An Organized Home Helps to Keep a Home Clean
Some Tips on Home Organization
To organize well you need a process. Once organized it make sense to define some simple and easy rules to follow to keep things organized. If your home is well organized, then your life will be more organized too.
Organization is good for us!
Oh, the battle for organization. It is a constant struggle in many households. We know. With a bit of thought you can get rid of the clutter which can lead to an unorganized area or home. Once you have organized some key areas of your home other areas will follow – take my word for it.
Here is a simple system that you can use to organize just about any area in your house.
Start small. The key is to start. Pick one space in your home and what you pick does not have to be a whole room. To get started select something easy and small – perhaps even as small as one drawer!
Then move on to the next area and then the next. This way you will make constant progress. You will not have a house that is organized overnight, but if you chip away at the clutter, little by little, before you know it, you’ll start feeling organized! Yes indeed!
Organization Step #1 – Take Everything Out of the Space
Sometimes it has to get worse right before it gets better! We have found this to be the case with organizing. Start clean! Clearing out the whole space always helps in multiple ways. Take everything out of the space – everything!
You can then:
- See what you have.
- Decide if you really need an item or not.
- Determine if that space is the right space for each item you decide to keep.
- Maximize the use of that space.
Organization Step #2 – Purge
Be ruthless. I’m serious. If you want to have an organized home, then make some decision to get rid of things that you don’t really need. If you haven’t used it recently then figure out who could and donate it.
If it’s broken, then why are you saving it. Either fix it or get rid of it. If it is stained or worn out, then toss it. The more you can get rid of, the less cluttered your space will feel. You want to only organize items that you want.
Pro Organizer Special Tip: For certain areas you will have some items that you cannot make a decision about (at least this happens to me). Don’t waste time, at this point, to belabor a decision. A good example of such an area will be your master closet. Clean out your master closet. Make as many fast decisions as possible about what to keep and what to get rid of. This will help you to make progress.
Put the items you are ruminating on in a special place in the closet so you can get to them quickly and easily. Do not make the major mistake of burying these items deep in the closet because you hardly ever use them.
Then . . .
Think about what you kept and later go back and make the hard decision. There is a good chance that most of these items now can be sent to your local glad rags.
Organization Step #3 – Put Like Items Together
After your big purge, separate like items into groups. When organizing your pantry, for example, put all your spices together, all of the canned goods together, all of the baking items together, etc.
When everything is put into categories it is easier for you to see what kind of organization system (boxes, bins, shelf space . . .) you will need.
Organization Step #4 – Define How to Store Things
For each category define an effective way to store and organize it. Make sure you define a way that works for you long-term. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a bunch of fancy bins. You may already have ways in your house that will help. Get creative. Use shoe boxes or a diaper boxes wrapped in pretty paper to store things in some spaces. Add decorative tape to otherwise boring bins. Your storage containers do not have to be expensive!
Pro Organizer Special Tip: To take it one step further, you can put bins inside of bins. This helps control the clutter even more because each item has a specific spot. Items have their own special space and you will be more likely to put it back in its special place.
Organization Step #5 – Label
Labeling helps people to quickly determine where things are and where to put them back. Use your computer and printer to print simple tags. Use a label maker to create a label. You could also hand write some cute labels.
Organization Step #6 – Refill the Space
Now your space is empty. It is now time to put things back. Always start with the items that you use most often and put them in the most accessible spot. Then fill in the gaps until everything you need is back in its own special place.
Organization Step #7 (optional) – Review and Adjust
Don’t be afraid to change systems that aren’t working. Your system for organization needs to be easy and practical. Sometimes you need to make adjustments. Maybe your box on top of box idea makes things too hard to get. Maybe a small storage cabinet with drawers is what you need.
Home Organization – Summing Up
It is best to get started. Start small and build from there.
Different areas of our home may call for different types of bins or dividers or shelving.
If you feel like everything is unorganized don’t get overwhelmed. Know that you can succeed to have a clean, tidy, and organized home.
Remember a wonderful feeling is the satisfaction of having a freshly organized space!
If you need some extra help keeping your home clean then give us a call at 802-295-6065. A Clean Vision has been cleaning homes in the Upper Valley since 1993. We are family owned and operated and take great pride in keeping your home clean and tidy.
