Tag Archives: organization tips

What You Should Be Hiding Under Your Bed

Posted on by

As a child, the space beneath your bed used to be a scary place where we imagined monsters lay in hiding, waiting for you to fall asleep. As you grew, so did your relationship with that space. When your mother asked you to clean your room, it became a place to hide the items arbitrarily strewn across your floor. Maybe it is time to shed new light on that space, sweep out all the dust bunnies and make good use of it. With a little creativity and organization, you can use this space to declutter the rest of your bedroom and rob the monsters of their hiding place.

Containers

When deciding what you want to use this space for, store and organize it by time, specifically how often you are likely to use the stuff you are storing. You will not be able to see the rarely0used items that are stored near the middle of the bed, so cardboard boxes work just fine for storage. The items stored near the edges of the bed are going to be visible and used more often, so a more visually pleasing and sturdier storage container is recommended. Containers with wheels can make moving things in and out from under the bed a much easier task.

Layout

Anything you store under the middle of the bed can be difficult to reach and could also be covered by another row of stuff, so make sure it is things you use very infrequently. If you only travel for vacations, suitcases and luggage bags can be useful items to store in the middle of the bed. You can also pack boxes with out-of-season clothing to slide towards the center.

Easy Access Items

In the outer row of boxes, pack things which you may use a bit more frequently, such as extra pillows, blankets, or linens. You can also store items that you use almost daily. In your room, think of possibly storing your shoes here. They are easily accessible and can be organized and spread out when you need to choose the right pair for the occasion and can then be quickly hidden away and forgotten until the next use. If you have children, you can use this space to store their toys, books, puzzles, and games. If you purchase opaque bins, you can toss all the toys in them, quickly freeing up your floor space, and when the kids want to play with them again, they simply pull out the bins.

Decluttering a room can be done without the need to get rid of items. With an open mind, you can find empty space to store things all over your home. Under your bed is just one of many places empty spaces that you can utilize. What other items can you think of hiding under your bed? Let us know below in the comment section!

A Fresh Start on Organizing your Home: The Kitchen II

Posted on by

The large island with schoolhouse pendant lights, rich dark cabinets and light granite countertops combine to make this Fulton Design Center kitchen memorable.

The large island with schoolhouse pendant lights, rich dark cabinets and light granite countertops combine to make this Fulton Design Center kitchen memorable.

If you’re ready to organize your kitchen but are hesitant to engage in an all-out full-day redo, you can take baby steps that will leave you with a fully organized and functional kitchen. The following can be accomplished over a number of days or even weeks.

  • In a corner of your dining area or somewhere near the kitchen but still out of your way, place a large wastebasket and a box. These will hold your discards and giveaways.
  • Begin with one cabinet or drawer. Take everything out, wipe it down and put in new shelf paper if you desire.
  • Only put back those things that you want to keep there in the future.
  • Take a look at what’s left and discard or give away whatever you can.
  • Put the remainder on a corner of your countertop. If you want, you can stop here until the next day.
  • Choose your next cabinet based on what remains on your countertop. Which one is the logical place to put the bulk of what you have there?
  • Empty that cabinet and continue as before, wiping the shelves down and replacing what you feel belongs there, including those things that are currently waiting for their new home on your counter.
  • As you continue around the kitchen, are there certain groups of items that never seem to have a place? Perhaps you need to designate a specific cabinet or space for them. If they aren’t essential for your kitchen, consider another location such as the laundry room or garage.
  • Once you finish, do you still have leftover items on your counter? It’s time to decide whether you really want to keep those things or if they go in the giveaway box or boxes.
  • As you work, keep thinking of your specific needs rather than trying to follow arbitrary rules. For example, the bookshelves on the end of the island may be designed for cookbooks, but they may work better for your family as cubbies for the kids to put their homework and books for school the next day.

Yes, this process leaves your kitchen a bit up in the air for a while, but once you’re done you will have a space that matches your functional needs, with nothing extra cluttering up the room. So it’s worth it to bite the bullet and deal with the disorganization for a few days for the benefits at the end – a kitchen that works!