Home Organization Tips

 Have you ever put something away in a safe place so you could find it later only not remember where that place was?  Have you ever run around the house looking for your car keys or favorite CD or jacket when you are already running late?  Well you can relax now.  Home organization is at your fingertips.  Once you get organized and stay organized you won’t have these problems to deal with anymore.

 You will find useful home organization tips and tricks to use in every space of your home.  Proper storage systems are an integral part of getting organized.   Once your home is clutter-free, and everything in appropriate storage containers, you’ll have more time for the real part of your life.

 The first and most important step is to get rid of what you don’t need or absolutely love and set up easy to use storage systems for the rest of your things.   Keep only things that you use now, will use in the future or are of value to you.  Start by taking one room at a time.  Set a time limit and get finished and cleaned up by that time.  If you don’t set time limits you will get overwhelmed with everything and never finish what you started.  You can always go back and do more, but for now start with the large projects.

 Go through the items in the room and decide whether or not it is something you need to keep.  Make 3 piles; throw away, keep, maybe.  If you are uncertain as to whether or not you will need an item, put it in the maybe pile and you can go back and decide later.  Once you have made the piles, go back and look at the throw away pile and decide what to do with them.  You can always have a garage sale, give them to a friend or donate them to a charity and take a tax write off. 

 Now look around the house for things that can be used for storage containers.  Things as simple as baskets, shoe boxes, unused suitcases or large empty boxes work great for storage containers.  I have some large storage containers that I had bought through Tupperware many years ago.  They work great to store things in. 

 Once you have gone through all your things, organize them into four categories: easy access for the things you use or wear at least monthly, display for items like collectibles, photos and things you want to be displayed, concealed for items you want to be hidden and out of the way and put in cupboards and closed cabinets, and lastly the long term for seasonal things like Christmas decorations and winter clothes.  These things can be stored in the attic, garage or up in a closet.

 Now make an inventory of what you need to store by counting and measuring every item on every shelf and counter and inside each drawer, container and closet.  Keep track of things that you want to keep together so when you are counting and measuring, you are also separating them into manageable piles for the storage containers.

Expand every room’s potential by adding storage to invisible spaces: in hallways and corners, underneath stairs, behind doors and around windows.  Add some recessed shelving or bookcases that can house things you want to display as well as books.

 Coordinate your storage to blend into the room.  Simple modular storage systems can give you extra storage with doors or drawers as well as a display area.  While custom built-in's are lovely, they can be costly but may add an unexpected elegance to any space.  Whether you use an open or closed storage system will depend on what you are storing.  Open storage will allow you to display things and retrieve things easily while closed storage will protect your possessions and keep them hidden.

You may be able to add storage furniture as well if it fits in with your décor.  However, storage furniture must be functional as well as look good in the room.  Adding an old desk or small dresser that you can use the drawers for storage as well as the top for display is one way.  Other ways to use furniture more functional is to use a file cabinet as an end table by just covering the top.  Make sure to keep the drawers accessible.   If you have a small computer table in your bedroom, let it double as extra storage or a bedside table.

 Well I hope these home organization tips gives you a good start.  Keep checking back on my website for more room by room organizing.

Everyone wants to be organized, whether it's home , office, garage or closets.  This article will give you some home organization tips to get you started.

Date updated: April 10, 2007
By Laura Stack
Content provided by Revolution Health Group

It's that time again — spring-cleaning! Being cooped up all winter has given you an excuse to hibernate with your junk. No more excuses! A little advance planning this spring will allow you to emerge this summer clutter-free!

It's easier to get started on this monumental task if you break it up into smaller projects and work on them over the next several weekends. Once you've gotten your environment under control, you'll have more time for yourself this summer.

I suggest you draw up a planning sheet with two columns — one marked "Weekend" and the other marked "Project." Post it in a prominent place in your home (refrigerator, bulletin board and calendar) so everyone can see the goals.

Select a different project for each weekend. If you plan ahead and prepare for each weekend in advance, you'll be ready to jump in and make the best use of your time when Saturday arrives.

The key to getting organized is FOCUS. Most of us flit from one thing to the next on any given day and wind up with "half-organized" spaces. It generally works like this: You're cleaning out the hall closet, you get thirsty, go to the kitchen for a drink, see that the kitchen is a mess and begin to clean it. Stop! What's happening to your closet project?

Focus on getting one thing completed before moving to the next area. Act like a postage stamp — stick to one thing until you get there. Here's a sample six-week approach to begin conquering clutter in your home:

Weekend 1: Closets

Clean and organize all the closets in your house. A rule I teach my seminar participants is (1) if someone can use it more than you can and (2) it doesn't make you happy, it is clutter. Thus, the "thin section" of your closet is clutter. You certainly aren't wearing clothes that don't fit, and your self-esteem takes a nosedive each time you look at them. Take a deep breath and give it all to charity — no regrets. You can buy more clothes later if you do lose that weight.

Give away shoes that hurt your feet. Weed out items you haven't worn in a year that are threadbare or saggy or aren't comfortable. Rearrange the remaining clothes in sections —dresses, pants, suits, etc. Only keep the current season in your closet if possible. Put the rest in a spare bedroom closet or in storage containers.

Then go through the closet in the front hall. Either put the junk away or get rid of it so that you can easily retrieve coats. Toss mittens and gloves that have no mate. Give away hats that don't fit, extra sweaters, and outdoor gear your family doesn't wear.

Lastly, sort through your linen closet, using tattered sheets as rags and giving away tablecloths and towels you never use.

Weekend 2: Paper

Gather, organize and toss paper that has accumulated all over your house. Bundle up the daily newspapers that you've strewn all over the garage and take them to the recycling center. Go through your warranties and throw away the expired policies. Sort your catalogs and toss those that you never order from.

Review your magazine subscriptions and cancel those you never have time to read. Take time to call some companies that routinely send you junk mail and get off their mailing list. Go through your purse and throw away grocery lists and receipts, old film and dry cleaning tickets, receipts for purchases you made six months ago, pictures of people you don't know, etc.

Read any low-priority mail that you've been accumulating until you had some time to go through it. Select a few truly original pieces of your kids' artwork and throw the rest away (when they can't see you do it). Go through your coupon organizer and toss expired coupons. Spend some time filing the pile of paper that's been growing as if you poured fertilizer on it. Then go through each file and purge paper you no longer need. Pull out records and receipts for this year that you need to save for tax purposes and put them in a storage box marked with the current year. Then you'll be ahead of the game next January!

Weekend 3: Reading

How should you tackle your reading pile? How about considering a revolutionary step — throw the entire pile away and begin again. Or, if that's too drastic, throw away all but the current issues of Newsweek or USA Today. The rest is old news.

Don't read magazines cover to cover. The task is simply too overwhelming. Go through the table of contents, allow yourself a maximum of three articles per issue, rip them out, then throw the rest of the magazine away. When you're through weeding through your stack, the actual task will be much less formidable. Then spend the rest of the weekend catching up on the important reading.

You could try the timer technique for each article. Get an egg timer and set it for 15 minutes for each item. When it goes off, toss the article.

Another tip comes from Nobel laureate Herbert Simon, speaking in People magazine, "Reading daily newspapers is one of the least cost-efficient things you can do ... read the World Almanac once a year. What's happening you'll hear by lunch anyway."

To get rid of reading piles permanently, try subscribing to a clipping service, downloading articles to your PC from the Internet, or taking a speed-reading course. Or try a newspaper diet by shifting to liquid television.

Weekend 4: Correspondence

To whom do you owe letters? Use letters, stationery, cards, email or the phone to return messages to your friends and family that you've been neglecting.

Make a master list of the birthdays and anniversaries for all your friends and family you plan to buy for next year. Then take a trip to your local card shop and buy ALL (yes, all) of the cards at once. I go so far as to address them. Mark the important date lightly in pencil in the upper right-hand corner, so the stamp will cover it when you mail it. File the cards in folders marked for the months of the year. Order them by date inside each folder. Review the folder each month when you do your planning. Allow a few days for mail and you'll never miss another birthday again.

Stock up on all your stationery, envelopes, postcards and stamps. Put them in a little basket in your nightstand or next to your easy chair so you can dash off a letter when you have a free minute. Take some time to put return address labels and stamps on a stack of blank white envelopes. Then if you're reading an article you think your mom would enjoy, you can simply rip it out and get it going out the door to her. Or if you have to mail bills that don't have a pre-addressed envelope, you have envelopes ready to stuff and mail.

For holiday cards, tear off the return address label of each card you receive. Tape them to a piece of paper and use that for your mailing list for the following year. Sort through the holiday cards you've been keeping for years — you don't need five years' worth!

Weekend 5: Storage

This is generally clutter's last stand and could include your basement, garage, attic or shed. The biggest problem I find with most storage spaces is that people stack items on top of one another. Items in the back are usually inaccessible, as well.

Solve these problems by creating a box storage system. Purchase some industrial gray metal shelving from any home supply store. Get boxes that are all the same size and shape. Use strong, sturdy boxes of corrugated cardboard (moving cartons work best). Repack items you must store in a new box, clearly label the contents on the side, and store alphabetically on the shelves. Now you can retrieve a box from the bottom of the pile.

What items qualify for storage? Holiday materials, hand-me-down clothes a child can wear soon, maternity clothes, and infrequently used items such as camping equipment. If you bought a cappuccino machine to have for your grandfather's visits twice a year, you don't need to keep it on the kitchen counter between visits.

Think about how much memorabilia you really need to keep, perhaps one box or trunk per person. Toss, give away to charity, or have a garage sale to get rid of items you don't use, need or want. Get rid of gifts others gave you that you hate. People say, "Well, it's the thought that counts." Yes, that's true. Keep the thought; get rid of the gift. The thought doesn't take any space!

Weekend 6: Fix-it

Dedicate a weekend to taking care of loose ends and getting everything repaired that needs it. Change the oil in your car, take your dog to the vet for a shot, and catch up on your mending. Fix the handle that fell off the dresser and put the pedal back on your bike.

Then gather all the items in your house that need fixing. Make a master list of all the places you need to go or repairmen you need to bring to the house. Take that tie tack with the broken pin to the jewelers, the coat with the torn inside pockets to the seamstress, the skirt that needs to be altered to the tailor, and the VCR that isn't working to the appliance repair shop. Buy a new battery for your watch, a new blade for the lawnmower, and replace that leaky hose. Call the repairman to tune up the dryer and fix the icemaker.

So, you see, spring is a perfect time to get organized! Use your time effectively and plan for success. If you get some momentum going, keep going! Weekend 7 could be cabinets, 8 is drawers, 9 is photographs, 10 is visiting friends, 11 is housework, 12 is shopping ...

Once you get clutter under control in each of these areas, keep on top of it so it doesn't back up again. You may have to work hard a few weekends in a row to clear the current backlog, but those smart choices will result in more time for you in the summer months to come.

Make it a productive day! ™

I hope these home organization tips help you get started with your home organizing.  Start Weekend 1 with organizing your closet, then move pick up some storage containers and create yourself a box storage system.  Remember, one thing at a time.  My e-book “Ultimate Closet-Design-Resources” will give you all the information you need to de-clutter and design your closet for the most amazing functional space. You have to start somewhere, and the closet is a great first step towards home organization!