Well, Omicron is here and, so, it seems, we are back indoors with ourselves and our stuff! As much as I view my home as my refuge, I also feel oppressed by the various deserted projects I have attempted to complete throughout the pandemic - not to mention the areas of my home that require (continued) attention: maintenance, deep cleaning,
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This time of year, we tend to spend more time inside of our homes than out. It's harder to avoid noticing the clutter that inevitably builds up when we are looking at it day in and day out. For many people, figuring out how to lessen the clutter (and maintain systems of organization) is an overwhelming concept. Luckily, there are a number of [...]
OK, I admit it, I've written about this topic a time or two in the past. The truth is that this is an ongoing issue in my own household. Many of us in the 21st find ourselves surrounded by too much stuff, at a loss for how it got there, and how to (responsibly) dispose of it. In addition, as a realtor and self proclaimed homebody, I know
[...]I'm amazed that no matter how big the space is in which we live, we always manage to fill it with stuff! Even though we are conscientious about waste and trying not to consume too much stuff - we manage to acquire a LOT!. Also - because we are conscientious about how we dispose of every item that leaves our house (reduce, reuse, recycle), getting rid of things is often a multi-step process. Rinse or clean out containers before disposal or recycling, keep TO GO bins or boxes in anticipation of upcoming recycling events (electronics, plastics, etc), compost everything biodegradable, etc, etc.
I love reading articles such as the following one from Apartment Therapy, with smart and helpful tips about how to approach decluttering one's home. As realtors, we are always advising seller clients to "declutter" in order to ready a property for sale. It's good to have to go-to PRO tips on hand to share with clients about how to approach a decluttering project.
Catrin Morris Sep 14, 201
Do you need the help of an organizing professional...without the professional price? We asked Washington DC's organizing and de-cluttering guru Nicole Anzia of Neatnik for some words of organizing wisdom. Instead of giving us additional organizing and decluttering tips and strategies, Nicole though it would most helpful to tell us what NOT to do when trying to harness the chaos in your home.Nicole says these five missteps are the most common in her line of work — and most likely to derail even the best efforts to conquer clutter:
Do not go out and buy a ton of storage pieces and supplies before you sort through your home. All of those pretty bins, boxes and baskets at The Container Store are very enticing, but they won't do you any good unless they fit the space (on the shelf, under the bed, in the closet); hold what you need them to hold, and function properly for your particular space.
I recommend cleaning out first, assessing what containers you REALLY need, and then buying a few bins to start. You can always add later, but you don't want a bunch of empty containers cluttering up your home while you figure out where you might use them.
Of course you will need to sort things into categories (e.g., toss, recycle, donate, give to friend, put in deep storage). But here's the crucial part: Once you have decided where something is going to go — take it there. Never keep bags for charity or boxes for friends in your home to deliver later. Do it now. Finish the process. Take the bags and boxes out to the trash or recycling immediately. If you're donating something or giving something to a friend or family member, put the items in your car or make arrangements for dropping them off. You've done so much work getting this stuff ready to take out, complete the deal!
Do not think that once you've organized your space, that you are done. You'll feel like a failure when you have to clean it up again in a month. Realize that while you have created a new, efficient, and logical system for processing and managing incoming and outgoing items, you are not done. There is no autopilot. You should expect regular upkeep, but just be glad that the new system is far more efficient than the old one.
Very few people have closets and drawers that resemble those in catalogues. Trust me. I've been in a lot of houses and apartments and even after we've totally reorganized a space, it doesn't look like an ad for The Container Store. It looks great and works properly, but it is a space that is used by an actual human being, not one that has been carefully staged by a team of stylists and marketers for a non-existent resident. You will ultimately be disappointed if perfection is your goal. The goal is to set up a space that works well for your needs. That is success.
- Re-edited from a post originally published 8.5.2014 - CM
Over the years that we have been together, my husband and I have now renovated or created 4 kitchens. Two in New York, and two in Northampton. As people who both love to cook, we have come to understand what our kitchen "must have" list includes. This has changed and expanded with time and experience. For us, one small, but important detail in a kitchen is a magnetic knife rack. We love having access to our knife collection - without having to rifle through drawers. We also love our knives and like to display them. (#kitchengeek). I was excited to come across this article in Apartment Therapy yesterday, outlining some fantastic uses for this wonderful item. Who knew that our favorite kitchen secret had so many practical uses?
I'm prepared to say that 85% of U.S. citizens have one of these magnetic knife holders hanging somewhere in their kitchen (that's a totally made up number btw), and the other 15% should get on board. And then 100% of us should look for other places to mount them in our homes, because these simple little strips are good for so much more than just knives. Here's a whole bunch of ways they make organizing easy.
Install a magnetic knife rack inside a big cabinet, as seen on Design Sponge. It's a great way to keep track of smaller items and reduce visual clutter.
Regina solved one of life's little annoying problems with one of these: Where and how to store food processor attachments. This is such a clever idea for keeping sharp blades safe and out of the way.
IKEA, no surprise, has a lot of clever ideas on how to use them. Mount a magnetic knife rack (or two) next to the door—either vertically or horizontally—to hold keys and other important reminders before you head out the door.
Amelia created a version to display photographs, memos, and other important items. A store-bought strip would work just as nicely if you don't want to take the time to DIY.
Install a holder inside your bathroom drawers to keep all those little hair accessories and grooming supplies in one place and within reach. This one from Amazon isn't currently available, but there are other nice wooden options for under $30.
If you aren't using the underside of your kitchen cabinets, you're missing valuable storage real estate. Mount your knives upside down, as spotted over on Local Kitchen's blog, and the strip's slim profile takes up very little room and tucks out of sight.
From Crate & Barrel Kids comes this storage-meets-art idea for hanging toy race cars. Not only does it give you a place to keep all those loose ankle-sprainers, but it makes for some very fun and dramatic decor.
After cleaning your paint brushes, IKEA suggests you squeeze the water from the bristles and attach them to the magnetic strip to dry. It's a great way to keep your counters clear and clutter-free. (Although, note that it's better to store paintbrushes upside down...)
Great under-the-cabinet idea: Put some magnets on the lids of your spice jars, then attach them to knife strips mounted there. These clear options let you see what you've got, so simply unscrew the jar when you need it.
Have a garage, or a spot to work on projects? Hang a couple of these racks for loose bits, screwdrivers and other tools. This amazing set up is courtesy of the Cavender Diary.
And here's the adult version. Armelle organized her closet and decked out the back of the door with all sorts of storage solutions, including a magnet for her scissors and punches.
I love finding a new home for the items that I no longer use. This morning, on my way to take the kids to school, I put my carefully culled boxes of outgrown (by kids) or rarely worn (by me) clothing on our curb to be picked up by the [...]
This time of year, many of us find ourselves homebound on our days off (some of us choose to be homebound on our days off :)). Winter is a great time to attack our indoor homeowner to do list - since we certainly can't do any landscaping in the cold, wet, windy winter months of the Pioneer Valley. This recent article by Jolie Kerr makes great suggestions for indoor cleaning/organizing projects, best done when you don't feel like being [...]
I recently put together a comparative market analysis for homeowners in Northampton who are hoping to sell their home in the spring market. Their ranch-style home has 3 modest bedrooms (yet with a small en suite master bath) and a relatively small eat in kitchen; with some nice open common living spaces and a lovely back yard. I was struck [...]
This time of year I feel grateful for my mudroom. I'm grateful for the cubbies we had built, so that each of our family members has somewhere to store their winter layers, their boots, the backpacks, etc. I'm grateful for the rubber floors we chose, which are colorful and easy to clean. I'm grateful for the coat closet in the mudroom, where [...]
Having moved into our new home just over a year ago, we are finally getting close to feeling "moved in" to our new space. We downsized by 30% from our previous house in, and we sold, or gave away a large amount of our belongings before moving into this new home. Our goal is to live in an uncluttered space from here on out. It turns out this [...]
