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Getting organized is uniquely different from spring cleaning. You can get organized almost any time of year, while spring cleaning is best done during the spring, of course. Getting organized will make your life easier once it’s done. You will be able to locate things sooner and store items in ways that are logical and easy to remember. Spring cleaning is something that is done, over and over again, every spring, usually to the same rooms and problem areas. Those areas will likely get dusty again: it’s a fact of life! So, let me focus your attention on getting organized.
For this project, I want to focus on several key areas: finding those new spaces; the basement; the kitchen; the laundry room/area; closets; bedrooms; and the attic. I will start at the bottom or basement, and work my way to the top, or attic. Let’s get started!
Finding New Spaces Most homes actually abound in overlooked storage spaces. The key is to identify new storage places without sacrificing too much floor space. Try these:
- Under the stairs - especially basement stairs. These areas can hold a lot.
- Garages and crawl spaces. Try placing utility shelves along the walls and a hanging shelf above the car hood. Put seldom used items like Christmas decorations and seasonal wreaths in the crawl space.
- Under cabinets and above wall cabinets.
- Under beds and in the backs of closets, especially closets that are underneath a set of stairs.
- In window wells. On the back of doors, which are ideal for hanging shoe racks.
- Behind attic knee walls.
The BasementYou will have an easier time dividing up space under the basement stairs if you remember that it’s nothing more than a large triangle with a hard-to-use corner. Consider using a rollout bin for that tricky corner. Fill this space with shelves and support them with stepped, vertical pieces. If your basement has the washer and dryer, try placing some handy shelves next to those appliances and use it to store cleaning products, detergents, and linens.
The Kitchen Consider adding a Lazy Susan to a cupboard. This will make it easier to access all of your spices,
- Shelves – store cans, jars, and small boxes in single rows so that they are easy to find and reach. Counter space – mount items under the cabinets using fold-down racks to hold spices, knives and cookbooks.
- China – add a new shelf for china between existing ones, use wire racks that allow you to store plates, saucers, and bowls vertically; hang cups from hooks.
- Utensils – use an in-drawer organizer to keep forks, knives and spoons in their respective locations. Keep spatulas and other cooking utensils near the stove, and store whisks and other mixing utensils near the food-preparation area.
- Pots, pans and trays – make and install plywood dividers under the counter or sink cabinet, and store these items vertically. Consider hanging attractive, frequently used cookware from a metal rack suspended from the ceiling.
- Cleaning products/other miscellaneous items – consider using a roll-around cart or store these items in a plastic carrying tray. They will be easier to take out and easy to move about too.
The Laundry Room/Area The key here is functionality. You want your detergents, related cleaning products, iron, ironing board, etc., all within arm’s reach.
- Shelving – install some handy shelving right above or beside these appliances. When you need the bleach, simply reach up, open, and then pour.
- Clothes rod – install a clothes rod below a high shelf and you will have a handy place to hang drip dry articles of clothing, or freshly ironed clothes.
- Iron & ironing board – store these as close as possible to the machine to save on hauling clothing around the home, If space is tight, get a pop-up ironing board at a home center and install it in place of a cabinet drawer.
- Laundry baskets – construct a simple cabinet with shelves or cleats that can hold plastic laundry baskets, again, right near the appliances.
This first part of Getting Organized was written to focus on the basement, garage, and first floor. Look for more on the second floor, attics, and bedrooms!
