Get Organized at Home

Clear the Clutter

Have you ever purchased something at the store only to discover a short while later that you had already owned the same or similar enough item that you found tucked away at home?

I hate to admit I have done this more than once. I’ve also purchased pre-season, shoes, boots, gloves and jackets, forgetting what I already owned. As I stored away seasonal clothes, coats, hats, gloves and footwear for the offseason, out of sight was out of mind.

Now I have a rule that I am not to purchase seasonal clothing, outerwear or footwear until I have gone through my seasonal trove and know what I already have and what may need replacing.

Chances are I don’t really need to buy or replace anything wearable for the change of season and can get by just fine with what I already own. I would probably do well to part with some of it too.

Unless you (regretfully?) jumped into the Tiny House living phenomenon, I think most of us (in North America) have a lot of stuff we don’t need.

Are your closets stuffed full of clothes you haven’t worn in years? Does your basement resemble a junkyard? Can your car barely fit your garage because of an excess of kid’s toys, yard tools and stuff you haven’t used in years but thought you just might need someday?

With the festive season just around the corner, now is the time to shift from idle into gear to get organized and let go of some of your hoards.

Plan regular blocks of time each week to get at organizing, sorting and clearing out clutter.

Clean out those closets, starting with the clothes you haven’t worn in ages (or the clothes that just don’t fit anymore, and haven’t fit in years). If it isn’t something that makes you feel great when you wear it, donate it.

Ask yourself, “Why am I keeping this?” If the answer isn’t “Because I love it and it looks great on me!” Throw it in the heap. The recycling heap, that is. (I am a firm believer in recycling and minimizing what you put out at the curb that ends up in the landfill).

Please be mindful in the process that there is no such thing as “throwing away”, as “away” is a place, just not your place! Your stuff needn't end up in another burgeoning landfill because you didn’t take a few extra minutes to sort, recycle, redesign and donate.

I was infuriated learning about Marie Kondo’s 150 garbage bags of items that could have been donated and put to use elsewhere. Our disposable society is responsible for the human-created mess of garbage dumps and the destruction of earth and oceans from what people thoughtlessly “throw away.”

Be fully conscious of your footprint on the earth and the unnecessary garbage you may be thoughtlessly generating.

You may even want to make an afternoon of fun out of it and invite your friends over with their closet cast-offs for coffee and a clothes swap. Whatever is leftover or unclaimed goes to the outbound recycling heap.

Once you have freed up some space in your closet, organize your clothing according to style, season, colour, business, leisure etc., and give each item a little breathing space, instead of cramming it all back in there.

If you must shop, make a point of donating at least one clothing item for every new item you buy. Out with the old, in with the new. Or get serious about reducing your clothing stockpile and turn out two or three items for every item coming in.

Ask your children to go through their toys to look for games and toys they no longer play with that they may consider donating to your local Christmas Cheer or organizations collecting items for families in need. After you’ve explained to them, of course, how happy other kids will feel that don’t have many toys when they receive something from them. Don’t force kids to part with any toy they want to keep.

Getting kids involved helps them understand that there are others that are not as fortunate as themselves, and it will give them a sense of contributing something that could bring joy to another child’s life while helping you rid your home of excessive toys. Bring the kids along and let them hand over the goods to the folks at the Christmas Cheer depot or organizers collecting toys.

Install a large toy box with a hinged lid in your child’s closet or playroom and encourage your children to keep all their toys in the same place in the box. Be sure to praise them when they do. A child will love a few toys much more than the confusion created in a child's mind by having dozens of toys.

Clean up the basement and garage clutter and organize what you need to keep, so you can find it when you need it. Disorganization is a huge time waster when you know you have the item you need, but you can’t find it.

Place like items together. Consider building or purchasing shelving units, large plastic tote boxes, and a pegboard for hanging tools and items you use regularly. Getting items up off the floor and stacked or organized on the wall will go a long way to creating space and making the area more visually appealing.

There is more selection today than ever before in storage containers, organizing systems, and shelving, etc. Consider what you are storing before you buy. Heavy items, awkward items, paints & chemicals etc., will dictate how robust your storage system needs to be, and whether open shelving or closed is your best option. Buy what appeals to you and is the most practical for your storage application.

Now you can even purchase colour coordinated storage containers. These colour-coordinated containers are great for seasonal items like Christmas decorations, etc. The red & green containers I use for my Christmas decorations instantly visually identifies the seasonal contents, stacks easily, and they are a darn sight nicer looking than cardboard boxes.

There are plenty of worthy organizations that will thankfully accept second-hand clothing and household items. Many charitable organizations, and recyclers, will even come to your home and pick it up. Now, how easy is that?

When you eliminate excess and clutter through donation and recycling you are helping others while making space for good things to come into your life.

And remember, if you’ve been good, and worked at it mindfully, Santa will probably bring you something to fill up your space again.