Who Else Wants an Organized Home?

(This post has been updated On July  2021 and contains affiliate links. See my disclaimer here 

Are you wanting a More Organized Home?

Here is my “Who else wants a More Organized Home” Plan that I would like to share with you. 

Let’s get you started, step by step.

Short On-time TIP: If you don’t have time to commit to doing all of this,  my advice and ah-ha! the moment was just to pick one area that drives you nuts and you can see it every time you walk in the door. You have that area right?

Tidy it up or remove the stuff from that area.  Yes! Go ahead just Grab a garbage bag and move it! This is a great Idea if you have kids.. as soon as they see the garbage bag, they clean up real quick. 🙂

Start there, either a corner or shoe area, or a drawer…. you will feel great shortly after. Don’t forget the garbage bag. and before you go… Pin this for later… or else you will forget!

Step 1| Let’s Get Started to Organize Your Home 

Start with the three biggest things I find that get in the way, Daily in my opinion. 

THEY ARE Laundry, Garbage, and Shoes!!  Anyone else feel this way?

  Tools you will need:

• Grab an empty laundry hamper
• 2- 5 clear plastic garbage or recycling bags. 🙂
•  One Plastic tray.
• Music Here is my Fav Spotify playlist 

 Starting at the top floor or furthest room in your home.  

First, Make your beds. You will feel much better once this big piece of furniture is clean.

Next, Grab a bag and empty all the trash into it, going room to room collecting all the garbage from every room on that floor.
Include your Bathrooms, office, playroom, bedrooms all of the above. Toss the bag in the hallway to ensure you bring it downstairs.

Then grab your empty laundry hamper and toss all the dirty laundry you see into the laundry hamper.

Don’t worry about sorting it, as you will do that later. Go room to room collecting. Look under children’s beds etc to ensure no socks are hiding. 

Then grab your other plastic bag or you can use a laundry hamper that is more durable to collect the shoes you find. We did a lot of back to school shopping and I keep finding shoes everywhere... new shoes, Old shoes, sandals, flip-flops, too small etc…. Oi vey!  So gather them up to be placed where the shoes are to be kept.

*Disclaimer, If they are good shoes I usually place them in each person’s room to be dealt with individually and to ensure that they don’t get scratched or marked. 

 One Plastic tray. What is this for? Go into each room and grab(place) all the dirty dishes you may find lying around or next to the bedside tables onto your plastic tray and bring into the kitchen to be washed,  immediately.

• Bring down your plastic bags full of garbage and recycle to repeat on the main floor. 
• Bring your laundry basket to the laundry area to be washed. If you don’t have one created yet., use a black sharpie and label one of those bags DONATE and leave in the hallway or laundry room so you can add as you go… psst. make sure to tell the others it is there- do it now! 

Step 2|Categorize Everything to Have an Organized Home 

In order to categorize your items, you must think in terms of LABELS! Everything needs a home, or it will get tossed into a drawer and then it breeds more junk!

That my friend it how junk drawers are created. 

Tools you will need:

Good Music- Here I’ve got you covered here is my Cleaning the House and Declutter Playlist on Spotify… 

• Get your label maker out!
  
  Tip: Can’t commit? Use Sticky Notes and A Sharpie.  

 The best way to create order, I think, is to pour some of your mess onto the floor, or a table. This is your staging area. Then start sorting and categorizing your possessions. Thinking in terms of categories or labels. 

If I had to put a sticker or a label on this item what would it say? Knowing that I have a Collection of these items forming, I should create a box or label for it.

That’s how I organized my huge stockpile of hairbrushes, makeup, and paper. After gathering them from all over the house, I found it a lot easier to part with duplicates and find expired products. Since I only use stuff that’s actually on my vanity, or in the powder room, I decided that should be the designated spot.

Step 3|Toss & Purge your Way to an Organized Home 

The hardest part of the job is next, which is to Toss & Purge what no longer serves you.

Tools you will need:

5 Boxes (or Bags) Labeled like this:

1. Trash Recycle
2. Put Away by Person
3. Mystery
4. Donate
5. Broken Please Fix Me

Start the purge and stop trying to bargain with your self.

Let it go. (Cue Music)

The Trash and recycle bins are obvious. Ask yourself, Do  I need this? Does this still serve me? When in Doubt, Throw it out! or Donate it. Call A Friend over.

The Putaway bin is for stuff that doesn’t belong where you found it.   It may belong to the other people in your home, the kids I like to have a put-away basket by Person that way when they ask me for it, I just tell them to look in their Basket.

The Pass on Or Donate box is for stuff to hand down, give to charity or sell at a garage sale.

The Mystery Bin is for things you just can’t decide on what to do with. When in doubt throw it out doesn’t work here and can really slow us down. I like to keep this box for 3 months maximum. If I have not taken it out by then, I think it is time to pass it on to someone who could use it.

The Broken Please fix me box is for things that need to be repaired, or fixed. Ask yourself if it was fixed would I still wear it ? would I use it? If not just place the item in the donate box right away. It costs you money to fix or repair that itself is usually a good deciding factor.

Here are some helpful questions to Ask Yourself when Purging and Tossing- Your way to an Organized Home.

1)Use it or Lose it | Ask Yourself When was the last time I used this item? How often do I use it? How Many of these do I have? Why Am I keeping this?

By the way, having 5 Can Openers is too many,  Agree? _updated I donated them to someone who could use them. I always only grabbed my favorite one, as it was guaranteed to work every single time.

Here is a picture of my Can Opener Collection.

Who knew I had a growing collection?  I opened my drawer and because people in my home rarely put things away they go and purchase a new one.

Can you count how many I have in there?

How about having 5 toothbrushes per person?
Guilty!  Yes, that is way too many.  I read an article that any toothbrushes older than 3 months Purge & Toss!

If you use a toothbrush and you have been sick, please throw it out immediately and use a new one.  

Also, speaking from a Feng Shui and germ perspective, Keep your toothbrush away from flushing toilets. or always keep the lid down.

It’s Just common sense no?

2) Does this item have a Home?
Put it Away| Start today.

Find a Home for the items you use. Ask Yourself, where do I use this the most? In any case, if you find it is needed in the downstairs bathroom, make a nice home for it there. That way you will always find it when you need it. ORGANIZED Home win.

3) Have I been holding onto these baby clothes for someday?
Have I been planning  Handing this down to Give to someone? Give it Away Now.

Put all the stuff you are saving for a rainy day into the Pass On or Donate-it box. If you are planning on giving away that heirloom item from grandma to your daughter-in-law, then pack it up and do it right away. Call them and tell them it’s coming, no I’m not dying I am just an on my way to having a completely Organized Home.

(TRUE Story update-  I got tired of waiting for my brother to come by to pick up the clothes  because we live far, life happens  etc..I get it… SO last week in the middle of a snow storm, my hoarder husband was out of town,  therefore my kids and I popped into car and donated everything- foyer cleaned) Lesson Learned – 10 + years is way to long to hold on to stuff- NO effort, not interested,  no problem.  Clutter Problem Solved.

4) Am I finding this overwhelming?
Take 15 minutes.

Give yourself 15 minutes in the morning to tackle one room. Set a timer and play music! Run around like crazy and gather up everything that does not belong in there. Use the Toss and Purge or Donate system you have set up and BE Ruthless!

5) If I were to Drop Dead would my family know where to find my important Papers?

Wills? Deeds? Important things? I like to call this my drop-dead Policy Finding a Home and Labeling your things is very helpful to you and to your family members.  If all the Collected Items that you have accumulated are important to you then this should be a fun project. Label the storage containers or drawers, or the files for all the important items and documents that you Have DECIDED to Keep.

*Please note this is a bigger project you may need to get up and do this the next day. You can also apply this to One Room at a time, one closet at a time or one area of your office, bedroom or kitchen, even one drawer.

Group like items together.
Sort out and Group by Color, Size, Category or Season. Sort Like with Like.

For example, if you are working on your Closet. Sort Like with Like, tops with tops, jeans with jeans, jackets with jackets etc.

Next sort by Season, then by Color, light to dark for spring and summer season, dark to light for Winter and Fall. Whatever works for you and is easy and functional.

Is your Closet Bursting at the Seams?

Functional always wins. Ask yourself, If it’s too hard to put away, and tossing it on the floor is easier than you can bet where it’s going to end up.

Here are 4 Mini, but MAJOR helpful, Strategies,  I use when getting my Organized home

1. Consolidate – again use a bin or basket or jar or sandwich bag, Clear is better that way you can see it.

I like jars for paper clips ad clear plastic shoe bins for my sunglasses.  Remove Duplicates by donating them, use all those containers or recycle them. Why keep all those missing lids or plastic containers?  Think Organized Home!

2. Alphabetize your books, DVDs, recipes, your Pantyhose! File everything! Yes filed from A-Z.

True Story, when working in my office,  I would file Pantyhose under the Letter “p” in my file cabinet. “L” for Labels that I had pre-made, N for Nail kit… you get the idea. Keywords that I would use is where I would file it.

This is how you need to think as you walk around and start to de-clutter and organize your home. I bet you will be able to locate everything much easier and faster. This will also allow you to see your collection and be proud of it. You will SAVE money, as you don’t need to go out and buy a new one because you can’t find anything.

Also, the more organized you are the more you realize you don’t need very much. Go ahead and donate it to someone who is in need. Organized Home.

3. Power clean. Now that everything has a home it’s time to POWER Clean! Be sure to add some fun music. Here is my favorite playlist.

 Along with the previous organizing tips, this is an incredibly important and powerful step you can take. You can enhance the positive energy even more if you clean the area you are decluttering.

As you clean the area say to yourself, “I am clearing out the old and I am making room for the new.” If you can, use a natural cleaning product with lavender because lavender releases dense energies and creates a nice Calm environment.

I LOVE the lavender scent Mrs. Myers Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner.

This is not an affiliate!, I wish it was, however, It is truly AWESOME  that this product is available in Canada, at Bed  Bath and Beyond. ! So here is the link.  ( update it is now sold at Walmart here in Canda. )

Another note, I have learned that my hubby does not like the smell of the lavender Mrs. Myers clean all day purpose cleaner. you can’t please everyone, right?

Here is the next and Final Step…

“Who Else Wants an Organized Home?”

Final Step!

Step 4. ACTION PLAN: Create your plan of Organized Home Action on how and when you will deal with each of these boxes

1. Trash Recycle Box/Bag
2. Throw away the items you want to discard and take out the trash to the curb or garage for Garbage Day.
3. Put Away by Person Label each box by Person and place it into their Room.
4. Mystery Box- Plan to have a cup of Coffee or Tea ready for tomorrow to handle this one.
5. Donate-Put it in the car to drop off at the thrift store, do it now so you don’t forget.
6. Broken Please Fix Me – Place these items in your car and when you are running errands stop into the appropriate store to have it fixed. Is the cost too much? Well then put into the donate box and drop it off.
7.  For the items you are unsure about, you may want to store the box for 6 months and if you haven’t opened it by then, don’t peek inside the box (your ego will play tricks on you) and drop it off at the thrift store.
8. Don’t forget to check on that Laundry basket! You might as well throw a load in the washer.

Congratulations you now have an Organized Home!

So there you have it.

Your  Laundry is done, Your fridge is cleaned out, your routines are back up and running, and your bedtime routines are back in place. AHH!  Don’t you just love it? That means more ME time for You.

Now, what are you going to do with your new-found Me time?

Maybe go and get those nails done!

You deserve it.

If you don’t have time to commit to doing all of this,  my advice and ah-hah moment was just to pick one area that drives you nuts and you can see it every time you walk in the door. Tidy it up or remove the stuff from that area. ( it is probably keeping you stuck money wise) Start there, either a corner or shoe area, or a drawer…. you will feel great shortly after. make sure you have a garbage bag nearby.

 

Originally posted 2020-02-09 13:56:00.