Tag Archive for: home organizing

Top 3 Areas to Declutter and Organize Every Season

/0 Comments/in , /by

A simple seasonal reset can dramatically improve how your home functions day‑to‑day. Focusing on strategic, high‑traffic zones can make your home feel lighter and more streamlined. Three areas in particular tend to collect clutter faster than we realize are the medicine cabinet, the pantry, and the infamous junk drawer. Because these are small, manageable spaces, these are also the best areas for those with ADHD to declutter. Here’s why each one deserves a seasonal refresh, and how to tackle it quickly.

1. The Medicine Cabinet

Medicine cabinets often turn into time capsules of half‑used products and expired necessities. Each season brings a different ailment and keeping these products on hand can be good. However these quickly expire. Keeping this space up to date ensures your household stays safe and prepared.

What to Declutter

  • Expired medications, ointments, and supplements
  • Empty or nearly empty bottles
  • Old toothbrushes, skincare samples, and outdated beauty products

How to Reorganize

  • Group items by type: first aid, daily medications, skincare, grooming
  • Use small bins or clear containers to prevent clutter from spreading
  • Store medications you use regularly at eye level for easy access
  • Label bins for easy access.

Pro tip: If you divide your first aid and your medicine, be sure both areas get attention.

 

2. The Pantry

The pantry is one of the hardest-working spaces in your home. It is constantly in use and constantly at risk of becoming a chaotic mix of snacks, stale staples, and forgotten foods. While you may have organized it 3 months ago, it is ready for a reset.

What to Declutter

  • Expired canned goods, spices, and dry foods
  • Snacks no one is eating
  • Duplicates that are taking up precious shelf space

How to Reorganize

  • Group by category: baking, breakfast, snacks, canned goods, grains
  • Use clear containers so you can instantly see what you have
  • Label everything to maintain long‑term order

Pro tip: Many localities have food pantries and blessing boxes to donate extra items that have not been eaten.

3. The Junk Drawer

Everyone has one, and everyone needs to clean it out and organize it. This drawer becomes a magnet for random items that have been left on the counter, are remnants of a project or that don’t have a home. Make this spot easy to use with a quick reset.

What to Declutter

  • Broken pens, dried‑up markers, loose screws, old batteries
  • Random packaging, outdated menus, and unused gadgets
  • Duplicates you didn’t know you had

How to Reorganize

  • Empty the drawer completely and sort items into keep/toss/relocate
  • Add small dividers or trays to give everything a designated spot
  • Keep only essentials: scissors, tape, chargers, batteries, small tools

If you have more than one junk drawer, pare down to only one.

The joy of a seasonal decluttering is that it is a quick and easy project.  You feel refreshed in getting these done and ready for the new season. Focus on these three high‑impact areas, and you’ll create a more functional home with minimal effort.

Five Fall Organizing Tips for Your Home

/0 Comments/in , /by
home organizing
Fall organizing makes ready the transition to autumn.  ›I love Fall!  It’s a time of transitions, back to school, fresh starts, and the gateway to the holidays!  Here are five fall organizing tips for your home.  Focusing on these areas will make your home company ready too!
›
›
›Organizing Your Time
Activities gear up during the fall.  Your kids activities, church activities, fall festivals, and football games are all important dates and time to add to your calendar.  You may be planning to travel as well.
  • ›Add all your dates to your calendar as soon as possible.  You will avoid conflicting activities and feel more in control.
  • ››Set aside time to prepare for big events.  Be sure you add in preparation time.  This includes time to make food, time to pick up an item or time to travel to your activity.
  • Get your family into the swing of things with a family meeting, recording dates on a month at a glance calendar posted in your kitchen.
  • ›Use checklists.  Spend a few minutes the week before an activity writing down all the items you will need to bring.  Having a checklist makes it easy to be sure everything gets to your destination.
›Organizing Your Landing Strip
Happily we need light sweaters and jackets, different shoes, and hopefully an umbrella during fall.
  • Create a spot where things come and go in your home right at your entry.  A basket for shoes or boots corrals them where you can find them later.  Hooks on the wall add a spot to leave a jacket.  A small attractive trash can can hold umbrellas.
  • ›Use baskets or totes to carry items back and forth to the car.  A tote  gives you a spot to place a return or other item that needs to get to the car.  It also is a way to carry it there.
  • ›Storage for keys.  Attach a key spot for dropping your keys as soon as you enter your home.
  • ›As with all spots in your home, remember to declutter regularly.  Too many shoes or jackets at your landing strip makes chaotic clutter.
›Organizing Your Crafts
  • Start by dividing items by craft.  If you know you are no longer doing that craft, send the supplies off to Texas Art Asylum.
  • Divide your space by “centers” where you can use your craft supplies, setting up spaces with a table, chair and storage for your supplies.
  • ›Plan a projects area to store multiple projects in progress.  Often you are working on several projects simultaneously.  Take this into account in our craft space.
›Organizing Your Pantry
Many of our holidays revolve around food.  In the fall we are entertaining more and inviting in company.  Dinner time is back in full swing with the routines of school and work.  Organizing your pantry makes it easy to prepare meals.
  • ›Remove everything from your pantry and toss what is expired.
  • ›Set up your pantry with categories like the grocery store  and additional groups such as veggies, breakfast, and snacks
  • Think about what you want to frequent and easy access to first, then place items accordingly.  Especially for your kids, place items they can reach on the lower shelves.  ›
  • A turn table lazy susan is great for difficult to access corners.
  • Use baskets for snacks and floppy stuff
  • Canisters for flour, sugars, and pastas are important in our climate.
›Organize Outside
Cooler temperatures will start soon.  It’s time to rein in the outside clutter too.
  • ›Bring pool items, cushions and extra toys  in and store in your garage or attic.  Remember to hose down items and clean before storing.
  • ›Add vertical storage to the garage to store tubs.  Label your tubs for easy access.
  • ›Freshen up your entry by sweeping, dusting and cleaning your door and entry way.

Fall organizing prepares  you for upcoming events.  Have  these areas decluttered and ready for fun!

›Don’t miss a minute of upcoming organizing tips and techniques! Click here to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

Hugs and Happy Organizing Under Stairs Closet

/0 Comments/in , , /by

under stair organizing

 

The dreaded under stairs closet area! It’s usually a dumping ground because not only is it a big open space, but it usually has an angled ceiling and a curved section.  Most families are confused what to store in there other than the vacuum.  Let’s get this space functional for you and make it great storage.

  • This is a space where everything needs to come out and be divided into toss, donate, or keep.  Once you know what is in there you can make better decisions on storage.  
  • Deep under stair storage is a great place to storage a category with large items.  You can store luggage, printed photos,  holiday decorations, or home decor in the back of the closet and use the front for your everyday needs like your vacuum or sweaters.
  • Under stair storage should be divided into front and back storage.  The back is less accessible, so large, infrequently used items can have a permanent home there.
  • Use 66 quart or smaller bins to make best use of the space.  When you group in the bins, be sure to label the categories on 2 sides and the top of the container. This way you will always know what is in the bins.  You can also keep a list on the back of the door too.   Arrange the back bins by height depending on the slope of the ceiling.
  • Use a clear shoe organizer on the back of the door for small items you might need easy access to in the adjacent room.  It creates new space!

Wishing you Hugs and Happy Organizing with your new under stair organizing!