Jul 17in GENERAL
Shortcuts to an Organized Home
Life these days is extremely hectic, especially if you have to manage between work, kids, and housework. You wake up in the morning, get your kids ready for school, prepare their lunches than jump to work hoping that by the time you come back, you will relax and not worry about cleaning, doing laundry or washing the dishes. Wake up people because that never happens! Instead, you come home to a messy house, hungry kids that need to study and wash up. While many people feel as if a clean and organized home is only the result of a weekly cleaning crew and a personal organizer, do yourself a favor and design the smart way, adopting these clever tricks so you never have to spend hours cleaning and organizing.
Let’s start!
Keep Clothes Off the Floor
When we are in a hurry, we tend to throw our clothes onto the ground and the worst part is when it piles and piles. Do yourself a favor and teach your kids to pick up every item and put it in its spot.
Keep Beds Made and Nightstands Clear
The secret to a neat home is a freshly made bed and an organized nightstand. If you can’t imagine yourself fully making the bed each and every morning, at least make an effort to pull up your sheets and comforter daily, when you get out of bed. Once you get used to that habit, you may find that it takes only a little extra effort to finish the process. For your nightstand, focus on keeping only must-haves close at hand: a lamp, paper and pen, and your nighttime read. Utilize bedside drawers to store away everything else.
Make Your Mudroom Multitask
Designed to stand up to dirty shoes, this mudroom is a go-to place for dropping bags, boxes, and coats during the rush of a busy day. Baskets store out-of-season accessories, such as winter accessories in the summer and swimming supplies in the winter, while a long bench creates an easy spot for taking off and putting on shoes. Well-placed hooks keep coats and backpacks off the floor.
Create a Command Center
To tame clutter and tackle your family’s endless to-do lists, consider incorporating a command center—including a workspace, a spot for notes, and organized storage.
Keep Linen Storage Tidy
Usually the scene of strewed-about sheets and castaway pillows, the linen closet is often the soft and fluffy version of a junk drawer. Employ a closet or armoire with tall shelves to make putting up laundry a breeze. Assign a shelf for each room so that all members of the family can grab their own linens. To keep things looking crisp, also consider using all-white bath and hand towels.
Declutter Your Closet
One way to tackle everyday clutter, especially in a small space, is to demand that your closets work harder. In a shallow closet, consider moving little-used long formal dresses and coats to a separate location and installing shelves in the bottom half for holding shoes and handbags. Above the shelves, hang tops only. When everything is in plain sight—meaning no more shoving things in the back—it’s harder to lose track of your belongings.
Utilize Every Inch
Kitchens are often pressed for space—particularly for growing families—so keep little-used items out of your usual cabinet storage spots. Just like your personal closet space, go through kitchen cabinets at least once a year to remove worn-out, broken, or no longer used items, either giving them away, storing them elsewhere for future, or tossing them all together.
Tame the Tech
Thanks to wires, cable boxes, game stations, and numerous remote controls, an entertainment center can quickly become cluttered and disorganized. But, if you arrange it in an intentional and stylish way, it can become a part of the aesthetic of your home.
