My OCD Will Change How You Clean & Organize
Yes, you read it correctly. I have OCD. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cleaning and organizing is one of my favorite things to do and really helps me clear my mind and lower my anxiety. I also find that I’m pretty good at it. Something about seeing jeans perfectly folded, books lined up from tallest to shortest, bras lined up one behind the other (my favorite ones in the front of course), a clean and freshly vacuumed carpet, and perfume bottles in an impeccable row is so satisfying. It makes me feel simplistic and minimalistic which is an aesthetic for me. That’s a mouthful, isn’t it. Over the years, I have discovered some tricks and hints that I use when organizing and cleaning that I thought I’d share with you today. Let’s start with step 1.
Step 1: Decide What You Need to Clean & Organize.
This is a vital step because it determines what you need to clean and how long you may need. Do you need to clean or organize just an area of the room? Or do you need to do the whole room? How about the whole house? As the week goes on, normally each day I’ll find something I want to clean or organize, so I’ll make a note in my day-to-day planner. As the days go by, I’ll keep adding. If you don’t have a planner, then I suggest writing in the notes app on your phone. On this list, sometimes I add little things like vacuum, dust the tv, empty my trash, etc. The little things matter more than you think they do. In the end, you’ll feel much better that you did it. Sometimes I add bigger things like going through my clothes and donating some, going through my junk drawer(s), spray spider repellent in the interior and exterior of my room (my room is in the basement,lol. I hate spiders), etc. Once you have made this list, move on to step 2.
Step 2: Plan a Day to Clean & Organize
I find it so relaxing and beneficial to clean and organize on a day when I have no other plans. This way I am in no rush and I can take my time doing whatever I need to with breaks in between. Normally, if I know the days I have off of work and are free for the most part, I’ll write in my planner “Clean & organize Today”. Then, I will rewrite everything I need to clean and organize that I brainstormed the past few days in my planner. So, when the day comes that I decide to clean, I’ll have everything written down that I want to get done which will help me stay organized and on track. Also, I won’t go insane thinking about that one thing I forgot to write. There is something so satisfying about crossing things off on a to do list too, so fill up that list. Remember when I said even the little things count?
Step 3: Ah, the day has come. It’s time to clean and organize! I don’t think I can be the only one who gets excited about that. Today is the day we get to check those things off of our to do list and clear our minds. Not to mention, we’ll feel really good about how productive our day was when we go to sleep. I will say, I like to clean in comfy clothes, but not my pajamas. I recommended waking up and just putting on new pajamas as counterproductive as that may sound. I just feel a little bit cleaner and somewhat more put together. That’ll help me stay in a positive state of mind when cleaning and not be distracted. So, let’s get to work!
Now that the cleaning and organizing has begun, here are my tips and tricks when it comes to making a mess look organized.
1.) Get rid of anything in the mess that you have not used in a really long time or no longer need. Even if you really think you need it, have you used it in the last 6 months to a year?
2.) When organizing, try to find a box to put them in if it is a lot of little stuff. I bought some really cheap material boxes off Amazon that are perfect for organizing a lot of little things. Essentially what you’re doing here is making a lot of little things look like only one. Also, follow me on youtube to see my “clean & organize with me” video. I talk about this a lot.
Link to boxes & the lids make all the difference (Click me)
3.) For big things, try to organize by height, color, or shape or make lines out of things. For example, when organizing shoes, put them in straight lines with the matching shoe. For books, put the tallest book on the left side of the shelf and work your way down to the shortest towards the right side of the shelf. Unless your Arabic. (Click me) I find organizing books like this is so satisfying to the eye, especially for people with OCD.
4.) If you are trying to fit a bunch of stuff into a big drawer, try the same technique. If you have a stack of papers, put the biggest ones on the bottom and work your way through them with the smallest being on top. Try to strategically place everything else so smooth edges are against smooth edges. If you have something(s) that do not have straight edges and do not really flow with the rest of the drawer, simply dedicate a corner or section of the drawer to micenslaneous. Because all of the weird shaped things are together, it’ll look organized. This is of course if you do not have drawer organizers. If you do though, the same technique applies. Dedicate that one section of the organizer to things that you cannot find a place for or just does not look right in any other spot.
(pictures from google images)
5.) Solid faces out! What I mean by this is if you have an object that needs to go on a shelf, if one side is really bulky such as a lot of wires and dimensions and the other side is more solid and flat faced, choose to face the more flat and solid face outwards which will make the entire area look more organized and simple. Below are some pictures of this example perfectly shown. In one picture, the bulky hose of the vacuum is sticking out. It doesn’t look too good. I flipped it so the more solid face is facing outwards and it made all the difference!
6.) Congrats! (click me) You’ve done it and now your mind is clear and you’re a little less anxious. Your perfectly straight row of shoes, color coated racks of clothes, perfect line of perfume bottles, folded jeans, and the height oriented line of books looks great! I hope these cleaning and organizing tips from someone with OCD has helped you become an expert cleaner and organizer! Follow for more!
