Clutter Control and Organizing Solutions

The month of September I am hoping to devote to getting organized in your kitchen. A kitchen is often the central location for many things and can easily get messy, disorganized or cluttered. In fact, usually when you walk into a kitchen, you can easily spot three or four items immediately that could have a spot somewhere else in the home, or perhaps be better organized within the kitchen.

Do you find yourself having to clear a space at the table just to eat?

Do you have to move small appliances, papers and other items on your counters just to prepare a meal?

Do you have dishes stacked in the sink or on the counter that either need to be put away or need to be washed?

Do you try to open drawers in your kitchen and find that you cannot get them open because so many things are stuffed inside?

Do you struggle with finding storage for items in your kitchen?

Are you left without a pantry, have a very small pantry or struggle to keep a larger pantry organized?

Hopefully in the month of September I can help you get your kitchen (and other areas periodically) organized.

Please let me know if there is an area in particular you struggle with.

Simple - get it organized.

A great trick or tip that I learned many years ago, is that keeping paperwork for anything together is easier with a binder. We have multiple binders for multiple areas and types of paperwork in our home. We have a household notebook for often used forms and other items.

We have a binder that holds warranties, reciepts and other things. We have a binder system for our coupons (though it is small and portable), and we use binders for many other aspects of our lives.

A really great way to utilize a binder system is to make sure you use labels so at a quick glance you can find the one you want. Use dividers and page protectors to make the inside more organized.

Do you use binders? If so, what types of things do you use them for?

Have you seen your child’s backpack or book bag? Getting a child organized can be a real challenge. While some children seem to come predisposed with a knack for great organization, many simply do not. Children by definition tend to be messy little creatures and this usually is obvious after a particular lengthy play session or a quick glance into their room.

Backpack organization doesn’t have to be difficult. Purchasing special folders for all of the things they need to bring back and forth from home to school can be one way to keep them organized. Label the folders or put a picture on them of what is supposed to go in them (Home work might be a picture of a house or newsletters or class info might be a picture of a newspaper).

Another really great way to help your child keep their backpack organized is to designate different pockets and sections for different things. Snacks and Lunches might go better on an outside pocket where they are less likely to get crushed or leak all over everything else.

I will tell you that getting a child’s backpack organized will happen more easily if you are actively helping them get organized in all other aspects and areas of their lives.

Do you have any tips or tricks to help get our children’s backpacks a bit more organized?

I am not talking about gifts you purchase for others ahead of time. That’s for another article. I’m talking about those gifts you receive that were either not your style, not the right color, don’t fit or have sentimental value with no realistic use. Get rid of them. That is probably the best advice I can give you.

There is simply no reason to hold onto anything that you don’t use often. If something doesn’t fit, its not going to anytime soon (unless you are actively losing or gaining) so why keep it? If it isn’t the right color, unless you paint it and make it the color you want it, its not going to change color on its own. People give well meaning gifts all the time, but they don’t always work for us. That’s okay. Just eliminate the items you don’t use.

If it was something that was passed down to you, and you don’t wish to keep it - start calling family members, explain that you are trying to get organized and eliminate clutter from your life. The box of china from grandma is taking up valuable storage space and you would like to know if they might wish to have it. At the end of the day, if nobody has taken this box of china, you need to get rid of it. If nobody else in your family wants it, than it probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone anyway. Try ebay or else put it in a garage sale (or a classified ad).

There is absolutely no good that comes from storing items we don’t want or need.

Many people want to get organized and eliminate the clutter that has taken over their lives. They usually want quick results and want it to happen overnight (or even in an hour). That is simply not a very realistic expectation.

Getting yourself truly organized is a process that works in steps. Have you ever heard of Fly Lady and her baby steps? That is the same focus in the whole clutter and organizational methods. Simply taking it slow, evaluating every step of the way and of course making an effort.

If you aren’t ready to part with things, you might find it difficult to get organized. You might need to start slow and only get rid of one item for every five you keep. However, eventually you might get to the point that its eliminating one thing for every two things you keep. Everything in moderation, everything slow and you will be organized before you know it.