Has anyone read 'The Toothbrush Principle'?

Little_miss_sunshine_2 · 12 August 2011 at 10:01AM

Just wondered if anyone has this book, it's by Sheila Chandra.
I've read some good reviews of it.

I think the main idea of the book is to put things close to where you use them and then putting items straight back after you've used them.

Having just decorated all our bedrooms, I'm looking for ways of organising them more efficiently as I move all the stuff back in, rather than just putting everything straight back where it used to be. Do you think this book would help?

Thanks in advance.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE · 12 August 2011 at 10:24AM

When we were at senior school in the early 60s we did domestic science and the first thing we were told to write down in our books as a kind of housewives motto was " everything should have a place and everything should be returned to its place".
I've always remembered that and its worked over the 40 years I've had a home of my own.
Save your money on books,common sense is cheaper.
Just put everything in its place,make sure even the smallest thing has a designated place to "live permanently" and then there should be no reason for any future untidiness .
When you buy something new don't just stuff it in a cupboard,re-arrange your belongings to enable the new stuff to have a permanent home too that way nothing should be lying around untidy.
Its easy once you get organised and since you are just putting your stuff back you should find it easy.

fairy3 · 12 August 2011 at 10:40AM

Good morning Miss Sunshine! I am currently going through the same process in my lounge and have 'stuff' in boxes which I am not sure is going back in there (as noone has missed it for about 2 weeks!)

Have you looked at this site? http://organizedhome.com/get-organized/tips-organize-kids-rooms

Am assuming you have kids rooms but there are some excellent tips for everywhere.

HTH

Fairy x

lizzyb1812 · 12 August 2011 at 10:47AM

Another good tip is "like things together" - "like" = same. So I have a box for all my stationery, one for all the pens, pencils, etc, one for batteries, another for chargers. These are kept in various cupboards and drawers. Very little is put away "loose". Some boxes are decorative and on display, others are plain cardboard or plastic and hidden.

rachbc · 12 August 2011 at 10:48AM

I'm not sure you need a book to tell you something quite so obvious - or am I missing something. A place for everything and everythign in its place pretty much sums up how to keep things tidy! Think about whre/ how you use stuff and what would be the logical place to keepit. With a bedroom I guess clothes/ accessories, bed linen - not sure what else there is to keep in there. The secret to keep stuff organised is not having much stuff! We have 1 wardrobe, 1 5 drawer chest of drawers, a bed side cabinet each. Wardrobe has hanging clothes and my handbags, some not often worn shoes and winter bedding in, drawers for other clothes and bedside cabinet each for 'personal' stuff - mine has my make up, a few toiletries, jewellery and hair straigteners...Nothing under the bed, nothing in boxes anywhere....

rachbc · 12 August 2011 at 10:53AM

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

Another good tip is "like things together" - "like" = same. So I have a box for all my stationery, one for all the pens, pencils, etc, one for batteries, another for chargers. These are kept in various cupboards and drawers. Very little is put away "loose". Some boxes are decorative and on display, others are plain cardboard or plastic and hidden.

Yes this is a good one - my dds art and craft stuff is in boxes in the dining room dresser - painting (paint, pots, brushes, spongers, apron), sticking (paper, glue, college bits), play dough (dough, cutters, extruders etc) and drawing (pens, pencils, paper, note pads, crayons). Same in my craft room - sewing stuff togethr, knitting and crochet stuff together, buttons in various jars all together, all the scissors in one big jug, ribbon all in a box.

I'm a bit of an organisation nerd!!

Little_miss_sunshine_2 · 12 August 2011 at 11:14AM

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I have seen the organizedhome site and I like some of the ideas on there- although, despite being a list making type person, the number of printable lists on there does scare me a bit!

Having not read the book, I'm not sure how it differs from just saying put things where you use them- I'm assuming there is more to it than that but I might be wrong!

I agree about not having things loose in drawers- it's impossible to keep things in their place, but sometimes it's hard to find boxes that are shallow enough to fit in narrow drawers.

ChocClare · 12 August 2011 at 11:23AM

I got it out of the library but didn't finish it, I'm afraid.

Her premise is that you never lose your toothbrush because you always put it back in "its" place.

She then goes on to general decluttering principles. She reckons it works for her and I'm sure it does, but it wasn't anything particularly new or exciting I don't think.

Personally, although I am not particularly tidy I can ALWAYS find things. If I lived alone, I would have no problems. However, I have my husband to contend with and he complicates things rather :rotfl:

Try your library rather than pay money for it!

debtdesperado · 12 August 2011 at 1:41PM

I read it and agree with the other poster - other than the premise that the reason you can always find your toothbrush is that (1) it has a place and (2) you always put it in the same place, I didn't think it had many other ideas to offer.

I have read a lot of decluttering/organising books though as what is 'common sense' to some, wasn't for me.

My own tips when you're working out where to put things is to think backwards, ie instead of thinking this cupboard is a mess so I will get some boxes and labels to tidy and order it, is to look at what is not working and then go from there (this might be obvious to someone born with the skill of organisation, but it took me a long time to grasp!).

So for example, think about the things that you don't put away - which will generally be the stuff you use regularly - is it because: 1. there is nowhere to put them 2. they do have a place, but where they should go is packed with too much stuff 3. the place where they should go is awkward/can't get to it/other things are in the way.

Look at what stays tidy - either the storage is just right (eg your toothbrush - same place which is logical and close to where you use it, always easily accessible) or you don't often use it (eg a rail of formal clothes is always neat and tidy, but there is nowhere to put the work clothes you use every day, so they tend to get stacked on the dresser which looks messy/creases them). Perhaps the evening clothes can be packed away as they aren't used often and so it wouldn't be any trouble to press a particular item when you need it, and then you have enough space to hang your work clothes properly once they are washed and pressed, which will make your mornings run more smoothly (you won't have to get the iron out every day) and so you're less likely to be in a hurry and therefore like a tornado in your living space.

My other tips are to be ruthless and keep decluttering (if something new comes in, something old goes out), the less stuff you own the easier storage gets, don't come up with elaborate storage (eg if you use it every day, don't put something in the bottom box of a stack of boxes, even though it looks nice, as you will never put it away again. Also, if you get some storage and it doesn't work, keep brainstorming and reorganising, don't settle for second-rate storage ideas if they don't work for you (put the boxes on freecycle, etc). Also teach yourself to pick up after yourself (still battling this one, I am!), but having a proper place to put things helps with this.

squeaky · 12 August 2011 at 5:27PM

Take things out of cluttered drawers and stash them in a bin bag somewhere... anything that's still in the bin bag six months later can be passed on to someone else.

[Deleted User] · 12 August 2011 at 7:34PM

When we downsized almost 16 years ago my late OH kept walking around saying 'think caravan' meaning put things away as soon as you can as the house I am in now was a quarter of the size of our old family house .It took me quite awhile to do it and I had to declutter so much stuff that had accumulated over the years even before we moved .Now I get my friend down from Dartford and she is brilliant at de-cluttering and I have a lot less in my house now than I used to have I also do 'think caravan' as much as I can At the moment as I am shortly to be on my hols a lot of tinned and basic stuff will be coming with me in the hope that my tribe will help eat it up (they always do) there will be 3 adults and 5 children aged from 18 down to 7 to help move the mini food mountain that I have collected.It means that my cupboards when I come home will be a lot clearer if nothing else.