How To Declutter Your Home, Ways To Declutter Fast

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Sandy James

The kitchen is one of the most important areas of the house. You make three meals a day, plus snacks, in your kitchen. This is why your kitchen needs to be regularly cleaned, put in order and kept in order.  The most common problem with kitchen organization is the ineffective use of valuable space within the cabinets and any other available storage. Cupboards and shelves are sometimes placed too far apart, leaving wasted space between that could have been used for storage, storage which could help prevent clutter. Luckily, there are many kitchen organizers available today that can be of tremendous help when attempting to maximize the storage and organization within your kitchen.

Like any other area you want to organize, you always start by assessing what you have and determining of those items, which you would like to keep or get rid of.  If you have items that you no longer use, consider getting rid of it.  Examples of these types of items could be cooking or baking utensils, dishes or appliances. Unnecessary items that you don’t need and don’t use will only accumulate and become the clutter in the kitchen you can’t stand and want to get rid of, so you might as well just go ahead and get rid of it now.  Sell, throw out, or donate items these items.

Using a standing kitchen organizer to store your cooking utensils near the stove is not only convenient but an excellent way to free of valuable counter or drawer space.  There are a lot of kitchen organizers you can use such as cabinet organizers that have wires with drawers and adjustable shelves to store dishes and bowls; there are also pull-out or slide-out organizers for your lower kitchen cabinets for easy access to your pots and pans. Aside from these, there are organizers that fit into your drawers that can help you organize your medications so that you can remember to take them regularly.  Similar organizers are useful with spices.  You should also remember to have a separate organizer for your sharp utensils, sprays and cleaners, and electric appliances that are best kept out of the reach of your children for safety reasons.

The large items that you regularly use in your kitchen such as the toaster, coffee maker, coffee bean grinder, or juicer can be placed on an appliance barn or Lazy-Susan for convenient access while keeping the counter free during times the items are not being used.  The silverware and dining utensils can be kept in drawer organizers or moveable caddies that can be left on the countertop or stowed in the pantry or Lazy-Susan when not in use.

These tips are relatively easy to follow and when applied, you’ll find that by using kitchen organizers you can enhance your work space and made effective use of the counter and storage space within your kitchen, improving functionality and effectiveness. Investing in kitchen organizers will help ensure you enjoy the full benefits of your kitchen.

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Posted on August 22, 2010 by Sandy James

Do boxes, clothing, or hangers tumble down the moment you reach for something in your closet? If so, it’s time to organize your closet. Since getting dressed is a part of daily life, wouldn’t it be nice to begin each day in a stress-free manner, not having to rush around and panic or become frustrated because you can’t find what you are looking for?  Wouldn’t it be easier to decide which shoes, shirt, pants, skirt or etc. to wear and which top or shoes goes best with this or that if you could view all like items at the same time? Organizing your closet can make all this possible.

The first thing you need to do when starting a closet makeover is purge.  Get rid of all the items you don’t wear or want or no longer fit you.  Some people go by the One Year Rule:  if you haven’t worn it in one year, throw it out.  Some will hold onto clothing they haven’t worn or items they haven’t used for a little longer than one year, but this time frame is a good rule of thumb that works for many, but not all.  For example, if you take a major ski trip every two or three years and thus need to hold onto your ski equipment for those future events even though you haven’t used the clothing and equipment in the last year, it clearly makes sense to do that.  Use your head here and do what works best for you and your lifestyle.

Next, you need to assess each area of the closet that you want to organize and make a plan about which items you want placed in which area. You can make a list of all the things you are keeping, place them in certain sections and add labels if you like.  Labels can be added to both shelving and boxes/bins to help you get organized and stay that way.  Next you might segregate your things into three piles: things/clothing you presently use in a regular basis, things/clothing reserved for future use, things/clothing to sell, donate, or discard.

Once you have sorted everything out, you can start putting them back into your closet and categorize them in a way that makes the most sense to you.  For example you can arrange your clothes by season, by garment type and color or by practicality such as having a grab-and-go section. The items found in this section are those that can be worn everyday; your favorite pair of jeans, a plain white shirt that can be mixed and matched with anything. Then another section could be allotted for items you will wear for special occasions such as ruffled or beaded blouses.

If you do not have enough closet space, it might be nice to invest on shelving or storage bins to help organize and store shoes, sweaters, workout clothing, or other items you don’t use on a regular basis.  You may also use the back of your closet door for hanging your ties, scarves, belts, purses or other accessories. You can also change your hanging clothes rod placement.  For example, instead of one rod, you might be better off with two parallel rods at different heights to accommodate more clothes in your newly organized closet.

Having a new closet can help you save time and money and lower your stress. You will know exactly where to locate things and where to put them back. You might also find you save money by buying less new items, since you won’t buy identical items by mistake and can give new life to the old classics in your wardrobe by accessorizing with newer trends.  Best of all, your new and organized closet will make it a pleasure to get dressed every morning, it’s like having a private little boutique right in your own home that’s open 24 hours a day!

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Posted on August 23, 2010 by Sandy James

Whether you own a luxurious walk-in closet or a simple one, one thing is for sure, everyone enjoys having a clean and organized closet.  Who doesn’t like being able to find what you want, when you want? Organizing closets is not as hard as people think it is.  In fact, it’s really as easy as 1-2-3.

Group like items with like items.  Take everything out of your closet and place shoes with shoes, belts with belts, coats with coats, pants with pants, skirts with skirts, shirts with shirts, sweaters with sweaters, purses with purses, etc.Arrange.  Now that you’ve grouped your items, you can further arrange them in numerous ways.  You can arrange by color, by season, by fit (tight, fitted, loose), by length (long, medium, short), by material (silks, linens, wool, cotton, denim, etc.), or by purpose (every day wear, evening wear, formal wear.)  For shoes, arranging by color and heel height tends to be a rather effective method.Improve storage.  If you are finding it difficult to fit everything in and actually be able to browse the items, you might consider investing in some additional storage.  Use clear plastic bins with lids to stack and store off-season clothing or clothing that doesn’t fold cleanly and effectively.  Bulky clothing like sweats and hoodies and sweaters are often best stored in bins.  Remember you can stack bins.  This extends your storage vertically, which is highly important when dealing with small closets.  Shoes are another item that can be effectively and efficiently stored in clear plastic bins or even shoe boxes (if you saved them.)  Label your bins, even though they are clear, sometimes having a quick description written as well saves you from having to open the wrong box.

Cabinet, drawer, and shelving systems are additional options available to maximize your closet space and organization.  Items like undergarments and socks and stockings are best stored in drawers or bins.  Purses, hats, belts, scarves and ties can all effectively be managed with hanging or wall mounted organizers and dividers.

Whatever the case, whether your closet is tiny, average, or as big as most people’s bedrooms, taking the time to organize will lead to many benefits.  You will enjoy being able to see the full contents of your closet with a quick glance and be able to locate what you want in a quick and efficient manner.  With little effort, you can take charge of your cluttered closet and start enjoying it today!

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Posted on August 23, 2010 by Sandy JamesThis entry was posted in Organize and tagged office clutter, organize office, organize workspace. Bookmark the permalink.← Simple Closet OrganizingLeave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on June 15, 2010

Free PrintablesGarage Sales

It's June! Flowers are blooming, birds are singing ... and the voice of the yard sale shopper is heard in the land.

Thinking of holding a garage sale or yard sale this year? We've got everything you need to cut your clutter and score some cash with our garage sale tips--but if you're looking for more help, try these free printables for yard sale success:

Printable Yard Sale Checklist

Guide To Planning A Garage Sale (.pdf format) from SuddathRelocation.com

Printable Garage Sale Signs from PaperPrintouts.com

Free Printable Garage Sale Sign from Hoover Web Design

More Great Ideas: Articles for an Organized Home:Pantry Cleaners: Recipes for Homemade Cleaning ProductsSew A Clean Sweep Apron!

Family TiesTime and Money

By Cynthia Ewer
Editor, Organized Home
Author, Houseworks: How to Live Clean, Green and Organized at Home

Think Christmas ... in July? Sure--if you want to be prepared for a stress-free holiday season.

Starting holiday planning now makes sense ... and cents! Saving ahead for holiday expenses spreads the financial demands of the Christmas season over several months--and being prepared with a cash budget means you'll be less tempted to put holiday spending on credit cards.

Sister site Organized Christmas has some clever ways to start now to save money for a debt-free Christmas celebration:

Clever checkbook management can lead to a Christmas stash. When paying bills each month, "round down" the bank balance to the next even amount--say, from $967 to $900--by writing a dummy check for $67 and deducting it from the register. Don't cash it, but hold it for Christmas. Over a few months, those "round it down" amounts will add up to holiday funds.

Cash In! Do-It-Now Ways To Save Money For Christmas

More Great Ideas: Articles for an Organized Home:Pantry Cleaners: Recipes for Homemade Cleaning ProductsSew A Clean Sweep Apron!