Organizing Tips and How to Keep Things Organized.

Cleaning and Organizing Tips

For some, organizing around the house is something that tends to get put on the back burner. For others, it’s something that is done a little each day.

For those of us that do put it off, it’s something that will need to be done in baby steps so as not to get deterred.

No matter where you are starting to organize, we have some simple organizing tips that can help you get out from under clutter.

Start with One Room

So you don’t get overwhelmed and end up quitting before you’ve even started, organize one room at a time. You decide which room you want to start on but I would suggest you don’t start with a room that is overly cluttered. The goal is to complete the organizing process.

Pick a Day and Give Yourself Plenty of Time

When you have decided on the room to organize, pick the day and how much time you’re going to spend organizing. If it’s a smaller room that isn’t all that unorganized and cluttered, maybe you can complete it on a Saturday in four or five hours? Maybe you give yourself the weekend and spend two to three hours each day to complete the task?

Remember to set goals that are achievable and can be done in the time you’ve given yourself, you don’t want to set yourself up to fail.

Cleaning and Organizing a Room

On the day you are ready to start cleaning and organizing a room, have a bag to throw garbage in, a bag or box for donation items, and a container with a lid for items that go elsewhere in the house.

Tip: When you are going through rooms and find items that have not been used or worn for at least two years and are in good condition, it’s time to let it go. You don’t need them taking up space. See if a friend or family member wants it or donate it.

What stays in the room, put things away where they belong; after you have finished cleaning out the stuff, dust and then vacuum the room, start dusting from top to bottom and vacuum back towards the door.

Storage Options for Organizing

There are so many options available for storage such as:

• Ottomans
• Shelving
• Closet Organizers
• Clear Plastic Containers
• Shoe Organizers
• Hooks for Hanging
• Drawer Organizers
• Baskets

If you have a small room with not a lot of storage options, think about utilizing wall space with shelves, under the bed storage, an ottoman for storing movies, magazines, games, etc. Baskets can be used in the pantry, small stackable shelves for the bathroom and so on.

Clear plastic containers are also great for organizing and you can see what is in them. Buy labels as well so you can label each container clearly. These containers stack nicely as well. You can store clothing items, toys, seasonal decorations and more.

Do the same with the mail and keys. Keep a basket near the door (or wherever works for you like a dining table or kitchen counter) for the mail you are keeping. For junk mail like flyers, catalogs, magazines and correspondence you don’t want to keep, throw these in the recycle bin. The only exception to this is credit card solicitations and any other mail with your personal information. All of these should be shredded.

Keeping Things Organized

Clean up a little each night. Put the television remote, game consoles, books away where they belong before bed. Clean the kitchen when you’re finished with dinner.

If the kids are old enough, have them put their toys away before bed, and hang up clothes. If you are diligent with the upkeep, your house will stay tidy and chaos free.