Professional organizers are paid to come into your home and get rid of the things that are not needed and find a place for things that are. Organizing your surroundings is as simple as that. But you can do the work of a professional organizer on your own. Using the correct furniture and storage containers and making the most of empty wall space in high-traffic areas will help your home stay neat and organized. Does this Spark an idea?
Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets
Here's a good rule for organizing your kitchen cabinets: If you haven't used something in a year's time, you probably will have no need for it again. There are a few exceptions, of course, such as a punch bowl set or other party service items. To start, grab two boxes; mark one "Storage" and the other "Yard Sale" or "Charity," depending on your preference.
Clean out your cabinets first, starting with the pots and pans, then moving on to glassware. Keep two frying pans and a few other pots and pans of various sizes. If you are a family of two or four, you certainly do not need 20 bowls, cups, glasses and so on. Allow two of each of these items per family member. If your house is active with kids and their friends, you might want to keep a few extra.
Organize Your Clothes
Use the center rack in your closet for the clothes you will wear most frequently during the current season. Put out-of-season clothes in the harder-to-reach places. Get rid of anything you have not worn in a year. Instead of putting bulky sweaters and jeans in drawers, which will only hold a few of each of these items, put them in the closet on a shelf. If your closet is small, use the top shelf and keep a folding step stool nearby to get at them.
Using an armoire that only has shelves inside will give you more room to store your foldable clothes than drawers in a dresser. Clothes are easily seen on shelves and they won't get wrinkled from being stuffed in a drawer. Use your drawer furniture for smaller items such as underwear, belts, stockings and T-shirts.
Organize Your Entryway
The door from the outside used most in your home will be a "catch-all" place for the kids' backpacks, shoes, coats and any other object carried into the house. Organize this area with rows of hooks. You can put eight to 10 hooks in a two-by-four and hang it in this area. If you have small children, hang two rows of hooks, making sure one is at their height.
Place a shelf with four baskets in this area and label one for each child or family member. This would be the perfect place to put their school supplies and lunches. With this setup, there will be no more running around in the morning, gathering up their belongings--they just reach into the basket on their way out the door.
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