Everything in Its Place

Amy Fauss
August 20, 2012

As the final days of summer draw near, I have felt a real sense of urgency to cull through closets, drawers, toy chests—basically every nook and cranny of our home—in order to get a better handle on what we have (and where it should go!) before the new school year starts. I've been around long enough to know that once school is in session, there's absolutely no time for extra projects around the house. Just last week I was going through my daughters' bathroom drawers and uncovered approximately 50 boxes of dental floss, 30 tubes of toothpaste, and no less than 25 new toothbrushes—all gifts from our beloved dentist—stockpiled from check-up visits over the last few years. There's no simple solution for keeping everything in its place, but making sure you have specific, designated space for household items is definitely a start. Here are a few organizational tips that you might find helpful: 

1. Cull through your belongings, one room at a time. Even if you finish just one room a week, that's progress! Be realistic about what you really need versus what you're hanging onto that you could let go of. Make a pile to deliver to charity and another pile for resale or a garage sale.
2. Make sure you have a sensible "home" for everyday necessities first. For example, a place to put the daily mail and newspaper; a place to put keys, wallets, cell phones, backpacks, and such. These are the things that tend to clutter up the house quickly.
3. Identify workspace and storage space for each person in the family. You can't blame the kids for spreading books and homework all over the dining table if they don't have a legitimate place to do their studies each day. And you can't fault your husband for leaving piles of papers around the house if there aren't sufficient file cabinets, drawers and storage boxes available.
4. Use your space wisely. Be sure to use your "prime real estate"—space that is easily accessible and convenient—for items you use on a regular basis. Don't, for example, store sleeping bags for your annual campout in the hall closet; put them in the attic.
5. Stop and think before you bring more stuff into the house! Does your child really need another book, stuffed animal, or pair of shoes? Around birthdays and holidays, suggest that family members buy more practical gifts for the kids, like tickets to a play, a horseback riding adventure, or piano lessons. Something that you don't have to find space for!

Sadly, though, even after you've weeded through everything in the house, and found that very special place for each item, you still face the challenge of teaching the family to put things where they go. But that's a topic for another article. Happy organizing!