Right I've finally worked out that a totally clutter free house is the way to go but

[nikos]

how to I get to that point. I've just dropped ds off for a playdate at a house which had no clutter, nothing on the surfaces except for ornaments. And it looked amazing. Very calm. I want to be like that. But those of you with houses like that, how do you do it?
I imagine that I would either never stop tidying or would have to get rid of most of the stuff I own. Do you have to develop an attitude of having few possessions?

Sounds heavenly - got no advice but would welcome some!

cupboards was the answer in my previous house, this one - a nightmare!!

[Scrummie watches this with interest...]

I don't have anything out on surfaces and my house looks very tidy. The thing is I don't have any of those things- no ornaments or stuff. I don't like candles or similar. I have the toys in cupboards and the kids bedrooms.

having good storage is key. I like my house to look like that, but at the moment it is resembling something very different!!

So much stuff and no where to put it all!! I am having a major sort through at the moment, room by room. Get the kids involved, giving toys to charity they no longer use or have a carboot sale with bits you don't want.

One thing i would say is don't shove stuff in the drawers. I have been guilty of this many times in the past and then went i wanted something i could never find it!

Start with one cupboard at a time.

Let us know how it goes :D

suwoo can you come to my house please-be my aggie?

weve been in our new house since mid dec,all started well but now the clutters appearing.

IKEA is great for "storage solutions" - actually having somewhere to put things has started to make a big difference to my house.

Watching with interest.
No candles or ornaments but still no flat empty space. Have lots of storage but things seem to creep out of the cupboards in the middle of the night...

Jajas, I must be sterile with no personality then .

My personality is revealed in the style of my decor though I think. I don't really have photos or anything at all out. The TV is on the wall which makes the room look tidier. DVD's etc are all in cupboards. I think storage is definitely the answer and not having a predilection for stuff.

You should see my loft though

Just been back to pick up ds and was shown round the house (they are new friends) and it was spotless everywhere. I loved it. Wasn't sterile at all, felt very calm. How can I have a houselike this? There weren't even any toys everywhere. Andbecause it was so uncluttered they were able to do so much with the decor.
Do you think people are just born like that? I have neatnik envy

I am slowly (ever so slowly) achieving that look now the dc are older. They have less in the way of 'toys' and more in the way of ds games/books/cd's which don't take up as much room.
I have one designated toy storage in the living room - an antique trunk - and if it does not fit in there it does not stay downstairs. (they can bring it down to play with but it goes back up when they are done)
I do have a few photos and candles on display, mainly on the mantelpieces.

For me the hardest to control is the constant influx of leaflets, school letters, post etc. If I am not careful I let these build up into a huge pile on the sideboard which looks messy.

I have started doing a quick whip-round of the lounge and dining room every evening and make sure everything is tidied away. Takes 5 minutes.

btw - my biggest motivation for doing this is the fact I live in a small house. Must be clutter free or I go stir crazy!

I live in a pretty clutter free house. I have never really hoarded anything but whenever a charity bag comes through the door I find thiings to put in it.

I pretty much tidy as I go. Whilst DD is eating I'm clearing away the stuff then loading the dishwasher... on my way upstairs I take whatever is on the stairs waiting to go up... that sort of thing. It's a way of life now. We don't live in a beautiful house but it is tidy and organised.

At the risk of sounding like my granny, a place for everything and everything in its place! Seriously though, good storage and if storage is full to capacity throw something out. I operate a one in one out policy on all purchases, gifts and acquisitions. Also if you have a place for everything it's much easier to train dcs to put things away (dh is another matter!).

As William Morris said (I think): "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be beautiful or useful." Or something like that, anyway.

My best friend who has, now her kids are a bit older, perfected the art of a tidy, yet welcoming house, came round at my request last summer to help me de-clutter. I asked her to be brutally honest and point out what she'd do if it were her house. It was so liberating. She'd say, "why have you got that there, then?" and if I couldn't really justify it, it went in the 'out' pile. It felt a bit like a colonic irrigation (I imagine) but it worked.

Probably about time for another session, actually

@ being like colonic irragation!

I definitely need to do this, but the thing is, I feel like I am, I am always throwing stuff out, and am making progress in slowly getting toys to be in rooms only. I like to have loads of books on view, and rugs and fabric stuff, but I do have too much clutter. I do need better storage, just a quick look around the room for clutter analysis just confirmed that to me!

Well, that's the other thing. If your drawers and cupboards are full, then you can't put more stuff away in them, so things get left around the place. I know someone who really does throw away something old/unused for every new thing she brings into the house! Scarily disciplined, but I guess that's how tidy people get that look.

One of my fridge magnets says: "Tidy people are just too lazy to look for things."

I like a clear, uncluttered house. Mine certainly isn't sterile (well I hope not, I don't think it is) as we have lots of books, pictures up and suchlike but I have a place for everything, and am fairly ruthless.

Books live on shelves (we have bookshelves in the lounge, hall, children's bedrooms) and I don't really do ornaments - I have nothing on windowsills and pictures tend to be on walls in nice frames. I have a couple of things on the mantelpiece.

I am lucky in that we have lots of built in wardrobes and plenty of cupboards in our house, but I also make sure that nothing is kept that is useless, broken, ugly or not used at least yearly. I tend to go through the girls' clothes regularly and sort out stuff that is too small, too tatty etc. I also clear through their toys and ditch anything broken, unused or duplicated.

I like it uncluttered, it just makes life easier and calmer so I would agree with clam's fridge magnet!

Owoooo I hate clutter I too have clear surfaces and organised cupboards/drawers. I do have photos up on the wall and lamps etc but all the dd's toys are in wooden cupboards in the palyroom (bar the play kitchen/pram and a box of kitchen bits) all toys in their rooms are in boxes under the beds (except books on bookshelves and dd1 has a dolls house on top of pine blanket box in her room) everything has a home , dh and the dds (now aged 4.6 and 2.3) know where to put things and where to find things.

I have to say I am slightly obsessed about decluttering and cleaning in general and nothing ever goes in the loft (except christams decs, dd1 clothes for dd2 and suitcases) it gets sold/given away/chucked if broken. but my parents were like this so obviosuly inherited from them (they live in the same flat roof bungalow that I grew up in so no loft storage etc)

for paperwork I have those bulldog clip hings 4 hanging on my kitchen wall (behind the door) one for each of us so bills go on mine (I sort paying them) dh work paper/holiday forms on his, dd1 preschool letters on hers dd2 doesnt actually have anything on hers at the mo once things paid/read etc they are filed upstairs (keep a box of wallet files in top of wardrobe and have seperate file for each thing ie mortgage/life ins/electric/gas/phone/car stuff etc) means if we need a piece of paperwork its easy to find

lol nope I work 2 days a week and sort post as soon as I get in (dh home before me so he makes the dds bedtime drink and luckily my mum/mil feed/bath them for me so they are all ready for drink and bed on my work days) other days I am at home and literally open the post (throw 80% in the shredder as its crap) and then stick it under the right clip

Storage and regular de clutters!We built floor to ceiling slim wardrobe style cupboards full of shelves in our open plan kitchen diner area and they are full of all paperwork cds etc.Lots of shelves and having some box shelves above the picture rail all the way around the downstairs for books.Only have large 'ornaments' small ones add to clutter!If you don't love it or need it get rid.

I think it is a mindset,no? For example, I would rather read a magazine than tidy and organise. I have to change this. I think I need to be brainwashed by watching Anthea Turner programmes and visiting people like Imet today. This helps to keep me focused as I can find so many more interesting things to do, but I so desperately want the end product.
So give me some inspiration of how you manage to live lightly on the earth and have few possessions.