Who made spring the king of cleaning? With back to school upon us, the end of summer is an equally good time to organize some key areas of your home. You deserve to feel smug knowing you got some ducks in a row before the busy start of the school year begins.
AREAS TO WORK ON:
1) Refrigerator - This is a little more time consuming, but well worth it in the end. Clear plastic containers work very well for this project. Take everything out, shelf by shelf. Even take the shelf out and wash it. Wipe out the entire fridge, even the door shelves. Check the Sell Buy Dates on all the food you put back. On the doors, separate the condiments, salad dressings, sweet items (syrups, ice cream toppings), etc. Keep a section or drawer for just juice boxes or drinks. Once you are done, not only will the refrigerator look brand new, but you will gain more space you didn’t know you had! This will also help unloading grocery bags go a little faster and you will know when you are out of something right away.
2) Coat Closet/Entryway - Last line of defense before venturing into the world in the morning. Don’t let it slow anyone down on the way out the door. Go through the coats to make sure they’re all still liked and fit well. I found in my closet new coats I bought and the old ones I never got rid of. There are many places looking for donated coats, and it’s nice to know it will be going to someone in need. (Favorite donation stores - GreenDrop/White Plains or Salvation Army/New Rochelle) Get a basket for gloves and hats. Do the same thing - go through and make sure they are still worn and there is a match for all the gloves. If there are sports equipment in there too, go through them as well. See if the kids are still involved in the sport and/or didn’t outgrow it. Get tall containers for the equipment or hooks for easy access. The room you gain will be so helpful moving forward - especially with school, after school activities, or just going for a walk to decompress from the back to school rush. Last, and certainly not least, try to find a dish or basket to put at the front entry to throw the keys into. Get the whole family to get on board with this. This is a big time saver, and you will never waste time looking for them as you are running out the door.
3) Junk Drawer - Everyone has at least one, maybe even two. There is no judging. Some are in the kitchen, some live in an end table, all are full of things that really do not belong anywhere else. I have found with different size plastic drawer organizers, my drawers have become less chaotic and more organized. The way I usually work is ‘likes to likes’ - pens/markers together, tape in another, random keys together, you get the picture. Empty out the whole drawer, wipe it out, and put in the plastic containers, and start putting the things back. You will actually find junk that you don’t need anymore, and also things you have been looking for. It won’t take very long, and it is so satisfying when you are finished.
These are just a few good habits to get into, and by making some small adjustments, your day will run a lot more smoothly and become less stressful. At Living Simple, we understand how busy life can get, and we are here to help get you back on track. Check out our website, www.livingsimple.info for more information or to schedule a consultation.
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