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The start of the school year is the second-most popular time of the year for "new year's" resolutions.
With schools across the region starting up this week, a lot of parents may be looking at where to store those backpacks, shoes and after-school activity equipment that will start piling up near the front door. Or, they may have a little bit of free time to start tackling the clutter that piled up over the summer.
Here's a look back at some of our most helpful home organization articles and a few of the best tips from them. Plus, a little bit of motivation from social media:
Define the Space - There are two initial steps to cleaning and organizing any room. First is defining the space, said Andrea Hancock of Dexterous Organizing. “Is that basement just for storage? Entertainment? A home gym? Once you know what you'll be using the space for, you can then start to create zones and then determine how the room will flow, how much storage you'll need, and how much of what you'll need to keep.”
Set Goals - The second is defining your goals. “Finding your motivation for cleaning—finding bigger goals than the task at hand—can help,” said Karen Gardiner of Simplify for Life. “Whether it’s having friends over or having more space for the kids to play, finding concrete goals beyond just getting it clean can help cut down on being overwhelmed.”
“The most useful tip I have is to truly have a home for everything and to make sure that everyone understands where things are kept,” Gardiner says.
Paper Clutter Solutions - Receipts, junk mail, bills, insurance statements, school forms — the amount of paper that comes into a home is pretty amazing. It's best to have just one or two places for paper that comes into the house and apply the "touch it once" rule. Things that need to be shredded go in the shred pile, file away coupons or important paperwork, etc.
For more, check out:
- A Home for Everything: Decluttering, Organizing and Purging
- Out with the Old: Decluttering Tips and Tricks
- How to Know When It's Time to Downsize
