Tips for Organizing Your Home

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Home Organization Tips - How to Get Organized

I've moved several times over the past ten years and each time I do, I'm reminded of how difficult organizing my home can be. Just as I feel comfortable with my system, I need to break it down and move to a new place. Instead of let this discourage me, I've used it to help me learn. Each new place presents me with new lessons in organization. I'm going to share with you what I've learned. :)

Beautify First, Declutter Second

For me, this was an important step. I used the spare room to dump all the junk I needed to sort through, and I simply made the rest of the house look pretty.

1. Dump all the junk in the spare room.

2. Decorate, and make the house look peacefull.

3. Declutter whatever is left in the pretty parts.

4. Start decluttering the junk in places like the spare room, attic, basement, and garage.

For me, the spare room still needs some work. But at least I can close the door. ;)

Organizing from the Inside Out

Home Organization Best Resource

Organizing from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life

Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 06/02/2012)Buy Now

This book is a marvel. It was written by a former "messy person" because she turned her life around and started helping others get organized. Perhaps this is why I've responded to this system. Organizing is hard for me and it helps to learn how to do it from someone who also found it a challenge at one time. People can change!

“Organizing is about more than cleaning - it's about coming up with routines and systems.”

Tips to Organize Your Home

Home Organization Advice

  • Work Clockwise. Sometimes when I want to go on a book "organization spree" I start in one room, work clockwise, then move on to the next space. I've also heard this called "The Mount Vernon Method".
  • Think About Your Habits. When organizing, don't put your most used items out of reach. They should always be accessible. Otherwise you'll just leave them hanging around and this creates clutter. Find a good spot for it to begin with.
  • Don't Be Hard on Yourself. There is no such thing as being "perfectly organized". The sooner you realize that, the easier it will be to get organized and stay that way.

Tools to Help You Get Organized

Organization and Storage

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Organizing Your Closet

Closet Organization

You don't realize how much you rely on closets until you move somewhere that doesn't have them, like in Europe. Most "closets" need to be purchased at the furniture store. But instead of looking at them as purely functional, these closets become works of art. If you are faced with the need for extra storage and you do have closets, you can still buy one of these pieces.

However, it could be hard to keep the darned things organized. (Just like it is nearly impossible to keep your regular closets organized). No matter which type of closet you have, the elements for organizing are pretty much the same.

Give Things Away

A good place to start is by giving things away that you don't w ant - or you can also donate them to your local charity. This will free up some much needed space and you might find that you don't need to do too much else. Make sure to take any donations as a tax deduction so you'll want to get a proper receipt from the organization.

Consider Storage Shelves

Some closets benefit from extra shelving and other organizational elements. You can also hire a closet specialist to help you custom make a closet system that will suit your individual needs. It can be pricey but it is worth it to work with an expert so you can maximize your results.

How to organize your pantry

Pantry Organization

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Daily Cleaning Checklist

Real Simple Daily Cleaning Checklist
Hands down this is the best daily cleaning list that I've found!

How do you get organized?

  • Carol Jul 22, 2010 @ 10:18 am | delete
    I love this lens, it seems that in this internet age there is more clutter than ever. Will favorite it and refer to it as I set out to declutter my house!
  • kohuether Jul 23, 2010 @ 3:15 am | delete
    Thank you! For me, making things look pretty first was key. Otherwise, the project looked too stressful.

by

kohuether

Learning how to organize my home has been a work in progress. I'm getting here! These are my favorite home organization tips.

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