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Old 08-30-2010, 08:22 PM
 
Location: Brambleton, VA
2,186 posts, read 7,929,273 times
Reputation: 2204

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Quote:
Originally Posted by kodaka View Post
Try to figure out a homemade solution before you go spend money on organization stuff. Spend time thinking about your workflow and WHY things are disorganized. More often than not, I've found it's a question of "where" and "how" rather than "what".

That is, more often the clutter comes because you don't have a place to store something in the place where it is used, than it is a problem of not having the right container or gadget. For example, computer accessories, cables, and cords don't need a special container or labels or straps. A cardboard box and some rubber bands will work. But they have to be in the place where you use these things, not stored in some remote closet or drawer. If you have to go somewhere else to put something away, it will never get there. Put them in a box under your office desk or next to your computer.

If your kitchen utensils never seem to make it back into the drawer, you've probably designated the wrong drawer for storing these things, based on your workflow. Pick a drawer closer to the space where you prepare food. If there isn't one available, get a jar or other container to keep them on the shelf. If your pots and pans are a mess, perhaps the cabinet you store them in is too far away. Designate a different cabinet or get some nails and hang them on the wall, near where you use them.

If the area around your back door is a mess, you probably don't have the necessary storage space close enough to the back door so that you can put things away promptly. This causes you to trail things about the house or just dump them in a pile when you walk in the door. Again get some nails and use them as hooks for coats and scarves and bags. Use cardboard boxes as catchbins for shoes and toys and other things. Put a chair by the door so you can sit down and unload all these things, instead of having to go to another room to sit down, where you will likely leave all of your stuff and create clutter.

If you have lots of little things to store, over-the-door pocket organizers often work better than drawers. You can store things and retrieve them one-handed, and more quickly than if they were hidden in drawers. And they utilize vertical space that people often overlook.

If you're not sure where the most logical storage place is or what type of container is the best, take an item that is clutter right now, for example a cell phone. Trace it back to where it first enters the house, the back door for example. Stand there and close your eyes and imagine where you would put it if you could. Usually it's within arms reach. Then put something there so you can store it properly next time.

I worked at the Container Store in college and I saw so many people make this mistake: they bought a 'thing' and then tried to change their habits to suit that thing. It doesn't work that way. It's the opposite. You need to analyze your lifestyle and workflow and then find a 'thing' that supports your life. There may indeed be something you need to buy to keep you organized, but more often than not, you can find something around your house that will serve the purpose (at least temporarily until you figure out if you like that method or not).
Awesome suggestions!! That is what I really needed. Makes sense. The funny thing is that I am trained in productivity and workflow management and never thought of organizing things that way! Not sure why, but makes total sense now!

Thanks for sharing the pic Texasfirewheel! That is a great idea and each thing definitely has its place.

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Old 08-31-2010, 08:42 AM
 
24,245 posts, read 10,556,999 times
Reputation: 46319
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alley01 View Post
Awesome suggestions!! That is what I really needed. Makes sense. The funny thing is that I am trained in productivity and workflow management and never thought of organizing things that way! Not sure why, but makes total sense now!

Thanks for sharing the pic Texasfirewheel! That is a great idea and each thing definitely has its place.

Cobblers kids always go barefoot:>)

After the drastic clean out the garage was furnished with cabinets, floors, toolboxes by Gladiator.
The master closet was a splurge but the professionally done drawer towers ... left empty space after everything was back in.
Linnen closet is my next project. It is clean but I would like pull outs as high as I can easily see the contents.
The options were - bigger house or less stuff.
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Old 09-01-2010, 09:26 AM
 
256 posts, read 584,920 times
Reputation: 140
I don't mean to pile on, but before trying to organize your way out of clutter, it's important to take a good hard look and see what you can get rid of. If you never use it, get rid of it. If you hang onto it because you think someday you might want to use it, you probably won't. Most people - myself included - could get rid of a lit of stuff and never notice it. Organization is a lot easier to do when you have less stuff.
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Old 09-01-2010, 09:46 AM
 
3,805 posts, read 6,342,940 times
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At some point I think the OP said something like "I use all my pots and pans but they don't all fit in the cupboard". Here is something to think about. Do you use all of them just because they are there? Do you have, say, three frying pans all about the same size? Get rid of two of them and use just one. I think it is perhaps a corollary of Murphy's Law that we will use multiple things just because we have them, not because we need them. Wash or launder more often, but get rid of extras and make do with a scaled down supply of whatever the item is. Most average households don't need 30 towels or 20 sets of sheets. Look at everything you have and pare it down. You will be surprised at how few you really need of most items.
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Old 09-01-2010, 03:55 PM
 
1,173 posts, read 4,743,635 times
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I'm glad you started getting some constructive feedback on your thread, those first few reponses we're harsh and unproductive!

As a reformed pack rat here are my suggestions:

1) realize that your hubby is the way he is, some people are just not "organizers" and are not going to take the extra seconds/minutes to put things bakc where they belong ESPECIALLY if they don't have a clearly defined "place". This is issue is something that bothers you not him, so while yes he should help you make it as easy as possible for him to help you out and take charge of your own desire for organization. Split chores in such a way where you are responsible for the organizational part (ex: dishes, he washes, you put them away. Laundry he washes and folds you put them away, basics he sweeps and mops while you dust and clear clutter bring it back to it's home)

2) have clearly defined "homes" for EVERYTHING you own. Yes this means labeling everything use a label maker, print labels from the computer, tape paper to shelves, add tags to a basket, whatever works for you and your budget. For your disorganized hubby if he has a blanket in his hand and he's returning it to the closet he gets there and theres empty space on a shelf he's going to put it there but if there a label on the shelf to the left that clearly says blankets and the empty shelf says pillows, he will be more likely to just put it where it goes. Store "like with like" don't have 6 places in your homes for towels, he'll never remember which towel goes where. Also store items as close as possible to where you use them (if you use something on the 1stfloor don't store it on the 2nd or it will never get back there) don't be afraid to store stuff in unconventional places if it works for YOUR family, you play board games on the kitchen table? Use a kitchen cabinet to store them

3) Add a (not too big!) container in a room that tends to collect clutter if you knwo he can't be trusted to put things exactly where they belong let him drop them in the bin, once there's a few things in there YOU take charge and empty out the bin returning items to their place.

4) When you organize a closet don't run out and spend a bunch of money buying supplies then come home to organize. First empty out the space see what you have THEN figure out what you need. Sure that belt rack at the container store was awesome but you have 2 belts, don't really need that rack and that little hat box you bought isn't going to fit the 12 hats you forgot you owned. (by the way you only need 3 hats, donate the rest)

5) Anyone can rearrange a drawer or closet to make it look neat but ORGANIZATION takes MAINTANANCE. You can't have a cleaning "spurt" one day and forget about it for 3 months then get upset it's a mess, you have to work at it everyday. Please don't place all the blame on hubby Some times it's easier to take things one step at a time so why don't you work diligently on that pots and pans cabinet for month once it's a habit tackle the closet then start on to the next project each time building up the layers not forgetting about the previous ones.

Here's some websites I love with some great ideas and tips (google them some are blogs that don't have thier own domain):
unclutterer
I'm an organizing junkie
Chez Larrsson (sp?)


Good luck!
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Old 09-01-2010, 05:04 PM
 
736 posts, read 1,692,181 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alley01 View Post
Okay...this isn't a show on hoarders.
But you put the word "hoarder" in your title, so that's the first thing some people might think. I know I did. I was going to suggest looking into mental health services in your area. Not trying to be funny. Compulsive hoarders like the ones on those shows really do have underlying (usually mental) issues that need to be addressed.

As far as the clutter problem, maybe you could get rid of some of the plates and cups and stuff in your cupboards, if there are a lot of them. How many cups, mugs, etc. do you really need if it's just the two of you?
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Old 09-04-2010, 02:34 PM
 
Location: Nesconset, NY
2,202 posts, read 4,315,545 times
Reputation: 2159
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alley01 View Post
I got into cleaning mode this weekend and discovered that our closets and cupboards are overloaded a lot worse than the last time I had my cleaning spurt!

Does anyone have any experience with organizing any areas of your home that made a world of difference? I have a feeling that most of the problem is not with the amount of stuff but the way it is organized. So, if there are any gadgets, shelves, etc. that helped please let me know!

What were your worst rooms/closets/cupboards to tackle? So far, the kitchen and our hall closet is giving me major anxiety! I need to build up the courage to attack the rest of our house and get rid of stuff and organize the rest. If you have tips on what stores to go to for these gadgets, please let me know.

TIA!!
We try to stick to the "not used in a year or two then it's not needed" rule.

The problem is knowing if it was used during the past year or two. We came up with the idea of having two kitchen drawers for things we know we use every week/month. The other 3 drawers are "storage" but when we use something from a "storage" drawer it gets put into the "weekly/monthly use" drawer.

Eventually one of the "storage" drawers gets cleaned-out and re-designated a "monthly" use drawer. Anything remaining in the "storage" drawer after 1-2 yrs. is let go.

As for how to better store things, easy access requires more space. So be honest and make only those regular-use items easily accessible.

This usually means not putting all the pots and pans in the same place but, rather, two places (one being in a less convenient, more full spot...like a storage container in a closet or basement).

For example, our electric waffle iron gets used maybe 2-3 times/yr.; it used to be with the frying pans but is now in the cabinet over the fridge and requires a bunch of other, more often used stuff (ie. the wok) to be removed to get to it.

We don't store more than one drawer of dishclothes/towels or silverware (we used to have two of each). We reduced spices from two shelves to one (the left side are those not yet used, the right are recently used...any not used in 1 yr. will be let go). Spices used every day/week are in a hanging rack under the wall cabinets.

We still have about 80% of the space requirements we always had but we've made the frequently used items easily accessible...nothing needs to be shifted around/removed to get to it. Infrequently used items are a pain to get to but it's a pain felt so infrequently that it doesn't matter.

Last edited by James1202; 09-04-2010 at 02:35 PM.. Reason: misspelling
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Old 09-04-2010, 02:56 PM
 
Location: Jollyville, TX
5,859 posts, read 11,884,535 times
Reputation: 10882
Quote:
Originally Posted by LIGuy1202 View Post
We try to stick to the "not used in a year or two then it's not needed" rule.

The problem is knowing if it was used during the past year or two. We came up with the idea of having two kitchen drawers for things we know we use every week/month. The other 3 drawers are "storage" but when we use something from a "storage" drawer it gets put into the "weekly/monthly use" drawer.

Eventually one of the "storage" drawers gets cleaned-out and re-designated a "monthly" use drawer. Anything remaining in the "storage" drawer after 1-2 yrs. is let go.

As for how to better store things, easy access requires more space. So be honest and make only those regular-use items easily accessible.

This usually means not putting all the pots and pans in the same place but, rather, two places (one being in a less convenient, more full spot...like a storage container in a closet or basement).

For example, our electric waffle iron gets used maybe 2-3 times/yr.; it used to be with the frying pans but is now in the cabinet over the fridge and requires a bunch of other, more often used stuff (ie. the wok) to be removed to get to it.

We don't store more than one drawer of dishclothes/towels or silverware (we used to have two of each). We reduced spices from two shelves to one (the left side are those not yet used, the right are recently used...any not used in 1 yr. will be let go). Spices used every day/week are in a hanging rack under the wall cabinets.

We still have about 80% of the space requirements we always had but we've made the frequently used items easily accessible...nothing needs to be shifted around/removed to get to it. Infrequently used items are a pain to get to but it's a pain felt so infrequently that it doesn't matter.
What a great strategy. I try to do the one year thing as well, but never thought about segregating the lesser used items. I have lots of storage room. Unfortunately, I found that the more you have the more you fill up. I'm trying to scale down my kitchen requirements since we'll be moving soon. I'm pretty sure my next place will only have 1/2 the space I have now so I've been trying to fiure out how to cull out the not really needed stuff. Thanks for the tip!
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Old 09-04-2010, 04:28 PM
 
Location: Perry South, Pittsburgh, PA
475 posts, read 569,513 times
Reputation: 188
Quote:
Originally Posted by icibiu View Post
I'm glad you started getting some constructive feedback on your thread, those first few reponses we're harsh and unproductive!
Hey thanks for that you stuck up my-way-is-the-only-way snob. Just because we have different ideas doesn't make mine unproductive.
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Old 09-07-2010, 02:41 PM
 
1,173 posts, read 4,743,635 times
Reputation: 1338
Quote:
Originally Posted by LIGuy1202 View Post
We try to stick to the "not used in a year or two then it's not needed" rule.

The problem is knowing if it was used during the past year or two. We came up with the idea of having two kitchen drawers for things we know we use every week/month. The other 3 drawers are "storage" but when we use something from a "storage" drawer it gets put into the "weekly/monthly use" drawer.

Eventually one of the "storage" drawers gets cleaned-out and re-designated a "monthly" use drawer. Anything remaining in the "storage" drawer after 1-2 yrs. is let go.

As for how to better store things, easy access requires more space. So be honest and make only those regular-use items easily accessible.

This usually means not putting all the pots and pans in the same place but, rather, two places (one being in a less convenient, more full spot...like a storage container in a closet or basement).

For example, our electric waffle iron gets used maybe 2-3 times/yr.; it used to be with the frying pans but is now in the cabinet over the fridge and requires a bunch of other, more often used stuff (ie. the wok) to be removed to get to it.

We don't store more than one drawer of dishclothes/towels or silverware (we used to have two of each). We reduced spices from two shelves to one (the left side are those not yet used, the right are recently used...any not used in 1 yr. will be let go). Spices used every day/week are in a hanging rack under the wall cabinets.

We still have about 80% of the space requirements we always had but we've made the frequently used items easily accessible...nothing needs to be shifted around/removed to get to it. Infrequently used items are a pain to get to but it's a pain felt so infrequently that it doesn't matter.
That's a great system! I do something similar with my closet when I reorganize; I turn all the hangers the "wrong" way if at the end of the season the hanger is still facing the wrong direction I know I haven't worn the item so I consider donating it (sometimes I cheat and keep it anyway but it helps). I never considered doing the same in the kitchen, I'll have to try it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aran View Post
Hey thanks for that you stuck up my-way-is-the-only-way snob. Just because we have different ideas doesn't make mine unproductive.
You're very welcome! Since I didn't single YOUR post out I'll take your defensiveness to my comment as an admission of your guilt. Thank you and have a nice day
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