Clean Sweep: Sydney mum shares secret to immaculate house

Photos of a Sydney mum’s perfectly organised home have gone viral with fellow mums so in awe they’ve offered to pay for her services.

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Let’s be honest. If it wasn’t for isolation we wouldn’t have time to do half the things on our ‘checklist’.

But with the country forced into lockdown, one Sydney mum has finally completed a task she started months ago – rearranging her entire house to such immaculate conditions that fellow mums have hailed her the “queen of organising”.

Leanne Marie, 41, posted more than 21 photos of her pristine interiors to the ‘Mums who organise’ Facebook group last week, attracting thousands of comments and more than 5000 likes.

It comes after the mother-of-three decided it was time to give her 40-year-old home a much-needed makeover.

Leanne Marie, 41, stunned fellow mums over her immaculate organising skills. Picture: Leanne Marie

The Sydney mum has been hailed the ‘queen of organising’. Picture: Leanne Marie

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So just before isolation hit, she went on a shopping spree to her favourite store, Howards Storage World, to stock up on containers and other storage solutions to help declutter her home.

She spent weeks cleaning her house and ended up with two car loads full of goods which she donated to a local charity.

“I already decided I was going to fix it up and so when the virus (hit) and we went into isolation I went through every cupboard again and got rid of what I didn’t need. I had more time to get it all done,” she told news.com.au.

Leanne spent her time in lockdown completely rearranging her home with boxes and dividers so she can easily store items. She said it’s the secret to making her home looking so neat. Picture: Leanne Marie

And that she did – all while looking after her three boys and managing a family-owned excavation business with her husband.

Ms Marie managed to rearrange her entire house using containers and dividers so she can easily store items. She said it’s what makes her home look so tidy.

“I have successfully organised my whole house. It didn’t happen overnight, but I eventually got it all done,” she said in the Facebook post. “Needing to label everything; not sure if I should buy a Cricut maker or buy them already made.”

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She bought all the storage containers before isolation began. Picture: Leanne Marie

Ms Marie shared more than 20 photos of her pristine linen cupboards which featured doonas, blankets, towels and tea towels folded to perfection; cleaning bottles and sprays neatly arranged under the sink in plastic trays; and toiletries all arranged in clear drawers with items visible and easily accessible.

Fellow mums applauded her.

“Can I hire you?” one woman asked.

“OMG! Good job! Please come and do mine, haha,” joked another woman.

“Wow. This is more than amazing. Well done,” said a third.

“It’s too perfect. Is it bad that I want to mess it up?”

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Many people called Leanne ‘goals’ thanks to her neatly stored items. Picture: Leanne Marie

Her pantry contains food in boxes and clear storage containers. Picture: Leanne Marie

Another fan said she hoped Ms Marie was based in the Gold Coast. “I would pay you to do this at my house. Or at least help me, as I have no idea where to start (outside of the kitchen that is).”

Some people questioned why she had so many plastic dividers for individual items, while others said her tidying was not practical for daily use.

Her bathroom and beauty items are also stored in containers. She said it’s easier to keep tidy and looks presentable that way. Picture: Leanne Marie

“Looks great but did you really need to put the Koh (surface cleaner) in a box when it’s already in a box? “And the shaving cream and deodorants in their own boxes too? I’m not sure what that adds?”

Ms Marie said she opted to arrange her items in their own containers as it’s “easy to maintain”.

“I also like everything matching and it just looks nice,” Ms Marie said.

The mum said she absolutely loved rearranging her home and while it wasn’t a stressful task, the most challenging part was getting containers that fit.

“Otherwise I needed to return them so you’re better off measuring everything.”

Her tip to keeping things tidy? “Always put things back where you got it from.”

She spent roughly five weeks organising every room, cupboard and drawer in her house. Picture: Leanne Marie

Leanne said her three boys have managed to keep the house looking untouched, except for when they raid the pantry. Picture: Leanne Marie

Ms Marie said her three sons aged 15, 9 and 7, have done a good job keeping things tidy.

“The only thing they mess up is the pantry because they are always in and out of there, but other than that, they are not bad at all.”

In the pantry her food is labelled in containers, with cutlery being laid out so there is “no jumbling” in the drawer.

She revealed the secret to making your home look minimalistic is to have a separate room for housing spares of items such as food and towels.

She said the key is to always put things back where you got them from. Picture: Leanne Marie

She also avoids keeping items that she hasn’t finished, such as multiple half-eaten cereal boxes or numerous BBQ sauces.

“I let everything run low and use up what I have before buying more.”

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