I used to dread the pre-guest clean up. As a serial procrastinator, it was always a mad dash to clear piles, relieve surfaces, and hide clutter. Then I tried the Laundry Basket decluttering method, and the process has become far less overwhelming.
The concept is simple: Keep a collapsible laundry basket on hand and sweep everything that's out of place into it before guests arrive. Stash it away out of sight until they leave, and you have time to put things away properly.
What Is the Pre-Guest Laundry Basket Decluttering Method?
Using a folding laundry basket is one of the best ways to prevent this last-minute decluttering hack from becoming a permanent holder of mess. When not in use, the basket can be folded away and stashed neatly in storage, so it is not readily available for items to be tossed into, and creating a doom pile that you never clear.
The Laundry Basket method came out of my returning to the Ski Slope Method for tidying and decluttering my home.
They follow a similar premise: You walk around a room and collect items in the basket. However, unlike the Ski Slope method, you do not put them away immediately when you reach each item's home.
Rather, the Laundry Basket method is a sweep-and-dash approach to collecting up items that need to go away, with no pressure to tidy when you feel overwhelmed.
With everything tucked neatly into a basket, I can then hide the basket in an area that guests will not see, such as my home office, to fake clean a house before guests arrive.
It is a certified winner for clearing visual clutter in a living room and tackling the things that make an entryway look cluttered, explains James Higgens of Online Carpets. 'Instead of tidying each room individually, take a large laundry basket and do a sweep of your main spaces and collect any visual clutter as you go,' he explains. 'Once your guests have left, you can go through the basket at your own pace and return each item to its proper place.'
As the Joseph Joseph Folding Laundry Basket, from Wayfair, has sturdy handles, it is easy to carry the full basket around your home to avoid constant back-and-forth to speed up the process.
Choose a neat spot to keep the basket out of sight, where it will not get in the way before you can declutter it.
The essential step of this method is to remember to empty the basket once your guests have left, reminds Jennifer Williams, professional organizer and owner of Saint Louis Closet Co.
She warns, 'This concept can get people into a lot of trouble very quickly, as the quick ‘pick-up-and-hide’ routine usually turns into more mess and more clutter. While people have good intentions of returning the contents of the basket after the dinner party, they usually are too tired and too busy to get around to it. These baskets then get shoved into a drawer or closet, causing even more messiness.'
It is simple to combat this risk, however, by simply setting a reminder in your calendar to revisit the bin at a set date or time. Blocking out a 'scary hour' to reorganize your home and stop clutter before it starts is very effective.
For very full baskets, using the Pomodoro technique with a Pomodoro timer from Walmart can make the task less overwhelming. If you find your focus drains away from you during these sorts of tasks, the Sunday Butterfly method allows you to embrace your desire to move from one task to the next quickly and still get the job done.
If you're clearing that laundry basket later, keep in mind you can do it with adaptive pacing in mind for decluttering with health challenges.
Keeping these barriers in mind and knowing the fixes for them means the Laundry Basket method doesn't become a clutter-collection over time.
What to Shop
This Joseph Joseph laundry hamper is made from durable fabric that holds its shape, even when empty. When you're finished, it folds flat, making it easy to store in a narrow space, such as on top of or down the side of a washing machine. It's also moisture-resistant on the inside and easy to wipe clean, making it suitable for damp laundry too.
Measuring 8x10x11 inches, these handwoven water hyacinth baskets are ideal for drop zones, shelves, and cabinets, making tidying up when you have more time, easier.
Make putting items back away quicker by labeling essential storage areas and baskets. Items will be easier to identify appropriate homes and establish repeatable systems.
These under-bed storage bags on wheels are easy to pull out, and maintain good ventilation for items to prevent mold or musty bedroom smells. They are ideal for hiding essential items that would otherwise get in the way or clutter up surfaces and cabinets.
Keep pests at bay when hosting with a plug-in trap. This discreet system keeps flying bugs away from your kitchen and dinner table for a more laid-back hosting experience for both you and your guests.
When trying to get a home guest ready quickly, an all-purpose cleaner is essential. I can wipe down essential surfaces and high-touch points without having to juggle multiple products. Paired with a microfiber cloth from Walmart, I can tackle several areas in minutes.
Meet the Expert
Besides being a CEO, Jennifer is an organizing and home-improvement expert. She is also a member of the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals.
Struggling to know where to start when preparing your home for guests? Try the guest scanning method to catch potential clutter zones and mess hotspots.
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