HOW TO ORGANIZE A BIG MESS...START TO FINISH

This past Saturday I spent a few hours cleaning out our kitchen pantry and the cabinet above our stove, that also holds pantry items.

I had the house to myself and no plans so I took my time, listened to a few podcast episodes, sanitized everything, threw a lot of stuff away, and organized everything. IT FELT GREAT.

Since we didn't have any plans I was able to take my time, even leaving to run to the store to pick up a few baskets, and organize everything to work just for us. Now if I didn't have enough time I probably wouldn't have even started that project, because I hate being rushed when cleaning/organizing. If I'm rushed when it comes to organizing then it's just not going to get done the way I want it to be and will quickly turn into a mess again very soon after I finish, but with having time to take everything out, look at what works for us and what didn't (hello crazy big mess) I am able to change things up a bit. Below I'll share the steps to organizing a big mess using our pantry as an example since that's the big mess I tackled this past weekend.

Since I love seeing before and after pictures let's start with that

If you look at the 'before' picture then you will see a hot mess. Cans literally about to fall off the shelf, the shelves on the door are overflowing, things are everywhere and have no order whatsoever. If you look at the 'after' picture then you will see an organized pantry! Things are in their place, there are TWO empty shelves on the door, and I don't have to worry about anything falling out when I open the door. 

Step ONE |

The first thing I did was find a podcast I wanted to listen to and then I began pulling everything out of our pantry. I laid everything out on our counters so that once I was finished I could go through and decide on what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to dispose of. 

Step TWO |

We have a few of the 3-tier cabinet organizers and this 2- tier cabinet lazy susan in our pantry and they are a life saver for us!! I love them and use them all the time. After I emptied the pantry I took all of the organizers that I have and let them soak in hot soapy water while I went through everything else, and then washed them really well before putting them back in the pantry.

I also wiped down all the shelves in the pantry and then vacuumed the pantry floor.

Step THREE |

After that was done I went through everything on the counters. Some stuff was outdated, some stuff we didn't need anymore, some boxes had one thing left in it, and some things I have no idea how it ended up in our pantry.

Step FOUR |

Once that part was finished, I started putting things back in the pantry, but this time everything had a certain spot. I put the things we use daily at eye level an the things we don't use often on the very top shelf. This also helps when it comes tome to make my grocery list. If I can't see something in our pantry when I open the door then I sometimes assume we are out of it and will order more of it. Which in the long run wastes money and causes clutter in our pantry. 

 Two EMPTY shelves after I was finished...woo hoo! I plan on finding a small container to put on one of those shelves that will hold snacks, that we can just easily grab out of there on our way out the door.

The fourth shelf houses all of our pasta/rice items and chicken/beef broth (I buy it in bulk when it goes on sale!) I need a basket for my lemons!

 On the bottom shelf I used containers similar to these (I found them at Home Goods for around $5 a piece) and placed certain items in them. Most of the bottom shelf/containers hold all of our baking items. I love those clear containers, they are the perfect size and since they are clear I can see everything in them.

The third shelf houses all of our canned goods. I have two of the 3-tier organizers on this shelf. I can see at all times what canned goods we have, makes it SO much easier when making out my grocery list!

On the second shelf is our bread/tortillas and our pantry lazy susan. Again, this thing is a life saver and I use it whenever I cook. I love being able to see every spice/seasoning mix that I have by just turning this thing. Behind it is our extra flour and sugar. I like to keep those things in a clear container above the stove, so I store the extra behind the pantry lazy susan since I don't use them daily.

Step FIVE |

After everything is back in the pantry and organized you'll probably need to wipe down your counters and vacuum your kitchen. I didn't realize stuff dropped out of certain boxes when moving everything back and forth and had sugar, flour, etc. on the counters and floor. Also, you'll probably need to empty your trash after! We had a ton of boxes and out dated items in ours.

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HOW TO ORGANIZE A BIG MESS...START TO FINISH

HOW I DO IT: CLEANING SCHEDULE

Once we moved into our new house I knew I would need to create a cleaning schedule. I spent a good bit of time researching how often you should clean things and that's how I came up with this list. I'll be honest and say that I didn't even think of cleaning some of the things listed below as often as recommended...glad I did my research!

I just printed this out and posted it inside of my planner and in our laundry room so I can see it often.

• Honestly some of the weekly stuff doesn't get done each week. Things come up and plans change, and sometimes that is just out of our control.

If this is the case I get to it as soon as I can. One of my biggest pet peeves is having a dirty and cluttered bathroom counter, and about 99% of the mess comes from me. I get makeup on the counter and I leave hair products and styling tools out. I try my best to put stuff up when I'm finished, but if I'm in a rush it gets left out and I will put it up later, I try to not let the little things stress me out ;)

• My 15 minute power clean on the daily checklist...aka I like going to bed with everything straightened up and put in it's place. 

That means, remote controls put in their basket, coffee table straightened up (magazines, candles, etc.), kitchen counters cleaned off (mail sorted and put up, breakfast/lunchboxes laid out and ready for the next morning, etc.), our shoes and jackets put up in their place, any throw blankets folded and put back in the crates under our coffee table, and pillows straightened up and in their place. I love being able to come downstairs in the morning and seeing everything in it's place and organized! If you don't do this, try it a couple of times and see how much of a difference is makes the next morning! Also, please note: it does not take me 15 minutes each and every day. Some days it takes 2 minutes and sometimes it takes all 15. Either way, it's 15 minutes or less!

• As far as the monthly, quarterly section I just take a chore or two, depending on how much time I have, and work on it during the weekend, or if I'm feeling up to it and have time during the week.

For example, if I see the weather is going to be nice and I have some extra time I will clean the front and back door windows and outside windows. Other things can be done even when I'm not there, such as cleaning our pillows. Just throw them in the washer that morning when I wake up and then throw them in the dryer as soon as I get back home. 

• Bigger chores such as purging closets or organizing the garage will take a good chunk of time, so when I see we have weekend with no plans I will try to plan on doing a bigger chore then.

Like I said in my meal planning post,  I used to dread cleaning our home, but now I look at it as a way to serve my husband, respect and take care our home. It's all about what kind of attitude you have towards things, and when I think of cleaning our house in those ways I am able to enjoy it a little more now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping for joy to clean, but thinking about these things makes the mundane tasks bearable. 

Here are some verses that I have read that help me keep a positive attitude on this:
Proverbs 31:27
She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 14:1
The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.


I also have a cleaning playlist on my Spotify that helps pass the time while I'm cleaning. There is a little bit of everything on that playlist...don't judge!

You can download the cleaning schedule here.

Other How I Do It posts:
How I Do It: Meal planning for 2
How I Do It: Grocery shopping (online)

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HOW I DO IT: CLEANING SCHEDULE

GARBAGE DISPOSAL BOMBS

I am just full of stuff to share with y'all this week (read: I'm trying to clear my camera roll on my phone!) I have had these pictures on my phone for a few weeks and have been meaning on sharing this with y'all. 

I didn't grow up with a garbage disposal and my college apartment didn't have one so when I moved into our apartment after we got married I realized we had one and was super pumped. I probably use it everyday to every other day. I throw just about all of our scraps in there and then turn it on and just go on. Well soon after I realized it was leaving a bad odor. My MIL recommended throwing some sliced up lemons down there and that ice sharpens the blades. So I immediately thought of making making ice cubes with lemons in them...garbage disposal bombs! The lemons and vinegar are great cleaning products and the ice sharpens your garbage disposal blades. 

Here is what you'll need:

- 1-2 lemons

- Vinegar

- Ice tray (these were 2 for $1 at Wal-Mart!)

- Water

I fill each space half way with vinegar and then I usually add 3-4 pieces of lemon into the water. Once the lemons are in place I fill the rest of the way with water.

I put them in the freezer and leave them over night. 

The next day I'll take them out and put in a large freezer zip lock bag. I put them in a zip lock bag to avoid my whole freezer smelling like vinegar :)

and here is a closer look at them!

They are really easy to make and most of the stuff you already have on hand! I usually use 2-3 at a time depending on what just went into the garbage disposal. I always make sure I have these on hand when we are having a dinner party and I know there will be a lot of stuff to throw away after. Like back at Friendsgiving, after I cleaned up the kitchen and the dishes were put away I just threw 3 of these into the garbage disposal and turned it on. It left a nice lemon aroma in our kitchen and I didn't have to worry about any leftover foods stinking the place up! 

A few things:

- Instead of lemons you could also try oranges or limes. 

- I only use those ice trays for these.

- If the vinegar smell is too much for you, then you could just use water. 

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GARBAGE DISPOSAL BOMBS