It would be a delight to open up a drawer that has all the things neatly stacked, a kitchen shelve with all the jars labelled and sock storage with all the pairs intact and in place. While this may seem like a distant dream, there are some small efforts that you can put in order to get greater control over the storage and prevent your cabinets or cupboards from overflowing with junk.
It is not that hard to keep a home that is properly organized. All it takes are small habits and attention to detail in the absence of which your home can spiral out of control in no time. However, no need to think of yourself as an immortal to be able to attain this simple objective. By being mindful and handling the little things, you would be able to notice a sea change in the way your house looks after some time. Just start with focusing on the area that needs to be organized and gradually work your way up to other sections of the house. In no time, you would be able to initiate a domino effect that will organize your home from chaos to that of neatness.
Here are some design ideas and tips to give you a head start into transforming your life of disorder into an organized one.
Entryway
[Image: The Sky is the Limit Design]
The problem with overcrowded entryway is that we tend to leave all the things out because it may be needed at some point in the coming few days. When you think of transforming this area, take a look at each item and see if you are going to use it the next day. If the answer to any item is a resounding no, then they must be stored in a cupboard instead of allowing them to pile near the front door.
The idea is to leave only those things that you are going to use the next day. It will not only make the place look neater but also help you locate the things that you need immediately and get you out of the house quickly.
Your table by the bedside
[Image: Rethink Design Studio]
Some of us have a strange yet common habit of stacking our bed stand with more books and magazines that we can possibly read in a short period of time. Soon this stack starts to take more than the designated spot on the table and then onto the floor. Soon enough, this sprawling mass of reading material will find its way to the radiator and every other possible storage that you can find within reachable distance of your bed. Although, it is acceptable for a short while yet when this mess starts to get out of control, it is time to stop and take a look.
The best way to start sorting this section is to place items that are related to décor and not of much use, per se. In this case, the table stand has been decorated with a flower vase, candle stand or a small piece of decoration by the bed. It is not only more organized but also induces a feeling of positivity to wake up to good smelling flowers. It will also give you a motivation to set aside any extra books every night before you hit the bed to make space for that gorgeous clump of flowers. It is an easy and interesting fix to a bed stand that has been crowded with too many books over the days or weeks.
Drawer for the utensils
[Image: Dura Supreme Cabinetry]
Every house that one kitchen drawer that stores all the kitchenware in one place. However, the trouble is, sooner or later lot of other things make way into this drawer because it has not been used to its full capacity. You would find things like broken tools, chopsticks, cookie cutters and what not which leaves the place messy and makes it hard for you to look for the daily use items when you need them.
Instead of filling the drawer with just about anything, use it to store items that you need regularly, apart from the utensils, of course. You can put your flatware or other small tools like spoons, measuring cups, etc., which are handy items and are needed every now and then.
Organizing the pantry
[Image: Justrich Design]
The biggest foe to any pantry is the containers, which make the place look messy and make it hard to locate things easily because of their varied sizes. The good thing to do would be use an airtight container for any easy and effective storage. However, it would be of no use if you buy all these specialized containers in one go and stuffing them up with things at the same time because you would continue buying things even before the decanted stuff runs out and this will create an unnecessary and disorganized pile. Soon it will start to topple over and will appear like a nasty sight.
The best way to keep this sorted is by monitoring your pantry before you make a shopping trip. Consolidate all the containers, remove the old things and clean your shelves to make way for the new ones. One of the best kitchen storage ideas is to install some wired baskets to flaunt your new set of containers. You can also take this a step above and label them for easy identification and storage.
Sink in the bathroom
[Image: Pinney Designs]
The main reason for clutter on our bathroom sink emerges out of the core problem of time shortage in the morning and too many products that we need every day. There are also some people who find it too time consuming or a great effort to take the items in and out of the cabinet.
You can buy some cute baskets that are available dime a dozen and store all your daily essential things in a neat stack. You can use the lids or leave them open, as you please. Place this basket on top of the sink or the toilet so that they can be reached easily. If you buy something that does not fit into the allocated basket, then you must make it a point to throw something out and make way for it.
If you are worried about wasting a lot of time in the morning trying to sort things in and out of your medicine cabinet, then you need to cultivate a habit of putting everything back as you use it. This will sort the ready area and make it much easier to get ready in the morning without wasting too much time fiddling with things.
Sorting the junk
[Image: Shenandoah Cabinetry]
Junk drawer, contrary to popular belief, actually holds some very useful and essential items. Hence, the name is absolutely inappropriate, considering its usage. You will find batteries, scissors, and other items that are actually pretty useful in our everyday lives. However, if you do find any junk that does not belong here, it needs to go out. If you still find that drawer full of stuff, then perhaps there are items in there that should not be stored at all, like old anniversary cards or dead batteries. Throw all these items away without second thought and add small dividers that will help you sort the items in the future.
The problematic sock drawer
[Image: California Closets]
It is a pet peeve of every person to locate a sock mate, which gets lost every now and then. We all store that one sock in hope to finding its mate soon and pairing them both. However, if it has been a while since you find the other one and it has been lying single in your drawer, then it is time to discard that one sock for good.
You will notice that in no time, not only is your sock drawer spick and span, but you will lose a lot less socks in the process. Add some drawer dividers and give each pair a separate spot so that they have a designated storage for each pair. Just one sight of an organized drawer will make you want to keep your entire home in control.
Coffee Table
[Image: Christine Markatos Design]
Coffee table is not a challenge as such but will become an issue when you have small children at home. Soon you would be deprived of a neat looking coffee table because of all the stuff flowing around the house. Although you don’t need to be a paranoid with keeping your table surface clear all the time, yet cleaning it once or twice in the day will keep it sorted throughout the day. Just placing a small tray atop will give you a nice motivation to make it keep looking that way.
Keeping your home organized is not something that you can do overnight. You must be patient and cultivate one small habit at a time for it to become long lasting and less of a chore. If you gradually work your way up, you would notice that this habit has slowly ingrained into your daily schedule and soon it would become effortless to keep your house that way.
