Let's Get Organized...Part #1

"Lets Get Organized”

Well we are in the middle of February and are you tackling the junk, the piles of paper and the closets yet?

How many of you currently have a well organized home?

 If you do that’s fabulous, but if you have a junk drawer…your house is “NOT” organized.

In Millie’s home organizational theory, junk drawers do not exist.

A junk drawer only houses junk and junk is for the trash. 

My first lesson in organizing is to get rid of your junk drawer COMPLETELY…this drawer no longer exist.

Another thing is let’s not confuse neatness with organization.

Neatness…is keeping a pleasingly clean condition

Organization…is having a formal place for everything in your home and life.

Today I hope I can help someone out there to organize their homes and to keep it organized by using my PBC outline. 

1. Prepare

Prepare every area you plan to tackle in your organizing project before you start. Make a list of every project you wish to tackle and organize. Then make a list of the things you need to buy to complete your task. Finally set a starting & finishing goal date.

2. Buy

Buy only what you need for the room you will be working on.

Here are some items you may consider:

Plastic see thru storage bins (all sizes)

3, 6 or 8 plastic drawer storage bins

 Baskets

 Hooks

Filing cabinets

Decorative Boxes

Shoe Hangers

(Hanging one on the inside or outside of each door in your house will organize & store many small items other than shoes)

Shelves & brackets

Coat Hangers & large hooks

LABELS!…almost everything should be labeled. 

****Do one room at a time and once you start that room do not answer the phone unless it’s an absolute emergency. If you must answer the phone, remember to multi-task…speak as you work…do not stop.

Also do not start another project until the project you are working on is completed.

3. Clean

It is very important to clean out the room you will be working in of all unnecessary items first.

Lets begin….

Before you tackle the house I suggest you tackle first the garage. By cleaning out and organizing the garage first it allows you to put all the donate boxes and trash bags inside the garage before sending them to their destination as you work in the house.

***Get lots of medium & large boxes 

Mark 3 of them as:

1. Donate

2. Save

3. Trash

Here are just some tips & ideas that will help you in your organizational quest.

1. Use a cleaning caddie ( you can buy these caddies for $1 dollar at any dollar store) to carry all your cleaning supplies and rags to clean and you purge.

2. Start on one end of the room and work yourself around the room slowly until you end up where you started from and don’t forget to go through everything, fold everything and organize everything as you go.

3. As you start put everything into their designated box...Save, donate or trash.

4.  Put aside all the “save” items in their box for when you are put the room back together. Before you save these items go through them again and PURGE some more!!!! 

Remember to PURGE…PURGE…PURGE!!!!

5. Throw out the trash into a trash bag when the trash box gets full and reuse that box over and over again...box up all the donated items and move them into the garage right away. Then tag another box as "donate"and continue.

Next week I will give you some more great ideas for each room. Happy Cleaning.