Clutter Control and Organizing Solutions

No, I don’t have tips for how to organize the snow you shovel, but I do have some ideas for how to keep your house clean during these months where snow and wet dirt come tracking in each time someone goes outside and then comes back. Some of these tips might have to be adapted differently for people in different cold weather climates, but overall - it does work.

When the snow falls outside, place a basket or container right inside the main door to collect all the layers of clothing as they come off. Hats, mittens, ear muffs and scarves can all be contained in one place and it makes it a lot easier to find everything. Remember, it’s a temporary fix so you don’t have to have the container or basket there year round. Just put it away in between snowfalls.

Purchase a rug or mat that can be laundered easily for right inside the front door and have all show wear placed there (including everyday shoes) - this will cut down on your cleaning time immensely and works all year long too!

Be sure that all household members have a hanger to hang their coats when they come inside. A hanging coat will dry faster than one that has just been set down or lands on the floor.

Purchase a really sturdy, extra large container to place outside your back door to corral all of the sleds, snowboards and other winter toys. If water is pooling in the bottom, drill drain holes in the bottom of the container. These work great in summer months also to keep toys contained and not all over the yard.

What’s your favorite way to protect your floors and home from the winter snow?

Have you looked around at all the self help books for organizing that are out there? I was a bit surprised when I looked last night because its been many years since I looked and back then I was in awe with Julie Morgenstern. She just took me away with her ability to focus on the reasons for having clutter and being disorganized, and at that time I certainly fit the bill for all the reasons. In fact, my problem areas are still the same reasons now that they were back then.

I love to read, and I’m kinda self-help junkie now and then and enjoy reading things like that. I am curious if others out there read books to help them in their organizing endeavors? Or am I in the majority. I have a shelf full, but honestly there are probably 50 different titles and they are all at my library and I think I might run back tomorrow and pick a few up to see what tips are out there now. Plus I love looking at all the clean perfect spaces, because while I am much more organized now than I was, I still suffer from clutter syndrome LOL.

So what was the best book on organizing you ever picked up and read? Please share!

I picked up a book at the library yesterday titled Practically Perfect in Every Way by Jennifer Niesslein. The sub title reads: My Misadventures Through the World of Self-Help and Back. I flipped through it in the library and before I had even gotten out of the aisle I had already read 5 pages. It’s hysterical.

I’m only about a quarter of the way through it, but I really like it. Essentially she took up self help books/seminars/etc. to benefit a variety of areas of her life. This is her adventures through that. She does quote Julie Morgenstern within the first 11 pages so she had me with that, since I happen to ♥ the lady! The book is a hilarious look at trying to be “perfect” - her voice is satirical, full of emotion and stories and just plain rocks. I love that she shares her life in such a raw, out there form and honestly - she knows how to tell a good story. If you want a good read, that is a bit funny and a little on the self help side (though I’m not sure how much you will walk away with, because I’m only a 1/4 of the way through.) - Practically Perfect In Every Way is a great book!

For whatever reason I was born with some weird gene that makes me like to organize. Come on, isn’t that weird? Anyway, every once in awhile I will get into a rut. It isn’t that I don’t want to organize or get clutter out of an area, it is usually that I have trouble figuring out what I want to do with an area.

Right now, that’s my scrapbooking area. I’ve got certain aspects of it organized, and those are working for me. I have SO much stuff that I am just not willing to part with, that it makes it difficult with my space to figure out how to store things. I am contemplating building shelving units to put below a few of my tables to at least hold my large amount of scrapbooking books and magazines.
Pens are another issue. I have dozens of brands, and they almost all have different uses. It’s kinda pathetic when you get right down to it. My favorite area in the whole house and I have so much trouble getting things organized and stored within the space.

Do you have a trouble spot in your home? If so, share what it is.

This is probably the most cluttered item in your bathroom. We tend to put everything we can in anything that closes. So other problem areas for you might be under the sink. If you’re like us, you might also have 13 bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash in the shower with you at one time. Why? I’m not real sure when our obsession arrived with multiple bottles of everything. But for now I am simply going to focus on the medicine cabinet.

In order to get to organizing, you must remove everything from the cabinet first. Wipe down the shelves, if it  has a mirror on the outside of it, go ahead and clean that too.

• Go through all medication, over the counter, prescription, etc. and look for the expiration date. Discard anything that has expired (check your local poison control center for how to discard expired meds).
• If you are keeping empty prescription bottles because you have refills left, call the pharmacy or drop off the prescription to get filled and toss the empty containers.
• If you have rolled up tubes of toothpaste or cosmetics that are almost empty - first check the expiration date and toss anything old, and then store everything else in plain sight so you use it up quickly and can discard it.
• If you are a frequent mouthwash user, it is more frugal to purchase a larger size, however the bottles don’t fit in the medicine cabinet when you purchase large sizes. Purchase a small bottle or glass flask with a tight fitting lid, and fill it with your mouthwash. Store the larger bottle under the sink.

Once the cabinet has been emptied, cleaned and sorted, replace the items classifying like items together. For instance on one shelf, you might have your mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrush and floss. On another shelf you might have medications and on another shelf you might have first aid supplies and bandaids or all of your cosmetics.

I plan to have several other problem area posts in the upcoming days, so check back frequently for great tips.

Entrecard users: I am participating in this month’s challenge of dropping daily, etc. If you want me to drop on your site each day, be sure and drop on mine. I am using my Inbox to build up my favorites again. Every drop guarantees a drop back to your site!