https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 15 Nov 2026 09:20:06 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1153927 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 20:21:03 +0000 ALV91711 1153927@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My table was way worse and I finally cleaned it all off the other day but it is half way back to were it was. It seems to be that is where everything ends up that doesn't really have a place. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1153885 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 19:59:09 +0000 heartonastring 1153885@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for all the ideas! I've decided, like some of the PPs, that baskets are not the answer. They just lead to more clutter piling up!</p> <p>I cleaned up all the clutter in the eating area and living room today and now I just hope I can stay on top of it and not let it get too out of control. I've also informed DH that the kitchen table is no longer a dumping ground! </p> <p>@mrskc: So pretty! I think something wall-mounted is what we need. It's not in this month's budget but I'm going to bookmark some ideas for the future.</p> <p>I try to live by the rule 'a place for everything, and everything in its place,' but our problem now is that we just don't have enough places for all the things!</p> <p>@looch: The placemats were just there still from dinner last night :/ Normally we have a runner down the centre of the table. I put a new runner on the table today and put a beautiful handmade platter on top that we got as a wedding gift. It can act as a catch-all for small things and we'll just have to deal with the big things as soon as we receive them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152861 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:05:39 +0000 banana 1152861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a big time minimalist (and so is my DH) so we don't have too much clutter. BUT our dining table totally looks like your pic at the moment because we use this table as a dining/office/arts &amp; crafts table. So we use tons of bins (with lids so that they are stackable). And I love using thsoe wheelie carts with drawers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152838 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 11:58:38 +0000 shinymama 1152838@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our table is the initial catchall for everything when we get home, but NO ONE is allowed to leave anything on it overnight. After dinner everything needs to find a home: bedrooms, trash, etc.</p> <p>We also lost office space to baby. My solution was to use the three drawers on our buffet {next to our table} as our mailboxes/cubbies: DH gets one, I get one, and the middle is for joint/household items. We always know where everything is and where it should go.</p> <p>In my opinion, the baskets are a good idea for a lot of things {toys, books, electronics} but not paper. It becomes too easy to just throw things in there, forget, and then they multiply! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152833 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 11:57:27 +0000 ShootingStar 1152833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I throw everything away. I HATE that with pregnancy people keep giving me all this paperwork. I have junk from daycare, from the pediatrician, from my OB's office, from all the baby classes. UGH. DH tends to be more of a packrat and will keep things. We have a stupid practice dummy for infant CPR sitting on our table because he insists he's going to practice before baby gets here. Part of me thinks I should throw it away and see if he even notices, haha.</p> <p>Our kitchen table tends to be our dumping ground too. The only solution I've found is throw everything away you possibly can. And find a permanent home for the other things. If they don't have a permanent home, are they really necessary? I don't do baskets, because like @MrsWagon, I hate baskets of junk sitting around, that's just not a great solution to me. But we do have a mail holder on the wall and I put things like coupons or other important paperwork (like forms for baby's birth certificate) that I truly don't want to throw away. But then every so often we have to clean through that too and I get annoyed, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152817 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 11:50:29 +0000 birdofafeather 1152817@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we live in a small space and clutter is our biggest nemesis. it's time for us to go through everything and get rid of stuff again, but it's the middle of busy season for me and DH, so we're dealing with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152806 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 11:46:39 +0000 looch 1152806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read the mail and recycle it or put it on my husband's desk.</p> <p>Are you married to the placemats? what if you did a tablecloth instead and used a big basket or bowl on top to hold the stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152803 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 11:45:09 +0000 TheSwissWifeStyle 1152803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah I agree with what @Mrs. Bee says. I just start throwing stuff out. lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152649 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:37:05 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1152649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i have been battling the clutter battle for years. my only solution has been to become a minimalist (currently a work in progress). less stuff, less clutter. more stuff, more stress. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152647 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:36:13 +0000 Alivoo01 1152647@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can also relate and no matter how hard I try, the clutter adds up quickly as if I never tidied up! Even if I put things in baskets or designated areas, it adds up and is still messy. I've always wanted a cleaning person, but with LO here now, I think I'm going to be more proactive about making it a reality because I get a headache and depressed just looking at the clutter at my house! Doesn't help the hubby adds to it daily with his crap even though I tell him every.single.day to throw away his to go cups/trash, etc. Sigh. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152620 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:21:12 +0000 mrskc 1152620@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ugh I hear ya! I have this problem with our kitchen table and kitchen island. It's the drop spot and I can't seem to keep it at bay. Mine looks way worse than yours! I clear it off like once a week or sometimes even less and it's messy within a day. </p> <p>Somethings that help is I take a laundry basket and I go around picking up stuff that doesn't belong in that room and then I go through the basket and put stuff away. Everything needs a home! That's my problem. I have stuff that doesn't have a home so it ends up scattered on the table. I've found my most organized space in my home are ones where every item has a place. </p> <p>As far as mail and paper go. I try to deal with it daily and go paperless! Most of my mail is junk so it goes straight into the recycling bin. I also have a 2 files hanging on the wall. One is for "to file" and one is for "action" so I put things that need immediate attention in the action folder and things that need to be filed in the "file" folder. Then I try to sort through it once a week, although I'm slacking on that at the moment. </p> <p>Here is some inspiration for ya:<br /> <a href="http://hisugarplum.blogspot.com/2012/03/organized-family-drop-spot.html" rel="nofollow">http://hisugarplum.blogspot.com/2012/03/organized-family-drop-spot.html</a><br /> <a href="http://www.maillardvillemanor.com/2012/06/reader-request-paperwork-organization.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.maillardvillemanor.com/2012/06/reader-request-paperwork-organization.html</a><br /> <a href="http://fabulouslyorganizedhome.com/2013/01/31/creating-simplified-organized-personal-reference-files/" rel="nofollow">http://fabulouslyorganizedhome.com/2013/01/31/creating-simplified-organized-personal-reference-files/</a> </p> [attach=684/13/murpbd.497x600.a607790a29790c8b8a422dd4708404a7.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152599 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:08:31 +0000 JoJoGirl 1152599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh god. My kitchen table is 10 times worse. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152596 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:07:16 +0000 heartonastring 1152596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: What you can't see in the picture is the shredder that's right behind the table! We shred everything we can but there's still stuff we need to keep. I hate paper!!! </p> <p>And too funny about the Vaseline! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152590 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:04:33 +0000 mrs. wagon 1152590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>omg I totally hear you. My kitchen table looks EXACTLY the same. I used to do baskets but then I had baskets full of crap I had to eventually parse through and organize... so now I deal with the stacks on the table because I'm forced to deal with them when we actually have to use the table.</p> <p>I'm seriously considering just getting a really good shredder and shredding everything after I'm done with it. Everything is online now, so why do I have to have all my bills and everything kept in drawers or file cabinets? I have kept everything for the past 10 years in a banker's box in the basement and have not had to go in and look through that box ONCE. </p> <p>Omg. I just looked at your picture again-- I totally have a tub of vaseline on our kitchen table too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152583 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:03:02 +0000 swurlygurl 1152583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Million dollar question!</p> <p>I have no idea, but I definitely feel your pain. :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152580 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:01:36 +0000 Beyond2 1152580@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i switched from a basket to a drawer. It still overflows, but if I keep it under control, at least I don't have to see it all daily! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152576 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:00:37 +0000 LuLu Mom 1152576@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Baskets, I put everything in baskets! I hate clutter and disorganization so this keeps things in order and out of sight! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152575 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 09:59:51 +0000 sslm 1152575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I hear ya and I don't know the solution!!! Do you have a table in your entranceway? Maybe a basket where you can drop stuff right when you come in the door would help. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-keep-clutter-at-bay#post-1152569 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 09:57:15 +0000 heartonastring 1152569@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I hate clutter! I feel like it's overtaken my house since K was born and I don't know what to do about it. We converted our third bedroom from an office into the nursery, so we no longer have a catch-all spot for bills, mail, random paperwork etc. At the moment, it's all collecting on our kitchen table and driving me crazy! I tried using a basket to corral it all, but the basket keeps overflowing and all the overflow ends up on the table. Argh!</p> <p>How do you keep clutter at bay in your house?</p> <p>Here's the current state of my kitchen table: </p> [attach=500/13/muro7h.448x600.image.jpg]