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| How to Tackle a Messy Space |
Submitted by:
BGrant 06/12/2009 10:43 AM
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One day we had planned to barbecue our supper. My husband, thinking we were out of charcoal, drove off to a store ten miles away to buy more. After he left, I found where he had misplaced the charcoal. This is one of many ways that disorder costs money. Often people buy more clothes, tools and raw materials, because they can't find what they have. The disorder also takes up space that could be used for better purposes.
The charcoal episode was the last straw for me, as I had been asking my husband to clean the garage (his stuff) for years. I gave him a few months to clean his messy garage, or I would. I eventually did clean the whole garage, including his workshop. And that was the first of many times I have helped clean messy spaces for other people... friends, a relative and a non-profit.
In working with a number of people, I have come to understand that they haven't tackled their mess because it is overwhelming to them, and they don't know where to begin. In many cases they have lived with a disaster for many years, when in fact the space could be cleaned in a few hours. Even when initially I feel the task is too daunting, I move past my doubts by falling back on a series of steps to get me through the project. This is my method:
1) Remove all trash from the space. If cleaning for someone else, set these items aside for him/her to approve before throwing them out. Always assure people you will not throw away anything before they approve.
2) Remove all non-trash items you want to get rid of. You may box these items up to give away to a charity, save for your yard sale, or simply put them beside the road with a "FREE" sign. If it's going to a charity you might put those things right in the car, so you won't forget.
3) Put away everything that already has a designated place. So if cleaning a teenager's room, take dirty dishes downstairs, as well as any household items that belong somewhere else. Also put away his things that have a place in his room.
By now, you have some breathing room in this space, and it's time to start finding places to keep the remaining items. Before putting any item permanently away, sweep, clean or dust under that area.
4) Group similar things together. You might start with just making piles of things, such as all your paint cans. When you put the same things together, you see how much volume you have of that type of item, and it sort of speaks to you as to where that grouping goes, as it has to go some logical place where it will all fit.
5) At this point, you're down to the remaining random items and you have to get a little creative where to put them. You might start pounding nails into attic or garage rafters to hang things. Also look for easy containers for loose stuff. Some things can be stored in an ordinary shopping bag, hung by a nail. Long term you might need to find shelving or pegboard, if you don't already have adequate. Just work with what you have at the moment, and think about improving your storage system later. (If you run out and buy shelves today, it's expensive... if you wait, you might trash pick shelving or lumber.)
6) Square everything to the walls. When things are at hodgepodge angles it just looks messier. Random items simply squared to the wall always look nicer.
7) Stand back and survey your efforts. Look for items that are still out of place, or areas that could be further neatened.
In the most extreme cases, you may need to physically remove all items from this space (haul the garage mess out to the driveway) to sort it where you have more room. This is also a good strategy for someone who is reluctant to part with obvious junk. It's easy to keep something if you leave it where it is. If you move the items from it's current resting place, such as out to the driveway, the owner has to cart it back if he wants to keep it. Most of the time, he will throw it away.
A space that has been cleaned will quickly become messy again, unless you change your day-to-day habits. Whenever feasible, when you put things down, put them back in their right place. Make clean up a regular phase of your task. When my husband said his workshop was messy because he was doing projects, I countered that when we make supper, we always wash dishes and clean the kitchen after supper. In general, picking up and neatening is part of everyday life. |
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