How to Get a Disorganized House in Order

Go from room to room and look at what needs to be done. In some cases, you might need to do just a little dusting and organizing, while in others you must move all the furniture and clean out cobwebs in the corner. See if the rooms are in dire need of more storage space, such as cabinets, which you can pick up at home improvement and department stores.

Write down what you think you have to do for each room and hallway, and if items in the mess in one room belong in another.

Go into one room and begin. If it’s one that needs only a little work, choose one area, move items in that area away and clean as necessary. Put the items back in place. Repeat this throughout the room. If you find anything that belongs in another room, bring it into that room and find a place for it immediately if the room is one you’ve already finished.

Create two piles as you go through everything; one for things you want to get rid of and one for things you’re not sure you’ll keep. Move papers that need filing into a separate bag or box.

Shove items out of the way on the floor and clear a space in rooms that need more in-depth cleaning -- be sure to leave ample room for you to walk around without tripping. Lay down plastic sheeting or plastic garbage bags on floors to protect items you temporarily place in that space, if the floor isn’t clean. Placing things on the floor instead of on another piece of furniture lets you keep surfaces clear once you’ve organized them.

Move items off surfaces and move furniture out of the way if needed. Dust and vacuum the floor where the furniture had been sitting. Move the furniture back and clean with all-purpose cleaner or dust them off; whatever is necessary. Place items back on the furniture, neatly; set to the side anything you’re not sure you want to keep.

Use similar procedures for closets. Move everything out, clean out the closet, and replace items.

Consolidate everything you’re not sure you want to keep into one pile. Go through the items you know you don’t want to keep and throw them out, recycle them or set them aside to take to a thrift store or resale shop.

Sort through the “unsure” pile for items you’d prefer to keep and those you really don’t think you’ll need and put away, recycle, throw out or sell as needed. Don’t get rid of something unless you know you really do want to get rid of it; while this can result in you hanging onto more clutter at first, you can always get rid of it later. If you get rid of something you later decide you wished you kept, you’re out of luck.

Clean the floors if they need it, and give each room a final dusting or vacuuming.

Move the bags or boxes of papers into a large, open area such as the living room. Put on thin gloves, such as latex or vinyl, to protect your hands from paper cuts.

Sort all the papers according to type, event or other category. Place all bank information in one pile, for example, and all utility bills in another.

Sort through each of the piles you set up and separate them into smaller, more specific piles if needed. For example, you can further separate your bank pile into statements, old check registers and correspondence. As you go through the piles, take out those papers you deem too old or unnecessary to keep. Set these aside for shredding.

Label manila folders and hanging files for each category, and file the papers away in a filing cabinet.

Vacuum up any bits of paper, recycle what you can and arrange for shredding for papers that have personal information on them.