Home Organization 101
So the kids have returned to school, or you are just starting another homeschool year. Suddenly you look around your home and realize it looks like a hurricane struck. You are not alone!
When you first moved into your home it probably seemed like you had a lot of space, or at least a lot more than you do now. As the years pass, however, you might find that you have accumulated a lot of unnecessary “stuff”. What are you going to do with it all? If this is you, it’s definitely time to start weeding and reclaim your space!
Home organization is a step-by-step process. It will take most of us more than a day or possibly even more than a week to get everything to a manageable level, but once you do staying organized is an easier task. You can also definitely enlist the help of the rest of your family! As they pitch in and help you organize, they will also learn a thing or two about controlling the clutter in their own life and space.
1. Begin with the high traffic areas. The living room and kitchen are usually the two busiest and most used rooms in the house. Everything seems to always get dropped on the counter or couch in these two rooms. Concentrate on getting everything set up the way that you like it in each space before moving on to another room.
2. Use storage containers. Over the years, the variety and styles of storage containers has changed significantly. They are now made to be pretty as well as functional. Instead of storing containers in stacks in the garage, purchase ones that match your décor in each room and integrate them so that no one would even notice they were being used for storage. Of course, there’s always the grand fall back containers that slide easily under beds and into closets for great storage options as well.
3. Divide items into categories. You can use heavy duty trash bags or boxes for this part. Create a bag or container for each of the following categories: KEEP, THROW AWAY, GIVE AWAY, and RELOCATE. As you work your way through the room, everything you clear will go into one of those categories. Items that will stay in that room are to keep. Things that you don’t need or are broken should be thrown away. Clothes or furniture still in great condition can be donated and scheduled for pickup by the Veteran’s association or Goodwill. Anything that definitely belongs in another room can be labeled for relocation when you get to that room.
4. Remove everything from drawers and cabinets. This is a time-consuming process but it is easier to start with an empty space and fill it instead of simply pushing things around. If you line things up on the counter, someone else can help by sorting the items and putting them into order before they are returned to their home.
5. Make use of all of your available space. In the kitchen, for example, appliances or extra containers can be stored on top of the cabinets provided they don’t extend all the way to the ceiling. That’s extra storage space without benefit of a storage container. Also use the top of the refrigerator for cereal boxes and breakfast food like boxes of instant oatmeal or grits. In the bedroom, shoes and winter clothes can go into flat storage bins that slide easily under the bed or the dresser.
6. Label your containers. Use tape and a permanent marker to identify the contents of your storage containers. Avoid writing on the actual container (use clear tape or products made for this purpose) in case they are reused and the contents are changed. Labeling also makes for easy identification if you decide to sell or give away a container of books or something. You won’t have to open each container to locate them.
I cannot stress how important it is that you spread all of this work out over time! Take it one room and even one section of a room at a time and it will not seem as overwhelming. But, once the project is done, returning everything you use to its proper place will help you maintain it and keep it clutter free!
