Finding the right solution for organizing and storing your household items can make a big difference in the livability and appearance of your home. Labeling systems, clear and colored plastic containers, and bag storage caddies can provide real organizational power for your decluttering efforts and can help you present a cohesive and pulled-together look for your whole house. Here are six tips to help you manage your organization project and create a streamlined look for your entire house.

Eliminate excess
Organization Expert Peter Walsh, a frequent contributor to Oprah Winfrey’s website, suggests selling items online for added cash to fund your decluttering project. According to Walsh, “The stuff you sell online, on average, will get you four to five times as much as in a yard sale.”[1] Discarding or donating unwanted items can also help create extra space and enhance your organizational efforts. Regardless of the method chosen, clearing out some of your excess property can provide you with much-needed breathing space to carry out your organizational plans.

Shelve the topic
Adding shelves can provide more storage space in almost any room. In the kitchen, consider incorporating hooks and pegboards to hold mugs, pans and other cooking utensils. Shelves at convenient heights can provide easy access to plates, glasses and silverware for smaller children; higher shelves can provide storage for rarely-used small appliances and other tools. Matching the finish of your current cabinets can create a cohesive and integrated look for your added shelving in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and closet areas.

Fill the void
You can make the most of unused closet space by adding shelves and containers designed specifically for those areas. The experts at Good Housekeeping suggest modular solutions for closets and enclosed spaces, adding, “For large, gaping spaces without any shelving (such as a closet with a gap between the top shelf and the ceiling, or an armoire without shelves), modular components may be the best solution.”[2] Be sure to measure the area before selecting your modular system to ensure the right fit.

Recycle and reuse
Better Homes and Gardens suggests reusing various items as containers once their original use has been completed. According to the Better Homes and Gardens staff, “Glass jars are easily transformed into teen-friendly storage containers for beauty supplies such as nail polish, lip gloss, and hair accessories.”[3] Coffee cans can be decorated or covered with shelf paper to create attractive holders for buttons, sewing supplies or other small items. By applying bright and attractive labels to these containers, you can create a pulled-together look at a budget-friendly price.

Choose the right container for the job
Plastic containers are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes designed to be used in various areas of your home. Wide, flat plastic containers are typically intended for under-the-bed or stacked storage uses and can protect clothing and bedding from dust and insect intrusions. Clear plastic containers can provide at-a-glance information on the contents within, while colored or translucent crates and cases can provide storage space for boots and shoes, winter clothes, and other seasonal items. When possible, choose stackable and interlocking storage solutions to ensure optimal use of space in closets, under beds and on shelves. These containers can be moved easily to your storage facility unit to provide even more space and streamline your living areas throughout the year.

Clean up your act
Laundry rooms and kitchens are common hot spots where organization is in short supply. Adding storage bins, refillable canisters, clothes racks and towel rods can provide you with cleaner, more organized working areas. HGTV staff members suggest using a caddy to store all your cleaning supplies in one place. These home and garden experts add, “The caddy is ideal for wire shelves because it prevents bottles from tipping over. Plus, no more rooting around in the back of the cabinet for window cleaner.”[4]

Local storage facilities can provide secure and climate-controlled solutions for items that are rarely used or that are seasonal in nature. By incorporating these advanced storage solutions into your overall decluttering and organization planning, you can often achieve faster results and a more streamlined lifestyle inside your own home.

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• Keep the Bathroom Clutter Away

The post Six Solutions for Streamlining and Organizing Your Home appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

Whether you are a neat freak or not, you likely try to keep your bathroom tidy and free of clutter, but this can be a difficult proposition. The small size and multiple functions the room serves means the bathroom is often a catch-all for everything from makeup to linens. However, learning a few smart organizational skills can help you keep this room clutter free.

Counters: A Clutter-Free Zone

Your countertops seem like the perfect place to store so many things; after all, everything seems to end up there. Unfortunately, a cluttered counter—even if you have sorted that clutter into baskets—makes your bathroom seem smaller. “In the bathroom, you will save time and energy by keeping your countertops organized and clutter free,” says Freshome.com. Consider placing out only one small basket, a toothbrush holder and a soap dispenser, nothing more.

Behind Closed Doors: The Medicine Cabinet

Your medicine cabinet is an ideal place to store a variety of smaller items, but it can also quickly get out of control. Take the time to sort through the cabinet, discarding out-of-date medications properly. According the FDA, “medicines play an important role in treating many conditions and diseases, but when they are no longer needed, it’s important to dispose of them properly to avoid harm to others.” Also remove any prescription or over-the-counter medications that need to be taken orally. These items should be stored in a cool, dry place. The bathroom is often too humid.

It’s All About the Vanity

One of the biggest storage options in many bathrooms is the vanity. If possible, consider replacing your existing, standard vanity (often nothing more than a simple cupboard) with a larger unit featuring drawers. Better Homes and Gardens suggests adding a pullout drawer to the cabinet underneath your sink. This will add storage to your vanity and make it easier to find items. Drawers are ideal for storing makeup and other personal items. Add baskets or dividers to your drawers for even more organization. You may be able to repurpose an extra cabinet or shelving unit for linens or organizational space.

Don’t Forget the Shower

Don’t stop organizing until you have finished with the interior of your shower or bathtub. This small space can quickly become overwhelmed with bottles and tubes. Invest in a shower caddie to keep things neat. For smaller showers, choose a caddie that hangs from your shower head. Larger showers can benefit from a floor-to-ceiling unit. The multiple shelves easily hold your shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and other items while keeping your shower tidy. 

Dress It Up

Once you have finished cleaning and organizing, it’s time to dress up your bathroom. This much-used room should have a bit of style and flair.

• Add in a leaning bookshelf to hold linens and commonly used toiletries. Be sure to place some decorative items on the shelves as well.
• CommonFloor.com shares that, “wall-attached cabinets are also good for storage and organization in the bathroom.”^[1] This is particularly true for smaller bathrooms. Choose a cabinet with glass door to display toiletries, or paint it a bold color to add a bit of style to the room.
• In a larger bathroom, pull a favorite old dresser out of your storage unit and repurpose it. Larger drawers are ideal for linens while smaller drawers can easily be used to hold brushes, hair dryers, curling irons and straighteners.

Clearing bathroom clutter will help you not only create a more serene space, but it will save you time and energy, too. Make the effort to sort through your belongings, get rid of what you do not need and repurpose some furniture from your storage unit to create a beautiful bathroom space for you and your family.

The post Keep the Bathroom Clutter Away appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

Kid’s rooms can be a magnet for clutter. After all, children have a hard time keeping up on organizing tasks, especially when there simply isn’t room for them to store all of their possessions. If you’re battling clutter in your child’s room, it might be a good time to pack up some of those unused possessions and put them in storage. Getting unneeded items out of the house will help lighten the cleaning burden and will encourage your children to keep their rooms tidy and clutter-free.

Creating A Plan of Attack

The first step in any major cleaning and organizing project is to create a plan of action. Professional organizer Margarita Ibbott suggests that you take a quick inventory of your child’s room. “Assess the situation quickly. Note what has to stay and what should go,” Ibbott says. To facilitate this process, she explains that you should create sorting piles outside of your child’s room. Create separate piles for items that will be thrown away, donated, stored or kept in the child’s room. Get rid of items that you plan on throwing away or donating quickly. Letting the piles linger will just encourage you to second-guess all of your sorting decisions.

Involve Your Kids in Cleaning

Involving your kids in the sorting and organizing process is a great way to teach them about tidiness. Of course, keeping kids motivated to clean can be difficult. Organizing expert Cynthia Ewer reminds parents that, “long sessions of ‘clean your room’ are an ordeal for all concerned, but by working for a limited time with a defined method, kids and parents can come to terms with clutter.” Tackle cleaning and organizing tasks step by step. You might want to set one day aside for your child to help you go through toys and get rid of everything that’s broken.

You should also involve your kids in the process of donating any items that they no longer need. Take them with you to a local charity, thrift store or donation center so that they understand that their items will go to good use. This is one of the best ways for parents to encourage generosity. Of course, you can also bring your kids along when giving items to relatives or other children that you know. Cleaning and organizing will seem a lot more meaningful when you’re able to teach valuable lessons about sharing along the way.

Choosing Containers and Moving into Storage

After you’ve sorted all of the possessions in your children’s rooms and given away donation items, it’s time to pack everything else so that it can be moved into storage. Choose cardboard moving boxes or plastic containers for wooden, plastic and metal toys that won’t be damaged if exposed to fluctuating temperatures or a little condensation. For stuffed animals, books and more delicate toys, use airtight plastic containers or suitcases. Remember to carefully label all boxes and containers before putting them into storage.

You may want to hold onto some of your child’s clothing for keepsake purposes or so that it can be given to a younger sibling. Home guru Rachel Meeks uses airtight plastic totes to store hand-me-downs and seasonal kid’s clothes. “Don’t keep anything worn out or stained. Nicer clothes show less wear, and play clothes can be easily replaced,” advises Meeks. Using these strategies to trim down the number of items that you put into storage will help you control costs while making organizing even easier.

Remember to store items that you won’t be using frequently toward the back of your unit. Place hand-me-downs and seasonal items that you’ll need more often at the front of your unit. As you tackle clutter in your child’s bedroom, remember how much easier it will be to keep the room tidy once all unneeded possessions are moved out of the house.

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The post Three Steps to a Clutter Free Kid’s Room appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

Shoes and boots are your hardest working accessories. Storing them properly, especially if you collect vintage shoes or swap seasonal styles, keeps them supple and wearable for years.

Short-Term and Long-Term Storage

Gravity, humidity and aridity can all take their toll on shoes. Over time, the folds and creases that naturally form in worn shoes become permanent deformations of structural elements. As materials age, they become stiff. Vintage shoes with curled leather insoles and crumpled toe boxes usually spent too long without shaping or filling.

For short-term storage, shoes only need the minor support of a shoe tree or reshaping by hand as you set them on a shelf. Kimberley Ripley of Florsheim Shoes advises careful placement when taking off your shoes: “Never simply throw shoes in a pile on the floor,” she notes. “They’ll lose their shape, and their uppers may sustain irreparable damage.”

Shoes that will be off your feet for a week or more need structure, and wooden shoehorns and stretchers are an elegant option for helping shoes keep their shape. However, you must use the correct size to avoid stretching the shoe. Adjustable versions let you customize the fit before storage. Before inserting wooden or plastic shoe frames, allow shoes to rest for at least a day after wearing to allow any residual moisture to evaporate. Otherwise, the insert could trap dampness within the shoe and lead to deterioration.

Acid-free paper is absorbent and maintains shoes’ proper moisture level while protecting the shoes from soil. When using paper to stuff shoes for moderate- or long-term storage, opt for acid-free tissue instead of newsprint.

While paper may not have enough heft to fill boots and thick leather or felted shoes, unbleached muslin fabric is an excellent alternative. Like paper, muslin wicks away residual moisture and it also protects metal buckles and fragile sequins from scratches.

Before storing shoes, clean them thoroughly and apply leather conditioner to leather soles and uppers. Stuff shoes with just enough material to smooth the toe box and heel but not enough to stretch these areas. Wrap the filled shoes with a length of muslin or acid-free paper before placing the shoes in their storage containers.

Boxes, Racks or Trees?

Specialized shoe storage options range from wire racks to boxes to custom cabinets, but the optimal storage solution depends on how long the shoes will go without being worn. For shoes you wear often, open storage that lets damp leather or fabric breathe keeps shoes fresh. For long-term storage, these solutions don’t provide enough support for shoes.

Shoe Boxes

Boxes give your shoes the highest level of protection from dust, sunlight and temperature extremes that can sap leather shoes of their flexibility. Boxing vintage shoes and boots after stuffing and wrapping them preserves delicate leather, cork and other organic materials. Plastic boxes are another alternative, but be sure shoes are completely clean and dry before storing to prevent mildew growth.

Jonathan Walford, author and co-founder of the Fashion History Museum, recommends replacing original shoeboxes with photograph storage boxes. In an interview with Collectors Weekly, Walford noted that people “might have a special pair for a special outfit, but not every day,” and acid-free storage is important in preserving materials for longer storage.

Shoe Racks and Cabinets

For shoes you wear regularly, a rack or cabinet with an open front allows air to circulate around your footwear while keeping dust from collecting on delicate materials. Shelving with open fronts also helps you keep shoes and boots organized. As HGTV’s collection of storage ideas demonstrates, an attractive storage cabinet serves a dual purpose because it “can also be utilized for decorative pieces, artwork and a collection of perfumes.”

Shoe Trees

Trees and peg boards that let you keep your shoes off the floor are excellent for keeping closets organized. But because anything that fits inside the shoe and distorts its silhouette can stretch leather and fabric uppers over time, these convenient items aren’t meant for long-term storage. Save them for running shoes, flats and other casual footwear you use frequently. To preserve your shoes’ shape, switch the way you hang shoes or the way you put them in pockets.

Seasonal Storage Tips

Climate-controlled storage is ideal for shoes as temperature and humidity extremes turn leather brittle, weaken fabrics and cause glues to loosen. Shoes left too long in attics or basements can become unusable within a season or two of harsh treatment.

Keep winter’s tall boots in shape with rolled inserts of acid-free cardboard for the shanks after stuffing the feet with muslin or paper. This step prevents creases from weakening materials at the ankle as the boots flop to the side.

Summer shoes are lightweight and often contain fragile materials. Espadrilles and cork soles tolerate humidity changes poorly, so add a package of silica gel to their storage container to remove dampness. Store brightly colored shoes out of direct sunlight that could bleach them.

If you decide to store your seasonal shoes in a self-storage unit, you can find one near you by searching online.

The post Shoe Storage 101: Shoe Racks, Boxes, Horns and More appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

The kitchen should be the heart of the home, but it takes a little organization to be up to the task! You don’t need fancy cabinets or expensive organization systems to have an efficient kitchen. I have found plenty of simple and affordable ways to get and stay organized. Here are five of my own favorite tips for kitchen organization:

1. Create a Snack Basket.

To make it easy for the kids to find snacks and lunch options in the pantry, I set up a special wire basket for snacks. The kids have no trouble finding what they need and nothing gets hidden or lost in the back of a dark cabinet. I also put a small plastic basket in the fridge for cold lunch items, snacks, drinks and fruit.

2. Think Creative Organization.

If your kitchen is small or lacking in storage, creative free-standing furniture and storage containers will make the most of your available space. My free-standing island serves as both a meal prep area and a place to store extra pans and bakeware. I also store things out in the open with glass jars that are both pretty and functional to hold everything from dried beans and grains to coffee beans.

I have attractive baskets and lidded boxes in the kitchen, pantry and adjoining rooms to hold baking items, seasonal decorations and even wine glasses. I also have an old bedroom dresser in the family room that now holds linens and extra serving dishes, and a free-standing glass door cabinet in the kitchen for holding extra dishes.

3. Organize by Task.

No matter what size kitchen you have, it is helpful to organize your kitchen by task. Having a variety of unrelated things mixed together in every cupboard or drawer just isn’t very efficient. I have designated a few specific task zones for my kitchen: a baking zone, a cooking zone, a food storage zone and a dishes zone so I know exactly where to look for what I need, and it’s easy for guests to help in the kitchen. My priority is to organize by task zone. Even if my kitchen itself doesn’t offer the space I need for every zone, I would rather set up creative organization nearby or in an adjoining space (see tip #2) than to have to jumble too much together in the kitchen.

4. Free Up Drawer Space.

If you feel like you don’t have enough drawer or cabinet space, one trick I use is to create attractive storage options on counters or open shelves. For instance, instead of using an entire drawer for towels, I use an attractive wire basket next to the sink. I toss out all my ugly old towels and find affordable attractive ones for the counter. I love the simple affordable white dishtowels from IKEA (mine have a blue stripe)! I also have a simple white crock near the stove to hold my wooden and metal cooking utensils.

I use open shelves for my prettiest dishes and serving pieces. The key to open storage is to only keep out what is attractive and used regularly so it stays clean. Pretty everyday dishes (I find most of my white or colored dishes at discount stores), color-coordinated hand towels and wood and metal utensils can all look attractive enough to be kept out in the open, freeing up drawer space.

5. Use a Refrigerator Message Board.

How many times have leftovers or food items gone to waste in your fridge because they got shoved to the back and you forgot about them? Even food in the fridge can benefit from a little bit of organization!

One way I keep the refrigerator organized and avoid wasting food is with a handy refrigerator chalkboard. I made the chalkboard myself with peel-and-stick chalkboard paper, a picture frame and command strips to hold it to the refrigerator. When I add a ready-made meal, some leftovers or even certain ingredients to the fridge, I simply jot a note down on the chalkboard. Now I am less likely to forget to use up what I buy and can remember to serve the leftovers before they go bad!

I hope these simple tips will inspire you to have a more organized kitchen! You can see some photos of my own systems in this post on my kitchen.

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The post Five Tips for Kitchen Organization appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

What Your Garage Is to You

Whether you’re working with a standalone one-car shed that’s older than your parents or a fancy, attached, three-car vehicle palace that has its own heating system, the possibilities for your garage are just about endless. No matter how you reimagine the space, your leap of faith could bring some much needed order to your busy home.

The Man Cave

It may be attached to your home or flush against your block’s alley, but your garage is liable to be a perfect man cave. To do this, you’ll need to remove as many stored items as possible and make the remaining clutter as unobtrusive as possible. You’ll want to consider installing ceiling storage racks and placing items that you don’t frequently use into a convenient off-site storage unit.  By removing as much junk as possible, you’ll find it surprisingly easy to turn your garage into a respectable man cave.

Every man has his own ideas about how a man cave should look. Some folks imagine a sports bar-like space that features a full bar, TV and comfortable seating. Others believe that a true man cave celebrates table games like ping pong and pool. Still others prefer to let practicality win the day and choose to install workbenches and table saws.

These improvements may require some cosmetic upgrades. If you’re setting up a wet bar with a refrigerator and television, you’ll need to bring in a power strip or install an extra wall outlet to address the additional power demands. For table games, be sure to set up adequate overhead lighting to keep shadows from interfering with play. Likewise, powerful fluorescent lighting will dramatically improve the safety of your man-friendly work space. If you’re going to be using chemicals or welding equipment near your workbench, you may even need to snake in a plumbing line for a wash sink.

You may not have to give up a warm, dry space for your car in order to turn your man cave dreams into reality. Whether you turn your garage into a practical workroom, a center for serious table games, or a full-fledged sports bar, you can create a killer man cave and possibly preserve that all-important parking space.

It’s all about maximizing the space that you have on hand. For instance, be sure to keep your practical man cave’s workbench, raw materials and shelving on one wall of your garage. That way, you’ll have plenty of room to pull your car in on the other side of the space. Likewise, if you have a two-car garage (or larger), run your bar down the length of a single wall and face your gathering space’s seating towards a TV that’s mounted in a corner. For your table games space, set your ping pong table on one side of the garage and your pool table on the other. This will allow you to deposit your car safely in the middle.  That’s just one of many garage ideas.

The Office Alternative

For some folks, even the most well-appointed man cave can’t replace a spacious, inviting office. Fortunately, it’s likely your garage is roomy enough to function as a comfortable home office in which you’ll have no reservations about entertaining clients. Chances are good that it just needs a good shine to regain its dignity. To that end, prepare the space by moving all superfluous stored items to your basement or an off-site storage unit and either clean or resurface the floor.

If you intend to bring clients into the space, be sure to apply a fresh coat of paint or a new set of panels to the wall. If it’s possible, you might even consider adding a new window to let in natural light. Before you furnish the place, be sure to contact your utility company to determine whether your garage needs to be wired for phone and Internet connectivity. Although this might add an additional line item to your project’s budget, it’s absolutely essential that your garage office enjoys all of the same modern conveniences as your former, off-site space.

Storage Can be Exciting, Too!

For one reason or another, you might not be ready or inclined to turn your garage into a man cave or home office. This doesn’t mean that it has to go to waste. You can always use your garage to de-clutter the other rooms in your home. If you believe in the power of aboveground storage and don’t have an available tool shed on your property, there’s no shame in embracing your garage as a makeshift storage depot.

Of course, storage spaces tend to shrink when left to their own devices. Once you commit to using your garage as a storage shed, you might find it tempting to throw a variety of items into it with no regard for organization or efficient space utilization. This “storage creep” might eventually interfere with your ability to move through your garage or find previously stored items in it.

For this reason, many experts advise homeowners to put systems in place to limit the amount of stuff that they store in their garages. This is sound advice, and it’s not difficult to follow.

Start with this simple rule: A garage that has been converted to a storage shed is best used for bulky items like skis, lawn implements, and power tools. However, your garage doesn’t have to contain a static collection of bulky seasonal tools and appliances. During the winter, free up additional space for more useful things by placing gardening tools and lawn implements, like shovels, rakes and lawnmowers, into an affordable storage unit. When spring comes around and the earth loosens up, you can swap out these tools for the snow plows, ice scrapers and snow tires that you won’t need again until the following winter.

Getting Down to It

Like any home-improvement project, de-cluttering your garage and turning it into a useful space takes patience and diligence. It may also require a boatload of extra space that you simply don’t have. Even if you choose to turn your garage into a well-organized storage shed, it may not be able to hold all of your things safely or efficiently.

It might make more sense to use your garage as a temporary staging area to organize the clutter in the other parts of your home. As time goes on, you can move the bigger items that you don’t use every day into a nearby storage unit. This will reduce the likelihood of clutter creeping up on you and ensure that plenty of room remains for your vehicle. It’ll also make it easier to turn your garage into a man cave or office in the future.

The post Garage Ideas appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

An attic is often one of the most-overlooked parts of a home. Maybe you use your attic to store stuff that you just don’t use anymore. You might not even remember what you’ve put in your attic or where the stuff in your attic came from. If you live in a home that belonged to your family member(s) before you, your attic could be full of heirlooms and hidden treasures.

No matter what type of attic you have or what you’re keeping up there, you can use this space to create extra storage space in your home, or you can even transform it into a bedroom, playroom or hideaway. Improving your attic is as easy as coming up with an idea, making a plan and getting to work.

Step One: Get Organized

Before you can begin an attic makeover, you’ll need to get organized and do some cleaning. One of the first things you’ll need to do is decide how you’ll store the possessions you want to keep. You might buy moving boxes or large plastic containers for your belongings. If you know that you’ll have a lot of clothing and household linens to store, space-saving vacuum bags might be a good choice. Once you’ve got the supplies you need, you’re ready to start going through your possessions.

The organizing gurus at Real Simple magazine say that everything starts with sorting. “Start by creating three categories: keep, donate, and toss. As you work your way through the items in the attic, assign each one to a category.” If you’re having trouble deciding whether to toss or donate items, think about how much you use them. If you haven’t used an item during the last year and it’s not an important heirloom, you should probably get rid of it to make space for attic improvement.

Step Two: Put Your Plan in Motion

Once you’ve cleared out some space in your attic, you can decide how you’re going to make the area over. Do you want to transform your attic into a well-organized storage zone? Do you want to create a man cave or a lady’s hideaway? Choosing an attic makeover project that you’re excited about will help you stay on task. Before you begin any significant construction or renovation, check with a contractor and your county building department to make sure that the changes you’re planning won’t affect your home’s structural integrity.

You might find that it’s helpful to write down your plan. As you’re thinking through attic improvements, remember that all of the following can make your attic seem larger and livelier:

• Light-colored walls and ceilings
• Wall decor and posters on slanted ceilings
• Hutches, bookcases and display cases
• Ceiling lighting and floor lamps
• Curtains and draperies
• Plants and flowers

Do-it-yourself expert Jacquelyn McGilvray also stresses the importance of keeping your attic comfortable. She says, “If you have enough headroom, include a ceiling fan to keep the place cool in warmer weather.”[2] If you don’t have the headroom, make sure that you have fans to ventilate the area in the summer. You may need to use compact heaters during the winter. If you’re planning to make your attic into a bedroom or playroom, you might want to talk with a heating and air conditioning contractor about extending your home’s heating and cooling systems into your attic.

Step Three: Add the Finishing Touches

No attic makeover is complete without finishing touches. If you’re going to use the area for storage, consider placing shelving on the walls. You might also want to think about how you’ll finish the ceiling so that it doesn’t look bare, dark and boring. Josh Garskoff from This Old House magazine suggests using beadboard panels or other prefabricated panels for the attic ceiling. Such panels are “easy to install and will protect the low ceiling from dings and dents.”[3] Remember that you can also hang wallpaper on your attic’s ceiling and walls to lighten the room. Consider hanging mirrors to make the space look larger. Simple touches, like baseboard trim, can also make a big difference in your attic.

As you clean and organize your attic, you might run across treasured possessions that you don’t want to get rid of but don’t have space for at home. If you have several items that fall into this category, you might want to store them. You can find a storage unit near you by searching online. You’ll be able to narrow your search so that you can find a climate-controlled or humidity-controlled unit to store family heirlooms and other important items. Remember to carefully sort through, clean and organize your possessions before putting them into storage. Label boxes and plastic bins clearly so that you’ll be able to find exactly what you’re looking for when you need to visit your storage unit.

The post Three Steps to Organize Your Attic appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

Most household gurus call the kitchen “the heart of the home.” Whether you live in a small apartment or a large single-family residence, it’s likely that you spend a lot of time in your kitchen preparing meals, eating and socializing. Passing time in the kitchen can be great fun if you’re organized and have plenty of room to move.

However, it’s easy to get frustrated with the time you spend in the kitchen if your pantry has become disorganized, filled with clutter, and you just can’t find the items that you need to make dishes for yourself, your family and your friends. Organizing your kitchen pantry is a great way to reinvent this essential area and to make cooking and entertaining fun and stress-free. No matter the size of your pantry, you can give it a makeover in just a few hours by doing a little bit of cleaning and organizing.

Step One: Clean Out The Pantry

The first step to get your kitchen pantry in order isn’t to organize but to clean. HGTV organization experts Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore share that cleaning before organizing “feels great and alleviates a big part of the task.” There’s no doubt that many of your pantry frustrations stem from never being able to find what you need. When you clean out your pantry, you will be able to identify the items that you use on a regular basis so that you can better organize them.

You’ll also want to sort as you clean to help streamline the organizing process. Welch and Rockmore suggest that you put everything that you don’t use on a regular basis into two different piles. The first pile should be for the items that need to be thrown out because they are past their expiration date or have gone bad. The second pile should be for items that you haven’t used in the last nine months. Unless they’re special religious or holiday foods, these items should either be chucked in the trash or donated to a food bank, but only if they haven’t expired.

Before you move to step two, take some time to wipe down your pantry shelves. If your shelving is old or tends to retain smells, you might want to take the time to put in liners. You can find coated contact paper at most discount department and hardware stores.

Step Two: Group Your Items

After you’ve cleaned your pantry, you can begin to plan your new organization strategy. The Woman’s Day organizing experts stress the importance of pre-planning. They advise you to “think about how to use the space for your lifestyle and create zones.” Consider grouping your items into these categories:

• Everyday Essentials
• Baking Items
• Spices
• Powdered Goods
• Pastas, Rices and Grains
• Snack Items
• Sweets

While it makes sense to group items into categories, you should also think about how other individuals in your household use the pantry. Are your kids always on the hunt for snacks? Establish a snack basket that they can easily reach to avoid pantry messes. Move items that you don’t use on a regular basis to your kitchen cupboards so that they don’t get in the way of your everyday items.

Step Three: Choose Storage Solutions

Depending on how your pantry is built, you may or may not have adequate shelf space to hold all of your items. Consider these storage solutions to help you maximize your storage:

• Wire baskets
• See-through plastic boxes
• Collapsible fabric baskets
• Wire racks
• Lazy Susans

You can also put items such as pasta and rice in clear plastic or glass containers to cut down on clutter caused by packaging. Remember that it’s important to choose storage baskets and boxes that can be easily cleaned and won’t retain smells.

If your pantry is short on space, get creative. The kitchen experts at Real Simple say that you can “stash pantry items in the see-through pockets of an over-the-door organizer to virtually eliminate search time.”  These hanging organizers are particularly useful for spices, powdered soups, baking soda, gelatin, chocolate chips and other items that get pushed to the backs of shelves.

Step Four: Put It All Together

After you’ve cleaned, organized and chosen storage solutions, you can place items in your pantry. If you can, arrange things so that you can see everything that’s available. Make sure to put new products behind old ones. This will encourage you to use older items first and avoid spoilage.

The post Four Tips to Clear the Clutter in Your Kitchen Pantry appeared first on The Decluttered Home with Melissa Michaels.

In most homes, the laundry room is an afterthought. Guests rarely see this cramped and noisy space, and even family members don’t linger there. You might be tempted to deal with laundry room clutter by closing the door on it. However, when the laundry room gets so disorganized that closing the door isn’t an option, it’s time to streamline. While you may not retreat to the laundry room to curl up with a good book, you can transform it into a more functional space with these tips on how to clear laundry room clutter.

Tip 1: Get Your Wardrobe Under Control

The first step to gain the upper hand in the battle against clutter is to reduce it throughout your home, not just where you do the laundry. It’s impossible to tackle a cluttered laundry room when you have nowhere to store clothing once it’s clean. In summer, sweaters aren’t just laundry you haven’t yet done; they’re clutter. If the bulk of your organization problem is off-season clothing, it’s time to clean out those closets and make room for more.

Organization expert and author Julie Morgenstern has a formula for dealing with household clutter: the SPACE system: Sort, Purge, Assign a Home, Containerize and Equalize. While it may be tricky to sort some items, it’s easy to separate clothing by season. Purge items you and family members no longer wear or have outgrown. Most households need the most help with the third step, Assign a Home.

Space is already at a premium in your laundry room, so don’t crowd it with coats in the summer and beach towels in the winter; that only exacerbates the clutter problem. The SPACE system doesn’t specify where you designate a place for your items; if you’ve run out of room, search for self-storage options online to find your closet away from home. Keep off-season wardrobes in a storage unit to free your closets to hold clothes that are in season. Once you find room for your off-season clothes, the last two steps of the SPACE method become easy.

Tip 2: Contain Clutter

The “C” in Morgenstern’s system, Containerize, is especially important in a laundry area. Closed containers hide your collection of laundry essentials to give the room a more organized appearance. For boxes of detergent and bottles of bleach, choose open-topped containers and baskets that fit on shelving. Lined baskets or canvas containers do more than keep laundry supplies convenient; they also make the inevitable dusting of powder detergent or drips of fabric softener easy to clean. Pick containers with sides high enough to enable items to stand upright to prevent spills.

Containers corral small items such as stain sticks and laundry markers that might otherwise migrate to other parts of the house. They also serve the opposite purpose: to give small items that come into the laundry room a temporary home until their owners reclaim them. Set aside a box or basket as a lost and found to hold lone socks, pocket change, rock collections and other small things that wind up in the laundry room.

Tip 3: Store Vertically

Even if you have the luxury of a full basement or other large area for your laundry room, that space is rarely organized effectively. Keep everything in a vertical storage system that holds everything in one place so you don’t have to reach and roam. Designer Kevin Sharkey with Martha Stewart Living draws on tools throughout the house to organize his laundry room shelves. Wall-mounted shelves from utility rooms double as holders for laundry basics and sewing kits. Bracketed bookshelves from the den form perfect frames for neat stacks of folded linens. The bathroom’s towel rack becomes a holding area for freshly laundered cotton shirts. “The bar can also be helpful when you’re ironing; hang pressed shirts as you work,” suggests Sharkey.

Tip 4: Separate Spaces Visually in Multi-Use Laundry Rooms

Doing laundry isn’t all that happens in the laundry room. This all-purpose space might also function as a mudroom, bathroom, basement or sewing area. While a large room may have curtains or walls to screen laundry facilities, smaller spaces rely on visual separation to achieve the same effect. Delineate clear work spaces for multiple uses to make keeping both areas more organized.

Use containers that keep everything neat as a visual divider for a multi-purpose space. Store laundry items in containers of one color and use another color to keep sewing materials or craft supplies. Paint walls in different colors to maintain visual separation that helps keep items organized. Use rugs to define areas set aside for other purposes.

Tip 5: Consider Space-Saving Appliances

Washers and dryers are major space-takers. Some apartments and small homes can’t accommodate standard appliances and also allow room for you to fold and sort. With too little space, it’s almost impossible to stay clutter-free. Reclaim that space by switching to new appliances with smaller footprints.

This Southern Living article from Sloan Schmidtke shows how a stacked washer and dryer unit tucks into a small space even in a tiny room.  All-in-one units are another possibility that free up square footage. When you have room to handle all your laundry-related tasks in one area, the rest of your home stays neater, too.

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If you are like most people, you are busy with a capital B! Family, work, errands, hobbies, etc.—they keep you moving and on the go. So how can you do some necessary spring cleaning when life is so busy? The key to a cleaner house might actually start with clearing the clutter in your home and getting everything organized. If that seems like an impossible task right now, read on for a few tips!

1. First, declutter.

I wish there was an easier step, but there is no real way to organize or clean around excess stuff. When you have too much, you can’t put anything away because you don’t have enough room in drawers and closets. And when there is no room in drawers or closets, clutter fills up surfaces like counters and floors. With those surfaces overflowing, you can’t clean the room.

Furthermore, when things are chaotic at home and you can’t find things you’re looking for, you will feel disorganized in many other areas of life, too. At that point, you will probably feel overwhelmed and give up on ever being organized or having a clean house.

So break it down into easier, straightforward steps. Start with just one room that always seems to be a mess. Ruthlessly get rid of all excess and keep only what you really need in that space. Then you can organize those essentials and find what you need, while keeping things clean at the same time!

2. Make sure everything you use has a home.

Every household item needs to be placed back in a designated place after use so it won’t end up on the counters or floors. When counters and floors are clear of piles of clutter, cleaning those surfaces is so much easier.

If you have pared down to only what you really need and use regularly but still don’t have enough space in drawers or closets to store everything, think of creative alternatives for storage in your home, such as decorative baskets, trunks, boxes or crates. Or you may wish to consider renting a storage unit to safeguard some of your belongings and clear up space in your home.

3. Make “tidying up” a daily habit.

I prefer to straighten up the house a little bit every day rather than wait for a big cleaning day. For instance, I find it much less overwhelming and definitely less time consuming to wash dishes as I go. When dishes pile up for days, you’ll end up using twice as many dishes and putting out twice as much effort to keep up with them.

My motto: Have less to keep up with, but keep up with what you have!

When all of your belongings have a home in a designated space, you’ll find it so much easier to know what to do with a mess when you see it. Instead of aimlessly shuffling clutter around, you can actually put items away each day. A few minutes of daily effort will save hours and hours trying to catch up on the weekend or a day off.

Try cleaning and tidying up for 5 to 10 minutes several times throughout the day. You’ll be surprised how great your house can look when you make this a daily habit.

4. Streamline the cleaning routine.

Where do you keep your cleaning supplies? If you have to run all over the house or dig through the garage or closet to find supplies and rags, you won’t be very efficient. In fact, you’ll probably be tempted to skip cleaning if it’s too much trouble to find what you need.

I keep a few necessary cleaning supplies, rags and trash bags in my kitchen as well as our main bathroom under the sink. That way, when I have a few moments to wipe down counters and sinks, I will be able to quickly grab what I need to swish through toilets and empty trash cans. You may also want to keep a cleaning spray in each shower so you can give it a quick spray before you get out.

Make cleaning convenient so it can be a regular part of your routine.

Are you ready to get started on a more clean and organized home? Just take it one step at a time!

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