Spring Cleaning

Organizing to better use your space

You’ve taken down your holiday decorations and tried to put them back in their place and they simply don’t fit. You know you need to sort through your pantry and your closets and get rid of things you don’t use or need anymore. Why not use this time to put new organization methods in place?

Where do I start?

All organization starts with removing everything from the space. So start with a single closet or cabinet or your pantry and take everything out. As you do this, go through the items. If it is something you don’t use, then donate it or trash it. If you find something hidden in the back that you didn’t know you had, then you clearly don’t need it. 

Make a plan

Next you want to start grouping similar things together. Do this in your room–not in the storage space. If you are organizing your pantry, put baking items together, snack items in a pile, and canned goods would go together. This grouping will help you to understand which categories are bigger than others so that you can plan for the needed space.

Clean the storage space

Next you want to clean the storage space. Wipe down the area, vacuum and mop it. Make the area sparkling clean. This a great time to apply a fresh coat of paint and shelf liners as well. Light paint colors are often a preferred backdrop for storage space as it allows you to see all of your inventory easily. 

Purchase storage

Now that you understand the groups of items, you need to gather and possibly purchase your storage containers. The Container Store provides great inspiration for storage pieces. You can find great stackable containers for crafts and under the sink. There are also multiple sizes of lazy susans that are great for corners. You want to make sure that you are grouping together similar items and that everything is easily accessible. This makes it easier to put things back in their place after use. Our local Walmart has a line from The Home Edit to help you organize your space. As you gather your organization pieces, think about what needs to go in clear containers so that it can be easily seen vs solid containers to streamline the space. If you are unsure exactly how the storage containers are going to fit in your space, intentionally purchase too many. You can always return items you don’t need once you are done organizing. 

Refill the space

Now that you are ready to organize, start putting items in your storage containers and refilling the space. Put items at eye level that are used a lot. Make sure children can easily access the items that they use frequently. Think about each container and the name for that category. You can put post-it notes on the containers for your naming to make sure it makes sense as you fill the space. This allows you some flexibility if the naming needs to change. When redoing your pantry, it is smart to place your flour and sugar in containers. This reduces the mess in your pantry, helps the products to stay fresh longer, and sets aside a specific amount of space for each item. 

Label your storage

Many people will label before refilling your space. This doesn’t always work as you may need to adjust your grouping as you fit everything in the space. Once you have your space refilled you will know exactly what goes where. Then you need to label so that everyone in your household can help to maintain the storage system. There are lots of different label systems now. Many people use label makers. 

If you are updating your space, we would love to help. Hardwood Specialties can help with simple things like a color refresh to more complex projects like a new build or complete renovation. Reach out to our team to discuss your space.