Gain Control with Home Organization

Keeping your home in order can be like a full-time job. However, you can get it done over time by spending only a few minutes each day organizing and cleaning. Set goals for yourself and schedule out times that you will spend tackling one project at a time. Following this strategy can help you to seamlessly transition from a cluttered messy house to an organized, manageable home.

Scheduling things helps you to gain control, mentally and physically, of the tasks that need completing. If you constantly feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things that must be accomplished, then this system will help you. You should only have to worry about the very next thing on your list, not a house full of chores that you never seem to have time to tackle. The mental load is lifted and things seem much more manageable.

Start by figuring out what you really have to do daily. This is usually something like laundry and dishes. You have to eat, and you have to have clothes to wear. So, put these down as your first priority. You may also want to add in other things that need to be done around your home, like get the kids’ backpacks ready for school, fix lunches, or other things that occur daily. Set certain times to do these things each day.

Example: Fold clothes and put them away at 7:45AM. Move wet clothes to the dryer and start the next load washing. Leave for work, 8:00AM.

Scheduling in this way will help you realize how little time it actually takes to accomplish the task. Don’t worry about the laundry mountain that you haven’t conquered yet, do the one load that you have scheduled and move on. You can schedule another fifteen minutes before bed if you feel behind. Don’t try to do it all at once, or you’ll get exhausted and feel pressured to finish. If you’re really motivated, go ahead. But, it will eventually get caught up and your daily routine will get easier and easier to manage.

The next thing to put on your list is your long-term goals. Is there an area of your home that just constantly gets cluttered? You may want to put it as a top priority. People usually have a flat surface, like a table, desk or countertop that just constantly piles up. Papers, mail, magazines, school work, keys, cell phones, wallets, and more can be piled in one place daily by your family. Come up with an organization system for these things so that they have somewhere specific to go.

Further down your list will come monthly chores. Organizing your closet is a great thing to put here. The first time you do it, you will probably want to schedule a full hour. Then, schedule a quick five to ten minute straighten-up session once a month after that.

Start by getting some good clothes hangers, like a wood hanger or coat hanger that is sturdy enough to hold your heaviest clothes. Specialty hangers can help you save space and keep the closet more organized. Buckets and bins can be used for smaller items, and don’t forget to use the space on the back of the closet door. Making a place for everything will make your monthly organization task simple.

About the Author: Joe Granville is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online resource for wood hangers, coat hangers and all types of clothes hangers which is recognized for the excellent quality and value of its wood hanger and coat hanger offerings. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyhangers.com.

DIY Closet Organization Ideas

Many people realize that their closet isn’t working when it gets overcrowded and disorganized. Closets that make insufficient use of space can be frustrating and overwhelming. Use these ideas to get your closet under control and your home back in order.

1) Lots of people are turning away from bulky, expensive furniture for clothes storage and vamping up their closets instead. Storing everything in drawers can cause them to become wrinkled. You have to cram things in once the drawer is full. Then, you have to rummage through, unfolding and wrinkling items in order to find what you’re looking for. Having everything out in front of you in a closet is a great way to make managing your wardrobe more efficient and effective.

2) Take a look at how you do things. Do you fold your t-shirts? Hang only button-down shirts and sweaters? Do you keep your socks in your closet? Your personal needs should be considered before you design a closet system. Using shelves is one way to make room for winter and summer clothes, so that you don’t have to switch out wardrobes when the seasons change. This can significantly cut down on the labor and storage space that it takes to swap out clothing every few months.

3) Here’s an example of a closet that holds winter and summer clothes. Start with two hanging bars on one side. This will be where all of your pants, long sleeved shirts, dresses, suits, and coats will go. On the other side of the closet, you can install all shelves. Fold and stack all of your t-shirts on one shelf. If you share a closet with someone, divide the shelf so that it can keep your shirts separate. Now, use the next shelf for shorts and sportswear. Use baskets and bins for socks, underwear, swimwear, gloves, hats, or whatever else you have that needs to be separated.

4) Continue organizing by making space for all of the little things that you keep in your closet. Use hooks for things like robes, baseball caps, and purses. Use specialty hangers for scarves, belts, ties, and skirts. Your clothes hangers can make a big difference in how much you are able to keep in your closet. A sturdy wood hanger or coat hanger should be used for heavier coats and suits. However, you can use hangers that save more space, like cascading hangers or slim hangers. With the right arrangement and the right closet accessories, you can have the organized space that you dream of!

About the Author: Joe Granville is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online resource for wood hangers, coat hangers and all types of clothes hangers which is recognized for the excellent quality and value of its wood hanger and coat hanger offerings. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyhangers.com.

Personalized Closets DIY

Getting that custom closet that you dream of can be a lot cheaper and easier than you ever imagined! There are a lot of closet systems on the market today that are both sturdy and adjustable, making it easy for you to buy and put together an organized closet that is designed with you in mind. If you don’t want to buy an entire closet system, but your closet definitely needs some updating, consider a weekend DIY project and do it yourself.

You may think that you need an entire organization system, but you may be surprised how little you actually need to organize what you have. Take inventory of what is in your closet. This often means dragging everything out, but you need to do that every now and then anyway. When you get everything out, go ahead and clean all of those musty, ignored areas. Vacuum the floor, dust the shelves, take down boxes, get everything out.

Go through storage boxes and see if you actually need to dedicate your precious closet space to these items. What are you storing? College books? Board games? Photos? Sometimes we store things that we really could get rid of. We just don’t want to waste things, so we store them.

Getting rid of things does not necessarily mean that you have to throw them away. It means that you should use it, give it away, sell it, recycle it, or throw it out. Some people make themselves feel better about getting rid of things by selling them and using the money to invest in their new closet. You’ll be so happy about the space that you created that you won’t miss that box that was taking up half of your only shelf for five years.

Okay, so you’ve gotten rid of all that you can stand. Now on to determining your needs. What do you have that takes up the most space? Is it coats, shoes or craft projects? Determine what will take up the most room and design around it. If you have a lot of sewing supplies, you might want to start with a series of adjustable shelves for storing fabrics, bins of materials, yarn, your sewing machine and your sewing kit. Decide what size and type of shelves you will need. You may also decide to go with drawers. Drawers keep things out of sight and also keep dust off of your projects.

Shoes can be stored in a variety of ways. If shelves seem to take up too much space for shoes, then consider using space that is normally ignored. The back of the door is a good spot for keeping shoes in an organizer. The interior walls may be better for you. You can install a series of hooks all over the front walls of your closet and hang your shoes there. Just because you have a lot of something doesn’t mean that it has to take up the most space.

Be creative and design the closet that meets your personal needs. Update your closet hardware with sturdy coat hangers for heavy items. Choosing wood hangers will not only keep your clothing from getting misshapen, but will also be sturdy enough and stylish enough to last you for many years. Once your closet is done, you can be proud that you did it yourself.

About the Author: Joe Granville is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online resource for wood hangers, coat hangers and all types of clothes hangers which is recognized for the excellent quality and value of its wood hanger and coat hanger offerings. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyhangers.com.