When it comes to cleaning and organizing methods, I find the ones I use the most are the ones that give some loose structure to get you started, but then easily segue into a bigger cleaning and organizing session.
That’s why my interest was piqued when I heard about the 12-12-12 cleaning challenge. If you haven’t heard of it before, it was coined by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, and it can be done in any room or area.
You simply pick twelve items to throw away, twelve items to donate, and twelve items to put away.
For my trial run, I decided to tackle my kids’ craft drawer corner in their room. It’s a space they find impossible to keep in order, and I’ve all but given up trying to make it easier for them.
As a result, it’s a definite problem zone—and one I cannot seem to organize when the kids are actually home. So, with this in mind, I set out with the number twelve on repeat in an attempt to organize—and I'm not sure I'll ever do it again.
Ashley Chalmers / The Spruce
Becker doesn't say if this matters, but he lists things in the order I’ve noted above: toss, donate, tidy, and repeat if desired. If you’re using the 12-12-12 method to organize your fridge, this makes sense to me—tossing items first and clearing things out to make room is ideal.
But, I realized the order might depend on your zone. For this particular room, I preferred to tidy first, then pull things to donate and toss.
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