Organizing Tips

Below is a list of some basic organizing tips for the common areas of your home. Get more tips and tricks like these and more great information by contacting Stuff 2b Organized, LLC today for your personal consultation. Let us help you get your "stuff" back under control.

	Children's Spaces
	Closets
	Garages and Basements
	Home Offices
	Kitchens and Pantries
	Other Areas

Contact me for more information and to take yout first steps toward mastering that organizing project.   Phone: (920) 728-1928   Email: info@stuff2borganized.com

Children's Spaces

Keeping a child’s room in order is a challenge of almost every parent.  But there are ways to make it easier and Stuff 2b Organized, LLC can help. Below are a few examples:

	Tackling a messy room can be overwhelming for children. Give you child specific directions. Instead of saying “clean up your room”, try “please make your bed and put your dirty clothes in the hamper.”
	Just by making the bed, a bedroom is 50-70% cleaner. Consider making this a daily chore.  Younger ones will need help, but by the age of six, most should children be able to do it on their own.
	Add shelving or clear storage containers. Just by adding clear containers labeled with its contents, make it easy for kids to see what is inside and it helps make clean-up time easier.
	Create activity zones. For example: In a reading zone the books should be next to the bed, with good lighting. A chair or soft blanket might be near by as well.
	Contain toys in open baskets to help get control of an out-of–control toy collection.

Closets

Behind closed doors, closets tend to be overlooked, until nothing else can fit. With the proper organizing techniques you can have closets that are easy to access and that contain seemingly more room than before. Here are some examples:

	Develop an organizing system. Each shelf or area should be designated to contain specific items.
	Thin out unused items. Many closets contain a lot of clothing or apparel items that simply are not used anymore. Sort through the contents of closets regularly to remove unnecessary items.
	Add shelving or clear storage containers. Just by adding the appropriate shelving or clearly labled containers, cluttered closets quickly become manageable again.
	Use clear containers, labeled with its contents. This makes it easy to see what is inside each container and helps make the closet more usable.

Garages and Basements

Garages and basements often become the dumping ground for all the decisions we just don’t have time to make.  Many times these areas are used to store things that we don’t have a spot for and hope to get to someday. Below are some simple solutions to making these areas more usable:

	Remove unwanted items. Throw out, donate, sell or put away those unused or unnecessary items and quickly uncover basement and garage space you forgot you had.
	Hang larger tools. Hanging tool organizers are inexpensive ways to eaisly free up messy corners filled with rakes, brooms shovels etc. The tools will also become easy-to-access and less of an eye-sore.
	Install shelving or shelving units. Inexpensive shelving gets items off the floor, making it easier to see, retrieve and return items.  Tools can be organized and stored in existing cabinet spaces or tool boxes if available.
	Rearrange the larger work surfaces or furniture. Just by rearranging the work surfaces or furniture in your garage or basement, previously disorganized space becomes usable again.

Home Offices

Home offices can come in all sizes and can be in various locations.  But, most importantly, it has to be functional and meet your needs. Below are some examples to improve functionality and efficiency:

	Develop an organizing system. Tables and desks are often quick unloading zones for mail and school papers - the clutter can quickly pile up, making it hard to find anything. When an organizing system is in place completing tasks, such as mail sorting and filing, is easier.
	Add a tickler file and an action file to file cabinets. File cabinents often hold all the important papers but your putting hands on a needed document may not be easy and takes time. With this trick papers are easy to locate and file.
	Keep the workspace clear. A clear work space makes the desk usable once again.  Take the time to make sure action files are kept in the desktop file within easy reach.  Papers that are not needed as often should be filed in a filing cabinet.
	Create specific work zones. Work space is often limited so it's important to make the best use of it. Create zones for specific task, such as the work, supply and printing zones.

Kitchens and Pantries

The kitchen is the hub of the home. An organized kitchen and pantry can help the day in any home run smoother. Below are some examples:

	Create zones. As with all spaces, creating zones makes space more efficient and items easy to find.
	Store non-kitchen/pantry items elsewhere. Does your pantry contain brooms or coats or other non-essential items? Find a new home for those items so that the space can be focused for its intended use.
	Develop a system. The kitchen and panty can easily get out of control if you don’t have system in place. By re-shelving items by categories, it is easy to see what needs to be replenished. Containers can be used to keep smaller like-items together.

Other Areas

Stuff 2b Organized, LLC can help in a variety of areas thoughout your home and is not limited to the areas listed above. Let me help you get organized and take back control of your "stuff."

Contact me for more information and to take yout first steps toward mastering that organizing project.   Phone: (920) 728-1928   Email: info@stuff2borganized.com