Donna's Place For Everything

Ah Spring. The snow is gone, flowers are blooming and you are itching to get outside and enjoy nature’s beauty.  But how can you enjoy Spring if your house is a cluttered reminder of your long winter? As a Professional Organizer, I have found that this time of year is critical to get your home organized and de-winterized so you can relax in the months ahead. An organizing overhaul of your entire home would be great, but might be unrealistic.  Start small and focus on organizing these three areas to jump-start your spring into Spring.

1. Organize your Closets: Say good-bye to winter wares. Donate items you no longer wear, trash items that cannot be saved and have a storage plan for out of season clothing.  If you have a large closet, you can simply group items by season and store current season in the front.  If space is minimal, pack off-season clothing in bins and store in another area in your home. Same process for pajamas, socks, shoes, accessories, handbags and undergarments. Don’t forget your coat closet. Consult a Professional Organizer for great closet completion items to maximize the functionality and visual appeal of your space.

2. Organize your Garage:  Store away winter items such as snow blower, skis, boots, shovels.  Donate items no longer needed and trash anything broken.  Pull forward lawn mover, gardening tools and pool/beach chairs.  If storage space is lacking, organize items on walls with hooks and shelves. Use bins to contain smaller items that easily get lost.

3.  Organize your Linen Closet:  Have some mis-matched sheets?  Towels with holes? Why is the kitchen mixer in the linen closet? This closet has a name for a reason:  to store linens. Follow the same process as your clothing closet.  Sort though all items and donate, trash, relocate off season bedding. Keep sheet sets organized by labeling shelves Twin-Queen-King and store accordingly.  2 sheet sets per bed is ample.  Fold bath towels into thirds to maximize space. If this space is shared, buy 1 color towels per bathroom.  Contain excess bathroom items in bins and label.

Getting these spaces organized will allow you the time in a few months to tackle other areas in need of organizational soothing i.e. the pantry and dreaded basement!