Like many older homes, each room in this house is small, and unfortunately the kitchen wasn’t built to house today’s appliances so everything has been retrofitted. A full size washer and dryer, fridge, stove, sink, and even the water heater takes up space in a kitchen that is barely 12×12, along with two doorways. The first thing we did was remove the over-sized dining hutch that was located along the only open wall. The hutch wasn’t functional and actually encouraged the owner to pile more belongings on top of it since there is so little space in the kitchen. One of the things we love to do as professional organizers is create space that can be used for enjoyment rather than reminding a client of something that needs to be cleaned all the time.

It’s amazing how much better you breathe after a large piece of furniture is out of the way in a small space. After we cleared the trash, we worked on the cabinets. When you can’t see anything, you often end up buying too much, so we decided to help the owner hold an impromptu yard sale after stumbling over 40 wine glasses, for a woman that lives alone! Next came over 60 coffee mugs, fondu pots from the 70′s, crystal that hadn’t seen the light of day in decades, and enough tupperware for a family of 12.

Getting and staying organized was very important to this client, especially in the kitchen because it is such a small space, but one that she uses constantly throughout the day. Simple rearranging to fit laundry supplies over the washer, clearing out expired food and organizing the pantry, and donating items that didn’t sell in the yard sale, helped organize the kitchen and made everything accessible. The local thrift store received some nice furniture, and the owner made almost $100 in the yard sale! A perfect way to celebrate an organized home.

Take a look at all the before and after photos below and contact us if you need a professional organizer today.

Lay it all out

Remove the entire content and lay it out on a flat surface. If your drawer collected miscellaneous crumbs, dirt and dust be sure to cover your surface with paper. Do not be discouraged. You first need to pick out actual trash: crinkled papers, random buttons, keys you do not know which door they are supposed to open – you get the idea. You will notice that right off the bat the contents of your drawer have become much more manageable.

Sort items where they belong

Next, sort out items that actually have a dedicated place. Put the hammer with the other tools, the paper clips and pens in the office. You will be glad you did, because you won’t waste time when you are actually looking for them.

Group what is left

Now group the remaining item, all matches, magnets, pins, rubber bands, post-it pads and anything else you have in there. A great way to organize is to place these items in drawer dividers. They are inexpensive and come in different size compartments, find the one that is right for you. If you have many little items, get the one with many small compartments, but if you need to store pens and larger things, a drawer divider with a few larger compartments will do. Place all our newly grouped items into the divider’s compartments. You can even get sticky labels to label each compartment so other users know where to place their difficult to place items.

Now you can take pleasure in a clean, neatly organized junk drawer. Repeat your drawer purge often to ensure that true junk does not accumulate over a long period of time making your drawer unusable and frightening. Not only does your drawer look great, but you also will spend less time looking for that box cutter when you cannot wait to open the exciting box you just received in the mail.

Start with the obvious: purge

The first step is to evaluate the contents of your purse or wallet by emptying all of its contents onto a table. The old receipts, candy wrapper, used napkin, and the screw top of a water bottle are destined for immediate elimination. In other words, remove all trash before you do anything else.

Make categories

Now you are left with an odd mix of miscellaneous items, none of which seem indispensable. Try to group them into categories: for example, floss, toothbrush, painkiller and hairclip could go into the infrequently used items category, versus cell phone, keys, wallet and pen, which would be the most frequently used items category. Then, of course there is everything in-between such as lip balm, brush and gum. Go through these items and sort them in a way that makes the most sense to you. Only you know how often you use the things in your bag. Consider taking out items that you do not really use everyday.

Place items

Now that you have established a hierarchy of your various items, they need to go back into the purse. Depending on the type of purse, you may have multiple inside pockets with zippers – perfect for placing the smaller items. If your purse does not have any dividers or inside pockets, consider placing your grouped objects in multiple zip lock bags so they can stay together without causing anarchy in your purse and will be easily accessible.

Repeat above steps for your wallet

You wallet may look swollen from all the accumulated receipts and miscellaneous papers in there. Your wallet is much easier to organize. All you need to do is take out receipts, old coupons, movie stubs and all other little things that somehow sneaked in there. A regular evaluation of all the credit cards and other cards in there will help to sort out the cards you realize you never use. Consider only carrying the essential cards and identification, social security cards and other infrequently used items should be stored in a safe. Once you have everything out, take a photocopy of the front and back of each item in case your wallet is ever stolen. This will help you contact each credit company and notify them to stop transactions and issue you a new card.

Gather and sort

Gather all your gift bags from the various locations you store them in, such as door knobs all over your house, and make one big pile. Pull out the ones that have nicks and don’t look nice enough for regifting. Unless you have the time and patience to carefully tear them apart, cut them to size and roll them up to use as gift wrap, they should go right into the recycling bin. Sort the “keepers” by size and theme. Organize the gift bags into groups such as birthday gift bags, Christmas and other seasonal ones. Open the largest bag in each group and carefully place the others inside so you can quickly grab whatever type of gift bag you need in the future. You can also place tissue paper or ribbons you want to use again in the appropriate gift bag.

Recycle, don’t restock

The bags that made the cut are now ready to be used for gift giving, without the need to buy new bags, otherwise your pile will grow out of proportion. There is no shame in using a perfectly fine gift bag a second time for somebody else’s gift. Quite the opposite, the recipient will happily acknowledge the effort to reduce unnecessary waste. Just remember to remove any names on the bag, or cover with a bright sticker for the occassion.

Put them where they belong

In the meantime these lovely bags need to have a home. One option is under-the-bed clear storage plastic boxes. Consider getting a few smaller ones if you like to organize them by theme. That way you can always pull out the right box without having to go through all bags to find the right one. If the under-the-bed real estate is already occupied and you are pressed for space, consider a large, compartmentalized hanging bag or vertical organizer that can be hung over a door. Alternatively, consider an extra large ladder hook inside a closet or small storage area. This will hold a very large number of bags without taking up too much space.

Now that you have your gift bags neatly stored, you will be ready to gift without wasting time trying to find the right gift bag and making a big mess in the process. If only finding the right gift could be this easy!

Think inside of the box

Just like the traditional piano chair which has a seat that lifts up and hides a space underneath for all your sheet music, there are other furniture types with the same idea. Look for furniture with built-in storage space like ottomans or beds with pull-out drawers underneath. With a lift of a lid or pull of a drawer your magazines disappear instantly.

Favorite hiding spaces

A very large hiding area is the space under your bed. Ideal for infrequently used items, under-the-bed clear storage plastic boxes can hold a lot of your stuff without cluttering your space. Be sure to have a nice bed skirt or depending on your type of bed any other decorative cover that will conceal your well hidden secret.

Hidden in plain sight

An excellent way to keep all your stuff organized is by storing them in baskets of different sizes, shapes and functions. You can use bigger baskets on shelves in your living room, place them between books on your bookshelf or place them in an armoire. Depending on your decor, you can select many different types of baskets. There is always the traditional wicker basket which comes in different thicknesses of weaves and different natural earth tones. Then there are canvas boxes that come in a variety of colors; for a very contemporary look you could even find fine mesh metal weave baskets. Not only have you de-cluttered, you also have decorated your space in the process.

These common filing mistakes play a role in organizing your paper chaos and can be easily remedied by yourself or with the help of a professional organizer:

Underestimating necessary amount and filing categories:

Before you stuff all papers in a folder, take the time to sort all papers by category (bills, invoices, taxes). You will organize your filing and gauge how much total filing space you will require; going furniture shopping will make sense with this knowledge.

Creating non-descriptive labels:

Once you established your categories, be sure to label them appropriately; indicate the type of bills (utility versus medical bills) and sort them by date, for instance “Medical bills Jan – July 2010″;

Filing unnecessary papers:

Manuals of your latest gadget, announcement cards for the new restaurant that will open in a month are all papers that can either easily be downloaded from the Internet, are outdated in a short period of time or simply are unnecessary to keep for any reason. Be sure to shred papers that contain personal information.

Delaying filing of papers:

You will save time by filing incoming papers often and keeping that pile manageable. Pick a day of the week when you will put away all papers. This will make filing part of your regular routine and make it more likely for you to actually do it.

Not regularly purging old papers:

Go through your filing cabinet and decide which papers are no longer necessary to keep. Check with your accountant on the time limit of keeping financial statements. Doing this regularly will help you maintain a lean filing cabinet which will always have room for new papers.

Now that you made peace with your paper wars, be sure to get the appropriate filing cabinet solutions. Office supply stores offer a variety of conventional filing cabinets in many different sizes. Specialty stores carry designs of different materials like wood or colored metal that will add to your decor. Measure your space before you go out to buy one. Keep in mind that it needs to fit in whichever dedicated space you have in mind. Measure the dimension from your floor to the underside of your desk if you are planning to slide your cabinet under your desk. Also pay attention to the width, as your chair and legs need to fit beside the cabinet as well.

To keep the collected artwork well edited, current and manageable, review the stock regularly. Go through all drawings and other artwork midway through the school year and again at the end of the school year. Decide which pieces you and your child would like to display, which ones should be stored or sent as gifts and which ones can go. Get a large portfolio ready along with mailing tubes and your recycling bin. Once you have made a final decision on the contents of each of your four piles, consider the specifics:

There are many ways to display your child’s art. A very spontaneous, easily changeable and fun way is to stretch a clothesline or heavy yarn across the playroom and add or remove drawings to the line by clipping them on with clothespins. They can easily be replaced with newer creations without damaging the paper. For the few “masterpieces,” consider having them framed professionally and hang them in a high traffic area of your home. This will make your child feel special and proud, while building her self-esteem, and the artwork can be rotated when new masterpieces are chosen.

Organize the keepers by certain accomplishments or milestones and add them to the portfolio marked with the date of the works. Large paper portfolios can be stored flat under beds or upright against closet walls.

Then select the ones you would like to mail to relatives and friends. Address the tubes and envelopes right away and include the artwork so you won’t forget which artwork to send to whom.

Finally take all the remaining work and toss it in the recycling bin. If there are many letter-sized papers with unused backs, consider reusing them. You can also recycle some of the colorful papers as wrapping paper or even create custom greeting cards with them.

Be sure to involve your kids from beginning to end of the process. You do not want to be put on the spot next time your kids ask you where that one drawing is she loved so much.

Container Options

These days there are plenty of ways to keep toys organized other than the big wooden toy boxes we grew up with. Try fun boxes in different sizes that can be stacked. They should not be too big so kids can easily handle them and don’t stack more than two or three boxes so kids can easily pull out the bottom box. Clear boxes with drawers are great. Kids can see the contents of the box and will always know where to find the right toy without digging through all the toys and making a big mess. More importantly, they will know where to return them to. Baskets work great, and even zip lock bags for older kids that tend to have toys with a ton of small pieces.

Getting the Kids Involved

Make sure your kids help you when you first set up the various boxes with different contents. Have them pick colors for the boxes, make labels and even arrange them in the room so they can take ownership of their organization. When they take part in the process, they are more likely to develop the right sensibilities when things get messy and an urge to stow items in their appropriate places.

Out With The Old

To be organized also means to sort out old toys. Gather your kids on a regular basis and decide which toys need to go. You create more room for toys in use and you eliminate the need to go through old unused stuff each time kids try to find a toy. In our family this is done before the holidays and the toys are donated. It gives the kids a great sense of pride to help those less fortunate, and makes room for new toys that are on their way.

It is important for kids to be involved in the decision making of what item goes where, how each container is labeled, and which toys to donate or keep. This will keep them motivated to maintain an orderly inventory and maybe an incentive that for each old thing that goes an opportunity for a new thing to take its place arises. Keeping order will soon become a fun routine rather than a chore.

Supplies

The first step is to ensure a well stocked supply of laundry detergent, softener and dryer sheets. Nothing is more cumbersome than realizing you just ran out when you are in the middle of doing laundry. In our home we have a backup of each item, when we finish something we pull out the backup and write it on the grocery list so we are prepared the next time we run out.

Sorting

As a general habit, instead of sorting a large pile of dirty laundry each time right before you stick it all in the washer, think about sorting your laundry as you go. The whole family, even kids at a young age, can help keep dirty laundry sorted. Hampers with multiple compartments sometimes have the name of laundry that belongs in each hamper printed on it, so everybody can just throw their clothes in the appropriate hamper. If you can’t find such hampers, consider color coding them or using baskets in different colors. Younger children can be enticed with little rewards for pitching in. Be creative, you know the things they like…Keep your dry-cleaning items in a separate bag so that you can just grab it on your next trip to the dry cleaner without having to go through all your dirty laundry.

Be Prepared

Just like in a surgery room, keep all instruments handy in your laundry room. Have your hangers ready so dried clothes can immediately be put on hangers without you having to run back and forth. When folding all the laundry, sort it by owner so that putting them back in closets becomes a snap. Work in teams – everybody can help put away their own clothes, you can even make a sport or game out of it to make it more fun. Keep your drawers and closets organized so that you don’t have to find room each time you put away your clean laundry. Purging unused clothes on a regular basis will keep you organized.

Create a Schedule

The families that tend to do laundry all at once on the weekends are the ones that find themselves getting buried in piles. Creating a schedule will help keep you in the habit of doing laundry and help you stay organized. In our family laundry is started in the morning (we are a family of 6!) every other day. Each family member simply dumps their laundry in the baskets, and a load goes in. It’s done when we come home from work and school, and everyone folds their clothes.

Decorate Your Laundry Room

One of the easiest things you can do is hang a piece of art of a family photo in your laundry room so you can enjoy your time doing laundry. Entering a dingy room with no redeeming qualities is enough to scare anyone from doing laundry ever again, so grab a photo or a can of paint and spruce up the room!

Where do you start and how do you decide what to keep and what to sort out?

Pick any room or your basement to begin. Start going through all closets or cabinets in that room. You have to be merciless and it works best if you work with somebody in your family to give each other support for decision making. The easiest way to part with old belongings is to ask yourself when was the last time you used or wore an item. Decide what your time threshold is, over a year is a very reasonable time frame. Have pricing stickers in your hand as you sort through everything so you can simply slap one on and put it in the box or bag to be set up on garage sale day. Once you have gathered everything you no longer want or need, do not revisit, once it is in the box it stays there.

Think about a date that works for you to schedule the garage sale. Do a little bit of research beforehand by visiting neighborhood garage sales to get an idea of how much things sell for so that you can price your items accordingly. Also find out whether your municipality requires special permits just so that you can be prepared. A nice sunny day will more likely increase foot traffic, although this is beyond your control.

Plan for an exit strategy: set a time of the garage sale day at which you will call it a day and pack up all unsold items. Do not be tempted to take them back where they came from! Arrange with thrift stores or local charities which sometimes offer to pick up your donations. Craigslist is another great website where you can let everyone know you have things available for free, put your address and set everything by the curb and before you know it, the items will disappear!

So now that you have a plan, prepare for your debut: to get people’s attention you will need to advertise your garage sale. Use all outlets to start your marketing campaign, advertise in local papers, make eye-catching signs that easily direct people to your garage sale. Be sure to present your merchandise well by hanging all freshly laundered clothes on hangers instead of throwing them in a box. Spruce up kitchenware by running everything through the dishwasher and if needed, polish individual items with special cleaners. Do not be shy to use clever marketing strategies you would encounter in retail stores by displaying items in appropriate categories (e.g. books, dishes, clothes). Just like in retail stores, offering a set of multiple items at one price instead of selling each item individually is more economical for you and the customer.

Set up shop where you think it is most accessible, your yard, garage or driveway. Be creative, remember you can make a lot with very little, for example tables can be set up with plywood sheets on buckets. Make signs that identify the various departments in your “store.” Be sure that electrical cables or extension cords are not tripping hazards and that nothing else could cause injury especially to running children. Don’t forget to have change for $20 bills ready.

On the big day your task is to sell. You can do that best by engaging with your customers. Talk to them, welcome them and make them feel comfortable. It does not hurt to offer light refreshments, people tend to buy more when in a hospitable environment.

After all is done and sold you still have to clean up. Prepare all unsold items for donation and remove your signs. You are exhausted but your home feels cleaner, bigger and less cluttered. And you have earned a bit of pocket money to treat all your helpers to a well-deserved night out.