How to Tame Your Overstuffed Bookshelves in 48 Hours
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the September 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
There comes a time, in every library, when a purge is required. What do you keep? What do you toss? When is it time to get rid of that unopened copy of the complete works of Emily Dickinson? Sara Nelson, O's books editor, says you have to be both careful and ruthless as you cull. Gather your tomes around you, she advises, and ask the following questions:
1. Have you owned it without reading it for less than two years? Then move it to a probationary shelf, where it can remain for another 12 months. But if it has been hanging around unread since the Clinton administration, out it goes.
2. Was it a gift, inscribed by an old friend or boyfriend or even the author? Don't give a book like this away, ever; it's a diary, a literary road map to your past.
3. Would you recommend the book to a friend? If so, it's okay to keep one copy for yourself and one to give away. I used to be like a squirrel in winter: I'd have one book to keep, one to lend, and one just in case I lost the other two. What I've learned—books are not nuts. Don't do that.
4. Will you really read Jude the Obscure? Right. Toss. Ditto all that other homework. And guess what? Your teenager couldn't care less about the collegiate scribblings in your Signet Shakespeares, however charming you think they are. (And anybody can read all about Henry IV for free on Google Books these days.) Having loved something in school is not justification for clutter.
5. Does it complete an author's body of work? If so, you might want to keep the family together. But if you're letting a title stay only because of what you think (or hope) it says about you, forget it. Books, like clothes, cars, and homes, are reflections of ourselves—so the first step to making over your library is looking not on the shelves but in the mirror.
MY THOUGHTS
Another project in the making. I'm sure I have several books that I bought years ago but had not had the time to read. But that's not my real problem. My real concern is my lack of desire to throw away books that I've already read. Time to let go.
Showing posts with label closet clutter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label closet clutter. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
CLOSET CLOGGING HABITS TO BREAK
Attention Shoppers! 3 Closet Clogging Habits to Break Now
Oprah and O's creative director, Adam Glassman, know—these three habits are the quickest way to clog your closet.
By Adam Glassman
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the March 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
1. DON'T BUILD A WARDROBE BASED ON FANTASY
Oprah: "I bought a lot of little bags when I thought I was going to be a 'lady who lunches.' I've never been one, but I've always liked the idea and longed for that life. There's something about dressing up and being ladies—it's like playing house."
Adam Says: "Fashion can help you create an image, but be honest about your lifestyle. Do you really need yachting clothes when you never set foot on a boat? When buying an item, if you can answer 'Where am I going in this?' with at least four legitimate places, you have my blessing."
2. DON'T BUY YOUR FAVORITES OVER AND OVER AND OVER
Oprah: "This suit, I don't know why I have it. I've never even worn it. But when my favorite designer, Gianfranco Ferré, was alive, I never went to Los Angeles or New York without going to his store."
Adam Says: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a go-to brand or ensemble. But if you're buying multiples of things, ask yourself: "How many black pants or little gray sweaters do I really need?" Invest in a few high-quality pieces; better craftsmanship and fabrics always last longer."
3. DON'T SHOP FOR THE BEAUTIFUL BUT IMPRACTICAL
Oprah: "I was at Bergdorf Goodman one day, coming up the escalator. And these boots said, 'Helloooo, Opraaaaah.' But did I wear them once? No. I bought them because they were beautiful—because I wanted to look at them."
Adam Says: "I call this trophy shopping. Before you buy, take stock of your closet: What are you missing? Shop for those pieces before impractical items. As for 'closet jewelry'? Hang a few gorgeous items on your closet door, just to make yourself smile."
MY THOUGHTS
i wish i can say i am not guilty. there was a time i looked around my house and i hated myself. for accumulating so much, for getting things that were not really needed. i've long since given up those things that cluttered my life. but i still have a lot to let go of. a garage sale - that's what i need to plan for.
Oprah and O's creative director, Adam Glassman, know—these three habits are the quickest way to clog your closet.
By Adam Glassman
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the March 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
1. DON'T BUILD A WARDROBE BASED ON FANTASY
Oprah: "I bought a lot of little bags when I thought I was going to be a 'lady who lunches.' I've never been one, but I've always liked the idea and longed for that life. There's something about dressing up and being ladies—it's like playing house."
Adam Says: "Fashion can help you create an image, but be honest about your lifestyle. Do you really need yachting clothes when you never set foot on a boat? When buying an item, if you can answer 'Where am I going in this?' with at least four legitimate places, you have my blessing."
2. DON'T BUY YOUR FAVORITES OVER AND OVER AND OVER
Oprah: "This suit, I don't know why I have it. I've never even worn it. But when my favorite designer, Gianfranco Ferré, was alive, I never went to Los Angeles or New York without going to his store."
Adam Says: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a go-to brand or ensemble. But if you're buying multiples of things, ask yourself: "How many black pants or little gray sweaters do I really need?" Invest in a few high-quality pieces; better craftsmanship and fabrics always last longer."
3. DON'T SHOP FOR THE BEAUTIFUL BUT IMPRACTICAL
Oprah: "I was at Bergdorf Goodman one day, coming up the escalator. And these boots said, 'Helloooo, Opraaaaah.' But did I wear them once? No. I bought them because they were beautiful—because I wanted to look at them."
Adam Says: "I call this trophy shopping. Before you buy, take stock of your closet: What are you missing? Shop for those pieces before impractical items. As for 'closet jewelry'? Hang a few gorgeous items on your closet door, just to make yourself smile."
MY THOUGHTS
i wish i can say i am not guilty. there was a time i looked around my house and i hated myself. for accumulating so much, for getting things that were not really needed. i've long since given up those things that cluttered my life. but i still have a lot to let go of. a garage sale - that's what i need to plan for.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 4)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 4)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 4: Monday
Pare Down Plastics
20 minutes
A familiar slapstick scene played out in kitchens far and wide is opening a cabinet door and being awash in a shower of tubs and lids. Don’t let this happen to you! First, buy plastic containers in a single shape. Go for square or round, but don’t have both. Mismatched shapes will take up extra cabinet space and prevent you from stacking to the max. Mount a separate rack for lids inside the cabinet door and your shelves will look department-store neat. Also, are you still squirreling away the plastic tubs and containers from cottage cheese, margarine, and Chinese takeout? Do you really need to save every last one of them? Instead, recycle them or donate them to a school art class.
Week 4: Tuesday
Hang It Up!
20 minutes
Are you running low on cabinet space but have some good looking pots and pans or mugs that you wouldn’t mind putting on display? Overhead pot racks suspended from the ceiling are a creative use of air space. Make sure the rack is securely bolted in place and up to the task of handling a heavy weight load. Hanging pot racks run the gamut of styles, from ornate ironwork to thin minimalist wooden strips, to match just about any décor. Some have built-in shelves for lids or additional display storage. You can also install a few hooks underneath a cabinet to hang attractive mugs or teacups. This will free up some cabinet space while adding a homey touch to the look of the room.
Week 4: Wednesday
Attention, Magnet Maniacs!
15 minutes
In many homes, the refrigerator winds up becoming a giant, messy canvas for magnet collages. While it’s nice to have the phone number of your favorite pizza delivery service handy, and it’s easy to tack up all the photos of your nieces and nephews you get in holiday cards, you can put the refrigerator’s magnetic properties to better use. Instead, make your magnets into a work of art. Buy a magnetic board and install it on a wall in your kitchen. Display magnets from trips you’ve taken or choose a few of your favorite photos and put them in magnetic frames. Just don’t go overboard.
Week 4: Thursday
Find a Place for Pesky Plastic Bags
15 minutes
From grocery bags to the bags the newspaper comes in, plastic bags are everywhere. While they are useful to hang on to, things can quickly get out of hand. Instead of just shoving them in the cabinet under the kitchen sink or stuffing them into a drawer, come up with a system that saves space by making the bags as compact as possible. For instance, pick up a plastic bag holder that can be mounted on the inside of a cabinet door, or a hanging sleeve that can go in a pantry or closet. Load bags into the top of the device, pressing down in order to remove all the air, and then, when you need a bag, just pull one from the bottom.
Week 4: Friday
Filter Water at the Source
20 minutes
If you’re someone who doesn’t like to drink water straight from the tap, you may be the proud owner of one of those large, plastic filtering jugs. While it’s nice to have cold, filtered water at the ready, this device takes up a lot of space in your fridge or on your countertop. An alternative is a filtering fixture that can be installed right on your kitchen faucet. Most of these fixtures have on and off settings or can simply be moved aside when you’re just washing dishes and don’t need filtered water. This device does have a filter that will need to be changed every so often, but overall it will save some precious space and make your kitchen a little less cluttered.
Week 4: Saturday
Do Some Drawer and Cabinet Maintenance
40 minutes
Take a tour of your kitchen. Are there any drawers with missing pulls or wheels that have come off the track? Are there any cabinets with creaky hinges or doors that don’t close all the way? If you have missing or damaged drawer pulls, take this opportunity to choose a new design and replace them all. For creaky hinges, apply some household lubricant and open and close the cabinet door two or three times to help it circulate. If you find a cabinet door that always hangs open just slightly, pick up a cabinet magnet kit. Simply affix one magnet to the surface of the open cabinet and the other to the inside of the cabinet door. When you close the door, they should meet and attract, keeping the door closed.
Week 4: Sunday
Get a Knife Makeover
20 minutes
What kind of shape are your knives in? Are the blades dull and the handles loose? Dull blades require you to put in twice the effort, and loose handles can cause you to slip and cut yourself. While you don’t need more stuff on your kitchen countertop, there is one item that is worth the several square inches it takes up: a knife block. Essentially, it’s just a block of wood with slits of different sizes for all your different size knives: the chopping knife, the bread knife, the paring knife, and so on. Some knife blocks also come with a sharpener so you can sharpen your own knives at home. Others include slots for kitchen shears and other handy tools. If counter space is seriously at a premium, another option is a wall-mounted magnetic knife strip.
MY THOUGHTS
i plead guilty. once again on all counts. but i've taken action. yes, i've thrown away all those plastic containers. for someone whose meals are almost always store-bought, those containers can accumulate.and i promised myself to just keep on throwing them away. washing them and stacking them up defeats the purpose.
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 4: Monday
Pare Down Plastics
20 minutes
A familiar slapstick scene played out in kitchens far and wide is opening a cabinet door and being awash in a shower of tubs and lids. Don’t let this happen to you! First, buy plastic containers in a single shape. Go for square or round, but don’t have both. Mismatched shapes will take up extra cabinet space and prevent you from stacking to the max. Mount a separate rack for lids inside the cabinet door and your shelves will look department-store neat. Also, are you still squirreling away the plastic tubs and containers from cottage cheese, margarine, and Chinese takeout? Do you really need to save every last one of them? Instead, recycle them or donate them to a school art class.
Week 4: Tuesday
Hang It Up!
20 minutes
Are you running low on cabinet space but have some good looking pots and pans or mugs that you wouldn’t mind putting on display? Overhead pot racks suspended from the ceiling are a creative use of air space. Make sure the rack is securely bolted in place and up to the task of handling a heavy weight load. Hanging pot racks run the gamut of styles, from ornate ironwork to thin minimalist wooden strips, to match just about any décor. Some have built-in shelves for lids or additional display storage. You can also install a few hooks underneath a cabinet to hang attractive mugs or teacups. This will free up some cabinet space while adding a homey touch to the look of the room.
Week 4: Wednesday
Attention, Magnet Maniacs!
15 minutes
In many homes, the refrigerator winds up becoming a giant, messy canvas for magnet collages. While it’s nice to have the phone number of your favorite pizza delivery service handy, and it’s easy to tack up all the photos of your nieces and nephews you get in holiday cards, you can put the refrigerator’s magnetic properties to better use. Instead, make your magnets into a work of art. Buy a magnetic board and install it on a wall in your kitchen. Display magnets from trips you’ve taken or choose a few of your favorite photos and put them in magnetic frames. Just don’t go overboard.
Week 4: Thursday
Find a Place for Pesky Plastic Bags
15 minutes
From grocery bags to the bags the newspaper comes in, plastic bags are everywhere. While they are useful to hang on to, things can quickly get out of hand. Instead of just shoving them in the cabinet under the kitchen sink or stuffing them into a drawer, come up with a system that saves space by making the bags as compact as possible. For instance, pick up a plastic bag holder that can be mounted on the inside of a cabinet door, or a hanging sleeve that can go in a pantry or closet. Load bags into the top of the device, pressing down in order to remove all the air, and then, when you need a bag, just pull one from the bottom.
Week 4: Friday
Filter Water at the Source
20 minutes
If you’re someone who doesn’t like to drink water straight from the tap, you may be the proud owner of one of those large, plastic filtering jugs. While it’s nice to have cold, filtered water at the ready, this device takes up a lot of space in your fridge or on your countertop. An alternative is a filtering fixture that can be installed right on your kitchen faucet. Most of these fixtures have on and off settings or can simply be moved aside when you’re just washing dishes and don’t need filtered water. This device does have a filter that will need to be changed every so often, but overall it will save some precious space and make your kitchen a little less cluttered.
Week 4: Saturday
Do Some Drawer and Cabinet Maintenance
40 minutes
Take a tour of your kitchen. Are there any drawers with missing pulls or wheels that have come off the track? Are there any cabinets with creaky hinges or doors that don’t close all the way? If you have missing or damaged drawer pulls, take this opportunity to choose a new design and replace them all. For creaky hinges, apply some household lubricant and open and close the cabinet door two or three times to help it circulate. If you find a cabinet door that always hangs open just slightly, pick up a cabinet magnet kit. Simply affix one magnet to the surface of the open cabinet and the other to the inside of the cabinet door. When you close the door, they should meet and attract, keeping the door closed.
Week 4: Sunday
Get a Knife Makeover
20 minutes
What kind of shape are your knives in? Are the blades dull and the handles loose? Dull blades require you to put in twice the effort, and loose handles can cause you to slip and cut yourself. While you don’t need more stuff on your kitchen countertop, there is one item that is worth the several square inches it takes up: a knife block. Essentially, it’s just a block of wood with slits of different sizes for all your different size knives: the chopping knife, the bread knife, the paring knife, and so on. Some knife blocks also come with a sharpener so you can sharpen your own knives at home. Others include slots for kitchen shears and other handy tools. If counter space is seriously at a premium, another option is a wall-mounted magnetic knife strip.
MY THOUGHTS
i plead guilty. once again on all counts. but i've taken action. yes, i've thrown away all those plastic containers. for someone whose meals are almost always store-bought, those containers can accumulate.and i promised myself to just keep on throwing them away. washing them and stacking them up defeats the purpose.
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 3)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 3)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 3: Monday
Evaluate Your Oven Mitts
10 minutes
What’s the current oven mitt situation in your kitchen? Do you have too many and have trouble finding a place to put them all? You only need two oven mitts (because you only have two hands) and maybe three or four potholders in your kitchen. More than that are unnecessary and will take up space needed for other things. Are your oven mitts and potholders old, burned, torn, or otherwise ineffectual? Make sure these items are of high quality and are thick enough so you don’t feel any heat coming through them. The minute one of these pops a hole, throw it out. A third-degree burn will not help you in your reorganization efforts.
Week 3: Tuesday
Start Composting
5 minutes
Banana peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, and other food scraps may seem like garbage, but they can actually have a second life as compost. If you’re a gardener, decomposed food scraps can provide rich nutrients to your soil. Instead of scraping off your plates into the trashcan or garbage disposal, put fruit and vegetable scraps into an airtight jug. As these items slowly decompose, add them to your soil for the health of your plants. You can also buy small, discreet countertop compost pails at many home stores. These items make it easy to gather food waste indoors while keeping odors to a minimum. You can store a compost pail under the sink, on the counter, or in a cabinet for accessibility.
Week 3: Wednesday
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
15 minutes
Yes, recycling is important, but so is a system that works for you—and having recyclables stacked willy-nilly in your kitchen isn’t it. Instead, purchase a recycling sorter with at least two different bins: one for plastic and glass, one for paper products. Keep in mind, however, that, like trash, even well-rinsed bottles and cans will create a sticky, stinky residue in your bin. Wash it frequently to keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
Week 3: Thursday
Create a Family Message Center
20 minutes
If you share your household with other people, chances are you all have very different schedules that are hard to coordinate. To make things easier—and to avoid accumulating piles of calendars and to-do lists—create a family message center in the kitchen. This message center may include a large corkboard or dry-erase board for posting messages and slots for sorting mail. You can also maintain a food-shopping list that all members of the family can contribute to. Everyone in the family will know to check the message board so that even when schedules conflict, you and your family members can communicate about upcoming events and household chores.
Week 3: Friday
Establish a Coupon System
20 minutes
How would you like to save $5, $10, or even $20 every time you shop for groceries? If this sounds appealing, coupon clipping may be for you. Searching for and clipping coupons from the newspaper or from advertising circulars can be a timeconsuming task, but many people enjoy it as a relaxing rainyday activity. Use a binder with clear pockets to sort, categorize, and store your coupons. For example, you may have categories called Cleaning Products and Pet Care Products, and you simply place all related coupons in that category within the same pocket. An alternative is to use a small file box and store your coupons alphabetically, either by product name or brand name. As a general rule, clip and store coupons for only those products you already use or definitely want to try. If you're not careful, your coupon file could easily get cluttered with coupons you have no intention of using.
Week 3: Saturday
Round Up Your Recipes
20 minutes
If you enjoy cooking, chances are you’ve acquired many recipes in many different forms—from cookbooks and magazine clippings to printouts from the Internet and handwritten notes from friends and family. Instead of shoving crumpled pieces of paper in all available nooks and crannies and struggling to find the recipe you want when you want it, pick up a three-ring binder with dividers along with a bunch of clear plastic sleeves that you can insert papers into. Divide the binder into sections, such as Appetizers, Chicken Dishes, Desserts, and so on, and then file your recipes within the binder. Keep it with your cookbooks, on a shelf in the kitchen. An alternative is to file your recipes in a file cabinet or recipe box.
Week 3: Sunday
Take a Look at Lighting
30 minutes
The way that you light your kitchen will have a dramatic effect on how you work and feel in that space. Oftentimes kitchens have harsh overhead lights that glare on all who enter. Ideally, you’ll have a few different types of lighting so that you can alternate them depending on your needs and the time of day. Invest in lighting that you love—lamps can work in a kitchen, as can beam or spot lights that will give you soft, steady light
in exactly the place where you need it. Soft, ample light can increase your efficiency, improve your mood, and transform your kitchen into a place of peace and hospitality.
MY THOUGHTS
come to think of it, why is this kitchen clean-up for the whole week? how about us working ladies? well, there are weekends. an uncluttered kitchen will save you a lot of food preparation time during the busy weekdays. why is it i don't have a single oven mitt?
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 3: Monday
Evaluate Your Oven Mitts
10 minutes
What’s the current oven mitt situation in your kitchen? Do you have too many and have trouble finding a place to put them all? You only need two oven mitts (because you only have two hands) and maybe three or four potholders in your kitchen. More than that are unnecessary and will take up space needed for other things. Are your oven mitts and potholders old, burned, torn, or otherwise ineffectual? Make sure these items are of high quality and are thick enough so you don’t feel any heat coming through them. The minute one of these pops a hole, throw it out. A third-degree burn will not help you in your reorganization efforts.
Week 3: Tuesday
Start Composting
5 minutes
Banana peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, and other food scraps may seem like garbage, but they can actually have a second life as compost. If you’re a gardener, decomposed food scraps can provide rich nutrients to your soil. Instead of scraping off your plates into the trashcan or garbage disposal, put fruit and vegetable scraps into an airtight jug. As these items slowly decompose, add them to your soil for the health of your plants. You can also buy small, discreet countertop compost pails at many home stores. These items make it easy to gather food waste indoors while keeping odors to a minimum. You can store a compost pail under the sink, on the counter, or in a cabinet for accessibility.
Week 3: Wednesday
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
15 minutes
Yes, recycling is important, but so is a system that works for you—and having recyclables stacked willy-nilly in your kitchen isn’t it. Instead, purchase a recycling sorter with at least two different bins: one for plastic and glass, one for paper products. Keep in mind, however, that, like trash, even well-rinsed bottles and cans will create a sticky, stinky residue in your bin. Wash it frequently to keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
Week 3: Thursday
Create a Family Message Center
20 minutes
If you share your household with other people, chances are you all have very different schedules that are hard to coordinate. To make things easier—and to avoid accumulating piles of calendars and to-do lists—create a family message center in the kitchen. This message center may include a large corkboard or dry-erase board for posting messages and slots for sorting mail. You can also maintain a food-shopping list that all members of the family can contribute to. Everyone in the family will know to check the message board so that even when schedules conflict, you and your family members can communicate about upcoming events and household chores.
Week 3: Friday
Establish a Coupon System
20 minutes
How would you like to save $5, $10, or even $20 every time you shop for groceries? If this sounds appealing, coupon clipping may be for you. Searching for and clipping coupons from the newspaper or from advertising circulars can be a timeconsuming task, but many people enjoy it as a relaxing rainyday activity. Use a binder with clear pockets to sort, categorize, and store your coupons. For example, you may have categories called Cleaning Products and Pet Care Products, and you simply place all related coupons in that category within the same pocket. An alternative is to use a small file box and store your coupons alphabetically, either by product name or brand name. As a general rule, clip and store coupons for only those products you already use or definitely want to try. If you're not careful, your coupon file could easily get cluttered with coupons you have no intention of using.
Week 3: Saturday
Round Up Your Recipes
20 minutes
If you enjoy cooking, chances are you’ve acquired many recipes in many different forms—from cookbooks and magazine clippings to printouts from the Internet and handwritten notes from friends and family. Instead of shoving crumpled pieces of paper in all available nooks and crannies and struggling to find the recipe you want when you want it, pick up a three-ring binder with dividers along with a bunch of clear plastic sleeves that you can insert papers into. Divide the binder into sections, such as Appetizers, Chicken Dishes, Desserts, and so on, and then file your recipes within the binder. Keep it with your cookbooks, on a shelf in the kitchen. An alternative is to file your recipes in a file cabinet or recipe box.
Week 3: Sunday
Take a Look at Lighting
30 minutes
The way that you light your kitchen will have a dramatic effect on how you work and feel in that space. Oftentimes kitchens have harsh overhead lights that glare on all who enter. Ideally, you’ll have a few different types of lighting so that you can alternate them depending on your needs and the time of day. Invest in lighting that you love—lamps can work in a kitchen, as can beam or spot lights that will give you soft, steady light
in exactly the place where you need it. Soft, ample light can increase your efficiency, improve your mood, and transform your kitchen into a place of peace and hospitality.
MY THOUGHTS
come to think of it, why is this kitchen clean-up for the whole week? how about us working ladies? well, there are weekends. an uncluttered kitchen will save you a lot of food preparation time during the busy weekdays. why is it i don't have a single oven mitt?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 2)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up!
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 2: Monday
Pay the Fridge a Visit
30 minutes
Ah, the refrigerator. You’ve probably been avoiding this one. Spoiled food, old, sticky spills . . . who wants to dive into that? Whether you want to or not, this task is a must. The first step in organizing your refrigerator is to empty it out and clean it, but you can do this a little at a time. Remove all the items from one shelf and wipe it down. Once that’s done, start sorting. Throw away anything that’s expired or questionable and let go of items that you know you’ll never eat. Next, take inventory of the items that remain and decide how you’ll organize them. Keep similar items together. Take full advantage of the drawers, shelves, and refrigerator door.
Week 2: Tuesday
Get Rid of Lingering Smells
5 minutes
Even if your fridge is white-glove clean (and let’s be honest here, it probably isn’t), it may still smell a little. It makes sense, though, right? Think of everything you keep in your fridge: fish, yesterday’s takeout, burritos, cat food, curry, cheese, and plenty of items that are just waiting for next week’s trash day, like just-past-its-expiration-date milk, fruit, and so on. You name it . . . it’s stored in your fridge. An easy way to solve this problem is to stick an open container or box of baking soda in the back of your fridge. The baking soda will suck up the majority of smells and keep your fridge smelling like a dream—or a just-clean-enough fridge as the case may be.
Week 2: Wednesday
Control Your Cutlery
15 minutes
If you’re like most people, you probably have a cutlery drawer that is brimming with more than just cutlery. Perhaps you’ve got a few rubber bands, some plastic baggies, a box of toothpicks, a set of corncob holders, and a bundle of twist ties. Sound familiar? Here’s what you do: Remove everything from the drawer that is not a fork, knife, or spoon. If you don’t already have one, buy yourself a cutlery holder to help keep the drawer organized. Also, make sure you have the right number of pieces of cutlery for your situation. If you have a family of seven, you’re going to need more than three forks. If you live alone, you probably don’t need sixteen spoons. Take out any extras and donate them. You’ll be much happier when you can open that drawer and see exactly what you
need.
Week 2: Thursday
Relocate Fruit to the Fridge
5 minutes
A bowl of fresh fruit can look lovely on a counter or tabletop, but if you have a small kitchen, it might also be contributing to a cluttered look. If this is the case in your kitchen, consider moving your fresh fruit to the refrigerator. But before you do so, check the ripeness. Most fruits, like lemons, oranges, apples and grapes, do not continue to ripen after they’ve been picked, so they’ll do best in your refrigerator. In fact, they will stay fresher longer in the fridge, especially in the hot summer months. However, fruits like mangos and nectarines will continue to ripen in your fruit bowl on the counter, so if they’re harder than you’d like when you buy them, leave them out for a few days before transferring them to the fridge. And finally, never put bananas in the refrigerator as they will turn brown in no time.
Week 2: Friday
Try Nesting
10 minutes
This is not a recommendation that you have a child in order to get your kitchen organized; that would actually be counterproductive. We’re talking about kitchen items that come in various sizes that can be stacked and stored together—taking up less space. Nesting mixing bowls are great for various tasks. Use the smallest bowl to beat an egg, the medium-sized bowl to prepare a fruit salad, and the largest bowl to mix up a big batch of cookie dough. Drinking glasses that fit inside one another will take up less space in your cabinet, and nesting measuring cups will only need a corner of a drawer. So if you have nesting items already, make sure they are being stored together. If you don’t have these, consider replacing older items with these space savers.
Week 2: Saturday
Bring Order to Your Brooms and Mops
10 minutes
Brooms, mops, dusters, and similar items can be tough to place in the home. Many people keep them in the kitchen, but they’re not that pretty to look at so you don’t want them out in the open. What you need is a tall, narrow space where these will be accessible but still out of the way. This might be a corner of your food pantry or the sliver of space between your fridge and the wall. Wherever you choose to stash these items, be sure that you keep them neat and tidy. Don’t hang on to ratty old brooms and mops that are past their prime. A hair-clogged broom or filthy mop head will only transfer hair, dust, and dirt back onto your floors.
Week 2: Sunday
Clear Off Tops of Cabinets
30 minutes
While you may think no one really notices, all that stuff you store on top of your cabinets gives your kitchen a cluttered, messy look. See if you can relocate some of those items to places that are out of sight. Your kitchen will look cleaner and more spacious this way. If you absolutely need to utilize the space on top of your cabinets for storage, pick up some attractive baskets or bins that complement the existing décor. That way, you can store items in a neat and organized fashion that won’t detract from the overall look of the room.
MY THOUGHTS
that' right! i'm not eager to dive into my ref. i already did anyway. and i can almost feel my ref smiling back at me. it's not squeaky clean. but i can see what's inside. as for the broom, i don't have one. there's no where to store it. and i don't need it. my sister gave me this heavenly tool. you wrap those special napkins for dusting on the rectangular base,put together the long handle. dust and dirt stick to it like magic. i don't even need a dustpan. i use the same on the walls and ceilings. if you want to mop, there's the wet type of paper. very easy to use and very easy to store.
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 2: Monday
Pay the Fridge a Visit
30 minutes
Ah, the refrigerator. You’ve probably been avoiding this one. Spoiled food, old, sticky spills . . . who wants to dive into that? Whether you want to or not, this task is a must. The first step in organizing your refrigerator is to empty it out and clean it, but you can do this a little at a time. Remove all the items from one shelf and wipe it down. Once that’s done, start sorting. Throw away anything that’s expired or questionable and let go of items that you know you’ll never eat. Next, take inventory of the items that remain and decide how you’ll organize them. Keep similar items together. Take full advantage of the drawers, shelves, and refrigerator door.
Week 2: Tuesday
Get Rid of Lingering Smells
5 minutes
Even if your fridge is white-glove clean (and let’s be honest here, it probably isn’t), it may still smell a little. It makes sense, though, right? Think of everything you keep in your fridge: fish, yesterday’s takeout, burritos, cat food, curry, cheese, and plenty of items that are just waiting for next week’s trash day, like just-past-its-expiration-date milk, fruit, and so on. You name it . . . it’s stored in your fridge. An easy way to solve this problem is to stick an open container or box of baking soda in the back of your fridge. The baking soda will suck up the majority of smells and keep your fridge smelling like a dream—or a just-clean-enough fridge as the case may be.
Week 2: Wednesday
Control Your Cutlery
15 minutes
If you’re like most people, you probably have a cutlery drawer that is brimming with more than just cutlery. Perhaps you’ve got a few rubber bands, some plastic baggies, a box of toothpicks, a set of corncob holders, and a bundle of twist ties. Sound familiar? Here’s what you do: Remove everything from the drawer that is not a fork, knife, or spoon. If you don’t already have one, buy yourself a cutlery holder to help keep the drawer organized. Also, make sure you have the right number of pieces of cutlery for your situation. If you have a family of seven, you’re going to need more than three forks. If you live alone, you probably don’t need sixteen spoons. Take out any extras and donate them. You’ll be much happier when you can open that drawer and see exactly what you
need.
Week 2: Thursday
Relocate Fruit to the Fridge
5 minutes
A bowl of fresh fruit can look lovely on a counter or tabletop, but if you have a small kitchen, it might also be contributing to a cluttered look. If this is the case in your kitchen, consider moving your fresh fruit to the refrigerator. But before you do so, check the ripeness. Most fruits, like lemons, oranges, apples and grapes, do not continue to ripen after they’ve been picked, so they’ll do best in your refrigerator. In fact, they will stay fresher longer in the fridge, especially in the hot summer months. However, fruits like mangos and nectarines will continue to ripen in your fruit bowl on the counter, so if they’re harder than you’d like when you buy them, leave them out for a few days before transferring them to the fridge. And finally, never put bananas in the refrigerator as they will turn brown in no time.
Week 2: Friday
Try Nesting
10 minutes
This is not a recommendation that you have a child in order to get your kitchen organized; that would actually be counterproductive. We’re talking about kitchen items that come in various sizes that can be stacked and stored together—taking up less space. Nesting mixing bowls are great for various tasks. Use the smallest bowl to beat an egg, the medium-sized bowl to prepare a fruit salad, and the largest bowl to mix up a big batch of cookie dough. Drinking glasses that fit inside one another will take up less space in your cabinet, and nesting measuring cups will only need a corner of a drawer. So if you have nesting items already, make sure they are being stored together. If you don’t have these, consider replacing older items with these space savers.
Week 2: Saturday
Bring Order to Your Brooms and Mops
10 minutes
Brooms, mops, dusters, and similar items can be tough to place in the home. Many people keep them in the kitchen, but they’re not that pretty to look at so you don’t want them out in the open. What you need is a tall, narrow space where these will be accessible but still out of the way. This might be a corner of your food pantry or the sliver of space between your fridge and the wall. Wherever you choose to stash these items, be sure that you keep them neat and tidy. Don’t hang on to ratty old brooms and mops that are past their prime. A hair-clogged broom or filthy mop head will only transfer hair, dust, and dirt back onto your floors.
Week 2: Sunday
Clear Off Tops of Cabinets
30 minutes
While you may think no one really notices, all that stuff you store on top of your cabinets gives your kitchen a cluttered, messy look. See if you can relocate some of those items to places that are out of sight. Your kitchen will look cleaner and more spacious this way. If you absolutely need to utilize the space on top of your cabinets for storage, pick up some attractive baskets or bins that complement the existing décor. That way, you can store items in a neat and organized fashion that won’t detract from the overall look of the room.
MY THOUGHTS
that' right! i'm not eager to dive into my ref. i already did anyway. and i can almost feel my ref smiling back at me. it's not squeaky clean. but i can see what's inside. as for the broom, i don't have one. there's no where to store it. and i don't need it. my sister gave me this heavenly tool. you wrap those special napkins for dusting on the rectangular base,put together the long handle. dust and dirt stick to it like magic. i don't even need a dustpan. i use the same on the walls and ceilings. if you want to mop, there's the wet type of paper. very easy to use and very easy to store.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Great Kitchen Clean-Up (Week 1)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 1)
Did you cook up a storm all holiday season long? Time to give your overworked kitchen some attention. Try this week-by-week clean kitchen makeover plan, excerpted from the new book Just Clean Enough by I.B Caruso and Jenny Schroedel (37 Photos)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Stand mixer. Coffee maker. Athletic equipment? Sound familiar? Yes, the kitchen tends to be a gathering place in the house. Great! You want to be able to socialize. But you don’t want it to turn into a storage locker, home office, or a playroom. What to do with all that crap currently piled up on your counters? Get it out of there! You want a clean, organized, beautiful kitchen, so roll up your sleeves and get down to business.
Love these tips and tricks? Find out how to clean and organize your entire home with cleaning experts I.B Caruso, Jenny Schroedel and their new book, Just Clean Enough.
Plus, get more kitchen design ideas with our Home Inspiration Galleries!
Week 1: Monday
Clear Off Those Counters
20 minutes
Believe it or not, your kitchen is not actually the best place for your laptop, your son’s backpack, last week’s newspaper, the unfolded laundry, or that birthday gift for your niece that you haven’t gotten a chance to mail yet. Assess the items on your counters. Do all of them belong there? Remove those that don’t and evaluate those that remain. Are there small appliances on your counters that you don’t use often? Tuck them away in a cabinet or give them to someone who will use them. To free up counter space, utilize a paper-towel rack that hangs on the wall and consider appliances (such as a microwave) that can be installed under your cabinets.
Week 1: Tuesday
Take Out the Trash
10 minutes
Is your trashcan working for you? This may sound like a ridiculous question, but one of the most common problem areas of the kitchen is the trash. Take a look at your trashcan. If it’s broken, missing its lid, or just not meeting your needs, kick it to the curb and get a new one. Trashcans with lids are ideal for keeping bad smells in and pets out, and a can with a foot pedal keeps your hands free from bacteria when throwing things away. Once you have a trashcan that meets your needs, take care of it. Clean it and spray it with disinfectant on a regular basis.
Week 1: Wednesday
Dish Rack Duty
5 minutes
If you do your dishes by hand, you probably have a dish rack next to your sink. This is fine, but if your dish rack has been taken over by yucky stains and buildup, throw it out and get a new one. Going forward, clean your dish rack regularly and put away your dishes as soon as they’re dry. If you leave them sitting there, other members of your household will just pile theirs on top, and before you know it you’ll have a leaning tower of plates—and an ideal climate for mold and bacteria—on your hands.
Week 1: Thursday
What’s under the Kitchen Sink?
20 minutes
Most likely the cabinet under your kitchen sink is brimming with household cleaners. Open up this cabinet and go through the items one by one. Separate those that you use on a regular basis from those that you never use or can’t identify. Don’t pour these cleaners down the drain or throw them in the trash; they may be toxic. Contact your local environmental agency or government office to find out how to dispose of these items safely. Once you’ve whittled your cleaners down to the necessities, wipe out the cabinet and replace them in an orderly fashion. Consider investing in adjustable-height shelving that slides out along rails and is specially designed to fit around awkward drainpipes.
Week 1: Friday
Keep Spices Looking Nice
15 minutes
The spice rack or cabinet is typically a war zone. But take heart! There are a few different solutions to this problem. If you keep your spices in a cabinet, consider investing in a lazy Susan. The turntable action of this device offers 360-degree access to stored items. You could also buy a wall-mounted spice rack and hang it near your stove or another area where you prepare food. Then your spices will be right at your fingertips. You can also get small canisters that have magnets on the back so you can store items on your refrigerator. If your fridge is
near your cooking area, this might be the perfect spice solution for you.
Week 1: Saturday
Make a Mess
40 minutes
Ever heard the expression, “It has to get worse before it gets better”? This applies perfectly to the task at hand. Before you can organize your kitchen, you have to pull it apart and see what’s there. That means emptying all cabinets and sorting through items one at a time. To begin, pull everything out of a single cabinet and take a look at the contents. What do you need and what can you get rid of? As you reduce the bulk in each cabinet, you’ll find that it will be much easier to keep it clean.
Week 1: Sunday
Just Say No to Junk
20 minutes
Ever heard the term junk drawer? Chances are you have at least one in your kitchen. When going through these, take on the role of a drill sergeant. Inspect each item and be merciless. Any chipped, broken, or outdated items go straight into the trash. If you find yourself hemming and hawing over something, throw it out. Ask yourself when you last used your strawberry huller, apple corer, or hard-boiled-egg slicer. If you can’t remember, you have your answer. And don’t hang onto things because you just might need them one day. Anything that’s outlived its usefulness in your home might just find a purpose in someone else’s.
MY THOUGHTS
i don't think i have a kitchen! i have a small sink, a ref, a microwave, a coffee maker, a kettle, a waffle maker and a solo blender. imagine all of them cramped in 2 small counter tops. together with all the glass jars and stuff. and yes, sometimes, the laptop joins them in that clutter.
well, finally, the mess got too much. i found this article (a series). and my counter tops look so neat i don't want to use it. i still need to attack the cabinets. i enjoy organizing anyway.
Did you cook up a storm all holiday season long? Time to give your overworked kitchen some attention. Try this week-by-week clean kitchen makeover plan, excerpted from the new book Just Clean Enough by I.B Caruso and Jenny Schroedel (37 Photos)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Stand mixer. Coffee maker. Athletic equipment? Sound familiar? Yes, the kitchen tends to be a gathering place in the house. Great! You want to be able to socialize. But you don’t want it to turn into a storage locker, home office, or a playroom. What to do with all that crap currently piled up on your counters? Get it out of there! You want a clean, organized, beautiful kitchen, so roll up your sleeves and get down to business.
Love these tips and tricks? Find out how to clean and organize your entire home with cleaning experts I.B Caruso, Jenny Schroedel and their new book, Just Clean Enough.
Plus, get more kitchen design ideas with our Home Inspiration Galleries!
Week 1: Monday
Clear Off Those Counters
20 minutes
Believe it or not, your kitchen is not actually the best place for your laptop, your son’s backpack, last week’s newspaper, the unfolded laundry, or that birthday gift for your niece that you haven’t gotten a chance to mail yet. Assess the items on your counters. Do all of them belong there? Remove those that don’t and evaluate those that remain. Are there small appliances on your counters that you don’t use often? Tuck them away in a cabinet or give them to someone who will use them. To free up counter space, utilize a paper-towel rack that hangs on the wall and consider appliances (such as a microwave) that can be installed under your cabinets.
Week 1: Tuesday
Take Out the Trash
10 minutes
Is your trashcan working for you? This may sound like a ridiculous question, but one of the most common problem areas of the kitchen is the trash. Take a look at your trashcan. If it’s broken, missing its lid, or just not meeting your needs, kick it to the curb and get a new one. Trashcans with lids are ideal for keeping bad smells in and pets out, and a can with a foot pedal keeps your hands free from bacteria when throwing things away. Once you have a trashcan that meets your needs, take care of it. Clean it and spray it with disinfectant on a regular basis.
Week 1: Wednesday
Dish Rack Duty
5 minutes
If you do your dishes by hand, you probably have a dish rack next to your sink. This is fine, but if your dish rack has been taken over by yucky stains and buildup, throw it out and get a new one. Going forward, clean your dish rack regularly and put away your dishes as soon as they’re dry. If you leave them sitting there, other members of your household will just pile theirs on top, and before you know it you’ll have a leaning tower of plates—and an ideal climate for mold and bacteria—on your hands.
Week 1: Thursday
What’s under the Kitchen Sink?
20 minutes
Most likely the cabinet under your kitchen sink is brimming with household cleaners. Open up this cabinet and go through the items one by one. Separate those that you use on a regular basis from those that you never use or can’t identify. Don’t pour these cleaners down the drain or throw them in the trash; they may be toxic. Contact your local environmental agency or government office to find out how to dispose of these items safely. Once you’ve whittled your cleaners down to the necessities, wipe out the cabinet and replace them in an orderly fashion. Consider investing in adjustable-height shelving that slides out along rails and is specially designed to fit around awkward drainpipes.
Week 1: Friday
Keep Spices Looking Nice
15 minutes
The spice rack or cabinet is typically a war zone. But take heart! There are a few different solutions to this problem. If you keep your spices in a cabinet, consider investing in a lazy Susan. The turntable action of this device offers 360-degree access to stored items. You could also buy a wall-mounted spice rack and hang it near your stove or another area where you prepare food. Then your spices will be right at your fingertips. You can also get small canisters that have magnets on the back so you can store items on your refrigerator. If your fridge is
near your cooking area, this might be the perfect spice solution for you.
Week 1: Saturday
Make a Mess
40 minutes
Ever heard the expression, “It has to get worse before it gets better”? This applies perfectly to the task at hand. Before you can organize your kitchen, you have to pull it apart and see what’s there. That means emptying all cabinets and sorting through items one at a time. To begin, pull everything out of a single cabinet and take a look at the contents. What do you need and what can you get rid of? As you reduce the bulk in each cabinet, you’ll find that it will be much easier to keep it clean.
Week 1: Sunday
Just Say No to Junk
20 minutes
Ever heard the term junk drawer? Chances are you have at least one in your kitchen. When going through these, take on the role of a drill sergeant. Inspect each item and be merciless. Any chipped, broken, or outdated items go straight into the trash. If you find yourself hemming and hawing over something, throw it out. Ask yourself when you last used your strawberry huller, apple corer, or hard-boiled-egg slicer. If you can’t remember, you have your answer. And don’t hang onto things because you just might need them one day. Anything that’s outlived its usefulness in your home might just find a purpose in someone else’s.
MY THOUGHTS
i don't think i have a kitchen! i have a small sink, a ref, a microwave, a coffee maker, a kettle, a waffle maker and a solo blender. imagine all of them cramped in 2 small counter tops. together with all the glass jars and stuff. and yes, sometimes, the laptop joins them in that clutter.
well, finally, the mess got too much. i found this article (a series). and my counter tops look so neat i don't want to use it. i still need to attack the cabinets. i enjoy organizing anyway.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Closet organizing: Ways to Declutter
Ten Ways to Declutter Your Home
By Peter Walsh
The Oprah Winfrey Show
February 07, 2007
Is clutter taking over your home? Peter Walsh has 10 easy ways you can de-clutter your home and your life today.
How to Keep Your House Clutter-Free
•Tackle messes one room at a time.
•When you buy something new, practice the "in-out rule:" For every one new item, get rid of an old one.
•Create intimacy in the master bedroom. Remember that improvements in one room can spread to the rest of the house.
•Make cleaning up fun for your kids.
•Create a vision for the room you're cleaning.
•Teach your kids how to sort.
•Use a hanger system to determine which clothes you wear most.
•Ask yourself if you really need something. If you hesitate, you don't.
•Establish a "magic triangle" in your kitchen between the stove, refrigerator and the sink. Keep the items you use most in that area.
•Identify useful utensils with the cardboard box test.
MY THOUGHTS
i will challenge myself to practice the "in-out rule". which means that i shouldn't buy anything until after i've done a lot of "outs". i've no problme with my place in the city. my room in the province is another matter. it's such a mess i can't locate things anymore. time. i need time.
By Peter Walsh
The Oprah Winfrey Show
February 07, 2007
Is clutter taking over your home? Peter Walsh has 10 easy ways you can de-clutter your home and your life today.
How to Keep Your House Clutter-Free
•Tackle messes one room at a time.
•When you buy something new, practice the "in-out rule:" For every one new item, get rid of an old one.
•Create intimacy in the master bedroom. Remember that improvements in one room can spread to the rest of the house.
•Make cleaning up fun for your kids.
•Create a vision for the room you're cleaning.
•Teach your kids how to sort.
•Use a hanger system to determine which clothes you wear most.
•Ask yourself if you really need something. If you hesitate, you don't.
•Establish a "magic triangle" in your kitchen between the stove, refrigerator and the sink. Keep the items you use most in that area.
•Identify useful utensils with the cardboard box test.
MY THOUGHTS
i will challenge myself to practice the "in-out rule". which means that i shouldn't buy anything until after i've done a lot of "outs". i've no problme with my place in the city. my room in the province is another matter. it's such a mess i can't locate things anymore. time. i need time.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Closet organizing: conquer clutter
Conquering Clutter
.By Peter Walsh
The Oprah Winfrey Show
January 01, 2006
If you had to step over piles of clothes, papers and unidentifiable "stuff" just to get to your computer, you're not alone. Organizational guru Peter Walsh, host of TLC's hit show Clean Sweep, says millions of Americans are drowning in clutter.
Studies show that although families are smaller, homes are larger than ever. Even with more square feet of living space, many Americans still fill attics, basements and storage units with stuff. Peter blames overstuffed spaces on our super-size mentality. "We're in a culture that says more is better," he says. "We've been led to believe that things bring us happiness."
For more than 10 years, Peter has helped pack rats organize their homes and reclaim their lives. His techniques go well beyond color-coded boxes and plastic storage bins. Peter says he helps people uncover what's really going on underneath all that junk, which often leads to life-changing breakthroughs.
"[Stuff] robs people of so much," he says. "If your house is full of stuff, all the blessings that could fill your house can't get in. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace."
Don't distress over your mess—learn to conquer your clutter one room at a time.
Tip 1: Tackle one room at a time.
Don't let a manicured lawn fool you. Behind closed doors, many families are living with massive clutter. The Gavitt family hopes Peter can help them reclaim their Texas home.
Janet, a busy wife and mother of four, says the clutter started to get out of control when her twin daughters were born eight years ago. Now, with a 5-year-old and a baby to care for, she says she and her husband, Charlton, just can't keep up.
When Peter first arrived at the Gavitts' home, he noticed children's toys and clothes scattered throughout the house...even in the family room. "It doesn't look like a house that the parents run," Peter tells Janet. "You and Charlton have to get back in the driving seat."
Although Janet says she tells her daughters to put their things away, there's no designated place to put them. Plus, there are simply too many things to keep track of. Janet isn't lacking organizational skills. In fact, she works for The Container Store, a retail chain that specializes in space and storage solutions. "Talk about feeling like a fraud," she says.
Janet isn't the only person feeling the effects of the clutter. The mess is also starting to take a toll on Charlton. "I can't do the things I want to do with my children because there's stuff everywhere," he says. "I can't help them with their homework because there's not a place to do it. My job as a father is being compromised by the amount of clutter that we have in our house."
Everything's bigger in Texas...even messes. That didn't stop Peter from transforming the Gavitts' family room into a real living room in just 72 hours.
With the floor free of toys, the Gavitts' space looks more spacious and inviting. "We would actually use this room," Charlton says.
New furniture also doubles as organizational tools. Inside the leather footstools, the children discover board games. A coatrack in the entryway also has shelves for additional storage.
The papers that once covered the dining table are gone, and finally, the family can sit and enjoy a meal together. "I totally have gotten that now that we don't need the [stuff]-the stuff was hurting us," Janet says. "We need each other."
Tip 2: Follow the "in-out rule."
Peter and Janet tackle piles of the girls' clothes, which are scattered throughout the house. Peter says the secret is to take everything out of each room first and then sort it in a separate location.
All the clothing is placed on a tarp in the front yard. Now, it's up to Janet to sort the clothes into two categories—items to keep and items to give away. Each daughter gets a set number of bins, and once they are full, Janet must move on.
To avoid clutter, Peter says every shopper should follow the "in-out rule." Every time you buy a new piece of clothing, you should get rid of an old piece. He also makes Janet promise that she will not buy her daughters any new clothes for six months
Tip 3: Build intimacy.
When Peter sees Janet and Charlton's bedroom, he knows just what they need more of: intimacy. "When you are intimate, when your relationship is powering along, that will feed the rest of the house," he says.
With junk everywhere, Charlton says there's just no room to be romantic in the master bedroom. "You'd roll over onto a pile of clothes or a pile of toys and so we tried to take it to other rooms, but they were just as bad," he says. "There was no place to be us."
When asked what sort of bedroom they want, Janet says she'd like a romantic space, while Charlton wants a room that's just for him and his wife. Now that they have a shared vision, they can begin to declutter.
Peter tells the couple if they haven't used it in 12 months, it needs to go. That includes the dingy sweatpants Janet's been hanging onto since high school. "If it doesn't fit the vision you have for your space, it's got to go," Peter says.
Now, Janet and Charlton's bedroom oozes with intimacy. Soft lighting and a fresh coat of paint give the room a new look and feel. "There's a floor!" Janet says. "I feel a thousand pounds lighter. I feel like we can breathe now."
Peter designated a small space for their baby, Julia, and completely reorganized their closets.
Tip 4: Make cleanup fun.
Even though Miranda, Katharine and Audrey are young, Peter says they can learn to pick up after themselves. All it takes is a little creativity. Peter makes cleaning fun by turning it into a game. Each girl is given a type of thing—clothes, toys or books—to be responsible for. At the count of three, the girls scramble to fill bins with their items.
Miranda, Janet and Charlton's 8-year-old daughter, said she was embarrassed to bring friends over to her messy house...but not anymore! The once chaotic playroom is now an orderly place for the girls and their friends to read, play and paint.
Peter has designated a place for everything. There are bins for toys, cubbies for art supplies, and shelves for books and games.
How will they keep it tidy? "If we put everything back where it belongs," Miranda says. The Gavitt girls promise Peter that they'll keep the room neat and clutter-free
Tip 5: Create a vision.
Peter's method for attacking a messy garage is what he calls a "kick-start"—a high-speed, easy purge. Although it took years for the Gavitts to fill their garage with junk, it should only take them minutes to decide what they need to keep.
Peter says they need to create a vision and asks the Gavitts what they want from their garage. Charlton names four things: somewhere to work, park the car, refuge and storage. Now, they must rely on split-second decision making to identify the items that stay and the items that go. "You have to be tough as nails," Peter says.
Before Peter stepped in, Janet and Charlton hadn't been able to park in their garage for six years. After sorting through hundreds of items, Janet and Charlton drastically reduced the amount of stuff in their garage. Now, there is ample parking space thanks to new shelving units and clearly marked storage boxes.
"Incredible!" Janet says. Janet and Charlton say Peter's help has transformed their lives. "We knew we weren't happy," Janet says. "We knew it was something, but what?"
Now, Janet and Charlton have stopped hiding their home and started entertaining again. "We've had friends over several nights in a row for drinks because we can. So that's incredible," Janet says.
Peter's philosophies have even carried into different aspect of Charlton's life. He says he even decluttered his appearance by shaving his beard and cutting his ponytail! Charlton's also organized his work life. "I've cleaned out my office at school and it's going go even further," he says. "I teach theater so the prop room is next and we're going to purge all the stuff there, and I've been sharing it with everyone that I can talk to."
Although their home is clean and tidy now, Charlton says he fears things could go back to the way they were. "It's a big fear, and I won't live like that again," he says.
Tip 6: Teach your kids how to sort.
Just like millions of other moms, Ella, a Chicago wife and mother, has a few organizational problem areas in her house. She says her husband, Alberto, and her two sons, Ellington and Chandler, are the main clutter creators.
Peter says the secret to having clutter-free kids starts with teaching them how to sort. He gives Ella's boys one trash bag and two boxes. He tells them to fill the bag with garbage, and put anything they want to sell at a yard sale in one box and charitable donations in the other.
Peter also encourages Ellington and Chandler to make cleaning fun—even boring chores like putting away clothes. "Here's what you have to do every night before you go to bed," Peter says. "You have to shoot baskets with your clothes." The boys also get a lesson in using baskets and containers to organize their things and learn the important "in-out rule." With their very own label maker in hand and bins at their disposal, the boys start sorting!
After the boys did their jobs, Peter and his team work some magic of their own in the room to give the kids a fresh start. Bookshelves were placed in one section of the room to act as a library, and Ellington and Chandler organized bins for photos, toy cars and bags.
"You see how it's so clean now?" Ellington says.
"It's clean. Oh, my goodness! I am so proud of you. It looks absolutely beautiful," Ella says.
Tip 7: Use a hanger system to determine which clothes you wear most.
Peter says the single biggest problem he sees in homes is closet organization. Many of Ella's issues stemmed from having too many clothes, some with the tags still on. "I always tell her that there's always going to be a sale and not every sale you need to participate in," Alberto says
Peter says we actually only wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time, and that there's a simple test to see which ones you wear most. "What you should do is take all of your clothes and hang them in the closet [facing one] way," he says. "And then every time you wear an article of clothing, you put it back in [the opposite way]."
After six months, Peter says to go through everything that's still hanging in its original position. "Ask yourself, 'Do I ever wear that?' Go through and anything that you haven't worn in 12 months, no longer fits, out of fashion, that you don't love, use as an opportunity to get rid of it," Peter says.
Peter's team organized both closets. Ella's happy to see those unworn deals cleared away and donated. Alberto is amazed at the hanging row of suits and shelves with neatly folded shirts.
"I can actually see what I want to wear before I even reach for it," Alberto says.
Tip 8: Ask yourself if you really need something. If you hesitate, you don't.
Now it's time to purge the rest of Ella's closet, which is overrun by shoes. "We have to do a quick run on shoes," Peter says. Peter forces Ella to make snap yes or no decisions on the shoes she wants to keep. "I'm telling you, if you pause for one moment, it's gone," he says as he holds up pair after pair.
As Peter flushes out unwanted shoes, Ella has a breakthrough. "I am certainly willing to make a change. I didn't realize how much I was going to be affected by the change, though," she says.
The blame, Ella realizes, doesn't just fall on her husband and children. She's also responsible for the clutter. "I have to look at myself as well and be very honest about my impact on this whole equation of things," she says.
After parting with many pairs of shoes, Ella leaves the master bedroom so Peter and his team can finish the transformation in her closet. The mountain of shoe boxes is gone, with a neatly organized shoe rack in its place. Ella and Alberto are amazed. "You just don't realize that things have accumulated and it just became overwhelming," Ella says.
"This looks good," Alberto says. "This looks great."
Ella says Peter's makeover has opened new doors for her family. "I didn't realize how many of my friends and family members had not been upstairs until after I decluttered mentally, physically and emotionally," she says. "Then I was able to open the door to the bedroom and open the door to my home."
Alberto says the family makes an effort to keep the house looking like it did when Peter and his team left. It's even carried over to Alberto's work. "The next week I went into my office and rearranged my office," he says.
The boys are even keeping their own rooms clean! "It just teaches all, it's [easy] after 20 years of marriage [to] accumulate a lot of stuff around the house," Alberto says
Peter believes that an organized kitchen can help you lose weight! It all comes down to the way you choose to live, he says. "You can't be a lean person if your house, especially your kitchen, is full of fat. And so as the master bedroom drives the house, the kitchen nourishes the house. Not just in terms of food but in terms of your whole mental outlook," he says. "I don't believe you can separate how you live from the vision you have for the life you want."
Tip 9: Establish a "magic triangle" in your kitchen.
There are two strategies for keeping your kitchen lean and clean, Peter says. The first is to establish a "magic triangle" in your kitchen between the stove, your refrigerator and your sink. "Anything you use most often, keep it in the triangle," he says. "Anything you use less often, outside the triangle. It will save you a ton of time."
Tip 10: Identify useful utensils with the cardboard box test.
If you want to see what utensils you're really using, Peter recommends the cardboard box test. "Take all the utensils out of your drawers, put them in a cardboard box," he says. "For the next month, whenever you use one of these utensils, put it back in the drawer. If after four weeks it's still in the box, you don't need it."
Declutter your home in only six months! Join Peter's Clutter Crew.
Find more organizing tips from Peter Walsh.
MY THOUGHTS
i'm so happy. i already have the magic triangle in the kitchen! that's all you can have when you live in a very small condo. in fact, i do not even have a stove. a microwave is the 3rd in that triangle. other than that, i have made the decision to follow 3 tips-the hanger principle, the "in-out" strategy and the vision. this will be easy to do with my stuff. with my mom's stuff, it's a prayer item. she doesn't mind her clutter.
.By Peter Walsh
The Oprah Winfrey Show
January 01, 2006
If you had to step over piles of clothes, papers and unidentifiable "stuff" just to get to your computer, you're not alone. Organizational guru Peter Walsh, host of TLC's hit show Clean Sweep, says millions of Americans are drowning in clutter.
Studies show that although families are smaller, homes are larger than ever. Even with more square feet of living space, many Americans still fill attics, basements and storage units with stuff. Peter blames overstuffed spaces on our super-size mentality. "We're in a culture that says more is better," he says. "We've been led to believe that things bring us happiness."
For more than 10 years, Peter has helped pack rats organize their homes and reclaim their lives. His techniques go well beyond color-coded boxes and plastic storage bins. Peter says he helps people uncover what's really going on underneath all that junk, which often leads to life-changing breakthroughs.
"[Stuff] robs people of so much," he says. "If your house is full of stuff, all the blessings that could fill your house can't get in. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace."
Don't distress over your mess—learn to conquer your clutter one room at a time.
Tip 1: Tackle one room at a time.
Don't let a manicured lawn fool you. Behind closed doors, many families are living with massive clutter. The Gavitt family hopes Peter can help them reclaim their Texas home.
Janet, a busy wife and mother of four, says the clutter started to get out of control when her twin daughters were born eight years ago. Now, with a 5-year-old and a baby to care for, she says she and her husband, Charlton, just can't keep up.
When Peter first arrived at the Gavitts' home, he noticed children's toys and clothes scattered throughout the house...even in the family room. "It doesn't look like a house that the parents run," Peter tells Janet. "You and Charlton have to get back in the driving seat."
Although Janet says she tells her daughters to put their things away, there's no designated place to put them. Plus, there are simply too many things to keep track of. Janet isn't lacking organizational skills. In fact, she works for The Container Store, a retail chain that specializes in space and storage solutions. "Talk about feeling like a fraud," she says.
Janet isn't the only person feeling the effects of the clutter. The mess is also starting to take a toll on Charlton. "I can't do the things I want to do with my children because there's stuff everywhere," he says. "I can't help them with their homework because there's not a place to do it. My job as a father is being compromised by the amount of clutter that we have in our house."
Everything's bigger in Texas...even messes. That didn't stop Peter from transforming the Gavitts' family room into a real living room in just 72 hours.
With the floor free of toys, the Gavitts' space looks more spacious and inviting. "We would actually use this room," Charlton says.
New furniture also doubles as organizational tools. Inside the leather footstools, the children discover board games. A coatrack in the entryway also has shelves for additional storage.
The papers that once covered the dining table are gone, and finally, the family can sit and enjoy a meal together. "I totally have gotten that now that we don't need the [stuff]-the stuff was hurting us," Janet says. "We need each other."
Tip 2: Follow the "in-out rule."
Peter and Janet tackle piles of the girls' clothes, which are scattered throughout the house. Peter says the secret is to take everything out of each room first and then sort it in a separate location.
All the clothing is placed on a tarp in the front yard. Now, it's up to Janet to sort the clothes into two categories—items to keep and items to give away. Each daughter gets a set number of bins, and once they are full, Janet must move on.
To avoid clutter, Peter says every shopper should follow the "in-out rule." Every time you buy a new piece of clothing, you should get rid of an old piece. He also makes Janet promise that she will not buy her daughters any new clothes for six months
Tip 3: Build intimacy.
When Peter sees Janet and Charlton's bedroom, he knows just what they need more of: intimacy. "When you are intimate, when your relationship is powering along, that will feed the rest of the house," he says.
With junk everywhere, Charlton says there's just no room to be romantic in the master bedroom. "You'd roll over onto a pile of clothes or a pile of toys and so we tried to take it to other rooms, but they were just as bad," he says. "There was no place to be us."
When asked what sort of bedroom they want, Janet says she'd like a romantic space, while Charlton wants a room that's just for him and his wife. Now that they have a shared vision, they can begin to declutter.
Peter tells the couple if they haven't used it in 12 months, it needs to go. That includes the dingy sweatpants Janet's been hanging onto since high school. "If it doesn't fit the vision you have for your space, it's got to go," Peter says.
Now, Janet and Charlton's bedroom oozes with intimacy. Soft lighting and a fresh coat of paint give the room a new look and feel. "There's a floor!" Janet says. "I feel a thousand pounds lighter. I feel like we can breathe now."
Peter designated a small space for their baby, Julia, and completely reorganized their closets.
Tip 4: Make cleanup fun.
Even though Miranda, Katharine and Audrey are young, Peter says they can learn to pick up after themselves. All it takes is a little creativity. Peter makes cleaning fun by turning it into a game. Each girl is given a type of thing—clothes, toys or books—to be responsible for. At the count of three, the girls scramble to fill bins with their items.
Miranda, Janet and Charlton's 8-year-old daughter, said she was embarrassed to bring friends over to her messy house...but not anymore! The once chaotic playroom is now an orderly place for the girls and their friends to read, play and paint.
Peter has designated a place for everything. There are bins for toys, cubbies for art supplies, and shelves for books and games.
How will they keep it tidy? "If we put everything back where it belongs," Miranda says. The Gavitt girls promise Peter that they'll keep the room neat and clutter-free
Tip 5: Create a vision.
Peter's method for attacking a messy garage is what he calls a "kick-start"—a high-speed, easy purge. Although it took years for the Gavitts to fill their garage with junk, it should only take them minutes to decide what they need to keep.
Peter says they need to create a vision and asks the Gavitts what they want from their garage. Charlton names four things: somewhere to work, park the car, refuge and storage. Now, they must rely on split-second decision making to identify the items that stay and the items that go. "You have to be tough as nails," Peter says.
Before Peter stepped in, Janet and Charlton hadn't been able to park in their garage for six years. After sorting through hundreds of items, Janet and Charlton drastically reduced the amount of stuff in their garage. Now, there is ample parking space thanks to new shelving units and clearly marked storage boxes.
"Incredible!" Janet says. Janet and Charlton say Peter's help has transformed their lives. "We knew we weren't happy," Janet says. "We knew it was something, but what?"
Now, Janet and Charlton have stopped hiding their home and started entertaining again. "We've had friends over several nights in a row for drinks because we can. So that's incredible," Janet says.
Peter's philosophies have even carried into different aspect of Charlton's life. He says he even decluttered his appearance by shaving his beard and cutting his ponytail! Charlton's also organized his work life. "I've cleaned out my office at school and it's going go even further," he says. "I teach theater so the prop room is next and we're going to purge all the stuff there, and I've been sharing it with everyone that I can talk to."
Although their home is clean and tidy now, Charlton says he fears things could go back to the way they were. "It's a big fear, and I won't live like that again," he says.
Tip 6: Teach your kids how to sort.
Just like millions of other moms, Ella, a Chicago wife and mother, has a few organizational problem areas in her house. She says her husband, Alberto, and her two sons, Ellington and Chandler, are the main clutter creators.
Peter says the secret to having clutter-free kids starts with teaching them how to sort. He gives Ella's boys one trash bag and two boxes. He tells them to fill the bag with garbage, and put anything they want to sell at a yard sale in one box and charitable donations in the other.
Peter also encourages Ellington and Chandler to make cleaning fun—even boring chores like putting away clothes. "Here's what you have to do every night before you go to bed," Peter says. "You have to shoot baskets with your clothes." The boys also get a lesson in using baskets and containers to organize their things and learn the important "in-out rule." With their very own label maker in hand and bins at their disposal, the boys start sorting!
After the boys did their jobs, Peter and his team work some magic of their own in the room to give the kids a fresh start. Bookshelves were placed in one section of the room to act as a library, and Ellington and Chandler organized bins for photos, toy cars and bags.
"You see how it's so clean now?" Ellington says.
"It's clean. Oh, my goodness! I am so proud of you. It looks absolutely beautiful," Ella says.
Tip 7: Use a hanger system to determine which clothes you wear most.
Peter says the single biggest problem he sees in homes is closet organization. Many of Ella's issues stemmed from having too many clothes, some with the tags still on. "I always tell her that there's always going to be a sale and not every sale you need to participate in," Alberto says
Peter says we actually only wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time, and that there's a simple test to see which ones you wear most. "What you should do is take all of your clothes and hang them in the closet [facing one] way," he says. "And then every time you wear an article of clothing, you put it back in [the opposite way]."
After six months, Peter says to go through everything that's still hanging in its original position. "Ask yourself, 'Do I ever wear that?' Go through and anything that you haven't worn in 12 months, no longer fits, out of fashion, that you don't love, use as an opportunity to get rid of it," Peter says.
Peter's team organized both closets. Ella's happy to see those unworn deals cleared away and donated. Alberto is amazed at the hanging row of suits and shelves with neatly folded shirts.
"I can actually see what I want to wear before I even reach for it," Alberto says.
Tip 8: Ask yourself if you really need something. If you hesitate, you don't.
Now it's time to purge the rest of Ella's closet, which is overrun by shoes. "We have to do a quick run on shoes," Peter says. Peter forces Ella to make snap yes or no decisions on the shoes she wants to keep. "I'm telling you, if you pause for one moment, it's gone," he says as he holds up pair after pair.
As Peter flushes out unwanted shoes, Ella has a breakthrough. "I am certainly willing to make a change. I didn't realize how much I was going to be affected by the change, though," she says.
The blame, Ella realizes, doesn't just fall on her husband and children. She's also responsible for the clutter. "I have to look at myself as well and be very honest about my impact on this whole equation of things," she says.
After parting with many pairs of shoes, Ella leaves the master bedroom so Peter and his team can finish the transformation in her closet. The mountain of shoe boxes is gone, with a neatly organized shoe rack in its place. Ella and Alberto are amazed. "You just don't realize that things have accumulated and it just became overwhelming," Ella says.
"This looks good," Alberto says. "This looks great."
Ella says Peter's makeover has opened new doors for her family. "I didn't realize how many of my friends and family members had not been upstairs until after I decluttered mentally, physically and emotionally," she says. "Then I was able to open the door to the bedroom and open the door to my home."
Alberto says the family makes an effort to keep the house looking like it did when Peter and his team left. It's even carried over to Alberto's work. "The next week I went into my office and rearranged my office," he says.
The boys are even keeping their own rooms clean! "It just teaches all, it's [easy] after 20 years of marriage [to] accumulate a lot of stuff around the house," Alberto says
Peter believes that an organized kitchen can help you lose weight! It all comes down to the way you choose to live, he says. "You can't be a lean person if your house, especially your kitchen, is full of fat. And so as the master bedroom drives the house, the kitchen nourishes the house. Not just in terms of food but in terms of your whole mental outlook," he says. "I don't believe you can separate how you live from the vision you have for the life you want."
Tip 9: Establish a "magic triangle" in your kitchen.
There are two strategies for keeping your kitchen lean and clean, Peter says. The first is to establish a "magic triangle" in your kitchen between the stove, your refrigerator and your sink. "Anything you use most often, keep it in the triangle," he says. "Anything you use less often, outside the triangle. It will save you a ton of time."
Tip 10: Identify useful utensils with the cardboard box test.
If you want to see what utensils you're really using, Peter recommends the cardboard box test. "Take all the utensils out of your drawers, put them in a cardboard box," he says. "For the next month, whenever you use one of these utensils, put it back in the drawer. If after four weeks it's still in the box, you don't need it."
Declutter your home in only six months! Join Peter's Clutter Crew.
Find more organizing tips from Peter Walsh.
MY THOUGHTS
i'm so happy. i already have the magic triangle in the kitchen! that's all you can have when you live in a very small condo. in fact, i do not even have a stove. a microwave is the 3rd in that triangle. other than that, i have made the decision to follow 3 tips-the hanger principle, the "in-out" strategy and the vision. this will be easy to do with my stuff. with my mom's stuff, it's a prayer item. she doesn't mind her clutter.
Monday, November 1, 2010
closet organizing: put order
Order in the Closet
Clothing-obsessed celebs such as Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton are famous for their luxurious closets with shelves of shoes that seem to stretch on for miles and boutique-like racks of designer apparel. While most of us have neither the square footage (nor the desire) to create our own wardrobe wonders, we could still strive for what those divas have perfected: the well-organized storage space.
"Every type of person" struggles with closet clutter, says Alejandra Costello, a co-founder of Arlington-based professional organizing service Color-Coded (866-612-6567). But learning to store your belongings in a neat, easy-to-maintain manner can help you spend less time searching for shoes and more time showing off the perfect outfit.
Even chaotic hallway closets can benefit from a face-lift; nobody wants to be digging through piles of first-aid supplies when they have a migraine or be assaulted from above by improperly stashed winter scarves.
Those "I've created a monster in my closet!" moments are just when professional organizers can swoop in to help. The pros charge between $50 and $100 per hour for their expertise, and their closet makeovers can take between six and 15 hours, depending on the size of the project, Costello says. But she's convinced this type of investment reaps long-term rewards.
"I always tell my clients, 'If you're going to spend money getting organized, you want to set up a system one time and do it right, instead of having to keep tweaking the system,'" Costello says.
Rehabbing your closet starts with an empty — not overloaded — space. "It's a lot easier to take everything out and go from there," Costello says. Color-Coded organizers often push clients to toss items that aren't in heavy rotation, in order to free up more space in small apartments or houses.
"We'll sort everything and go through each individual item asking, 'When was the last time you used this? Is it still good? Is it outdated?'" Costello says. After repurposing or donating any unwanted items, a complete makeover can commence.
We asked Costello to share some of her top tips for reorganizing any closet.
1) Shelve Your Issues
If blank walls make up a portion of your closet, consider adding custom shelving. While it's pricey, Color-Coded's Costello believes the installation is worth the money. She recommends the Elfa system, which is sold at The Container Store, because of its flexibility. "Once you install the shelving, you can always move shelves higher or lower depending on what you're storing," Costello says. "You can change a shelf into a hanging rod or a hanging rod into a shelf. You can add a basket. It's just very flexible."
2) Get More From Your Door
The back of your door — the side that faces the interior of your closet — is precious real estate. Hang up a door rack containing hooks or baskets to create a few extra storage nooks. Costello recommends using Elfa's Door and Wall Rack ($107) and attaching a few movable baskets. The installation is made for kitchens and living spaces but works equally well in closets, Costello says. "I love to use the baskets to store flip-flops, slippers, sunglasses, cosmetic bags and anything that you want to toss in, pull out or make easily accessible," she says. Another option to hang on your door: fabric pockets or shoe bag organizers. Try Christy Designs' versatile "Organizer" Gear Pocket ($35).
3) It's All About the Visuals
Sorting keeps a closet user-friendly. But all that order can get dull. Add intrigue with colored tabs that attach to the top of hangers. Costello recommends using the colored hanger snaps sold by Carlson JPM Store Fixtures ($3 for a bag of 50). "The more color you have in your space, the easier it is to organize," Costello says. "If you take a dress off a hanger that has a purple hanger snap, it's easy to say 'Purple belongs to dresses' and associate that hanger with the dress."
4) Label Liberally
If you have items to stash on shelves or in bins, keep track of everything with homemade labels. That's right, Costello recommends actually writing out "running shoes" for a bin holding your sneaks. It might be old-school, but "it makes a difference," she says. "A lot of people just put things back [into their closets] in a random order. If each item has a home in its section, I find that it's easier to maintain." Use pieces of Duct tape (in fancy new colors and patterns such as paisley and polka dots, such as the rolls above, sold by The Spoon Sisters; $9 per roll), covered with clear packing tape. Write what's inside each container or on each shelf using dry-erase markers — that way, you can re-label areas when you move things around.
5) Aim for Lots Of the Same
Most people amass a wide variety of hangers — it's hard to pass up free wire "We Love Our Customers" hangers from the dry cleaner — but an assortment of shapes and sizes encourages chaos. "Using uniform hangers is an absolute must in the closet," Costello says. She recommends sticking to wooden hangers ("The clothes hang off them really nicely," she says). Pick up a few sets at Ikea (five for $2).
MY THOUGHTS
good advice. i will need this in a couple of weeks as i attack my closets in my mom's house.
Clothing-obsessed celebs such as Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton are famous for their luxurious closets with shelves of shoes that seem to stretch on for miles and boutique-like racks of designer apparel. While most of us have neither the square footage (nor the desire) to create our own wardrobe wonders, we could still strive for what those divas have perfected: the well-organized storage space.
"Every type of person" struggles with closet clutter, says Alejandra Costello, a co-founder of Arlington-based professional organizing service Color-Coded (866-612-6567). But learning to store your belongings in a neat, easy-to-maintain manner can help you spend less time searching for shoes and more time showing off the perfect outfit.
Even chaotic hallway closets can benefit from a face-lift; nobody wants to be digging through piles of first-aid supplies when they have a migraine or be assaulted from above by improperly stashed winter scarves.
Those "I've created a monster in my closet!" moments are just when professional organizers can swoop in to help. The pros charge between $50 and $100 per hour for their expertise, and their closet makeovers can take between six and 15 hours, depending on the size of the project, Costello says. But she's convinced this type of investment reaps long-term rewards.
"I always tell my clients, 'If you're going to spend money getting organized, you want to set up a system one time and do it right, instead of having to keep tweaking the system,'" Costello says.
Rehabbing your closet starts with an empty — not overloaded — space. "It's a lot easier to take everything out and go from there," Costello says. Color-Coded organizers often push clients to toss items that aren't in heavy rotation, in order to free up more space in small apartments or houses.
"We'll sort everything and go through each individual item asking, 'When was the last time you used this? Is it still good? Is it outdated?'" Costello says. After repurposing or donating any unwanted items, a complete makeover can commence.
We asked Costello to share some of her top tips for reorganizing any closet.
1) Shelve Your Issues
If blank walls make up a portion of your closet, consider adding custom shelving. While it's pricey, Color-Coded's Costello believes the installation is worth the money. She recommends the Elfa system, which is sold at The Container Store, because of its flexibility. "Once you install the shelving, you can always move shelves higher or lower depending on what you're storing," Costello says. "You can change a shelf into a hanging rod or a hanging rod into a shelf. You can add a basket. It's just very flexible."
2) Get More From Your Door
The back of your door — the side that faces the interior of your closet — is precious real estate. Hang up a door rack containing hooks or baskets to create a few extra storage nooks. Costello recommends using Elfa's Door and Wall Rack ($107) and attaching a few movable baskets. The installation is made for kitchens and living spaces but works equally well in closets, Costello says. "I love to use the baskets to store flip-flops, slippers, sunglasses, cosmetic bags and anything that you want to toss in, pull out or make easily accessible," she says. Another option to hang on your door: fabric pockets or shoe bag organizers. Try Christy Designs' versatile "Organizer" Gear Pocket ($35).
3) It's All About the Visuals
Sorting keeps a closet user-friendly. But all that order can get dull. Add intrigue with colored tabs that attach to the top of hangers. Costello recommends using the colored hanger snaps sold by Carlson JPM Store Fixtures ($3 for a bag of 50). "The more color you have in your space, the easier it is to organize," Costello says. "If you take a dress off a hanger that has a purple hanger snap, it's easy to say 'Purple belongs to dresses' and associate that hanger with the dress."
4) Label Liberally
If you have items to stash on shelves or in bins, keep track of everything with homemade labels. That's right, Costello recommends actually writing out "running shoes" for a bin holding your sneaks. It might be old-school, but "it makes a difference," she says. "A lot of people just put things back [into their closets] in a random order. If each item has a home in its section, I find that it's easier to maintain." Use pieces of Duct tape (in fancy new colors and patterns such as paisley and polka dots, such as the rolls above, sold by The Spoon Sisters; $9 per roll), covered with clear packing tape. Write what's inside each container or on each shelf using dry-erase markers — that way, you can re-label areas when you move things around.
5) Aim for Lots Of the Same
Most people amass a wide variety of hangers — it's hard to pass up free wire "We Love Our Customers" hangers from the dry cleaner — but an assortment of shapes and sizes encourages chaos. "Using uniform hangers is an absolute must in the closet," Costello says. She recommends sticking to wooden hangers ("The clothes hang off them really nicely," she says). Pick up a few sets at Ikea (five for $2).
MY THOUGHTS
good advice. i will need this in a couple of weeks as i attack my closets in my mom's house.
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