8 Simple Steps For Organizing Your Home

Spring is past and we're entering the hot days of summer. If you haven't done your Spring cleaning, here's some handy hints to get it done before the leaves turn golden and the nights turn cool.

Start with a plan. Make a list of projects you want to complete during the year and prioritize them. You don’t have to do everything in one weekend; place yourself so you won’t feel overwhelmed.

Take three simple steps. Every organization project starts with three basic steps: purge the items you no longer want or need, analyze what’s left to determine how you use it and measure the space you have to figure out what will fit where.

When you’re organizing, use a three-box system: keep, discard and don’t know. When you’re finished, seal the don’t know box and put it away. If you haven’t opened it in a year you don’t really need whatever is in there. Throw it away without looking inside.

Clean out the closets. Get everyone in your household involved by competing for the “cleanest closet” award. When organizing a closet, frequency of use is an important consideration. Things you reach for at least once a week should be stored at a height between your shoulders and your knees.

De-clutter the kitchen. The kitchen is often a catch-all for clutter. Review what’s on your counters and move small appliances and cookware you use most often to reach easy cabinets.

Tidy up the bathrooms. Clean out all the drawers and cabinets by tossing out expired products and items you haven’t used in at least a year. Then sort your products in a drawer organizer.

Make laundry day a breeze. Keep a plastic shoe box in the laundry room to store items you find such as lipstick, buttons and money. Set up a three-basket hamper system in your closet or bathroom so you can sort your clothes the moment you take them off, making laundry day that much easier.

Organize your home office. Customizable closet systems are just for bedrooms closets. Lightweight storage bins are great for files you use often and come in decorative canvas, metal, wood and plastic styles.

Don’t forget the basement and garage. Oil drips, grass clippings and tracked-in mud makes basements a garages a challenge to keep clean and organized. The best way to organize these areas is to create “zones” and keep the tools and products you need in their respective zones such as lawn care (mowers, tools, potting soil) car care (antifreeze, oil, car wax) sports equipment/toys, and general