Posted by Andrea Durway
3 Organizing Tasks to Tackle This Month
The Netflix Show, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” has become a touchpoint of 2019. Kondo is the Japanese organizing expert who first came on the scene with her 2014 best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Thrift stores nationwide are seeing an uptick in donations and are crediting Kondo’s method of ridding one’s home of anything that doesn’t “spark joy”. Whether you love or hate the show and Kondo’s methods, February is a great time of year to get a jump on spring cleaning and organizing. Wrangling those nagging home projects and checking them off your list now means more time for play when spring weather hits. And if you are planning on selling your home this year, de-cluttering is a must.
February Home Project List
1. Give the laundry room a redo
Clean and reorganize your laundry room so it’s roomier and more efficient. Wipe down the ridges of your washing machine, which harbor bacteria. (Like a lot.) Replace damaged laundry baskets or bins, throw away products you never use, and store the rest. If you don’t have shelving, a slim cart between washer and dryer can hold detergents and softeners. If you don’t have room for a drying rack, install a rod from the rafters.
2. organizing your pantry
Take out everything in the pantry and throw out expired items. Note that most ground spices typically last 2-3 years, but if they have faded or no longer smell, they may not be worth cooking. Re-organize the pantry with pasta together, baking supplies together, can goods together, etc. Use baskets or plastic containers to keep similar items contained. Hanging clips on the pantry doors can be a way to store small packets.
3. de-clutter your basement
You should put aside a good chunk of time for addressing basement or attic clutter. This dreaded task is often best managed by breaking down the area into zones and then sorting between keep and get rid of. If you’re tackling shelves, clear the shelves. If you’re working through boxes or bins, empty the bins. Don’t move onto another zone until you completely finish the current zone. Store what you want to keep in clear storage bins so you can see what you actually have and label everything.
Summary
De-cluttering and organizing can be very cathartic. Once you have your piles and boxes to donate, what next? We have a list of organizations that will pick-up or accept your household items. Reach out to us if you need these resources.
