Are you constantly searching for your keys amidst old bills, extra phone chargers and empty soda cans? Does your closet have old shirts from high school lined up next to your work outfits? Do you avoid entering your garage because the sight of all those boxes and garbage bags is just too depressing? You’re not alone! Getting organized can be a serious challenge for many people. In this post, we’ll discuss the daunting task of getting organized around the house.
1. Organize One Room At a Time
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and homes don’t get organized overnight. Plan to organize one room at a time – every weekend, for example, for the next several weekends, starting with the easiest room first. Practicing on easy rooms will help you get ready to address bigger organizational challenges down the road.
2. Remove Clutter
Before you can organize a room, you must first remove the clutter. Old papers, flyers, Costco advertisements, Chinese, Thai and pizza palace menus, food containers, bills and other scraps must all be disposed of or put into their proper place. Start making a list of clutter that needs a storage bin, so you’ll know what to buy when you start buying organizational systems.
3. Get Rid of Items You Don’t Use Often
If you haven’t used it in two years, get rid of it. As you get rid of items in your home, start a pile or a box of those things you wish to take to a consignment shop or sell in a garage sale.
4. Buy Modular Storage Solutions
The best storage solutions are modular ones, because they’re designed to work together in a manner that is space efficient and practical. Explore different types of modular systems before settling on the right one for you. If you’re going shopping in a store for organizational systems, don’t forget to bring measurements of your home’s closets and rooms, so you’ll know what sizes will work for you.
5. Use Space Creatively
Think outside the box when considering the type of storage containers you might use in your home. Magnetic strips on the walls allow you to hang knives, keys and tools. Mounted racks on the ceiling can hold everything from bicycles to pots to old bins of Christmas decorations. Take an inventory of your home’s empty space to decide what kind of storage makes sense for your home.
6. Make Labels and Use Color Codes
Plastic storage bins are great, but once everything is put away you may find that it’s hard to remember which bins are which. Labeling your bins is a simple way to make your new organizational system more user friendly. Color coding is another effective way to keep your storage bins organized. For example, use green and red tape or stickers to contain your Christmas decorations, black and orange tape or stickers for Halloween decorations and so on.
7. Use Baskets to Make Storage Decorative
Plastic storage bins can get the job done, but cloth bins and woven baskets are much more attractive in decorative parts of your house. When organizing open shelving and open cabinets, use baskets to keep your clutter hidden and make your shelves look more tidy.
8. Use Over the Door Clutter Holders
Over the door organizers can give you a good place to put random objects like knitting needles and yarn balls, little toys, garden gloves, baseball caps and other items laying loose around your home. Put these organizers on each closet door in your home.
9. Use Shelves, Not Piles
Stacking storage bins on top of on another can make it difficult to access the items kept at the bottom of the stack. To make things easier, include the purchase of wood or metal shelving in your organizational plan that can be assembled and then your storage bins on their sturdy shelves.
10. Get the Outdoor Stuff Outdoors
Outdoor toys and garden tools don’t need to be in your home or garage. Use a deck box or outdoor plastic garden tool shed to get outdoor items out of your home and where they belong.
Tashman Hardware Center
Tashman Home Center is your resource for practically anything you might need to help get your home organized. We are now open every day to better serve you or you can shop on line 24/7 at our online store, TashmanHomeCenter.com, In addition to over 20,000 items in stock, we have a knowledgable and friendly staff and we’re always happy to help in any way we can!
Counter at Tashman Home Center, West Hollywood