Is the mess driving you crazy? An organized lifestyle can make your days more productive and more relaxing at the same time. When your home is tidier, it will look cleaner and you will find that you have more space at your disposal, easy to use and exploit. Follow the tips in this guide to start organizing your home!
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Eliminate Useless Things
Step 1. Order your items
Examine the things in each room, dividing them according to what you intend to do: choose what you want to keep, give and throw away. Keep the items you need and cannot be separated from; throw away completely useless things, which no one would use anymore; Finally, give items to charity that you cannot use, but which may prove useful for someone else.
Step 2. Evaluate the items to keep rationally
Sometimes one gets the impression of needing something even if it is not true, but it is this attitude that pushes us to accumulate objects, leaving little space for the really important things. Once you've established what to do with each item, review the ones that are left, think back to the last time you used them, and decide if you actually need them.
Step 3. When you decide to give an item to charity, donate it to someone who would make good use of it
Choose the charity to donate it to based on the type of item (for example, toys to the Salvation Army, clothes to the parish, and so on). Make sure you throw away any unusable items. You can't donate tattered clothes, but still functional clothes or intact kitchen tools could be very useful to other people.
Part 2 of 4: Sorting Objects Based on Room and Functionality
Step 1. Separate objects according to their function
Examine them to decide how to divide them. Group similar items together to find the best way to store them. Maybe you can stack them, or insert one inside the other. If some things don't have a particular function, you could give them to charity.
Step 2. Sort the objects according to the zone and the room they belong to
After grouping them by function, separate them again to arrange them in the most suitable room. Although some items have similar functions, you may need to place them in different parts of the house.
For example, cooking utensils should stay in the kitchen, so you can easily use them when you need them. Things you don't use often, such as an ice cream maker or large serving trays, can be stored in less accessible places
Step 3. Find strategic accommodation for objects that can perform more than one function
If you have several things that perform the same functions, store them in different areas if possible.
A practical example of this type of item are small towels, which may be needed in the bathroom and kitchen
Part 3 of 4: Using Archiving Methods
Step 1. Find the right place for each item
Things left lying around make rooms appear cluttered and disorganized, so find accommodation for everything. It's worth walking into a room, grabbing whatever object is within reach and wondering if that's where it should be. In case he is out of place, find suitable accommodation.
It is advisable to find specific accommodation for objects such as keys, cell phones and wallets. For example, make it a habit to always deposit these items in the same spot at the entrance. This way, you will avoid littering them around the house and leaving them in unsuitable places
Step 2. Store things in a functional way
They must take up as little space as possible, but be within reach. By arranging objects in this way, you will have more space available and the house will seem less cluttered.
- Store smaller items in metal boxes, perhaps those of mints, to avoid confusing and losing them. Use labels to distinguish the various boxes and place them all in the same drawer.
- You can use slats in a kitchen drawer to divide the lids of vacuum containers and keep them in place.
- Attach metal plates to the inside of the cupboard so that you can use that space to attach recipes with magnetic clips rather than using the refrigerator panel.
- Arrange the necklaces on a hanger, the earrings in an ice cube tray, the bags on hangers.
- Those plastic compartments can be very useful for all the small items like watches, make-up tools, batteries or accessories of various kinds.
- Organize long-life foods (such as sugar and flour) in metal containers or glass jars because they are easy to stack and take up less space. The same goes for spices, which you can arrange next to the refrigerator.
- You can store laundry products in a filing cabinet; instead, arrange the kitchen cleaning products in a shoe rack to hang on the cupboard door.
Step 3. Create a filing system
If you have multiple copies of the same item or a series of similar items, you may want to devise an effective way to keep them and find them easily when needed. On top of that, they would take up less space and you would have a larger area to exploit.
- Get a filing cabinet or boxes for folders and documents. They are indispensable for organizing this type of material that you absolutely must not lose, such as tax documents, birth certificates and other important documents that you may need to find quickly.
- Create a system for clothes too. Come up with a way to organize both clothes and soiled items. The latter can be separated by color in different baskets. Instead, clean clothes should be hung neatly, or folded in drawers or laundry baskets. Take a cue from flyers: Roll up your clothes as you arrange them in drawers or baskets to minimize creasing and maximize space.
Step 4. Think of a way to take advantage of the wasted space
Often, unused areas are perfect corners to store and organize your stuff. Find a way to take advantage of the free spaces to optimize the organization of the house.
- If there is some space between the refrigerator and the wall, you may want to put shelves to accommodate jars and cans.
- Almost in all corridors there is space to insert a shelf on which to place various objects.
- The space under the bed can be used to hide boxes (or bags) containing off-season linen, coats and voluminous sweaters.
- Think about vertical spaces too. This excellent solution is often overlooked. That empty space between clothes and the bottom shelf in a closet can be filled with shelves or used to hang shoes, belts or ties with special holders.
Part 4 of 4: Developing Good Habits
Step 1. Think about each new item you purchase
To keep an organized home you need to cultivate good habits: for example, it is worth evaluating every object we come into possession of. Don't stockpile a lot of things you don't need, or you'll end up having a messy house again. Remember that you need to find a place to store every item you acquire.
Step 2. Put everything in its place
Get in the habit of tidying up after using something. Don't put off or find justifications, thinking that maybe someone else might need it. Simply put back everything you used. This is the best habit for keeping a tidy and clean home.
Step 3. Get in the habit of giving something to charity
Prepare a bag or box in which to store the items you would like to donate, especially those you no longer use. It would be a good idea to put a couple of items in the donation box every time you buy or receive a new one.
Advice
- If you plan to make your home more organized, start with the area you use most often: for example, if you are a student, tidy up the room where you study, or the kitchen.
- Think about the actual need to store certain things: for example, CDs take up a lot of space, but now most people use only iPods, MP3s and computers to listen to music. Convert your CDs to another format to keep on your computer, so you can listen to the songs easily with the new players and, at the same time, you will gain a lot of space because you can move the CDs in the attic, in the garage, or you can resell them for a little money. ' of money!
- Find ways to reuse items you have around the house. For example, do you own a candle holder, but don't use candles? Use it as a pencil holder.
- Americans are avid supporters of the organization, so it is possible to find on the market many useful elements for the organization of the house, without sacrificing style and fashion. This way, you no longer have to worry about hiding items you don't use often, because you can keep them in plain sight!
- To keep the house organized, keeping the less used items, it is advisable to invest in the purchase of CD racks, bookcases and containers to put under the bed. If Christmas or your birthday is approaching, ask your relatives to give you some gift certificates to spend at Ikea, in furniture and DIY stores.
Warnings
- When organizing your home, minimize the risk of fire: for example, do not overload wall sockets with extension cords, do not store huge piles of newspapers and leave the path to the exit free, as shoes and other items could get in the way. your escape in an emergency.
- Be careful when moving furniture. Do not lift weights with your back, but with your legs. If possible, ask a friend for help.
