The birds are chirping, the weather is warming up, and many of us have mowed at least once this year. Spring is the perfect time to open up those windows, air out your home, and take an inventory of the accumulation that happened over a cold winter.
While spring cleaning is common this time of year, you may start to clean only to realize that your house needs some organization as well. Cleaning and organizing go hand-in-hand, and they both can help your house feel tidy and put together. Learn how to edit your home this spring with these organizing tips.
Editing Overview
What does it mean to edit your home? Simply put, editing is just another term for organizing your home and making choices about what you will keep, donate, or throw away. Be warned that your home will look worse before it looks better. However, editing your home is a great way to free up some space and declutter.
Empty Everything Out
It may sound daunting, but the best way to start editing your home is to empty everything out. This means the drawers, cabinets, and hiding places where things get shoved for a later date. Keep a trash can nearby as you could find a lot of trash and items that are no longer of use. Pull everything out of the space and then clean the space itself. This could be a simple wipe down of a drawer or may include adding some drawer liners as well.
Double Check the Space
Your home feels better when there is a specific flow and purpose that fits your family’s schedule and needs. The kitchen is notorious for being a spot where things are stored where they don’t make sense. For example, storing glasses and cups far away from the fridge or sink adds extra steps and wastes time. Ensure that what is going back into the space makes sense in terms of what the items are used for.
Add Some Dividers
Once you have everything out of the drawer, it would be counterintuitive to start putting stuff back without a plan. Make sure that you have a purpose for every drawer, cabinet, nook, and cranny of your house. Adding in dividers is a great way to sort the space and make it easier to find things in the future.
While plenty of stores sell organizational items, editing your home doesn’t need to break the bank. Check out online sources like Pinterest to help find cheap ways to organize your home without spending a dime. Many of us have items in our homes, like trays or old curtain rods, that can stand in as dividers in a pinch.
Install Easy Fixes
You may be surprised at how much difference a simple hook on the wall or a basket for shoes on the floor can make. These easy fixes don’t take much to install, and they provide a great way to keep shoes and coats off the floor. Additional items like towel racks in the bathroom or over-the-door organizers increase the vertical storage in your home without much work. If you rent your home and can’t permanently install hooks, consider using command hooks that come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and purposes.
Take It Little by Little
Nothing is more overwhelming than taking everything out of its place in a room to create a giant mess. The key to editing your home this spring is to tackle the project in little bits. This means that you may choose to do a set of drawers one day after work and leave the other dresser to another day. Separating the rooms of your home into zones and sticking to a schedule will help keep your sanity as well as ensure that you don’t get frustrated.
Teach the Kids (and Your Spouse)
You may have great intentions for your home edit, but all of your hard work will be worthless if everyone else in the house isn’t filled in. Teaching your kids and your spouse where things are will help keep the entire family accountable and the home organized. It won’t be perfect, but creating simple solutions that work for your family can make a world of difference.
Fully Finish the Edit
After organizing, it is easy to throw donations into a box that is then left in the garage for years. Make sure to fully finish the editing process by removing donations and trash from your home. Drop off donations at a local charity and make an extra run to the dump if needed. Removing both of these categories from your home will help create a more organized space.
If you need to hold a piece of furniture or a few boxes until you decide what to do with them, consider renting a short-term storage unit. Not only will your items stay safe, but they will also be out of your house so that they don’t clog up any areas. For more information about finding a storage unit in your area, contact Storage Area today!