Clear method to organize the house easily

All steps of the method

If you no longer know what to do to tidy up the house, or you are up to Marie Kondo's bun, don't despair. Here are 5 simple and effective steps from "C" to "A" of CLARA to put your house in order and not lose your head trying.

1. C … trust yourself
2. L … imitate storage
3. A … tackles sticking points
4. R … compensate yourself with incentives
5. A … learn from mistakes

And then we detail them one by one.

1. The "C" for trusts you

One of the problems when it comes to ordering a house is the lack of motivation and the little confidence in being able to impose ourselves on chaos. But being overflowing is going to end now! Read, read …

Bring out your "inner guru". Only you know your needs and what you can and cannot accept in matters of order. Furthermore, what may seem practical to someone may be cumbersome or unattainable for you. As an example, Marie Kondo says to keep only 30 books or CDs that have a special meaning. However, if you are a great reader or music lover, this figure may seem ridiculous, and you prefer to remove other objects and make room for these things.

An order for you. Marie Kondo has a very oriental vision of order, which is almost the search for empty space. This model does not have to be yours. For example, she believes that in the kitchen everything should be in cabinets (it does not splash and the space is collected at the end). But it may seem more practical to you to have some appliances or other items on the counter, even if you have to review them more frequently.

2. The "L" for limits storage

The more space there is to store, the more things we accumulate and the more disorder is generated. It is better to optimize the space that you already have and avoid excess clutter.

Exercise in realism. Much of our efforts are directed to making everything we have fit in our home. However, the first step would be to accept the capacity limit that the house has and save only what fits (and we really need). This capacity should not be forced, it is not necessary to recharge a room with cabinets or bookcases or shelves just to fit more things. Nor should you use storage rooms or attics other than to store seasonal objects.

Shooting is not that difficult. How many times have we opened a drawer and ended up throwing away 90% of what was inside. And it is that we accumulate without thinking. There are few objects, clothes or shoes that we really find it difficult to get rid of. If it is about clothes, see how long it has been since you put them on (or if you will have a chance to do it again). For what is sentimental in nature, keep what is strictly necessary (for example, you don't need 50 things to remember a trip, photos are enough).

3. The "A" stands for trouble spots.

There are areas of the house that tend to accumulate more objects, clothes … than recommended. They are in every house. But we have the best strategy to eliminate them (or keep them under control).

Copy to your supermarket. If when you get home you take off your coat and shoes and there is a shoe rack and a hanger, it is more difficult for them to end up in the middle of the floor of any room (especially if there are children). In supermarkets they are very aware of the importance of creating specific areas for each thing (breakfast products together, all cleaning supplies grouped …) and also put up signs indicating this. So when you need something, you know where to look for it.

Those "magnets" of chaos. There is furniture that attracts clutter. For example, that chair in the bedroom that instead of using to put on your shoes ends up accumulating clothes … Or the kitchen counter where mobiles and keys are combined … In these cases, the intervention has to be double. For one thing, remove the furniture. On the other, daily put in a bag what accumulates where it should not. The annoyance of having to look for it in that bag will force you to be more organized.

4. The "R" of reward yourself

The order in your house should not be a flower of a day, but should last, and for that you need to change your mental schemes; something that is not easy … So help yourself with certain incentives.

Objectives and awards. Set goals and give each one a prize. For example, if you tidy up your wardrobe (and throw away everything that you no longer wear or that you keep in case…), reward yourself by buying something from the new season. Then, apply the rule that for every garment that goes in, another that goes out. Thus, you are eliminating the negative connotations that for most of us have to order and, on the other hand, through positive reinforcement you are creating a habit. You can apply it to the rest of the inhabitants of your house.

Plan ahead. Many tidy gurus recommend tidying up your entire house and getting rid of all that is left over in one go. But the reality is that this requires time (and desire) that we do not usually have. So when setting your goals it is good that you also assign a specific day for each one taking into account the possibilities of your schedule. Value the time that each goal is going to take so that you can really start and finish it on time.

5. The "A" of learn from your mistakes

What has gone wrong the other times you have decided to order? Why has all the work you did and couldn't keep up? Let's review it so that it does not repeat itself.

The lack of control again? If after having managed to tidy up the house you see that you "relapse" into old habits or there are dynamics that do not quite work, rethink how you have approached that particular aspect. Many times the disorder returns because we have not been able to find an easy or comfortable solution. If you accumulate clothes on a chair again because you don't put them in the washing machine, why not put a laundry basket in your bedroom closet? Or a bag behind the door?

Be careful: seasonal changes. There are times when it is easier for the house to overflow. The changes of season are usually one of those moments. Treating it with foresight is a good way to minimize chaos. For example, to avoid having all the clothes in the middle, when making the change to the summer, take quilts, coats and jackets to the dry cleaner while you are taking out the new clothes. This way you will avoid having clothes that bulge a lot in the middle when there are so many clothes that come and go.

Tidy up the house: Clara method to know if you keep something

Before creating this method, we have to admit that we have tried many of the infallible advice of the "gurus of order". Thus, we have found our own system, the CLARA method, fully tested and 100% effective. If you have already reviewed the gallery and have learned what it is about, surely you are also a fan. Next we give you the keys to know if what you have in the closet you have to keep or throw it away. Happy order!

We review the CLARA method to order

1. C … trust yourself
2. L … imitate storage
3. A … tackles sticking points
4. R … compensate yourself with incentives
5. A … learn from mistakes

More tips for tidying up your house (well):

Ask for help. In certain things, yes, in others, no. For example, if you ask for help to get rid of things, just as they can give you the final push to say goodbye, they can surprise you with a "but how are you going to throw that away?" May it destroy all your efforts. Evaluate where you can ask for help and where you cannot.
Organize them with your method. Design the plan yourself and organize it to your liking and according to your dynamics. To the others you must give everything "chewed up" and pass on the guidelines to maintain order.
Optimize space. When furnishing, think about double-duty pieces (like trunks or beds with drawers).
Redesign your cabinets. Adjust the interior shelves and drawers to the size of what you are going to store, the same as with the bookcases. It sure fits more than you bargained for. And if you want more tricks to organize the closet, discover how to take advantage of the space so that your closet grows to infinity and beyond!
Associate actions. To maintain order once established, it is good to associate an action with another that is already common. For example, before taking out the trash, check and tidy up the inside of the fridge.
Penalties for not ordering. Put a piggy bank and whoever does not do their part (for example, do not put their clothes to be washed when going to bed) who is penalized with a small amount of money. If they are children and do not have pay, with some extra homework.
One day of review. Establish one day a week - for example, Saturday if it is the day of general cleaning - to reposition what has been "out of hand." And give yourself a day off to look the other way if there is a bit of chaos (it's like with diet, you can't always be without a whim).
Sell online. When we do “cleaning”, one of the possible destinations for all those things that we discard is to sell them through Wallapop or similar and to monetize our efforts. It is one of the tricks to earn extra money easily (and with almost no effort). But keep in mind that there are things that take weeks or months to sell or simply have no way out. Therefore, you must set a reasonable deadline and if after a reasonable time you have not sold them, donate them or throw them away, but do not continue to accumulate them at home.

Bonus track: how to organize your wardrobe

Stacking clothes only makes them wrinkle. Choose which is the system to save it that best suits you:

Vertically. It is Marie Kondo's system to fold garments into a rectangular shape and store them vertically in drawers or boxes. It is perfect to find the garment you are looking for at a glance and to be able to remove it without unfolding the rest.
In pyramid. So that lower garments stick out and are easier to remove.
The fold towards you. This way you avoid accidentally pulling another garment and then wasting time having to fold it again.
In the drawers. Help yourself with dividers, boxes or baskets to organize them.