10 Real Women Share Their Tricks For Living Clutter-Free
Feb 26, 2015 16:55:56 GMT -5
Post by Shoshanna on Feb 26, 2015 16:55:56 GMT -5
10 Real Women Share Their Tricks For Living Clutter-Free
by Kathleen Mulpeter, Social Media Editor
For me at least, having a big cleaning session is easy enough to do as long as I have a free Saturday and enough garbage bags on hand. But how can you actually maintain order in your house and prevent clutter from creeping in again? We asked our community of Reality Checkers to dish on their best tips for keeping a home tidy year-round. Here, a few of their helpful suggestions. (Want to join the conversation on Reality Checker Central? Click here to make an account and get started!)
ORGANIZE PAPER CLUTTER
“I use a shoe bag organizer hung on the kitchen closet door to separate and organize our paid bills and other important mail throughout the year. This gives us easy access to everything and is very helpful during tax time.” –Mary Dalton
INVEST IN NICE-LOOKING HANGERS
“When I got married last summer, we registered for Huggable Hangers. Now, all my hangers match and it makes my closet look ten times more organized than it did with the mis-matched plastic hangers, and that motivates me to keep it clean and organized.” –Kianna Keeler
TOSS CLOTHES YOU DON’T WEAR
“Whenever I do laundry because ‘I don’t have anything to wear,’ I take all the things sitting in the bottom of the drawer and hide them away in a bin under my bed. If I haven’t gone looking for them after a few months, it’s safe to get rid of them.” –Marissa Gaumond
PUT THINGS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG
“Always follow through with what you’re doing. For example, when making a bowl of cereal for children in the morning, put it away and when the kids are finished, put the bowls and spoons in the dishwasher and wipe the table right away.” –Tammy Feist
ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS
“When I’m deciding to toss or keep something, I ask myself these five questions: Do I need it? Do I have multiples? Have I used it in the past year? Does it have a use/purpose? Do I love it?” –Alison McFadden
ORGANIZE THE PANTRY
“I love Easy Find Lids from Rubbermaid. Perfect for de-cluttering your kitchen cabinets and a huge help in kitchen organization!” –Margaret Barnhart
HANG ON TO TOILET PAPER ROLLS
“I love to use empty toilet paper rolls. I cut them in half and place them around wrapping paper tubes to keep them tidy or hook bracelets and necklaces to keep them tangle-free when traveling.” –Melissa Werner
ORGANIZE DESK DRAWERS
“I use a silverware divider for my big desk drawer. It’s perfect for storing rulers, big pens, etc.” –Deborah Hattaway
MAKE IT EASY TO FIND YOUR LEFTOVERS
“I store leftovers in my fridge in different-sized Mason jars. I can see what’s in each jar, plus you can write on the glass with a marker and it will come right off with some gentle scrubbing. This may seem like a pricey idea, but watch for the jars to go on sale, and you can always find them at garage sales (just wash and sanitize before use and buy fresh lids).” –Jacqua Schwenke
FREE UP DRAWER SPACE
“I have about 16 tank tops and store them all on three hangers in my closet. Here’s how I did it: I bought shower curtain rings (you can get a pack for $1 if you’re not too picky), and have six of them on each hanger with the tops hanging on the rings. This frees up much-needed drawer space, and makes my shirts much easier to see in one go! I do recommend a cloth hanger for this, since clothes will just slide all over the place on the plastic ones.” –Marissa Adams
link
by Kathleen Mulpeter, Social Media Editor
For me at least, having a big cleaning session is easy enough to do as long as I have a free Saturday and enough garbage bags on hand. But how can you actually maintain order in your house and prevent clutter from creeping in again? We asked our community of Reality Checkers to dish on their best tips for keeping a home tidy year-round. Here, a few of their helpful suggestions. (Want to join the conversation on Reality Checker Central? Click here to make an account and get started!)
ORGANIZE PAPER CLUTTER
“I use a shoe bag organizer hung on the kitchen closet door to separate and organize our paid bills and other important mail throughout the year. This gives us easy access to everything and is very helpful during tax time.” –Mary Dalton
INVEST IN NICE-LOOKING HANGERS
“When I got married last summer, we registered for Huggable Hangers. Now, all my hangers match and it makes my closet look ten times more organized than it did with the mis-matched plastic hangers, and that motivates me to keep it clean and organized.” –Kianna Keeler
TOSS CLOTHES YOU DON’T WEAR
“Whenever I do laundry because ‘I don’t have anything to wear,’ I take all the things sitting in the bottom of the drawer and hide them away in a bin under my bed. If I haven’t gone looking for them after a few months, it’s safe to get rid of them.” –Marissa Gaumond
PUT THINGS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG
“Always follow through with what you’re doing. For example, when making a bowl of cereal for children in the morning, put it away and when the kids are finished, put the bowls and spoons in the dishwasher and wipe the table right away.” –Tammy Feist
ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS
“When I’m deciding to toss or keep something, I ask myself these five questions: Do I need it? Do I have multiples? Have I used it in the past year? Does it have a use/purpose? Do I love it?” –Alison McFadden
ORGANIZE THE PANTRY
“I love Easy Find Lids from Rubbermaid. Perfect for de-cluttering your kitchen cabinets and a huge help in kitchen organization!” –Margaret Barnhart
HANG ON TO TOILET PAPER ROLLS
“I love to use empty toilet paper rolls. I cut them in half and place them around wrapping paper tubes to keep them tidy or hook bracelets and necklaces to keep them tangle-free when traveling.” –Melissa Werner
ORGANIZE DESK DRAWERS
“I use a silverware divider for my big desk drawer. It’s perfect for storing rulers, big pens, etc.” –Deborah Hattaway
MAKE IT EASY TO FIND YOUR LEFTOVERS
“I store leftovers in my fridge in different-sized Mason jars. I can see what’s in each jar, plus you can write on the glass with a marker and it will come right off with some gentle scrubbing. This may seem like a pricey idea, but watch for the jars to go on sale, and you can always find them at garage sales (just wash and sanitize before use and buy fresh lids).” –Jacqua Schwenke
FREE UP DRAWER SPACE
“I have about 16 tank tops and store them all on three hangers in my closet. Here’s how I did it: I bought shower curtain rings (you can get a pack for $1 if you’re not too picky), and have six of them on each hanger with the tops hanging on the rings. This frees up much-needed drawer space, and makes my shirts much easier to see in one go! I do recommend a cloth hanger for this, since clothes will just slide all over the place on the plastic ones.” –Marissa Adams
link