips on Cleaning Off the Dining Room Table.

Taylor from Stain Removal 101 shares tips and tricks to make the job of cleaning silver seem a little easier.

Dana from A Slob Comes Clean talks about keeping the dining room table under control.

It seems like children’s clothes get out of control so quickly! It is always the worst when we are in between seasons, when it’s not consistently hot or cold.

Over the years, I’ve tried so hard to keep our children’s clothes in check.  Here are the methods that keep me sane.  Hopefully you can use these ideas in your own home and finally get a grip on your children’s clothes.

Designate a place for your child’s dirty clothes

Do your kids have a spot where their dirty clothes should go each time they take them off?  Even more importantly: Do they know where that spot is?

My girls put their clothes in a hamper that is strategically placed right beside my 3-year-old’s bed.  She can’t miss it.   Before I placed the hamper by her bed, there were dirty clothes all over her floor, all of the time.   It is her job to take her dirty clothes from the bathroom floor to her dirty hamper every night.  It took many run-throughs to teach her this task, but she gets it now and does a great job.

Task: Designate a specific place for your children to put their dirty clothes.  It should be the same spot every day and shouldn’t move (hamper in the bathroom, basket in their closet, sort them in the laundry room, etc).  Do a run-through where you instruct your child where to put their dirty clothes and then watch them do the job to make sure it meets your satisfaction.  Make your expectations clear.

Sort and purge their clothes…and then purge some more

I have found that when we have too many clothes (we have been blessed with so many hand-me-downs!), that drawers are overstuffed and there isn’t room to hang anything else in the closets.  I then go through clothes and purge heavily. It makes me crazy for clothes to hang out of every drawer in the dresser. I also don’t like for my son to have an excuse not to put his clean clothes away: “Mama, I couldn’t possibly put my clothes away.  I can’t put anything else in the drawers.”  That doesn’t fly with this Mama.

Task:  Go through each article of clothing and make a quick decision without spending a ton of time on each piece.  Get rid of it if: it’s stained, it’s too small/too large, you don’t like it, they won’t wear it, it’s too high maintenance (ex: has to be hand-washed).  Before you purge have a plan in place for what you’ll do with the items you’re giving away.  Take them to Goodwill, donate to a friend, or throw them away if they’re really awful.  But whatever you do, don’t leave them lying around in bags for weeks on end.  Go ahead and get them out of your house.

If you plan to keep clothes for future babies, set up a method

We do save our clothes for any future children.  We already have 4, but, well…you never know.  I’ve written a detailed post on how to organize your children’s clothes for future use.  Feel free to browse through that to get some ideas of what would work for your own family.  But like anything else, use what you can and forget the rest.

If you get a system in place that works for you (works for you is key there), you can rotate them out like clockwork.  It’s so freeing.  Really.

Task: Read through my post on storing children’s clothes.  Determine what method you’ll use (mine or someone else’s) and then buy the items you’ll need to successfully use that method.  Then get to work sorting and putting away.

Teach your children age-appropriate laundry skills

The goal to making your laundry life easier is your children to be self-sufficient in the laundry room.  No, I don’t mean forcing them to wash their own clothes at 5 years old or anything drastic like that.  But at 5 years old, there are definite ways they can help in the laundry room.  Encourage laundry skills early so they’ll just see it as part of taking care of themselves, like brushing their teeth or making their bed.

Here are a few (loose) guidelines if you need some direction.  Of course every child is different, so it’s up to you to determine how much they can really help and what their responsibilities should be.

18 months – 3 years: With lots of direction they can: put their own dirty clothes in the hamper (“Please pick up this sock.  Put it in the hamper.”), pick up stray clothes around the house, pick up those clothes that fall out of the basket when you’re walking to/from the laundry room

3 to 6 years:  All of the previous responsibilities, plus: empty trash can in the laundry room, empty the lint filter, daily pick up of strewn laundry around the house, simple folding (washcloths, underwear), match and fold socks, put some clothes away, bring laundry basket to mom.

7 to 9 years: All of the previous responsibilities, plus: put the sorted clothes in the washing machine, transfer wet clothes from washer to dryer, sort clothes into darks/whites, empty clothes from dryer into laundry basket, put all of their own clothes away.

10+ years: All of the previous responsibilities, plus: Load machine with correctly sorted clothes, add detergent, and turn machine to correct cycle.  This is after you’ve instructed and supervised them multiple times and you feel confident in their ability.

13+ years: Some 13-year-olds are fully capable of being solely responsible for washing their own clothes.  It’s definitely a great goal to strive for complete responsibility by 15 or 16. They need to leave your house knowing how to get their own clothes clean.

So how do you keep your kids’ clothes under control?  Share your best tips.

Interested in more posts related to Kids’ Rooms?  See what the other Room to Room bloggers have to say:

Dana is writing on when you’re worried your kids will grow up to be on Hoarders.  Oh my.

Taylor is writing on the best methods to wash stuffed animals.

Lastly, Jami is sharing 5 Tips to transition a kid’s room to a teen’s room.

I find that there are two types of Laundry Room owners: those that have a spot-less, un-cluttered laundry room and those that happily shut the door and pretend it’s not a disaster in there.

Just for the record, I have been both of those types in my life. With 4 children under the age of 7, I tend to teeter on the shut-the-door side at the moment.

Despite my family who seems to work against me in all-things-cleaning, here are Mama’s best tips for keeping the laundry room in order.

Ensure that only items that should be in the laundry room are actually in the laundry room

I know. It seems obvious, right? I believe that every home has a catch-all spot which houses all of those things you don’t really know what to do with. That’s where the saying “A place for everything and everything in its place” comes in handy.

If you’re looking to get a handle on your laundry room, designate some other area of the house to be that catch-all spot: the mud room, the table by the back door, where ever. Just make sure it’s not your laundry room.

You may need to spend 30 minutes (or a couple of days) purging all of those non-laundry room items. Either get rid of them completely or find them a new spot in your home.

Note: Some people use a portion of the laundry room as storage for other items, our house included. If you choose to use your laundry room for other types of items, make sure they have their own spot. We designate the top shelf to storing other items and it works out well for us.

Add the Laundry Room to your monthly cleaning rotation

If your Laundry Room takes a lot of abuse or is very visible (right beside the back door, for example) you might need to even add it to your list of weekly cleaning tasks. If you purposely carve out time to manage your laundry room, it can only get  so cluttered and disorganized every month.

It’s a room like any other: the baseboards need to be wiped down, the trashcan needs emptying and the light fixture needs the occasional cleaning. Not to mention that your washer and dryer need to be cleaned regularly.

Try putting it on your schedule for a month or two. I guarantee you’ll see improvement.

Organize your laundry room with baskets

Baskets are an easy way to organize your laundry room. They house little objects that might otherwise clutter up a counter or – worse yet – the tops of your washer and dryer.

Baskets also go back to the “everything in their place” saying. If you keep your miscellaneous items in a basket, you’ll know exactly where the scissors are every time you need to remove a tag. You’ll also know where to return them when you’re finished.

Baskets don’t have to be expensive. I purchased the ones in this picture from Walmart for $6 each and they’ve lasted for 3+ years. I can’t tell you the headaches they’ve saved me from knowing where to find those needed items.

Always keep the floor clean

Always. No exceptions.

That picture up there?  That’s the tornado that I know awaits me if I don’t keep the floor picked up.  It’s only taken me 10 years of marriage to figure that out.

If the floor is clean in your laundry room, I can almost guarantee that you are caught up on laundry and don’t have a 10-foot-tall laundry pile waiting on you. It would also mean that you adhered to tip #1 where you only have laundry items in your laundry room.

(Is it just me or do random things sneak into your laundry room too? Old Halloween outfits, a bike horn, a baseball. I have no idea how it happens. Oh wait. Yes, I do.)

There is a direct correlation between the state of my laundry room floor and the rest of my laundry room. If the floor is a disaster, the rest of the room is as well. So I know when my floor is a wreck that I need to kick it up a notch.

So if you are blessed with a laundry room (I know some of you don’t and you have my greatest sympathies – seriously), what are your top tricks to keeping it clean and straight? Do tell.

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Can’t wait for other laundry room ideas?  Head over to these other Room by Room bloggers and read away:

Jami from an Oregon Cottage is giving tips on sprucing up the laundry room in 30 minutes or less.

Taylor from Stain Removal 101 is teaching how to clean the washing machine and get rid of smells.

Christine from I Dream of Clean talks about ways to save money and go green in the laundry room.

Lastly, Nony from A Slob Comes Clean is writing all about the old debate of  hanging versus folding.

The Master Bedroom seems to be a hot spot for clutter, especially for that of the clothing variety.

You know how it is: people are coming over and you’ve run around the house putting miscellaneous items (clutter) in a laundry basket to be “dealt with” later.  So what do you do?

You put that basket on your bedroom floor.  You’ll sort through it…tomorrow.  Right?

It turns out that you don’t sort through it tomorrow and then you end up putting today’s clothes that were hardly worn on top of the basket.  You’re going to wear them again tomorrow, so there’s no real need to hang them up.  You laid them out nice and flat for their future wearing.

And then you finish folding all of the clothes that are on your bed, but you don’t quite get them put away.  So you put those piles of clothes on your dresser to put away later.  Very soon, your dresser looks like this.  After awhile, you start to wonder if you even have a dresser under there because it’s been so long since you’ve seen the top.

Not that I would know anything about that at all, as this has never happened to me.

{Ahem.}

To prevent your bedroom from looking like mine did once upon a time, here are some tips to point you in the right direction.

Have a plan for dirty clothes

Create and implement a plan for dirty clothes. Determine where those dirty clothes are going to go when you take them off of your body.  Also plan for how they’ll be sorted for wash day. The most important step: Make sure everyone knows the Dirty Clothes Plan.  If it drives you crazy that your spouse throws his/her clothes all over the floor, go through the plan with him and make sure he knows what to do.

Make the Dirty Clothes Plan easy to implement

Whatever Dirty Clothes Plan you choose for the Master Bedroom, make sure it is easy to implement.  I guarantee that your plan isn’t going to work if you have to jump through a bunch of hoops.  Don’t buy laundry baskets that are hard to open or are too small.  If at all possible, make sure the laundry baskets are close to the place that people are getting undressed.  If they have to remember to take their clothes some place special (say from the bathroom floor to the laundry room), your plan might not work from the get go – it’s too much trouble.

Make your plan as easy and streamlined as possible for maximum compliance from the other people in your house.

Purge as many clothes as you can

Having too many clothes causes all sorts of problems: your dresser drawers won’t close, you don’t wash clothes often because you just know there’s something available to wear, you always have a mountain of clothes to wash because you can go so long between washings, clothes are perpetually strewn about because you have too many clothes in your system.

By purging unnecessary clothes, you eliminate a good deal of clothes that are on your bedroom floor or draped across the chair.  You have to put them in the dirty clothes pile because you have to wash them in order to have something to wear.

It’s like forced self-discipline.

Don’t put clothes on any flat surface

Don’t put a pile of folded clothes on any flat surface in your bedroom – not your dresser, not your ironing board that should be put away, and not your beautiful cedar chest that’s in the corner.

Just put the clothes away in the correct places.  Period.

Can’t figure out how to make that happen?  Sabotage yourself.

How do you keep clean clothes put away and dirty clothes off of the floor in your bedroom?

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Interested in other Master Bedroom Ideas?  Hop on over to these other Room by Room Bloggers for a few great ideas:

Christine from I Dream of Clean is talking about spring cleaning your bedroom. (That post will be up first thing Wednesday morning, but go check out her FABulous Spring Cleaning Challenge (with amazing prizes) that’s her top post through tonight!)

Taylor from Stain Removal 101 is sharing a bedroom cleaning checklist you can use for yourself or your kids, when you tell them to “go clean your room” so they know what is expected, and can do it with less supervision and with better results, the first time.

Jami from An Oregon Cottage will inspire you with her frugal decorating expertise in a post titled: Shop The House To Refresh A Bedroom.

If all this bedroom talk depresses you because yours is a disaster, check out the amazing transformation Nony from A Slob Comes Clean accomplished in her own disastrous master bedroom in less than ninety minutes!

Remember my post on 28 Days to Hope for Your Home?  In case you missed it, it’s a guide to getting your house under control in 4 weeks.  It’s written by Nony from A Slob Comes Clean and it is nothing but top-notch.

I’ve read every word of 28 Days to Hope for Your Home and you are welcome to peruse my review.

Nony is selling the book at $4 for the month of February (it’s typically $7.99).  However, for the last 2 days of the month (February 28 & 29), she’s slashing the price to $2.

Yes, you read correctly, $2.

You can’t even by a latte for $2.  But you can get a handle on your home.

So head on over and buy yourself a copy.  Make sure you enter the code HOPE to receive your discount.

If you need a little pep talk, here’s Nony’s latest vlog with her oh-so-fabulous lip gloss.  You’ll probably need to click through to see the video if you’re reading this in email or in a reader.

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