As you probably already know (if you know me at all), I’m deep into editing & organizing this time of year. January and even well into February are big decluttering & reorganizing months at my house.
I’ll do a smaller decluttering/organizing “go at it” in late summer/early fall. One big “go through” in the first month or two of each year then a smaller “go through” mid-year.
Of course, I’m constantly editing & reorganizing in the days, weeks & months in-between. This keeps “things” from getting out of hand and makes those big, twice a year editing & organizing projects so much faster & easier.
CUT The Clutter!
Even though I’m constantly editing & reorganizing my home…things do accumulate from time to time (where on earth do all those pens come from that end up in the kitchen?!?!). Kitchens, closets, garages, attics, basements and even bathrooms tend to accumulate “stuff”.
Kitchen drawers, cabinets & pantries for sure can get out of hand. Closets of all types in any home are collectors of “stuff”. Garages, attics & basements may be the worse in most homes for stashing “stuff” throughout the year.
I’ve done hundreds of organizing jobs for clients over the past several years! Some of my clients initially hired me to help them decorate a room or two. Some of my clients initially hired me to stage their home to sell. Some of my clients initially hired me to be their Move Manager (a person who oversees every aspect of a move from one location to another). Yes, I really do (or have done) ALL of those things!
The one thing that I can tell you from years of experience helping people do all the things mentioned above is…the most important part of ANY of it is getting, being & staying organized. It’s not possible to stage a home or decorate a home or in my opinion, move a home without organizing first. I would never move one mess from Point A to Point B! Edit & Organize your home BEFORE moving. ALWAYS.
This makes it so much easier to organize & settle into your new home. And yes, an apartment or rental house is still a home. Your home maybe! Whether you own or rent, it’s equally as important to be organized. It’s truly self-care having our living arrangement organized so we can relax.
Having a well organized kitchen makes even the non-baker/non-cook want to get in there!
Just like I ALWAYS take stock/inventory AND clean out my fridge before going on my weekly grocery shopping trip (meaning not only getting rid of anything that needs to be thrown out but also literally CLEANING-as in wiping each shelf, each drawer out…all surfaces clean including countertops, etc. too ). I do the same for my pantry items. Take stock, edit/toss, wipe shelves clean…THEN replace needed items.
Doing this before going grocery shopping helps me keep a clean, organized & efficiently stocked kitchen. No expired goods because you had no idea what was what and just kept buying without taking stock/inventory and cleaning out. NO WAY!
This one simple kitchen organizing step alone can be a game changer! Think of all the waste you’ll cut back on (i.e.; money you’ll save) and what a great feeling it’ll be to know exactly what you really need to buy when you do hit the grocery aisles!
Making it an ongoing practice will make the bigger organizing projects much easier. It also just feels SO good to have an organized kitchen. This same practice can be tweaked a bit & repeated in each room. Every space in your home. Doesn’t that sound great? It can be done! YOU can do it!!!
Don’t get overwhelmed, just get started. Bit by bit. Drawer by drawer. Closet by closet. Room by room. An over all - well organized home just feels good! Once you’re organized, it’ll be much easier to keep things that way.
*Feel free to reach out if you have any organizing projects you need help with. Virtual Organizing allows me to help clients as I walk them through every step and give step by step instructions & agreed up progress meeting dates/times. Contact me to find out how I can assist you in getting your home organized.
Here are just a few items linked below that I use personally & professionally and find helpful in keeping any home organized. ALL items featured are chosen solely by me. *CLICK ON PHOTO TO PROCEED TO PRODUCT
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. This allows me to take the time to share with you products that I love through my blog & social media.
An absolute game changer in upper kitchen cabinets and in pantry’s too! I love these to organize spices and make everything easier to see at a glance. Click link to see other color choices. I like the classic white w/gray shown in the link above. Measurements seen in link.
This Lazy Susan type organizer is great under sinks, in cabinets, in a pantry…you name it! Add as many as you’ll need to keep you organized & help you find your items fast. Measurements in link. Click photo link to see other color choices & proceed to product.
Another great item for under sinks, in cabinets, in a pantry. This one has taller sides so tall bottles won’t topple over and its handy handles makes it easy to move about. Great for baking supplies that you store in the pantry or in a cabinet but need to easily move to your countertop when ready to bake. Turn Table/Lazy Susan type style. Click link to see other color choices.
An all time favorite kitchen accessory for me! I have mine in my pantry for baking supplies. With its turn table type design, it makes it super easy to find items. Would also be great for a coffee/tea station! SO many uses for this great item including storing canned goods. Also great for medications/bandages/etc. in an upper cabinet (away for kiddos). Measurements & other color choices available through link. Click photo to proceed to product.
I have bamboo drawer organizers in every single kitchen drawer of mine! They are adjustable so you can use for every day silverware in one drawer and use for cooking utensils in another drawer, pens/scissors & such in another drawer.
Makes for a great desk drawer organizer too. Depending on the size of your bathroom vanity drawer size…this can also be a great organizer for makeup brushes, eyeliners, hair accessories, etc. Double check your drawer dimensions for best fit. Measurements for the above item can be found in the link. Click on photo to proceed to item/link & to see more photos of product.
I love this Con-Tact Brand Non-Adhesive Under Sink Mat. I especially like it under a kitchen sink but of course it can be used under bathroom sinks too. You can cut it to size. It’s non-adhesive which I prefer. It’s easy to wipe clean when needed. It is water resistant and helps to protect your cabinet base from water marks, stains, scratches, or damage. It’s super durable, easy to use and does the job! Click photo for details & to proceed to product.
White or Gray! You choose your color of choice. A set of 3 metal canisters no matter which color you choose with airtight, bamboo lids and clear see-through windows on each container. Great for storing pasta, coffee, teas, nuts, grains, etc. This set of 3 will look amazing displayed on your kitchen counter or in your pantry. Click on photo to proceed to product and make your color choice. Food Safe!
They nest inside each other when not being used to save space but who wouldn’t be using these all the time?
I LOVE Mrs. Meyers products! Here are a set of 3 bottles of multi-purpose cleaner. I like to leave 1 bottle under my kitchen sink, 1 bottle in my laundry room and 1 bottle in my cleaning caddy for use in our different bathrooms as needed.
I love how gentle but effective this product is! There are more scents to choose from but I love this one for cleaning. Lemon Verbena featured here. Click photo link to see other scents.
This is a large dish soap refill container. It will last a long time. Just refill your dish soap dispenser at your kitchen sink and you’ll be ready to clean that pot in your sink with this lovely Basil scent (my very favorite of all the scents). There are other scents to choose from. Just click the photo to proceed to product choices.
You can also get a set of three (dish soap, hand soap & multi-purpose cleaner). It’s a great way to try some of their different products. There are many scents available. This is the Apple Cider above, which is another of my favorites!
I LOVE Mrs. Meyers products! They smell amazing, they work, they are NOT tested on animals, and SO much more goodness. Check out all of their products. There’s so much more than I’ve mentioned here to try. Enjoy!
Okay, there you have it…just a few of my favorite organizing items and a few of my favorite cleaning products (because you can’t truly organize without cleaning as you go along too, right?).
I’ll be back with MUCH more! Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding other items I love for different rooms not covered in this post. Check out my other blog posts here too for more organizing, staging, decorating, gift ideas and more.
Follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for more tips & items I love.
Happy Sprucing!
~Scarlett