1. Kitchen:
Open that drawer that catches “all things”. Look for duplicate items and donate them.
Move large appliances that are not used often (like roasting pans, ice cream makers) to a non-prime location. I suggest the cabinet above the refrigerator or even the garage if you have a shelving space. Entertainment pieces like china or serving platters also may take up important space in the kitchen that should be used for every day functions.
2. Dining room:
Often it feels as if the dining room table is a magnet for paper and other items. Any storage in the dining room should be serving pieces, linens and dining related items. Keep an elegant table cloth and center piece on the dining table to keep from piling unwanted items on it.
Dining rooms are sometimes considered wasted space for those who don’t entertain often. Consider other uses for the space, a home office? Could it be used for a homework station for the kids? Etc.
3. Living room and/or Family Room:
Whether it be baskets or shelves, find a way to organize the DVD’s and video games. Alphabetize them for easy access or organize them by categories (drama, comedy, country, jazz). Give away the ones you don’t need anymore or you have duplicates of.
Paper! Minimize the magazine and newspaper subscriptions you have. Have a pretty basket or magazine rack to keep them in.
If toys are throughout the room, have a basket in the corner and have your children help organize by having a race or game before dinner to get all the toys into the container.
4. Master Bedroom:
Under your bed is a wonderful place to store wrapping paper, out of season clothing or pre-bought gifts for an upcoming holiday or birthday. But be sure it doesn’t become a dumping ground for things you may need or things that you just don’t know where to put. And make sure the items stored under the bed are put in boxes.
Put dividers in your dresser drawers to separate socks, shirts and underwear (Ikea has an inexpensive set of six in various sizes for just $10. The top of the dresser can also collect items that don’t belong there. Use a small container for jewelry and change that might end up there. You can use a dish or an old jewelry gift box.
Getting control of your closet starts with weeding through the clothes and deciding what you really are going to wear again. If you are short of space, put out of season clothing in a box under the bed or on a high shelf in a closet.
5. Kids Bedrooms:
Use the vertical space! A shelf along the top of the room is a beautiful way of displaying stuffed animals or fragile items. Are there toys all over the place? Bring a box into the room and have your children help you “make more room to play” by putting sending some toys on ‘vacation’. This box will go in the garage for a few months and then you can either bring it in and make a swap for other toys, or if the toys are not missed consider donating them (or some of them) to kids in need.
6. Bathroom:
I love to use color coded bathroom items. From a basket/container under the sink, hair brush and toothbrush, having a color for each family member helps to identify whose items they are and if they need to be put away, you will quickly know who to ask
‘Peg hooks’ at a child’s height is a wonderful way to get them to help keep the towels off the floor.
If you are short on storage space, extra towels can be displayed beautifully by rolling them and stacking them in a pyramid (3 on the bottom, then 2 , then 1) and placing them on the back of the toilet or on the corner of the bath tub.
7. Laundry room:
Shelving in a laundry room, will keep detergents and laundry products off the floor. Choose one or two days a week to do laundry so it doesn’t feel like an endless chore
A small trash can in the laundry room is handy to dispose of dryer lint and other things you might find in the pockets of your clothing.
8. Home Office:
Use color coded files to differentiate topics (ex: green for finances, blue for medical and yellow for insurance)
Five Steps to Clearing Clutter From Your Desk
Desks easily attract clutter. They are a horizontal surface that we go to in between our daily activities. It is easy to set down papers, mail and things we need to complete on our desk. And some things belong there. Before we know it desks can become a catch all for a lot more than our current work in progress. Having an uncluttered desk can increase your ability to be creative and less distracted. By finding things quickly, you can save time and money by being more productive. Here are five ideas to clear your desk of clutter and keep it clutter free.
1) The first step in clearing clutter from our desks is to identify our daily patterns. Mail that arrives should be immediately opened. Shred communication that is unneeded. File communication that should be saved and put communication that needs to be read in a “to read” file/pile.
2) Identify where your clutter is coming from. Are other people leaving things on your desk? If so, have a specific file or paper tray for that communication to be collected in.
3) Is your file system working for you? Many professionals have specific files, but sometimes general “working files” are also needed. They can be kept in a desk top file box. For example, a file for ‘things to be entered into the computer’ may work for you. This is an excellent tool for those who are in and out of their office a lot and are able to set aside a time during the week to do computer entry or delegate the task. Another working file that is efficient is a ‘things to be decided upon’ file. If you need to work with a coworker to make a decision or finalize a process, this an effective file for your daily system. One more working file that my clients have found helpful is a ‘to file’ file. Really! Sometimes you may not immediately know what file you want to put a paper in or you may not yet have a file set up for that category. This file is a great tool to ensure that you know where papers are before they have a permanent home.
4) Desks are a great place to show a bit of our personality. Yet, if our desks become cluttered with photos of family or friends, snow globes from vacations, and gifts from coworkers, our work space is minimized and our focus can be easily disrupted. Choose two or three personal items to have on your desk at any one time.
Cheryl Kaufman
(916)206-0147
Cheryl@TheHomeAndOfficeOrganizer.com
Serving Sacramento and Northern California
Antelope, Auburn, Cameron Park, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Davis, Diamond Springs , Dixon, El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Gold River, Granite Bay, Grass Valley, Lincoln, Loomis, Nevada City, Orangevale, Placerville, Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, Shingle Springs, Vacaville, Your City!
