Now that you are in your new home, here are some tips from Hartz Homes to help you get things organized and avoid clutter. We’ll help you with a plan to help you organize and maintain your home’s seven messiest places.
- Kitchen
The kitchen is the hub of family activity and a high-traffic space. Therefore, it’s often the most cluttered room in the home. If you’ve ever had to move something from one flat surface to another just to start supper, you need to rethink how much stuff you’re storing in your kitchen.
First, clear everything off your counters except for a few items such as the coffee maker and knife block. Put away or eliminate everything you removed off of the counters. Throw away junk mail and put important papers on your desk. Try to store items close to where you use them. For example, put cooking utensils and spices near the range.
- Pantry
If you walk into your pantry and see several boxes of pasta but there’s not a jar of sauce in sight, it’s time to declutter and get organized. In addition to food, the pantry is also the perfect place to store appliances you want but don’t use often like your electric roaster or food dehydrator.
- Utilize vertical space by installing sturdy metal or wood shelves.
- Place products in labeled clear food containers.
- Lower cabinetry with doors can eliminate visual clutter.
- Desk
Paper clutter piles up quickly and causes a lot of stress. Discard junk mail immediately. Put bills and other important documents into your inbox (this can be a simple cardboard box to start) and deal with the contents weekly. File papers and receipts into labeled folders so when tax time rolls around, you won’t be dealing with a year’s worth of stuff in several really long days.
- Entryway
Families tend to dump (and stumble over) everything in their entryway. Since your entry is the first place people see when they walk through the door, it makes that critical first impression. Make it a welcoming, safe space with these tips:
- Keep the floor clear and clean with a shoe rack and a drip tray underneath.
- Take advantage of vertical space with hooks and shelves for coats and bags.
- Corral items like gloves, chargers, and the dog leash in baskets or bins.
- Bathroom
Too many items on your bathroom counter can make it hard to relax after a long day. Go through your products. If you have multiples of the same items already open, combine them into one and get rid of the empty containers. Wind up cords and put hair tools away. Stash personal care items in baskets behind cabinet doors to keep your counters clear.
- Closets
Many experts agree that “we wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time.” That means we’re all holding on to way too much. If you’ve ever dreaded opening your closet for fear of being consumed by a tidal wave of stuff, it’s time to clean your closets. Honor yourself and the items you surround yourself with by only keeping things that give you joy.
- Remove any items that no longer fit, you’ll never use, or you do not love.
- Donate items. Think about how happy the things will make someone else.
- If it’s sentimental items, like photos, select your favorite and frame it.
- Garage
When you’re organizing your garage, think about the space like a grocery store. Make the most of the perimeter. Designate the center of your garage as off limits. There’s a lot of storage space on those walls: think ceiling hooks, shelves, and pegboards. Putting limits on your storage space helps you let go of the things that no longer serve you.
By taking small, deliberate steps, you can keep clutter and chaos from your home. Best wishes for an organized home that brings you joy.
Please check out these new home communities from Hartz Homes:
Armitage Pointe of Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bella Vista Townhomes of Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Blue Bell Ridge of Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new construction)
Lago Vista of Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Leigh Creek of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marquis Pointe of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marywood Meadows of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Nantucket Lakes of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Park West of Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Playa Vista of Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Shannon Estates of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Sky Harbor of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Whisper Creek of Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Hartz Homes has new home communities in:
Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Aurora, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
New Lenox (Chicago area new home construction)
Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)