Organizing Ideas

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Ideas To Organize Your House

OK, it’s a fact that there are two types of people in the world –

 those who are “born to organize” and the rest of the world!

Organizing ideas would help in every area of the house, to de-clutter, to make things easier to store, and to keep things together so that we can find them when we need them.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get more organized, but you can get as creative as you’d like. The choice is up to you how far up or down the scale that you want to play it.

Have Fun!

You can take one of these ideas or all of them.

Some are fun and others are functional – and we need both in our busy homes today, so try some of both.

Organizing Basics

Keep all like items together however large or small.

 You can use 1ft x 1ft crates, decorative boxes, shadow boxes, wire or wicker baskets whatever you like

There are 5 basic steps when de-cluttering any area

• trash,
• 2 year rule,
• fixable or dry cleaners,
• keep,
• wash.

Start at the top of the area and move down, taking everything out.

 You’ll want to clean, add contact paper or paint, add shelving, hooks, or rods and then you can return what needs to go back in.

Then you can deal with the five stacks. - The 2 year rule – If you have not used or worn something in 2 years, then it goes. (unless it’s a traditional item like pictures, etc.)

 I have known people who have Good Housekeeping from the 80’s right next to their sofa! Like if I come to visit and I’m waiting for them, I want to look at a 20-year-old magazine!

Organizing Ideas

• If you have spices, a spice rack saves time, energy and spillage and hangs easily on the door or wall.
• If you have ties, a tie rack keeps them all together
• Use hooks, especially for children’s rooms and near the door. This keeps everything off the floor.
• 1ft x 1ft crates are great for everything! The kid’s toys, their shoes, games, dishes, cleaning supplies.
• Wire and wicker baskets are decorative, you can hang them on the wall, and they hold like items well.
• Invest in a day planner and take 1 hour to fill it with all commitments, phone numbers, and plans, this is invaluable to an organized lifestyle. Even if you never thought you needed one – try it for one year.
• Pick 3 hours every week, Saturday, Monday night, whenever and this is your time to organize!
• Be sure to schedule 1/2 hour for yourself everyday just to de-stress! Light a candle – relax.
• Use hooks in the kitchen to hang pots and pans and free up pantry space.
• Clear plastic boxes are wonderful to put seasonal clothes in and hide under beds until you need them.
• Take a walk through a lighting store. Much clutter is accumulated because the area appears “in the shadows” and we think we can put it there. A simple floor lamp placed in the corner, using halogen bulbs which costs a little more, but are brighter and last 3-5x as long as incandescent/electric bulbs.
• Add plants. If you have a plant sitting there – you can’t stack coats!
• In the garage, keep the path to the car clear by putting bicycles up on hooks on the wall or ceiling. Visit a sporting good store. There are racks for every piece of sporting equipment.
• In the garage, rain gutters make great catchalls for any length of piping, tubing or planks that you have. Simply cut to desired length, fix screws in wall and snap on.
• Any hardware store has containers with compartment for the nails and screws that accumulate. Invest in one of these.
• Hanging baskets are handy in the bathroom, for shampoo, cotton balls, razors – whatever
• Use a small, portable hanging file (1ft x 1ft) to file monthly bills, insurance papers, etc.

These are some organizing ideas that will get you started on the road to a low-stress lifestyle. Believe it or not, that clutter wastes time and money and by simply investing a few hours a week, you will have a more relaxed lifestyle.

Enjoy!