Get Organized | Kitchen & Bath Edition
Are you in the mood to purge? Cause I am. For some reason, I don't get all Spring-cleaning feeling in the Spring. I get it in the Summer. I'm not sure if it's the Florida heat or the fact that I'm far enough removed from Winter finally or what? Maybe it's because the heat makes you feel like you're trapped inside so you start looking at your house a lot more closely. Whatever it is, it's coming on strong! So today we're going to talk about ways to get organized. Since kitchens and bathrooms are such major parts of the home, we figured we'd start there. For the kitchen, we're talking about the main storage room--the pantry. And for the bathroom, we're talking about the closet!
Obviously, the first thing to do when organizing anything is to decide what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of. This gives you an idea of what items you need to organize...sort of like taking inventory. Organization is always easier with less stuff so don't be afraid to get rid of some things! As Americans, we have a tendency to gather and collect. Our society trains us to be hoarders so we just keep getting more! But trimming down and de-cluttering is one sure-fire way to de-stress your life, so be sure to trim the fat every once and awhile!
Once you scale back, categorize and prioritize. What items are most important and require a prominent location. For you pantry, what food items do you use the most or have the most of? Is it the snack foods or dry goods? The best way to determine this is by looking at your food and determining what category has the most stuff. In your closet, this is most likely either clothes or shoes. That seems really obvious but we forget that our closets become a catch-all for a number of different items--purses, scarves, belts, jewelry... but clothes and shoes are almost always the number one contributor to closets, so which one do you have more of?
When storing items, group them together by category. You've already determined a location based on importance, so keep all similar items together. In the pantry, there are different ways to store items. Baskets and (clear) bins are usually the easiest way. Get different sized baskets for different items since you'll have more of one and less of another, and be sure to label them! Labels help you keep things organized in the future and are also a reminder to little kiddos who might be getting into the bins. Clear bins are great for closets too! For the little items that get lost and forgotten about, a clear bin helps keep it in one spot in plain sight.
Analyze the configuration of your closets. Do you have enough shelves or would a few more be helpful? What about hanging space? Sometimes the closet just isn't working out the way it should and a closet system or revamp of the current organization system is necessary but it could just require a small fix. Small additions like hooks and trays are easy ways to bring in a little more storage without re-doing your entire closet.
The important thing when organizing a closet or pantry is that, in the end, everything is easy to see and easy to access. If necessary, add a little bit more lighting to help make finding pieces easier too!