How to keep your apartment organized all the time.

I can never understand how people live with trash and huge piles of laundry but then when someone pops up at the door they are too embarassed to let them in. I want to share what has been working for me in hopes that you wont find yourself staring at a friend or a date through the two inch opening in the door that shows off your single large eyeball.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• the willingness to work on things as you walk by them
• a system to keep things organized and some space to designate for those things to go

1. When I awake in the morning I make up the bed. This sounds simple enough but we all know that the alarm goes off late and its the last thing we think of in our rush to get ready for work. When you work long days and you are single the simplest thing you can do for yourself is make up your bed. Clean sheets also do wonders for morale when you bed down for the night. If you cant remember the last time you changed them, they have to go.
2. Now the beds done and out of the way. Look around and see if you have errant clothes draped over chairs or on the floor. Pick those up and put them in the hamper. If you are really daring and think that shirt from last night can make it another day go for it. Thats not my choice but do what you like. Put any extra shoes in the closet and your bedroom should be fairly neat. Now you can head to the kitchen and start running a sink full of water for the dishes you are about to create. If you have a dishwasher, load it with soap and get ready to start loading it as you finish with dishes used from cooking breakfast. I personally dont buy breakfast in the morning. You can save quite a bit by cooking at home. Even the most unsavy of us all can make a basic breakfast at home. Lets assume you want an omelete, bacon and some frozen waffles today. Let me show you how easy this can be done. You will eat cheaply and leave the kitchen clean and ready for the next meal to be prepared. Guys, one thing women find attractive is a clean kitchen. Women are prepared to enter our places and shake their heads in disgust. Why dont you adopt this method and see the sign of relief in her eyes the next time she comes over.
3. Okay lets get started. Grab a bowl, yes a clean one and crack a couple eggs into it. There shouldnt be any shells in the bowl. Discard the shells in the trash. Put a skillet on low heat and use either a small pat of butter or some cooking spray to lightly coat the skillet. The key here is low heat. I had a bad habit of turning my burners up sky high. Keep the heat low and the food ends up in your stomach and not in the trash. Run your finger under the faucet and sprinkle the water in the skillet. If you hear a sizzling sound the skillet is hot enough to pour the eggs into. Once you pour the eggs into the skillet, rinse the bowl out and either soak it in the sink full of water if you are washing in the sink or place it in the dishwasher. By following this method you should never have dishes lying around with encrusted foods stuck on them only to cause severe havoc when you try to scrape them down later. You can add whatever you wish the the eggs as they cook. or just tend to it long enough for it to cook through and flip it over.
4. Remove the eggs when done and proceed with bacon or anything else you choose to cook, just remember to rinse the dish and place it in the sink of water or the dishwasher and promptly run it once you have it loaded. Waffles can be prepared without washing dishes but try to dump the crumb tray out every now and then so you dont have a burnt smell when you use the toaster. I usually go ahead and eat while watching the morning news. Once I am done I clean up the remaining dishes and wipe down the counters.
5. If you wear a suit everyday like me thats already hanging up in the closet or in a dry cleaning bag and takes little effort to get dressed. If on the other hand you need to iron clothes out each day you may want to consider hanging shirts on a hanger fresh out of the dryer and iron pants after you wash them. You can get alot done while watching tv that will speed up getting ready to go out on a date later in the week.
6. Bathrooms are another place that will drive your girlfriend crazy. Discover the art of cleaning at least weekly to keep things in order. Its sickening to have not only a foul odor but visible signs of dirt in your bathroom. It doesnt have to be a big deal. The key is to touch it up here and there. At the least get the blue toilet tabs you stick inside the tank and wipe the sink, tub and toilet down with a disinfectant.
7. Another culprit to clutter is mail. I keep a mailbox beside my door. I grab bills when I walk in. Junk mail goes in the trash can beside the front door. Bills and other stuff I need to keep go in a bin on my desk. If you take care of this as soon as you walk in you wont get a notice a month later asking you why you forgot to send in your payment or my personal favorite, the $39 late fee for missing a credit card payment. Save yourself some grief and just check this as soon as you come in.
8. Last but not least is trash. Always use a bag in the can. Don't get lazy because your kitchen trash can will grow science projects in the bottom if you dont use a bag. On your way out the door take the trash with you. I put a trash can in the back hallway so that my elderly neighbor can put her trash in it on cold winter days without going outside. I just take out the can when Im walking to my car and bring it back inside before leaving for work.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep an open mind about cleaning. Its only work if you make it work. Any guy or gal can keep a clean house without a maid or the need to talk someone else into doing it.
• If you notice your mental outlook is greatly diminished when you come home take a look around. It could be because all the junk lying around is zapping your energy. Clean it up and I bet you will feel much better about being in your home.
• A clean organized home may lead to some surprise discoveries.
• You may be able to leave on time more often since you will be able to find your keys each and everyday.
• You might even be able to stay on top of holiday meals and dishes if you wash as you cook.
• You might even win over your spouse or girlfriend for understanding that she could use some help maintaining your home.