I am loving the Spring Cleaning Party hosted by Tsh at Simple Mom. I have “met” so many bloggers out there who are busily spring cleaning their homes and I’ve read some really great decluttering, cleaning, and organizing tips and tricks. Here are some great organizing tips from readers!!

On Decluttering

Kristin commented,

“We have something at my house called a “Blitz” a couple of times a day. Everyone gets a bag, I set the timer for about 10 minutes, and we grab everything that is not in the right place, at about 5 minutes into it I yell “switch” and we make deliveries out of our bags and try to beat the timer to an empty bag. Surprisingly enough most things get put in the right place – shoes in the closet, toys in the play room, etc. Then I go through and actually tidy, but it makes it so much easier when things are in the right room at least.”

On Organizing Kids

Leyda from Mom To Mom commented,

“…we adopted to keep just two square bins with around 10-15 toys [in them] that my son chooses himself and the rest are put away in a box in his closet. Usually we change toys once a month but sometimes he gets tired before that and we do it…It solved our toy clutter problem plus it makes us to be proactive when purging toys. And we have noticed that Robert appreciate his toys more than ever.”

Onna from Toddler Craft wrote,

“I have a 3 and 6 year old, and I have them pick up their toys before moving to another part of the house to play or do an activity. We have a designated crafting area (I do a LOT of crafts and painting with them) that keeps it separate.”

Angel wrote,

“I got a rolling plastic cart with clear drawers (I think 7 of them) at Target and it is [my daughter's] “ART CART”. She can save anything like that stuff, crayons, cotton balls, etc…but it has to fit in that cart. Bonus is that I can wheel it from room to room so it isn’t always out if I am not in the mood to clean up glitter.”

Holly from Pillaging with Buffie wrote,

“Since [my daughter] is 17 months we’re working on getting her to clean up with us, but she still doesn’t totally get it. Right now she has so many toys that we rotate them out and she only has about a third of her toys accessible at one time. If they were all out where she could get to them my house would be total chaos.”

On Just Plain Organizing

Mama King from 4 Crazy Kings commented:

“I already like the…[organizing manuals] binder [idea] but instead of manuals I’m going to put prescription info! I’ll make a tab for each family member and then slide [in] the flattened box and or refill info.”

Olivia from Moo Mama wrote,

“With 5 daughters, the toy situation can get quite out of control. I manage to contain it though and ask (beg!) that our families choose consumable gifts for birthdays and holidays! It makes what is brought into the home for play much more manageable!”

Marci at Overcoming Busy wrote,

“We keep lots of receipts for taxes in various categories. I know there are all sorts of systems out there, but an old fashioned accordion binder with the stretchy band around it works great. At the beginning of the year, I mark the tabs for office supplies, food, education… At the end of the year, I just empty one section at a time and tally them up on a spreadsheet for the accountant. The receipts go back into the folder marked with the year and then I throw it into the tax storage in the basement.”

A big thank you to all my readers and commenters. I so appreciate your spring cleaning encouragement and wonderful suggests, tips, and questions!

Make sure you go over to Mandi at Organizing Your Way and read about her kitchen cabinet purging process. She gives some GREAT tips! Also remember to visit Simple Mom to read more about how you can declutter, clean, and organize your home for a fresh spring start!