Keep a basket in each room for clutter. Have the family help clean out the baskets once a week. When unexpected company arrives, simply put the baskets in the closet.
I hate to see clutter when I come home or when I get up in the morning. When my three boys were still young and at home I found a solution that really worked. I kept a box or basket for each of them. Instead of me picking up and putting their things away, it went into their basket. No real rules or conversations or demands. "If you can't find it, I may have put it in your basket". The first day of the month, if there were any items in their baskets, I threw it out. Ouch, that even hurt me. We only had the baskets for two months. We didn't need them after that.
I buy baskets from thrift stores and I use them to put my craft things or just stuff that I have lying around. That way my clutter looks neater and when I want to look for something, it is in the basket and not all over the place.
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