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Category Archives: Organizing
7 Tips for Organizing Seasonal Items
7 Tips for Organzing Seasonal Items
1. Have a place for all your seasonal items. Purchase storage bins to put all the decorations in. Use a black marker or a labeling system to label the outside of the bins. It’s best to get clear bins so you can see through them, but if you have non-clear ones, label them well! Make sure the bins are stackable so they store easily. You can also purchase colored coded tops: red for Christmas, orange for Halloween, etc.
2. When you purchase the totes, most stores have specific ones for wreaths, ornaments and Christmas lights. Get rid of all the boxes of ornaments and put them all into one with the dividers. If they take up more than one tote, go through the ornaments and donate the ones that you no longer want. One tote full of ornaments is enough for one tall Christmas tree.
3. Each year, go through your decorations and if they are broken, throw them out. If you no longer wish to use them, donate them. If ornaments are broken, throw them out. Most can’t be fixed.
4. Also, look at how many of certain items you have. You really only need one Christmas tree so sell or donate any others you have. How many “little” decorative setups do you have? Only keep those with sentimental value and sell or donate the others.
5. Double check your Christmas lights. If you don’t have replacement bulbs and more than ten lights are out on a string of lights, it’s time to throw them out. It would be cheaper to purchase new lights than bulbs. How old are the strands of lights? If they are clearly outdated, throw them out wisely or donate them to local organizations.
6. You can either put your bins of seasonal decorations on shelves or purchase racks that hang from the ceiling to keep them out of the way. You only need to get to the decorations a few times a year so this is an easy option and it doesn’t take up much space.
7. Get a storage bin just for holding wrapping paper, tape, bows, etc. Get rid of the gift tag packages and put them into a baggie. Place this where you can get to it easily for whenever you need to wrap a present. (Christmas isn’t the only time for wrapping packages.) Place scraps of paper that no longer fit on the roll into to gallon size self-sealing bags. If you have a lot of Christmas bows, put them into a large shoebox and label the box.
6 Tips for Organizing the Garage
6 Tips for Organzing the Garage
A garage is a little different than most rooms as it is used for many things. Not only are you supposed to park your car in it; you have to have a place for tools, gardening supplies, kids sporting equipment and more.
Some garages have the laundry room in there as well, which can create another entire area for organizing. A good thing to remember is to store everything according to frequency and use. If it’s use less frequently, store it towards the back. Things you access often, put towards the front.
1. Purchase a bike rack that hangs from the ceiling. This keeps the bikes in once place and keeps them from taking up space on the ground.
2. Put sporting equipment in clear bins with lids. Label the bins. Keep them where the kids can easily get to them, but where they can easily put them up too. Be sure to check the items as the seasons change. Keep winter sports gear in one area, summer in another, etc. Depending on how you have this stored, put winter items on high shelves during summer so children do not get into them and it is a good way to keep them out of the way and safe.
3. Put a pegboard on the wall and hang tools on it. Have little storage bins for screws and such and put them on a shelf in the garage. You can also save baby jars to store screws and nails. These are good for wire or string as well.
4. If you have room, place cabinets along one wall to store paint cans, tools, gardening supplies, etc. Sometimes you can put these on roller casters to move them around.
5. Hang hooks on the wall to hold rakes, hoses and other gardening tools or brooms. This keeps them up off the floor and saves space on the floor for other things. Also, they’ll be right there on the wall for easy access.
6. Don’t forget about your garbage! If you keep it inside the garage, be sure to have trashcans large enough to hold several bags of trash. Make sure the trashcans have lids and that the lids fit. The same is true if you have recycle bins. You’ll create more clutter is you have trash or recyclable items lying on the floor.
6 Tips for Organizing the Entryway
6 Tips for Organizing the Entryway
1. Something simple to occupy the entryway and decorate it is an item that not only keeps clutter down, but dirt to a minimum is to have a rug at the door to clean off shoes as you enter the door. Having a place to sit down and remove shoes is a good thing. A bench works well or a couple of chairs.
2. Have a place for each person to put their shoes when they take them off. Color-coded bins help younger children to know where their shoes belong. This central location can help for when children are looking for their shoes each morning. It is keep to keep the area clean and organized daily.
3. Have a designated place where kids put backpacks, sports gear, jackets, umbrellas, etc. when they come home. Many people use their mud rooms for this, if you don’t have one, create an area near the front or back door for hanging coats up and purchase (or build) a bench with storage units underneath for putting other gear.
4. Keep wet umbrellas in a plastic shopping bag to catch the water. Having a container full of plastic bags near the door will help. (Be sure to check when the umbrellas are dry to throw the water out before mold sets in.)
5. Have a place to hang your keys as you are coming in. If you keep them in one place, you won’t spend time looking for them. Have one place for charging a cell phone or PDA. In this same place as the keys, place your sunglasses as well.
6. Make sure you have an area for items that need to be taken care of the next day. Dry cleaning, library books, etc. need to have a place by the door so you will remember them on the way out.
