It’s spring again, the season of rebirth – the flowers, the birds, and… maybe that guest room closet? For whatever reason, it seems many of
us are inspired this time of year to take on spring cleaning and organizing projects. As the weather improves and we emerge from our little cozy
hibernation caves, we may find that we’ve let our homes get a little disorganized over the winter months. If you need help figuring out where to
start, don’t worry. We’ve got some tips to guide you along your way to not only organizing, but organizing in a way that should help you maintain it over time!
There are 3 main principles to keep in mind as you do your organizing:
Learn to let things go. It’ll be easier to organize your things once you’ve thinned them out a bit.
A place for everything, and everything in its place. It may sound obvious, but you might be surprised at the number of objects in your home that don’t have a specific spot to go to!
Maintenance phase. Even the most thorough re-organizing jobs will need some maintenance and occasional tweaking to stay nice and tidy.
Learn to let things go
Not everything that finds its way into our homes is a winner – and that’s not a statement on taste! Whether it’s a gift that isn’t really “you,” an item that just didn’t work out how you envisioned it, or just something that’s gotten worn out with time and use, we’ve all got things we need to release back into the universe!
Some items are easy to decide to part with, and some are more difficult. If you find yourself struggling to decide, develop criteria to help in your decision making. Find your reason for getting rid of something. Devotees of Marie Kondo find it helpful to ask if an item “sparks joy.” Others may find it helpful to ask whether it’s worth the trouble of caring for the item properly with each use. Or you could ask whether or not you’ve used it in the last year. Whatever best helps you decide whether or not to keep an item is the right question to ask.
As you find things to get rid of, put items in good condition into a box to be donated. Things that are too worn-out to be donated can be recycled or put in the trash.
A place for everything, and everything in its place
While it might sound like an obvious part of organization, most of us can find lots of little items around their house that don’t really have a home. Here are some things to think about when finding a place for all the items you’ve decided to keep:
Organize either one room at a time, or one category at a time. There are benefits to each. Going a room at a time gives you the accomplished
feeling of getting to finish a whole room. You also don’t end up spread across the whole house with your organizing. Others prefer to do a category at a time. A benefit of this method is that you get a better idea of what you own in that category, house-wide. Getting the big picture on, for example, all the books you own, may prompt you to consolidate them all in one place, freeing up space elsewhere (i.e., putting all your books on one bookshelf in the study, instead of one in your bedroom and one in the living room).
It should be just as easy to put away as it is to leave out. Remember, if you want to keep your house tidy with minimal effort, things should be as easy to put away as possible. One way to achieve this is to store things as close as possible to the place where you use them. For example, keeping a tray or basket next to the stove with your cooking oil, salt, pepper, and anything else you use almost every time you cook may make more sense than
storing those items inside the pantry, and they will look much tidier on the tray than just lying scattered around the counter. You may also find it helpful to keep a trash can or laundry hamper as close as possible to all the places you find yourself in need of one – this can help reduce mess quite a bit!
Use the label maker liberally. This is especially helpful if you have a partner, kids, etc. whose help you would like in keeping things tidy. Labelling clearly where everything goes makes keeping everything sorted a breeze –no excuses for putting something in the wrong place!
Maintenance Phase
Once you’ve gone through and organized everything, you'll likely still need to put a little effort in each day to keep it that way. Spend a couple minutes each day tidying up. Even 5 minutes each night when you get home from work before you start dinner can make a big difference. Although the goal
is to organize things in such a way that you don’t have to spend so much time cleaning, there will always be things that accumulate mysteriously and need to be dealt with. You may even find that there is a better way you could organize something to make it more compatible with your day-to-day life.
Did all that home organizing make you realize it’s time for a change? Check out our current listings, and let us know if you see yourself in any of these homes! Refer to our Guide to Selling Your Home to ensure this is the right time for you to sell; also check out our Home Buyers' Checklist. Don’t hesitate to contact us at Inhabit Real Estate Group for help with any of your real estate questions or goals.
