Well, spring is around the corner, and you know what that means: spring cleaning is on its way, too! There are lots of blog posts, magazine articles, and websites devoted to sharing cleaning and organization tips, and whenever I run across them I write them down because they are really helpful and make my life easier. Here are some of my favorite home organizing tips that you can incorporate into your life now!
Start Small
Thinking about all of the cleaning and organization that you have to do is daunting, especially if you don’t already do it regularly. One of the best tips I ever read was this one: Do one small organizational task daily, no matter what. Clean out a junk drawer or clean and re-arrange the top tier of the spice rack. If you do it every day, after just one month, you will have checked 30 things off your to-do list!
This is an easy one, especially in the kitchen. If you are waiting for water to boil or the chicken to finish cooking, clean out a drawer. It’s amazing how much can get done with baby steps.
Only Touch The Mail Once
How many of us get the mail and then throw it on the kitchen counter to deal with later? After just a week, you’ve got a mountain stacked up! But there’s an easy solution: open your mail everyday over the recycling bin, and automatically get rid of the junk. Put your bills where they belong, magazines on the end table, and there’s no mess. This also forces you to make quick decisions so there’s nothing piling up on the counter.
Never Forget a Birthday Again
There are some really cool websites out there, like AmericanGreetings.com and GiftElephant.com, that allows you to note any and all important dates in your life: like birthdays and anniversaries. These sites can also send you reminders when one of those dates is coming up. Pair that with the free e-card delivery, and you’ll never forget a birthday or have to buy another card again!
Figure Out If You Really Need It Or Not
I can’t even begin to tell you how many cooking utensils I have…even though I rarely use the majority of them. But there’s a way to figure out what you really do (and don’t) need, and it’s very simple. Take all of the stuff out of a drawer (like the kitchen utensil drawer for example) and put it all in a box. Every time you need one of the items just remove it from the box and return it to the drawer after you use it. After three months, whatever is still left in the box can be thrown out or donated. Simple!
Clean Like You Are Moving
As you are putting things away, ask yourself: Would I take this with us if we were moving? If the answer is no, toss it or donate it. Keep only those things you’d take if you really were moving. There’s no easier way to get rid of clutter!
What are some of your favorite organization tips?
Photo Source: Nitin Gajria
