Effective Tips Busy Parents Can Use To Keep An Organized Home Every Week

A busy home doesn't necessarily have to be messy and disorganized. While you may not have hours of time to devote to housework and decluttering each week, implementing strategies to keep things organized can massively reduce your workload and stress. For example, you can set up a household command center to organize activities and chores. Likewise, a mini clean-up kit in your kitchen or other mess-prone areas makes it easy for everyone to quickly tidy up after themselves after meals. Using a "catch-all bin" and putting a garbage can and laundry basket in each bedroom can also help turn your house from a chaotic mess to a stress-free space for enjoying family time.

One of the most essential tools for keeping a busy family home organized is the household command center. This is a space for everyone to track important weekly tasks and keep the rest of the family informed. One of the most crucial elements in a command center is the family calendar. It should be large and placed in a prominent spot, making it easy for your loved ones to monitor doctor's appointments, sports meets, work schedules, chores, and other key events. Knowing who is home when makes it easier to allocate tasks fairly and make vital decisions, like what to make for dinner. If you have younger children who are still learning to read, you can use pictures and stickers on your calendar instead of only words. Depending on the style you opt for, you can even incorporate the calendar into your design aesthetic. 

While deep cleaning and scrubbing still need to be done on occasion to make your home sparkle, many everyday cleaning tasks boil down to wiping up crumbs and spills. Consider putting together a small basket with sponges, towels, a mini-vac or dust broom, and anything other tools needed to tidy up quickly. Putting this kit in an easily accessible spot should remind your children to clean up after themselves. You should be mindful of your kids' ages when putting the kit together, as some items may be more age-appropriate than others. However, giving your children some basic housekeeping tools will keep your house more organized, while teaching your kids important life skills. 

Of course, having a kit with vital cleaning supplies isn't just helpful for kids. It also makes life much easier for busy adults in the house. Instead of spending time finding supplies to clean up a food spill (or worse, giving up and deciding to deal with it later), you can grab the kit and get rid of the mess before it leaves stains or dries up. Any basket or container can make a fine mini spill kit, but a shower caddy is one of the handiest options. Many are quite affordable, like the ALINK Plastic Shower Caddy Basket with Handle, which is only $15.99. Even better, since these caddies are plastic, you can easily rinse them if they begin to look a bit dirty.

In a perfect world, every object in your house would have a designated space — a space it would return to after each use. Unfortunately, this isn't always realistic. Instead of fretting when your kids don't put things where they belong, create a junk drawer or basket and stash these objects there. Then, at least once a week, everyone in the house can check the drawer and take anything of theirs back to its proper room and place.

If any objects remain in the basket for longer than a week and no one knows where they go, consider the possibility that they are clutter and should be donated or disposed of otherwise. If you decide not to give these things up, find them an "official spot" somewhere in the house so they'll be easier to put away next time.

Collecting candy wrappers and other random things from under beds and between couch cushions is often a major cleaning task. Placing a small garbage can in each room, and assigning someone the chore of emptying each can weekly, is an effective way to cut back on this mess. Many of these bins, like the Rubbermaid Spa Works Vanity Wastebasket (which is only $7.97), are affordable and cute enough to match any aesthetic.

While a garbage can cuts back on trash clutter in each room, keeping a laundry basket in bedrooms and bathrooms can limit the number of dirty socks and shirts that end up on the floor. Just assign someone the task of collecting the baskets each week and bringing them to the laundry room. With multiple laundry basket types available, finding styles and sizes that work for all your rooms should be a breeze.