• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Wandering Hoof Ranch

simple homestead living

  • Simple Homestead
    • Get Started
    • Raising Chickens
    • Seasonal Living
    • FREE HOMESTEAD BINDER
    • Gift Giving
    • Holidays
    • Homestead Blogging
  • FREE CHEATSHEET
  • Garden
  • Recipes
    • Canning & Preserving
    • Baking From Scratch
    • Homemade DIY Recipes
  • Patterns
    • Free Knitting Patterns
    • Free Sewing Patterns
    • Free Farmhouse Printables
  • Shop
    • Catalogue
    • ETSY
    • Checkout

22 Decluttering and Cleaning Hacks

Wandering Hoof Ranch may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking links on this page at not additional cost to you. I only recommend products I trust and  thank you for your support. 

April 23, 2019 by Diana 8 Comments

Tweet
Share
Pin1
Share

Are you looking to declutter and organize your life? Do you feel overwhelmed about addressing the mess of your house and homestead? You’re not alone! Use these 22 hacks to help you declutter and clean your house and homestead quickly so you can get back to doing what you really love!

22 Decluttering and Cleaning Hacks, Wandering Hoof Ranch

We live in a small homestead. With two kids under two, it’s easily for our house to easily get messy, disorganized and super chaotic. I used to be proud of my once tidy clean home, and got really overwhelmed with the disfunction. At the end of the day after caring for two babies, cows and chickens the garden and the house I was exhausted.

I needed a way to manage it all, to get stuff done quickly and get back to doing what I love! Being productive feels good, and its totally achievable- even on a homestead with toddlers running around.

Here are my top 10 tips to help you declutter, organize and clean quickly so you to can move on!

DECLUTTERING AND CLEANING HACKS

DECLUTTER AND CLEAN KIDS STUFF

Babies and kids have a ton of stuff for how little they are. Get productive by having systems in place to deal with it all as they grow and develop.

Organize toys in bins and only take a bin or two out at a time. We will do blocks day in and out then switch to trucks. If they are all out at the same time it’s overwhelming.

Store clothes in diaper boxes or clear plastic totes by size and season. Only have current size and season out.

Have a Donation bin at the back door. Fill it unused toys, books and clothes for charity. I love the Diabetes Canada program. Just register online and choose a pick up date. Label donation and set out on porch to be picked up. So easy, I always have a box in the basement, when it starts getting full I’ll schedule my next pick up.

You could also bring these items to a consignment store for credit. Another fun frugal idea for getting rid of the old is hosting a swap party. Everyone brings clothing or toys they no longer use and leave with something new to them.

Store seasonal attire in bins per family member in mud room. In the summer everyone has a tote with their hats and sunglasses. In the winter it’s mittens and toques. I also have a seasonal bin in the car with extra snacks and seasonal clothing we may have forgotten at home.

Have a daily tidying plan. I’ve chosen to tidy the toys only twice a day. I was tidying all day long and it didn’t make a difference. So, instead of tidying constantly as they play we tidy before going outside, and before bed. These times help with the overwhelm. Waking up to a tidy house, and entering a tidy home are very important to me.

OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION

Shops, sheds, barns, any outdoor building other than your house is a chaotic place waiting for a mess to emerge. Seasonal spaces from storing hay and feed, tack, tools, equipment, gardening supplies etc. it can easily get disorganized and messy.

Choose 2-3 times a year to do a big overhaul clean up. In the spring, when the cows go to pasture and just before hay season we clean out the barn. We sweep and blow it out. We pick up those hay seedlings and spread them on the field. Any maintenance projects for the summer months are completed.

3. FAMILY MEMBERS CAN HELP DECLUTTER AND CLEAN

Start including the kids young in learning to tidy up. In our house, before bedtime, I have the kids put their books and toys away. It’s becoming part of our routine. We sing the clean up song together and they like helping. One of my sons first words was “away.”

4. Use a Chore Chart

As a homesteader/farmer you’ll be in your barn at least once a day. Have a system and routine that ensures your work are stays functional and tidy. Use a framed chore chart as a dry erase board to get farm chores, kids chores or cleaning chores done every week.

Download this Chore Chart

Join below for instant access to this members only download!

For existing members, click here to log into the library. You can download the printable labels in our members only area. Password included in every newsletter!

Join the Newsletter

Gardening, Crafts, Canning, Farm Animals- all things homesteading

, 22 Decluttering and Cleaning Hacks, Wandering Hoof Ranch
    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.
    Powered By ConvertKit
    22 Decluttering and Cleaning Hacks, Wandering Hoof Ranch

    A day planner is a must for staying productive and keeping your house organized and tidy. Use a printable cleaning schedule to do a little bit every day and schedule in when you’ll do a 10 minute tidy or your morning clean up routine.

    I absolutely highly recommend the Erin Condren Life Planner for all my friends! It’s the best-selling planner that’s proven to increase productivity and time management. Track your goals in style with the completely customizable LifePlanner™!

    , 22 Decluttering and Cleaning Hacks, Wandering Hoof Ranch

    Keep paperwork organized

    Tidy up the newspaper, mail and homework papers every night. Use a homestead management binder. Reformation Acres has a great sample to get you started.

    Have a receipt system come tax time. We currently throw all farm receipts in a large envelope and hand them to a bookkeeper at the end of the year. But I’d like to take on that task soon. Anna from Celebrating a Simple Life has a great system for farm paperwork I recommend you check out!

    Schedule tidy reminders on your phone until you’ve made new habits

    When you wake up, start by making your bed. Before you leave for work/school/outside chores, clean up after yourself first. Tidy up toys before bed. Empty the dishwasher at the end of the day.

    Do a 10 minute tidy 1x a day. Grab a laundry bin, go throughout every room and collect the things that don’t belong there. Then go around the house putting things away, in the garbage, recycling or donation bin.

    Choose a Disaster Zone to focus on. What is one area or stop that you know you have to deal with but don’t have the time to do it? Give yourself an hour to just get started, haul the pile out, put it in the basket and go nuts.

    22 Decluttering and Cleaning Hacks, Wandering Hoof Ranch

    Change your mindset. Most people find the worst part about tiding and cleaning up is the dread of actually doing it. There’s a few ways to kill that dread that help build up some motivation to actually get it done.

    Be grateful, honestly thinking about what you’re tidying up and what it means for you and your family can work wonders to kill the dread. Dishes are the worst, but having a family meal together is something I really cherish. Thinking about the meal instead of the dirty dishes why cleaning the dirty dishes helps!

    A few fun ways to find joy in tidying and cleaning up is preparing for hosting a fun event, using new cleaning products or getting ready to decorate for the next holiday season. Once you’ve cleaned up, take a picture. Why not go pick some fresh flowers and throw them in a vase?

    DO WHAT YOU REALLY WANT!

    Now that you have extra time, go ahead and do something you really want to do!

    bake some cookies

    get out and plant the garden

    Knit a blanket

    make some handmade greeting cards

    Just remember to pick up after yourself always, quickly clean up before you move on to the next task and if it only takes a minute just do it then and now!

    22 Decluttering and Cleaning Hacks, Wandering Hoof Ranch
    Tweet
    Share
    Pin1
    Share

    Filed Under: Free Planner Printables for the Homestead, Homestead, Homestead, Productivity, Seasonal Living, Spring, Summer, Uncategorized Tagged With: barn organization, challenge, declutter, freebies, homemaking, homestead tips, organize, printables, spring cleaning

    Product categories

    • Best Sellers
    • Bundles
    • Catalogue
    • Cross Stitch Patterns
    • Farmhouse Christmas Printables
    • Gardening
    • Guides
    • Homestead Blogging
    • Homesteading
      • Backyard Chickens
    • Journals
    • Kitchen Products
    • Knitting Pattern Shop
    • Printable Planners
    • Sewing Patterns for Beginners
    Previous Post: « 10 Questions to ask when buying homestead property
    Next Post: Homestead Blog Resources »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris says

      April 26, 2019 at 3:54 pm

      Love your tips! Always a struggle! My kids are older now at least and can help more with the clutter clearing.

      Reply
      • Diana says

        April 26, 2019 at 5:25 pm

        Yup! I firmly believe kids can be helpers!

        Reply
    2. Amanda says

      April 26, 2019 at 6:58 pm

      These are great ideas! I also love your chore chart, I need to start something similar in my home!

      Reply
      • Diana says

        April 26, 2019 at 7:46 pm

        Pinterest is filled with so many printable organizers ! Thank you and good luck!

        Reply
    3. Shannon Dewease says

      April 26, 2019 at 8:14 pm

      Ugh, my whole house needs major overhaul LOL! Life just gets so hectic so quickly, but these organizing and cleaning tips are gold! I cant wait to get started!

      Reply
      • Diana says

        April 26, 2019 at 10:02 pm

        I get it Shannon! Can easily feel like a constant issue

        Reply
    4. Mamie says

      April 26, 2019 at 11:37 pm

      Chore charts are helpful and keeping a rid bucket for anything we don’t use or need.

      Reply
    5. Annie says

      April 27, 2019 at 2:31 pm

      Awesome tips! I love the donation pickup service.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Wandering Hoof Ranch

    I’m Diana

    Want to lead a homegrown, handmade, healthier lifestyle for your family but don’t know where to start? Grab our FREE planner and let’s get to it!

    How may I help you?

    Categories

    • Disclosures and Privacy Policy
    • Contact Me
    • Work with Me
    • Simple Kitchen Checklist

    Footer

    Copyright Information

    You are welcome and encouraged to link to Wanderinghoofranch.com or use a single image with a brief description back to any post. Republishing posts in the entirety is prohibited.

    Feel free to PIN on Pinterest or other Social Media Platforms using the links below

    START SIMPLE – GET YOUR FREE GIFT

    simple kitchen checklist
    thank you for reading

    SHOP

    • Best Sellers
    • Bundles
    • Catalogue
    • Cross Stitch Patterns
    • Farmhouse Christmas Printables
    • Gardening
    • Guides
    • Homestead Blogging
    • Homesteading
      • Backyard Chickens
    • Journals
    • Kitchen Products
    • Knitting Pattern Shop
    • Printable Planners
    • Sewing Patterns for Beginners

    Copyright © 2023 · Midnight theme