How to Start Organizing Your Home

We've all come home from work, plopped down on the sofa, looked around our room and thought, this place is a mess.  Now, mess and dirty is different.  Dirty you clean.  Mess is when things are in disarray and not easy to find. A thought crosses your mind, "I should really organize my home more." So you start doing some research watching tv shows, like Home Edit and Marie Kondo, and perusing the web for tutorials and inspiration.  But it is all so overwhelming. Why is it all so overwhelming? Because you're looking at the finish line only and it looks dauntingly far.  Here I show you how to start organizing in five steps. 

The trick to starting your home organization journey, or any big project, is the first step. That first step is your first small project. I find the most affective place in a home is the kitchen utensil drawers. There's something so impactful about seeing your utensils, irregardless if they are a matching set or not, arranged in order.  The shiny silver gleaming back at you and all the prongs of the forks facing the same way. So let's start there. The utensils drawer.

 

The first step, Purge.

Clear out the entire utensil drawer. This is why it's important to start small. Even if you've moved on to organizing your bookcase or your bathroom cabinet, start with one shelf or one drawer. This keeps the task manageable and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed with organization. Take out the contents of the drawer and pile them all out on the countertop in front of you. If you're not comfortable standing for a long time, I suggest boxing everything and taking them to your dining table to sort thru. 

The second step, Sort. 

Sift thru the items and sort into three piles: Keep, Donate, Toss. I like to move the items I'm going to keep to the side of the pile. Get a bag or box and start throwing the slight worn or never will use new items into the bag for donations.  Pull up the trash can right next to you and start tossing things in. 

Bamboo Drawer Organizer Expandable $22.99, Click on image for more details

The third step, Clean. 

When was the last time you saw the bottom of this drawer?!  Take this opportunity to give the drawer a good wiping down.  If you have a vacuum with attachments, use that to really get all the tiny particles and dust out of the drawer.  Assess whether you need to replace the liner or contact paper and do so. Wipe down the countertop or table space you used while sorting these items as well. 

The fourth step, Plan. 

Take a look at Keep pile you've made. Gather similar items together and lay them out into smaller piles.  Think about what this drawer is going to be used for. Will it only be for utensils? Do you have cooking utensils or foil liners that you want to go into that drawer?  When you put everything back, what organizers and space will you need to store them? 

Bamboo Drawer Organizer Expandable $22.99, Click on image for more details

The fifth step, Organizing everything back in. 

Organizers don't necessarily need to be purchased. You can use what you have on hand to sort things and keep them separated. Try repurposing unused snack boxes into trays to house your forks and spoons. Foil liner cartons can act as a drawer divider keeping your eating utensils and cooking utensils separate. Now that you have your organizers ready, start putting things back into the drawer!  You are going to go through a few trial and errors here as you find the best fit or most efficient way of storing things. Maybe the tongs don't fit here and you find it best to go into the second drawer. Being and staying organized is an ever evolving habit. The point is to make the organization work for you. 

Utensil Organizer $12.99, Click on image for product details

Stand back and look at your accomplishment!  You did it!  I'm so proud of you!  These will be the same steps you take as you go on to tackle other parts of your cabinet or room.  Remember, you are only organizing one drawer at a time. One cabinet at a time.  And you don't need to finish it all today, this weekend, or this month.  Organizing is an everyday thing, little by little.  Before long, you would have organized an entire pantry or closet, and then an entire room and then the whole house! Congratulations on your accomplishment! Now you can treat yourself to a nice snack or dessert, and grabbing your utensil from right where you organized it, is definitely the cherry on top! 

Glad Storage Basket 2 Gallons 2pk $17.99, Click on image for product details

Knife Cutting Board Utensil Holder $21.99, Click on image for product details

Sterilite Drawer Organizer Trays 4pc $9.99, Click on image for product details

Refrigerator Egg Drawer $15.99, Click on image for product details

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