4 Tips for Getting Organized this Spring

It’s that time of year again! Warmer weather means the itch for spring cleaning and organization has begun, and we are here to help. How you organize your space is defined by your home’s personality and day-to-day lifestyle routines; however, we’ve outlined a few unique options as well as some tried and true methods to help you obtain and maintain order in your home, and here’s how:

1. Begin the Purge!

The first step in getting your home organized is going through each individual room. Decide what is essential and what is just taking up space. Take this opportunity to start the deep cleaning you’ve been itching to do. As you purge, set limits on what to keep. An item not used for the past 12 months has gone through all four seasons. It’s time to toss it or donate it. Once you’ve finished purging, take stock of what storage you have and what new storage you might need for each room, both long-term and short.

2. Categorize

Now that you have decided on what items to keep, it’s time to categorize. Try to get an entire room done in one sweep. Completely clear out whatever space needs organizing and place items into their own separate storage containers. Open baskets or clear bins work well for this. Organization will demand a system of grouping, and the easiest options to base this on are “common use” and “occasion”. The things you use on a daily basis should be the easiest to access, so keep them somewhere eye-level, or at least in plain sight. Occasionally used items are better suited for high shelves, whether that be in-room, garage shelving, or in the attic.

3.Put Dead Space to Use

Finding a place for everything can be difficult, but incorporating built-Ins into the space inside walls, under stairs, and those awkwardly shaped corners can be great for storage. Built-ins can also add a nice accent to almost any room in your home, including your entryway. You will likely require some help from a contractor, but the order it brings to your life is well worth it.

Within the kitchen, dead space often comes in the form of a corner cabinet, the very back of the pantry, or a seldom-used part of your countertop. Products such as a lazy-susan style cabinets, pantry drawers, and pull-out spice racks can provide organization and easy access. Adding a built-in appliance garage can give unused counter space purpose, while cookware and trash can drawers can keep everything orderly and out-of-site.

4.Eliminate Clutter

Clutter has a way of creeping back in when we aren’t looking. Entryway tables, countertops, desks, kitchen tables, bedside tables, etc. Each one of these is a flat surface, a surface that seems to be a catch-all for whatever is in your hands. Consider what those items are–keys, mail, coats, bags–and make sure they have an appropriate place. When everything has a home, you can run through one-handed and be done cleaning up in less than 15 minutes.

Take a little time to think about how the clutter got there and what habits you need to change. Creating a system for everything, from laundry to clearing your email inbox, can help keep the chaos at bay.

One last note

If you’re not sure whether a room seems cluttered, take a picture so you can view it from different angles. This will help you determine what might look like clutter from a visitor’s point of view and give you a push to eliminate whatever looks disorganized.

 

Atlanta Design & Build’s HOMEStyle System helps uncover long-term needs you may not have considered. Addressing issues such as storage from the beginning can help keep you organized.