5 Home Organization Tips for the New Year
A new year means it’s the perfect time to reorganize and refresh indoor spaces. With the addition of storage and a few minor adjustments, homes can go from cluttered to clean. Giving rooms a much-needed makeover will make your entire residence feel more inviting, stylish and functional. Here are a few storage tips and organization hacks to quickly and easily transform your home.
1. Closets are Valuable Real Estate
We all tend to throw loose items in the closet, rather than putting them away. Adding a few simple storage items can make closet organization a snap. The trick to making the most out of closets is using every inch of space, building upwards instead of outwards. Hooks can be placed on the inside of the closet door to hang handbags and accessories, providing quick and easy access to your belongings. Depending on the size of the closet, shelving can be added for multipurpose storage of shoes, accessories and more. Drawers can also be installed, stacked and labeled accordingly to keep clothes neat and organized.
2. Labels, Labels, Labels
Designating locations for specific items is a key way to declutter and prevent lost items. Whether you’re tidying up closets or clearing out pantries, labels can be applied to pretty much any space in your home. Mason jars can be repurposed in multiple ways using labels, from organizing school supplies to making note of dry and perishable goods in the kitchen. The best part about using labels are their versatility in design. Customize labels to match your preferred color scheme and consider using a font that is both fun and clearly legible.
3. Invest in a Bulletin Board
If you have a packed schedule, chances are you are likely to forget a few things. Keep track of events, important pieces of mail and other to-dos with a bulletin board! A simple corkboard can be repurposed again and again to accommodate your laundry list of items. Use colorful pushpins and folders to neatly organize paperwork and post a calendar with the month’s events, so you never miss a birthday or anniversary. You can also choose to have multiple bulletin boards in your home, depending on the function of the space. A homework and housework bulletin board would work perfectly in any home office while grocery lists and recipe boards are ideal for kitchens.
4. Edit Your Items
As you organize your space, be sure to make note of what items can be edited and what items can be kept. Donating items no longer in use, such as clothing, dishware or furniture, will free up space for better home organization. Once you have taken stock of your must-haves, pair similar items together and keep them in readily available locations. This also goes for food in the pantry and refrigerator. Toss any perishable items that are past expiration and place the remaining food in labeled storage containers.
5. Build a Control Center
With electronics comes a bevy of unsightly cables and cords. Organize smartphones, chargers, tablets and other forms of electronics by creating a “control center,” that is, a singular location for all technology in the home. Control centers can be a table, desk, even a portion of counter space, where you can stack storage boxes, file holders and shelving. Consider creating unique storage boxes that are labeled per their contents. This is an ideal place to store smart devices, laptops, chargers, files and address books in one convenient and manageable location.
