How to Keep a Military House Organized AND Clean?

Generally you would think if it is organized then it is clean but that is NOT always so! In my house it consists of myself, my husband (active duty Army), my 2 year old son, my dog, and soon to be our next baby. We live in base housing and while it suits us fine- it is not vastly spacious.

My problem with the house is that since my husband often works long strenuous hours and comes home to relax, I am often left with plenty of uniforms to wash and no place to put all of his gear. Right now his things are in a basket downstairs in a room that doesn't have much of a function other than to hold stuff. The things are grouped and somewhat organized in that room but its not clean to me. There is no door to the room (it was a dining room) so it is like our open storage room. Not very attractive either.

How do I keep my sanity when there are very important military documents all over the house, uniforms and gear everywhere and my scrapbooking and picture supplies all out in the open in that storage room? I have a lock box for our important documents but everything is all over the place I exhaust myself just thinking about gathering all of it. I can't bring myself to ask my husband to do something with all the stuff on his own, he is worn out when he gets home. So, where do I start?

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How to Keep a Military House Organized AND Clean?

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Aug 02, 2010
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Organizing a Military House NEW
by: Tracy

First of all, you are absolutely correct that "clean" and "organized" do not always go hand-in-hand. In fact, they sometimes don't go together at all.

You can have a very organized home that is not clean. You can also have a very clean home that is not organized. They key is to have both and if you have an organized home, it will definitely be easier to keep it clean.

Basically, your dilemma boils down to one thing in my mind...how to organize things in a storage room that is visible.

Fortunately for you, the answer is pretty easy. You just have to think outside the box a little bit. You have to come up with storage solutions that are both functional and attractive.

For example, you say that your husband's gear is currently stored in baskets. Why not buy an attractive storage chest or a bench with a seat that lifts up for storage underneath. As long as the storage product is attractive your room will look nice and nobody has to know what is stored in it.

Regarding the important military documents that are all over your house, those have to be gathered and stored in one place. Why not get a small desk to go in your dining/storage room? Ask your husband if he would be agreeable to keeping all of his documents in his desk rather than strewn about all over the house. I don't see why he would object.

Another option that would work for your husband's important documents as well as your craft supplies are hidden filing cabinets. This is one of my favorite tricks...

Get a couple of two-drawer file cabinets and fill them with whatever you need to store. Then get a couple of round glass table tops (available at stores like Target or Walmart for about $10) and a couple of table skirts made for small round side tables (which you should find right next to the table tops in the store).

Place the table tops on top of the filing cabinets and then place a table cloth over each table top. Now it will just look like you have a couple of beautiful side tables in your storage room and nobody will ever know there are filing cabinets underneath those table skirts.

Your husband is providing a wonderful service for our country and I understand why you want to allow him to relax when he is home. You have to remember that in addition to being in the Army, your husband is also a member of your family and your entire family has to work together to make sure that everyone is happy and the household is running smoothly.

My brother has been in the Air Force for 19 years. He is married with two small children and he is a very active participant in his household.

It doesn't sound like you are asking your husband for much, other than help gathering his papers so they can all be kept in one, organized place. That is not too much to ask.

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