Spring Cleaning – Tackling Nooks & Crannies
If you’ve been following along with us this Spring Cleaning season, your home should be looking a little less cluttered!
In the third part of our series, professional organizer Keri Scott of Once Upon A Clutter is helping you get down and dirty in the smaller often forgotten corners of your home:
The smallest spaces can be the most overwhelming spots in your home. Closets, pantries and drawers can easily get out of hand so its important to be intentional about addressing these areas on a regular basis to keep them organized and free of clutter.
I encourage my clients to keep up with the items in their pantries so they don’t sit too long and expire. Buy for the space that you have! If you have a small pantry it is important that what is being stored is also going to be used. Go through your pantry and check expiration dates and don’t stuff the space so full that groceries are unseen and therefore, not easily used.
Keep that same thought in mind when it comes to drawers. It’s so easy to duplicate items or have excess of particular things because there is no order or plan for organization. I promise you that you don’t need more than one spatula — okay, maybe 2! But drawers should be easy to open and finding what you need should be a no brainer.
Pay attention to closed off spaces such as pantries, drawers and closets. These are defined areas with a certain capacity and if you are not careful, they will become full of “stuff.” As you are organizing, be honest with yourself about what you wear and what you use. If you are holding onto items that you don’t need or use, the bigger question you need to ask yourself is “why?”… If you can’t easily answer that question, it should be easy to toss or donate the excess to make room for what you do need and use.
My best suggestion for organizing small spaces is to realize that they are small spaces and that they are not intended to hold a lot. Most clients find that it is especially helpful to use a label maker in such places so that you can train yourself where to look for particular things. Avoid storage solutions that take up additional space except in situations where the organizing solution better defines the space. A drawer that holds pens, pencils and office supplies for example, will benefit from some definition!
It’s a lot to think about; this thing called organization, but if you will give some real thought to how you want each space to work, it can be done and you can, “Live Happily Ever After”…
