Today, I have Amy Vance, a Houston-based professional organizer from Eco Modern Concierge sharing ways to de-clutter six areas of your home. If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you know that de-cluttering is something I’m passionate about and that having less in your home can actually allow you to enjoy it so much more. Check out my post about de-cluttering and Emily Ley’s book, here.
K I T C H E N + P A N T R Y
Purge. Grab several trash bags or boxes and start purging what you do not need. Recycle / Donate / Trash. When purging food items look at expiration dates.
Simplify. Ask yourself have I used this, like this or needed this in the last year or several years. If the answer is “no” get rid of it.
Sort. Keep like items together in cabinets, drawers or shelves.
Go vertical. Keep larger and less used items up high.
Check out how Amy helped organize our pantry, here.
C L O S E T S
Purge. Grab several trash bags or boxes and start purging what you do not need. Recycle / Donate / Trash.
Start with the floor. Get everything off of the floor so you have room to work.
Simplify. Ask yourself have I used this, worn this, needed this in the last year or several years. If the answer is “no” get rid of it.
De-clutter seasonally. Go through your items seasonally and get rid of what you know you don’t want, like or need.
Categorize. Keep all shirts, pants, dresses, etc. together to easily find what you are looking for.
Color code. If you want to go a little further you can color code each category.
D U M P Z O N E S (C O U N T E R S , T A B L E S, E T C…)
Trash. Get rid of all of the trash.
Sort. Sort by the room each item belongs in.
Set up a system. Establish a system to tackle all incoming items that end up in these areas. Whether this is bins for mail, containers or bowls for knick knacks, hooks for keys, etc.
B A T H R O O M S
Medicine cabinet
Purge. Get rid of all expired and old items.
Sort. Group like items together.
Contain. Depending on your bathroom set up contain items in drawers, cabinets or bins.
Label. Label what is in each bin.
O F F I C E
Purge. Get rid of whatever doesn’t belong in the office or trash that is in the way.
Sort. Make piles of to-do, to file and trash / recycle /shred.
Store. Store paperwork that you do not access often like taxes, house documents, etc. in a file box. Unless you have room in your file cabinet.
Designate. I like to use stacking document sorters for to-do, file, work, etc. this way everything has a slot and you know where to put it.
Contain. Organize like office supplies together and store in a drawer or bins within a cabinet or shelf.
Label. Label what is in the cabinets, bins and drawers.
P L A Y R O O M
Get kids involved. Get the kids involved and explain to them why you are de-cluttering their toys.
Edit often. Edit the playroom every 3-6 months. This way you make room for new incoming items.
Sort. Sort like items together. This way it is easy for the kids to put back things to where they go.
Simple systems. Keep things simple. When it is simple, it is easier for kids to follow and maintain.
Color code. Color code items like books, clothes, etc. this makes it easy for kids to put things away.
Label. Labels bins where toys belong. This way it is clear where things to go at the end of the day.
Clean and organize everyday. Make it a team effort and put away / organize the playroom at the end of everyday. Make it part of your routine.
Who is going to spend some time organizing this weekend? Let me know which rooms you find most difficult to tackle in the comments!
Thank you Amy for contributing this blog post — it’s such an easy-to-follow, no-nonsense approach!
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