Organizing 101

From: www.bhg.com

In the Kitchen:

Clear Countertops
Countertops should hold only things you use on a daily basis. Create a permanent spot for everything else, including appliances. "Clutter-free countertops make you feel like you have things under control," says Meryl Starr, author of The Home Organizing Workbook.

To get a handle on all the food, gadgets, and equipment that live in the kitchen, catalog those you use regularly and divide them based on where in the room they're most used. Store things as close as possible to where you use them. If you rarely or never use an item, give it away or store it in an out-of-the-way spot, such as in the basement, on high shelves in the pantry, or in the back of a corner cabinet.

In the Family Room:

Control the Extras
Entertainment items tend to take over this room. Keep only movies, games, music, and books that you use and that realistically fit on your shelves. Limit yourself to no more than two issues of a magazine.

Space from Thin Air
Create storage behind a couch, loveseat, or armchair. Pull furniture far enough from the wall to allow for open crates or bins, as well as access to them. Furniture pieces such as lift-top ottomans are also ideal for storage-strapped rooms.

Room for Everyone
Since every family member brings a little of himself to this room, it can often become a jumble of activities and stuff. Create storage for each activity, whether it's reading, playing games, watching TV, paying bills, or playing with a pet.

In the Bedroom:

Contain Dirty Clothes
Have a designated spot to put laundry at the end of each day. "Invest in a hamper," Wash says. "It sounds simplistic, but it's astounding the number of people who don't have one."

Look Below the Bed
Use this for out-of-season clothing, linens, and shoes. Clear plastic wheeled bins work well, since they seal away dust, roll easily in and out, and show exactly what's inside.

Go Vertical
Put blank walls to work with shelves. They can hold everything -- books, jewelry, shirts, sweaters.

Final Resting Place
The bedroom may not be first on the list to organize, but dresser tops, bedside tables, and chairs can quickly become towers of stuff in need of a home. As in other rooms, track the things that stack up over a week, and create permanent places to keep them in the room.

In the Bathroom:

Let It Go
Scan your linen closet and medicine cabinet at least once a month and toss expired and unused products.

Store in Plain Sight
Keep ordinary items in the open en masse. Pack cotton swabs in sparkling glass containers, for example. This frees up closed door spaces for private or less attractive things.

Organize Drawers
Use spring-loaded separators and small acrylic trays in vanity drawers to keep things from migrating.

Be Aggressive
The secret to organizing the bathroom is to be diligent and ruthless about getting rid of what you don't need. "The bathroom is probably the key place where we rummage through stuff that we hardly or never use to get to the stuff that we use every day," says Christopher Lowell, author of Seven Layers of Organization: Unclutter Your Home.

In the Kids' Rooms:

Special Spot
Make it easy for kids to keep their rooms tidy by creating special, clearly marked spots for absolutely everything they own. Choose small baskets, crates, and pails that are portable and light enough for little ones to tote.

Scale Down
It's important to install shelves, cubbies, and hooks at a child's height. Kids shouldn't have to ask for help to reach their belongings.

Make Room for Hobbies
Always make room for your child's interest. That could mean bins for sports equipment, a flat surface for drawing, or a special hook for dance outfits.

Independence Matters
If you want an organizing plan to succeed in your child's room, involve her in the process to devise a system she understands. This fosters a feeling of independence -- and excuse-proof cleanup.

Organizational Tips for the Working Woman

Organize: put in order; systematize; sort out; arrange; classify.

De-clutter:

Get rid of clutter. If you haven’t used something in six months, give or throw it away. Are you keeping your seed? Don't forget: "If it doesn’t meet your need, it must be your seed." See this not as “stuff” but as your future. Don’t give away junk; is it something you would like to receive? After sorting through the items, make sure you GET RID OF THEM!!! Don’t put them back in your closet or pile them in your garage. Put them in your car to give to someone or donate them to a library or Good Will. Or throw them away!!!!!!!!!!!

Cleaning Tips:

Straighten your home the day before you are going to clean. Clean all of one room. Don’t wander from room to room doing one thing. If you have articles that belong in another room or area of the house, set them outside the room and put away everything at once. This helps you avoid seeing something in another room that needs your attention. Give yourself deadlines to complete one room or one floor ("I'll be finished with this room by the time the clothes in the washer are ready to be thrown in the dryer"). FOCUS on the task at hand. Be a FINISHER!

Laundry Helpers:

Do all your laundry at one time; otherwise this is a task that is NEVER finished. Schedule specific evenings or days to do this. Sort the night before and put in a load that takes a long time to dry (i.e., towels) when you go to bed. Take advantage of the time you are asleep at night and the time you are at work or running errands. Take your sheets off the bed in the morning and throw them in the washer while you are showering and getting ready for work. Throw them in the dryer as you leave. Make this the first load you wash since it doesn’t have to be sorted and doesn’t take long to dry. Go home on your lunch hour and throw in another load. Iron as clothing comes out of the dryer (you can even leave them a little damp to make it easier to iron). Don’t wait to the end…fold each load as it comes out. Organize your hangers to make it easier to find the kind you need. Assign a different color for each child to make it easier for them (and you) to know which clothes belong to them. Have them help you.

Grocery Guidelines:

Keep notepad on refrigerator for items that need to be purchased at the store. Have family members add items they use up or are running low on. Run all errands in one day. Utilize your lunch time to run errands or even a short grocery run.

Simplified Meals:

Cook meals one night a week (example: hamburger or chicken; chopping all vegetables). Clean up as you cook so you can relax and enjoy the meal, too.

Paperwork Overload:

Go through the mail and throw out clutter immediately. Staple the envelope to the bill; log into your budget; keep all together until you are ready to pay the bills. After payment, file them immediately. Don’t procrastinate, as paper tends to “multiply.” This is one of the worst creators of clutter. Take advantage of your lunch hour to balance your checkbook or write out bills. Pull out articles/ideas and put in organized folder to incorporate or read later. Give or throw away what you don’t want. Set aside “me” time to read these articles.

What about the Kids?

When your children are small, bathe them during the evening before bedtime. This gives them time to play and wind down before going to bed and saves time for you in the morning. Lay out clothing the night before including hair bows, socks, shoes, etc. Prepare lunches or have lunch money prepared the night before. Make sure their school items are in their backpacks the night before.

Create an Environment:

Don’t go to bed until everything is straight. Don’t start this five minutes before your husband is ready to go to bed! What you leave undone is what you see the next morning. How do you want to start your day? What environment will you create for you and your family to remember all day?

Remember…you are responsible to train the next generation and those that follow after. Your actions teach your children how to react to life. They will do what you do, not what you say.

Be consistent.

Start small but don’t let yourself off the hook. Start NOW!

Submitted by Donna Friend. Mark and Donna have three grown children.
Donna has worked their entire married life.