Stuff it!

I think my children may be hoarders!  Ok, maybe not true "hoarders", but something is going on with these people. Almost without fail, I find my children (ages 9 and 5) to be virtually paralyzed when it comes to cleaning and straightening their rooms.  So naturally, they avoid it at all costs.  For example:  as I type now, there is quite the variety of items on the floor in my son's room, that include but are not limited to:

Legos, books, a light saber, 4 pairs of pajamas (of which you will not find a single matching pair), a geode, a rainbow of popped balloons, the backs to Disney World pins.... you get my point. 

When it comes to cleaning, I am usually of the mind that the fewer times you touch an item, the more efficient your cleaning will be.  In other words, don't pick up a shoe and put it on the floor in your bedroom, only to put it in the closet later.  Take it all the way there now and save the extra step!  But with my kids, they get overwhelmed. 

We have worked out a new method, and it seems to work.  Recently, I discovered these bins at Home Goods, but obviously any container would work.  

Instead of tackling a full cleaning everyday, at bedtime the kids take their little"stuff" and throw them in the "stuff" bin.  In a matter of a few minutes, the floors are cleared, rooms are straightened, and there was little effort required.  Then once a week, usually Sunday evening, we all work together to put all of their "stuff" in the correct place.  My kids handle this better.  They can manage a bin more than an entire room.  

What are your family's strategies for cleaning?  Are you, too, living with mini-hoarders?