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How to organize like a professional

Winter is over, spring is here, and with a little extra time at home, now is the perfect opportunity to get your home organized. According to Good Housekeeping, 52 per cent of people would hire a professional organizer if they had the opportunity. But with a few good tips, you can give your home the professional touch without spending the money.

Where to start: 

  • Assess the Situation: Take a look in each room in your home, and assess your problem areas, then prioritize them. Taking on one de-clutter project at a time will keep you from getting overwhelmed with the task.
  • Purge: Decide the usefulness of everything taking up space in a particular area (and be honest). If you haven’t, or won’t, use it—get rid of it. Shred, give away or donate any and all items in your home that you don’t really need. Many times clutter comes from the things we just never got around to throwing away.
  • Organize: Once you’re left with the essential items you’re keeping, you can get to the organization of them. Put things together in piles based on their common purposes. You can use bins, boxes, shelves, etc. to keep these items tidy and out of the way. It also really helps to use labels so you can find things easily in the future.
  • Maintain: The biggest way to prevent future clutter problems, is to simply put things away as soon as you’re done with them. It sounds like a no-brainer idea, but everything in your home should have a place, and should always be kept in that place when you’re not using it. A classic example of this is mail: as soon as you read your mail, file it appropriately, don’t let it pile up on counters or drawers.

Ideas on what to tackle:

  • Entryway: have a place for everything as soon as you walk in: keys, coats and shoes should all have designated spots in baskets, on racks or in closets.
  • Drawers and desks: don’t use drawers as a hiding place for clutter, if you don’t need it, don’t keep it. Every draw should have designated objects to be stored inside. Try drawer organizers to give yourself more compartments or specific homes for things. For your desk, keep it clutter-free, always remember that everything should have a home.
  • Cords: all those electronics come with cords and it can make for a real mess. Use cord organizers to keep things tidy and try colour coordinating your cord organization as well to make for easy changes or locating things when needed.
  • Mail and paper: mail needs a home, have a simple filing system and storage location for mail once you’ve opened it and read it. Keep a place for recycling bins and ensure people are using them.
  • Dresser tops: like desks, keep these clutter-free. For the ladies in your life, ensure drawers or dresser-top organization units for jewelry and knick-knacks to keep clutter at a minimum.
  • Toys and closets: organizers will be your friend: baskets, extra shelves and hooks will all help you create extra spaces where some may be lacking. And if all else fails, get rid of anything that isn’t in use.
  • Spices and pantry items: like closet space, you can create extra storage room with the use of containers, bins and boxes. Another tip for the kitchen is to utilize the vertical space on your wall and try some wall organization ideas.