If one of your resolutions is to keep a neater house this year, here are a few tips to consider:

There are many small things that can be done to help keep a family organized and clutter free. Try to think about what a space is intended for and eliminate all the stuff that doesn’t belong in that space. For example, if you have a telephone in the kitchen (ideally a wall-mounted one over a desk or accessible counter space), here are the items you should have within easy access: a list of “frequently called” numbers, including emergency numbers, a notepad, some takeout menus, a calendar, and a pen. If the station is next to the refrigerator, a magnetic notepad with a pen on a cord and a magnetic pocket for menus and other papers can be a space-saving setup. Or use a tray next to the phone, keeping notepads and papers confined in the tray. Everything else must go!

Bedside stands should hold a book, a light, an alarm clock, and space for your eyeglasses and/or hearing aid. A small drawer in the nightstand could hold medication you need access to, the TV and/or DVD remote, and a small flashlight. A shelf underneath is useful for holding magazines and books to read. Anything not needed while you are in bed does not belong on or in the bedside stand.

You get the idea. You can apply the same principle to dresser tops, closets, laundry room storage spaces, etc. Using spaces strictly for their intended purposes makes for a neater, tidier home. This is not to say that you cannot accessorize. In fact, if you place a lovely ceramic bowl or a vase of dried flowers as a focal point on a flat surface, it may discourage the placement of a lot of junk there, as the junk will look very out of place.

Organizing your living space is something that you yourself can do best, while scrubbing the shower, toilets, and sinks, dusting, and vacuuming are things your housecleaner can do for you, and it will make her/his job easier (and less costly for you) if there is not a mountain of misplaced stuff to deal with in the process.