Does your house look like The Home Edit made a visit? Mine doesn't... yet!!! Here are a few tips on tidying up with very minimal time to do so.
With a new year around the corner, now is an awesome time to work on getting our home or apartment organized. While it might seem overwhelming to organize every single room, there is a strategy to help you get this accomplished! The biggest struggle for many of us is finding the time (hello, never-ending mom to-do list) to do this. Having an organized home is a huge project so don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to finish quickly. Instead, enjoy the brief moments of time you have to put things in a spot or a ‘home’ and celebrate the small progress you make each day.
1. Create a List: Before you even begin organizing, go through your home and create a list of what rooms need what done to them. If you’re like me, I forget a few things especially by the end of the day so having this list helps me stay on top of what I need to get, organize or purge in each room. Having it all ready to go also helps me create a plan of how I want to tackle the mess. For example, the kitchen is always a disaster (#momtruth) and consistently has several areas that need to be addressed, so I’ll simply write down KITCHEN and then underneath I’ll write down the areas I want to work on such as the pantry, junk drawer, and coffee station (my favorite nook minus the wine rack haha). This helps me look at things from a smaller perspective.
2. Have a Donation Bin: I have two actually - one in the basement and one in the front hallway closet. It makes it SO much easier to get rid of thing you no longer need without feeling wasteful. Also, I found that if I have a bin to toss no-longer-needed items in, I am much more likely to actually get rid of them rather than stuffing them in a closet or basket somewhere. Trust me on this one! And then, once it fills up, drop that bad boy off at your nearest thrift shop or donate items to a homeless shelter. Let's help out others and free up some landfill space!
3. Grab and Go Cleaning Station: I can’t be the only one that hates running up and down the stairs to clean multiple surfaces, bathrooms, and more. Having a system is key to keeping life and your home organized which leads me to tip number 3 - I love to create a grab-and-go cleaning station so I can keep the supplies I need in one confined unit. I store it in a caddy and add the items I need such as a cleaning toilet brush, rags, disinfectant wipes, and towels. You basically can put anything you want in yours so you aren’t searching for items or running up and down flights.
4. DIY Storage: Anyone else become obsessed with DIY projects during quarantine? If you have items that are not properly fitting in your home, why not create your own storage yourself? The biggest hassle is finding quality saws and tools to help you create them. If you live in the Atlanta area, I would suggest talking to the professionals at Saw Trax. Given their name, they know the proper items to help you build your projects correctly. They have a variety of items to help including panel saws, vertical saws, dollies, and more. All of their saws are protected so it’s extremely safe for those who are not basic trained on saws. If you have any questions on what saw might be best for you to use, give them a call and they can assist you to find the right one.
5. Color Coding: It can be easy to throw our unfolded laundry in piles but one way to help your closet look and feel its best is color coding your closet (thank you, The Home Edit). Many professionals love doing this and not only is it visually appealing but also keeps things in their place. You can also color-code your books, craft supplies or any other category of items that has multiple things.
6. Add Drawer Dividers: One easy tip to maximize storage and organize your drawers is using drawer dividers. One drawer divider instantly creates separate categories for your space so everything has its own little home. It can make things so much easier to fit more items because the dividers make it easier to stack things vertically as well. I use them in our bathroom, my kids drawers for their clothes, and in our kitchen.
There are many other easy organization ideas to keep you and your family on top of the new year. Again, take your time and go through each room carefully. Pick out what you want to keep and from there figure out a way to display the item or put it away neatly. What are some projects you want to tackle to keep your apartment or home organized this year?
xoxo,
