Organizing tips

[roxy7]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if any of you could share any tips with me on how you keep your life in order. My closet is a mess, I always have clothes thrown on the foot of my bed, my bills and junk mail all lay on my kitchen table.

I REALLY want to be organized and take control of my life. I feel like if I get my clothes in order, then i will feel more in control and happier and better about myself. PLEASE HELP. Any tips would really be useful, even how to organize drawers or how you hang clothes in the closet.

 

[Lorelei]

Mail used to be a pain for me too

I find the best way is to spend a minute daily organizing it, throw out junk mail and pay each bill as soon as you can when it arrives. A pile of bills soon becomes overwhelming and a BIG FAT PAIN! This keeps it down and makes you feel more productive

With the wardrobe, really sort through and bin what you know you won't wear and develop a system which works for you. This could be hanging pants together, shirts etc or by colours. Have hangers facing the same way so your wardrobe looks like a smart shop, keep shoes in boxes with a digital pic if possible of the shoes inside the box to save opening and closing uneccessarily.

Categorise drawers, one for undies, one for bras, pantyhose, T shirts, socks etc. Also make sure you have a laundry basket and put any dirty clothes in it immediately so you don't forget to launder, it is easy to forget to find the one blouse you need has a gravy stain

Treat yourself to some nice smelling drawer liners too or sachets, they help keep the motivation up to maintain it.

Keep a clothing repair kit handy with different cottons and a couple of needles, also some small scissors to trim threads and strings near your wardrobe. Also attend to any minor repairs as soon as you can, and try to pick a couple of convenient times a week, say a Monday and Friday to drop off and collect dry cleaning.

Fold all good sweaters and T shirts, also bin any laddered pantyhose at once, ancient underwear, keep shoes in good condition, invest in a polishing kit and have reheeled etc when necessary ASAP to save disappointment when you want to wear them. BTW old pantyhose make excellent polishers for shoes to buff up after the polish application ( old military tip!~) The wardrobe will take you a day to sort out but it will be well worth the effort as you will feel a lot smarter and more organised. This will also save you lots of time in the long run. Try to spend 15 mins or so a week just checking through your clothing set up just to make sure all is in order. Hope this helps!

ETA - also check your buttons regularly to make sure they are sewn on tightly, this can save a lot of aggravation as losing a button while you are out or getting ready is a REAL nuisance

 

[monarch64]

Hi Roxy! I don''t have any miracle tricks for you, but I can tell you how I handle the clothing situation: I have limited closet space, so first I make sure to go through all my clothes every season (about every 3 months) and donate anything I haven''t worn that season, or put it in a bag for my friends to go through when they come over if the items are new and unworn but not returnable. Sometimes the donation bag will sit in my car for a good month before I get it to the donation drop off, but it''s better than cluttering my closet and drawers with unnecessary stuff. Another thing I do is store winter or summer clothing in plastic bins in our attic when I''m not wearing those clothes. It makes more room in the closet. As far as organizing drawers and closet space, it depends on your particular set up. I like to "colorize" my closet--it just looks neater when you look inside there and all different colors are together instead of mixed up everywhere. You could also invest in nice wooden hangers for a more uniform look in your closet--they always do that on those "Clean Sweep," shows where they re-organize couples'' houses. I fold my jeans and keep them on shelves in my closet, the only pants I hang are ones that need to be ironed, but they get hung on pant/skirt hangers, not shirt hangers from the dry cleaners because then they tend to get lost between shirts because you can''t see that there''s anything on the hanger.

For organizing drawers, the best purchase I ever made was a lingerie chest that was part of my bedroom set. It''s tall and narrow, with 6-7 drawers. Bras go in the top two drawers, followed by undies separated by thong/panties. If you really want to organize a panty drawer, or if you buy expensive undies, you can use clear plastic bags so they stay separate and don''t snag each other.

If you keep t-shirts in drawers, use a folding board (you can use a clipboard or something similarly shaped) to fold all the shirts the same way--keep it by where you do your laundry so you can just fold stuff right out of the dryer. I was in retail for a long time, and I have to use this technique for my husband''s t-shirt drawers because otherwise he doesn''t know what the heck is in them. He has a drawer of nothing but white t''s and one of nothing but different colored t''s. He could fill up all 6 in our dresser but I make him throw out anything old with holes in it!

I don''t know how organized you want to get with shoes...I just have one of those over-the-door ones that holds about 25 pair. It works fine for me, but I have a friend who is so obsessed with organization she has a clear plastic "shoebox" for every pair of shoes she has. It works great for her, but I will never be THAT organized! Hope this helps.

 

[tanuki]

My sister told me about this website FlyLady.net.

FlyLady beginner housecleaning schedule

If you spend 20 minutes a day doing what they tell you over the course of a month all your housework gets done.
I haven''t tried it, but she swears by it.
You just print it every day and when you are done with the housework you trash it because you have your housework done for the day!

 

[monarch64]

That flylady website is awesome! A friend of mine sent me that link a few months ago, I didn''t pay too much attention to it, but I read through some of the daily tasks just now and they make so much sense! I have a couple of friends who have resolved to always shine their sinks, but it seems to be as far as they got with the whole thing. It seems to me that if you resolve to do something every single day, it gets a bit overwhelming. Goals are great motivators, but they have to be realistic. There are so many nights I come home from work and hubby and I have some activity going on that when we finally make it home at the end of the night there is no way I''m shining anything! I like to take things one day at a time!

Better Homes and Gardens also has a good "chore" list. They list things you should do daily, weekly, and monthly to keep your house clean and organized. It''s a pretty good tool, and if you print out the list and stick it on your fridge it''s a handy reference. Especially for those of us who don''t have this housecleaning stuff down to a knack yet, even after a couple years of marriage!

I went so far as to hire a housecleaning team this fall to get my house back to "totally clean" before we had guests for the weekend. I figured if I started back at square one I would be off to a fresh start and able to keep up with everyday chores...amazingly enough (ha ha) my resolve was not strong enough and after the holidays now my house is sort of a disaster again. I think I will have to make a New Year''s resolution to get into a cleaning routine again this year. Now that I''m inspired by this thread! Anyone want to start a "Daily Cleaning Thread?" (Like the LIW "daily workout thread?") LOL.

 

[eks6426]

On the mail that comes into the house---pay bills online. I use checkfree.com for almost all my bills. The ones that can''t go through that, I set up to pay electronically. I now receive NO bills at home. It makes dealing with the mail easier. The only things that are in my mail are 1. magazines 2. catalogs 3. the very rare personal letter 4. junk mail. I have a wicker basket for magazines & catalogs. I try to throw out any catalog from which I don''t actually order the day I get it. Otherwise magazines & catalogs live in the basket--when I am out of room, I pitch some or better yet--drop off old magazines at waiting rooms (my personal info torn off). I can only read Hi-Lites & Sport Illustrated so many times in waiting rooms. Doing all bill paying & other financial stuff (bank statements etc.) electronically really helps the mail problem.

On clothing--I have a 1940s house with a closet the size of a phone booth and also a very small bedroom with limited room for dressers etc. I too keep out of season things in plastic boxes in the attic. I colorize my hanging shirts & pants like a retail store. I keep sweaters in the rolling boxes under the bed. But the most important thing is every time I buy an item--something goes into the Goodwill pile. That way I''m not adding to the mass of clothing.

Also for hangers I love the Joy Manango hangers from HSN. They are really thin but still grip my silkie clothes. No matter which brand of hanger, having all the same hanger really makes the closet look neater.

Good luck!

 

[njc]

I love this thread! Thanks for starting it Roxy... our house could use some organization too!

 

[roxy7]

Thanks so much for your help, ladies!!! I would love to start a regular discussions of tips and topics regarding cleaning and organizing.

My mom and sister are so organized, so together, and I just wish I could be more like them. I am usually so exhausted after work that I don''t feel like picking up after myself, but I know that has got to change, especially since my bf is even less neat than I am!!!

 

[monarch64]

Hey Roxy, you could always start inviting company over once a week--that would force you to keep your house clean!!

 

[roxy7]

There''s an idea!!! If I invite people over, I''ll have to clean up!

 

[monarch64]

Yup, I have a very bad habit of doing last minute scrubdowns in the bathroom and kitchen on Fridays when I get home from work--inevitably some friends drop by either Friday or Saturday night, and sometimes on Sundays for football games.

You mentioned your BF is a little messy...word to the wise: they don''t change much when they become husbands! I thought I had mine trained pretty well when we lived together in our apartment before we got married, but as soon as we moved into our first house he conveniently forgot everything! I spend so much time picking up dirty glasses, laundry, and other debris that I don''t get to the stuff that needs to be cleaned on a daily basis! So, while I swipe the bathroom and kitchen every few days with those Clorox wipes, I don''t get to do total scrubdowns as often as I would like for lack of time and energy! I''m not saying I''m the neatest person in the world, but I swear this year I am making up "chore lists" for both of us to adhere to! Sorry for ranting, I can''t help it!

Thanks for inspiring me Roxy, I am headed out after work to pick up some more storage containers for gift wrap and ornaments since I will be taking down trees this weekend. And I think I will look for some nice hangers to start a collection of all matching ones in my closet! (Those wooden ones are expensive! I may have to do some drastic cutbacks in the closet just so I can afford to have matching hangers!) I love the way they look, though.

 

[roxy7]

i really love the Container Store for organizing. It''s the best. After talking to you guys I got inspired and ordered a subscription to ''Real Simple'' magazine. That should be good.

I think my real problem is that i hate cleaninig or putting stuff away after work during the week, and I have been going away on the weekends all the time....but I just wish I were one of those neat, together people. I just don''t know if people are born that way or if I could become that with some work....

 

[monarch64]

Roxy, they do have a word for people who are born with the ability to have a place for everything, and have everything in its place: obsessive compulsive!

I keep noticing the commercials for Monk on USA network--I don''t watch the show, but apparently the main character has OCD, he has to have everything neat and set up a certain way. I don''t know if being neat or messy is something you''re born with. I think for me it''s just that I have so much STUFF in a small space, and I hate to throw things away because I think someday I''ll have space for everything! I don''t mind getting rid of clothing, but books, CD''s, gifts I''ve received but will probably never use, etc. I think my biggest hurdle to get over is being able to let go of things, and organize what I have first before going out and buying new stuff!

I changed my plans to buy organizational stuff from last night to tomorrow, and I decided to go to the Container Store after looking online at what they have. My first project to organize will be our Christmas ornaments and gift wrap this weekend when I take the trees down. I have been using cardboard boxes FOREVER, they are all different shapes and sizes and starting to look battered, so I''m going to get some of those compartmentalized ornament boxes as well as a gift wrap thing that rolls right under the bed. I''ll let you know how it goes!

PS--Real Simple magazine...haven''t heard of it! It must be about organization, do they have a website?

 

[Blue824]

Well, I''m not necessarily the most organized person, but that is more with papers...I have loads and actually today I''ve been trying to make a huge dent in them today...but my closets are pretty organized.

I firmly believe in cleaning ladies! Right now I"m back with my mom until she moves, so we have one all the time, but even through out my various college apartments and stuff I''d always set aside the money for a cleaning lady 2-3 times a month. You have so much more time to yourself if someone else is doing your vaccuming and cleaning the floors. Besides the fact that I hate doing that anyway so it just wouldn''t get done in the first place. Anyway, when you don''t have to worry about that stuff, you have more time to organize the rest of your life, in my opinion.

Now, my closet was done by the container store. Best investment ever. I can fit so much more stuff than I used to when it was just a simple hang and double hang bar through them. I have a section for my purses, for my shoes, for t''s, tanks, all my sweaters, sweatshirts and hang sections for pants, shirts, skirts and then a long hang section where i keep my suits, dresses and coats. I hang everything by color. So my shirts look like a rainbow and it is great to keep track of things or know where to find them. I have one section for colored shirts and then another section where I keep grey, white and black shirts. Then my sweaters are folded by color. There are other companies that do similar closet organization things too.

I''ve heard great things about those hangers that IslandDreams mentioned, but have yet to try them. When I move I''m going to have to redo my closets so I was going to wait until then.

In my dresser I have drawers for specific things. If something starts to not fit in its alloted area, I make sure I clean it out. Like if the tshirts dont fit into the tshirt drawer, that means I have to start cleaning some out. One drawer I divided it into 3 sections with a plastic shoe sized box from Container Store. So like in one third I have tiny camisoles or tanks to sleep in, the middle has nylons/tights and the other has something I can''t now recall...but like so that was an example of using one drawer for multiple things but still keeping it organized....like I wouldn''t want to devote an entire area to pantyhose so that works out perfectly.

I LOVE container store, but also remember that a lot of those things are available elsewhere...like bed bath & beyond and linens n things. The good thing about those places are the endless supply of coupons Regardless if it is from Container Store or BB&B, it all adds up, but it is so worth the investment...as long as you use what you get!

Oh, and something from college I brought home with me was my underbed storage. I also used that when I was doing my boyfriend''s new apartment and it sure saved a lot of space...its totally out of sight until he needs whatever he decides to put in those containers.

 

[eks6426]

The Container Store will "design" your closet for you. All you have to do is fill out their online questionnaire with closet uses, space needed & closet measurements. Then they send you back nice little pdf''s of your closet. If you want changes, they''ll make those to. It''s all free. It of course then comes with product recommendations and a click to buy option. I liked this option because I don''t live anywhere close to a Container Store so to use their instore service for me requires a lot of time. So, now I preplan and then drive into Chicago with my list.

And oh yeah, sometimes I take their designs and shop local which probably isn''t right but is a lot cheaper.