by Tina Ding

Ever dread walking through your kitchen or laundry room? Have you misplaced bills or other important paperwork?

Junk distracts the best of us. Piles of mail or overfilled closets seem insurmountable. After de-cluttering and purging, daily housekeeping becomes manageable. Whether approaching a serious project or simply spring cleaning, ensure you make it through your entire space. Remember the time it takes to mound extra things; be prepared to set aside marathon-like chunks of time to really sort through the stuff.

On your mark.
Walk through your daily routine, generating a list of cluttered, congested spaces. Pay close attention to overwhelmingly messy, unorganized drawers as well as stacks of shoes or mail at your entry. Define a starting point. If your morning routine bogs you down – start at the bathroom vanity or bedroom closet.

Get set.
Prepare totes and bins for sorting. Include a large trash bag as well as a couple of boxes clearly marked for garage sale or donations. Grocery tote bags work well for specific donations, borrowed items or on the spot sorting: toys, periodicals, tools, books or laundry. Set up totes to cart things to particular rooms of your home, such as a tote set aside for hairbrushes, hair clips and other bathroom items. Managing and sorting one room at a time reduces running back and forth – and ensures minimal distractions.

Gather a handful of tools to keep you on task: hammer, nails, and garage sale tags. Turn the ringer off on your phone; leave the cell phone behind.

Go!
A complete overhaul is the goal. Stand in the doorway and consider the clutter factor. Consider spots that routinely catch junk. Start there. Toss broken items and quickly scan stacks of books or magazines.
Reserve newly emptied baskets, totes and bins. Consider how they might be repurposed for organizing your laundry room or entry.

Purge closets. Rid of unfitting or unworn items. When finished, sort remaining clothing into seasons, folding or hanging appropriately. Review drawers for unmatched or missing socks – move them to your laundry room. A tip for ongoing closet maintenance: hang all hangers ‘backwards’, flipping them after they’ve been worn. After an established time lapses, pluck out unworn pieces.

Sort all bathroom items into categories. Unwanted, unopened toiletries may be donated.
Kids’ rooms tend to become cluttered with clothing, toys and other treasures. After removing unworn clothing and unused toys, reorganize closets and drawers to accommodate the child’s height and their current needs. Keep appropriate seasonal items within reach, tucking others away in bins or stowing above. Manage toys with bins, baskets or pails. Allow under bed storage with slim boxes or bins, closet or drawer space for treasures and place bulky items on open shelving for accessibility.

Living spaces or family rooms catch it all. Magazines and newspapers, family entertainment games or videos, as well as photo albums and collectibles quickly overwhelm a space. Keep a few inviting magazines atop a table, toss the rest into one of your sorting totes. Tuck entertainment games and accessories into baskets for display – remembering to review all games, movies and books. If they’re not being used, sell them or bring them to your workplace for giveaway. Replace unwanted collectibles with those family entertainment baskets.
Managing kitchen and dining spaces starts with reducing the load. Overstuffed pantries and bottomless freezers can mean overwhelming dinner preparation. Sort out unused kitchen gadgets, toss expired goods and rearrange dishes or cookware to useful locations in cupboards, creating an efficient, workable space. Review items for excess wear and discard. Donate surplus pans or kitchen appliances. Consider interior cabinet doors to hang trash collection dates, favorite recipes, school lunch schedule or phone numbers. Getting paperwork up off the counters into viewable spaces will instantly remove clutter.

Functional laundry rooms are a few baskets away. Provide a minimum of four labeled laundry baskets for: darks, lights, special care items along with one for unmentionables and towels. Include a few smaller bins for those unmatched socks, coins and other pocket treasures. When space allows, include a hanging space as well as baskets for folded items.

A tidy office equals efficient bookkeeping. Clear a couple of drawers or repurpose a basket or two for incoming and outgoing paperwork items. Take time to review your virtual desktop as well. Clear clutter from your desktop; delete messages or create new folders to stash important documents.

At last, focus on your entry. This is one place worthy of spending a few dollars to reorganize. Establish a space for every family member to go-to. Having a hook for each ensures a spot to catch coats, scarves, backpacks and purses. A handy bucket beneath holds hats, mittens or gloves; an open shelf above with baskets or small buckets creates a spot for sunglasses, library cards or keys. Establish a shoe zone; allow one all weather pair of boots plus one pair of shoes each near the entry, relocating excess shoes to closet floors or another enclosed space.

Marathon training!
Runners cross the finish line, take a break; then continue working out.
Haul out that trash bag. Finish pricing garage sale items and store them in one location. Place donation bins and totes of borrowed items in your vehicle; then deliver them. Tip: manage garage sale clutter by posting empty bins at a few strategic locations, such as in a storage closet. Include supplies to mark items on the spot for swift garage sale preparation, later.

Deep clean the house, reworking last details while oiling wood surfaces and scrubbing clutter-free bathrooms. Scrub hardware and shine windows. Wash winter wear; plan to do so regularly.

Stay healthy.
De-cluttering is therapeutic; however it takes time. Start small by managing a few key areas that need ongoing attention. Make beds every single day. Clear the table and kitchen sink at every meal. Sort laundry into respective baskets. Being accountable and staying the course will ensure you have an uncluttered clean home, freeing your time up for mindfully healthful things.