5 TIPS TO TACKLE COMMON HOUSEHOLD CLUTTER
Not sure where to start when it comes to decluttering your home? I’m sharing 5 tips to warm you up for an organization overhaul.
I was invited by New Day Northwest to share my 5 tips when getting started with home organization. Attempting to organize a cluttered home can be an overwhelming feat and something that you should plan and prepare for. To train those muscles (and your mind) for bigger organization projects, here are 5 ways to find small wins.
Start with a drawer: Before emptying all the contents of your closet or your pantry, start with a drawer. My suggestion is your junk drawer, we all have one and its full of odds and ends. What you’ll need to do is take everything out, everything. And before putting things back neatly, we have to edit. Does everything in this drawer serve a purpose, and if so, is this the best place for this item.
Next let’s determine the best system that will keep this neat - single divider, individual bins, or adjustable dividers. Depending on what you choose to store in the drawer, choose the option that will keep things in control and is the most manageable. It doesn’t have to be perfect all the time, but the idea is that it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to reset when needed.
Fold + file: A lot of my clients struggle with clothing space. Tshirts and leggings are especially challenging to store because people tend to have so much of them. Of course edit first. But one of my favorite tricks is to fold and file, so that your clothing is stored standing upright. This way you can store more items in the same space while also having better visibility. You can easily find printed tees or whichever one you want to wear.
To fold tshirts, let’s lay them flat, and eyeball the width of the space you want to store it in, fold in the sides, then fold in half, then in half again. Depending on how long the shirt is or tall your drawer, you might need to fold into thirds. And there you go.
This method isn’t just limited to clothing. I also use it to store my plastic bags. I use the same approach, and eyeball the width of my container, fold in the sides and keep folding in halves or thirds until it fits the space.
Ditch original packaging: One space saving way I like to store toys and games is to ditch the original packaging and put the contents in a zippered pouch. For board games especially, this can be a space saver. I also do it with puzzles, blocks, and some crafting items (stickers). The pouches still keep everything contained and can easily be stored in a drawer or chest.
Control your cords: Take the 30 sec to store your cords properly after each use. Your future self will be very thankful there isn’t a tangle bundle in a drawer. You can store your cords in in divided compartments and rubber band them neatly. Something a little less fussy is a banded board, which you can sort of just round up your cords and stick them in. My fave method is to roll the cord with itself and just store it in a drawer or wherever you want your cords handy. Its really simple and once you get the hang of it, you’ll do this subconsciously to all cords you find.
Know when to ask for help: Phone a friend or call a pro. For one, organizing is much more fun when you have company and you can bounce ideas off each other. Not only that it goes by much faster. If you find that you can’t be bothered and would rather come home to everything magically edited and in a designated place, that’s when it’s time to call a professional. They take the stress out of the process.
What will you try first? Remember: there is no wrong way to organize, just get started!