Welcome to a new year! It is a perfect time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh and what a better way to do that by decluttering your home. Before you begin the fun journey of organizing its a good idea to get some ideas down on paper.
Why do you or need to organize your home? Where in the home do you plan to begin? How much time do you plan on spending per day/week on organizing? Do you have the necessary supplies ready (boxes, totes for storage, garbage bags)? Where do you plan to donate your unwanted stuff? Having this stuff all laid out beforehand will help you to follow through on your organizing goals.
Here are some quick tips to help you get started with the process.
Living Room
- Think multipurpose about your existing furniture or accents they can be used in more than one way. Ottoman’s are great for relaxing but also can be used for storage of extra pillows or blankets.
- Install floating shelves on the walls they can be used to stash pictures of the family, books or photo albums and frees up space on flat surfaces.
- Rearranging the furniture to create a better flow to the room maybe all that a room needs to feel organized.
- Using a tray on the coffee table for magazines or remotes
Closets
- Add hooks for quick way to hang frequently used items
- Use pool noodles keep boots from flopping over and create more floor space
- Add baskets to corral small items such as belts and wallets
- Double hang your hangers using soda tabs and save 50% more space
- Store out of season clothes in a storage box or space saving bag.
Kitchen
-Declutter all kitchen cabinets and drawers and adding drawer dividers will keep things neat and organized.
- Hanging your pots and pans is a great way to give you extra cabinet space
- Use your wall space and add open shelving unit for more storage
- Magnetic spice containers can be hung on the wall for quick and convenient
- Line your refrigerator shelves with mats are great to keep things clean
Bathroom/ Linen Closet
- Purge old and outdated items to free up extra space
- Use glass jars or baskets for small items
- Use the wall space over the toilet with a floating shelves or small bookshelf.
- Hooks on the back of the bathroom door for towels or robes
Office Space
- A small filing cabinet is great to keep all of your important documents organized and handy next time you need it.
- Color code your filing system separate the system into five color categories: Financial, Taxes, Personal, Insurance, House documents.
- Create a mail station to maintain control of the paper coming into the house. Folder for incoming mail, outgoing mail, things to be filed and bills.
When you do begin the process be gentle with yourself. Don’t expect to have it all done in a week and don’t strive to make it perfect. That will just derail you and set you up for failure. Make sure you take breaks and reward yourself after every session. Also, get the family involved it can be way more fun and it helps to keep you accountable. And if all else fails give us a call to set up a free consult (413)464-5800.