If you NEED a clutter-free life

But have a significant other that is....clutter-full?
How do you manage it?
I HATE having a cluttered counter, things have specific jars and/or baskets.
Yet, he can't seem to grasp that.
I've tried putting a larger basket on a small table to the side of the counter, JUST for his stuff, but...nope.

I clean up after him literally (and i mean literally) more than i do my own children (they're used to play & order)

On the third floor i use the largest closet to manage toys so they aren't all out at once, yet he insists on pulling them all out and leaving things..everywhere, then tells me how cluttered it looks.

Ugh. My place with the kids was smaller than this but the SPACE was larger (meaning the main living room), and easier to manage (cos dude wasn't there, ha)
Seems here every time we're (the kids and I) are on one floor, i'm guaranteed to walk into a mess on the next one where he is  

I just need tips on how to organize things more man-friendly,
or what to do.

ETA: we've shared a space before, separated for two years and having been living back together for 5, almost 6 months now.

i clean up after my DH.. i ride his ass about it but still i am left cleaning up after him and my toddler not yet youngest yet.. but its a pain in the ass. i would just sit down with him and crack down on his ass. be a bitch about it. its seems when you are nice they dont get it..

Quoting Tea Bag McGee:" i clean up after my DH.. i ride his ass about it but still i am left cleaning up after him and my toddler ... [snip!] ... i would just sit down with him and crack down on his ass. be a bitch about it. its seems when you are nice they dont get it.. "

blegh, haha, i feel like there has been times where it's come to me being a bitch, haha. I've left him notes, so he has visual reminders, i've tried kinda that "fake organizing" where as long as it's in a drawer it's okay (cos at least you can't SEE the clutter) buuuut, nope haha

I am the clutter lover here.   My DH has learned to deal.

Quoting Jude the Super Kinkster:" I am the clutter lover here.   My DH has learned to deal."

I wish i could learn to deal haha i just can't. Seeing so much "stuff" everywhere gives me a weird uneasy feeling  

I hate to admit that I end up treating SO like a little kid with this issue. His mom is a hoarder, and he's heading down the same route. I HATE stuff.
So, if he leaves something out for more than a week, it gets thrown away/ donated. Every month I go through his desk crap and throw stuff away. Then once a year we go through what is "important" to him and pair it down.
On New Years we turn all his hangers around backwards. When he wears something it gets turned right way around. On New Years the next year, if it's still facing backwards, it gets donated.
All of our kid's toys have to fit on one of 5 receptacles. If they don't fit, they go.
Dude is a chore some times.

There are certain things I have labled..that seems to help my husband. If I nag at him long enough he will do it, because he gets tired of hearing me say it. I told him that he wouldn't have to ear it, if he would do it. Im still working on this been together over 7 years lived together almost 5. LOL. Good luck.

<blockquote><b>Quoting KNZ.:</b>" I wish i could learn to deal haha i just can't. Seeing so much "stuff" everywhere gives me a weird uneasy feeling  "</blockquote>




See I'm the opposite. I am super, super paranoid so I leave random things out so that if I notice they've moved, I know someone's been there. I'm such a freak.  

Quoting Jo&M:" I hate to admit that I end up treating SO like a little kid with this issue. His mom is a hoarder, and ... [snip!] ... donated. All of our kid's toys have to fit on one of 5 receptacles. If they don't fit, they go. Dude is a chore some times."

Please come manage my dude for a week, hahah.
The thing is, he has his own little man cave here, and i don't touch it. I just wish he would keep the clutter there!
he's so funny (and by funny, i mean annoying  ) i keep the whole house clean, he'll get the urge to like, organize the silverware drawer then act like he needs to take the week off from all the manual labor he just did  

Quoting March 2013:" There are certain things I have labled..that seems to help my husband. If I nag at him long enough he ... [snip!] ... have to ear it, if he would do it. Im still working on this been together over 7 years lived together almost 5. LOL. Good luck."

Oh geeze, hahah, good luck to you too  
It's such a change for me going from living on my own with the kids (which is just, ideal to me--organizationally speaking) to having to co-exist with another adult!

I live in the worlds smallest house, and we have NO ROOM for storage or anything. And it doesn't help that you can't get anything out with out it looking trashy and nasty. I'm so ready for a bigger place, and I plan on getting rid of a LOT of stuff so it's as simple as pie!

Quoting *Drooling*:" I live in the worlds smallest house, and we have NO ROOM for storage or anything. And it doesn't help ... [snip!] ... trashy and nasty. I'm so ready for a bigger place, and I plan on getting rid of a LOT of stuff so it's as simple as pie!"

ah, man! that would be frustrating! i hope you get your bigger place soon!!

Quoting KNZ.:" Please come manage my dude for a week, hahah. The thing is, he has his own little man cave here, and ... [snip!] ... to like, organize the silverware drawer then act like he needs to take the week off from all the manual labor he just did  "

!!! Seriously why do they do that!?
So does the same thing! He'll go all crazy on one tiiiny little job in the house... like organizing the cleaning stuff in the garage, when it was already organized. And then if I ask him to do anything else, he's exhausted. Freaking annoying!

Quoting KNZ.:" Oh geeze, hahah, good luck to you too   It's such a change for me going from living on my own with ... [snip!] ... on my own with the kids (which is just, ideal to me--organizationally speaking) to having to co-exist with another adult! "

Yea I think the first year was the hardest adjusting to us. He has to be willing to meet you in the middle. Just like you are for him. Maybe if you give him a place he can keep crazy all to himself and then the rest is yours to be organized since you do all the picking up. ;) probably wishful thinking.  

Quoting Jo&M:" !!! Seriously why do they do that!? So does the same thing! He'll go all crazy on one tiiiny little job ... [snip!] ... in the garage, when it was already organized. And then if I ask him to do anything else, he's exhausted. Freaking annoying!"

SERIOUSSSSLLLY. haha damn men