Pantry Bins Reorganization

I wrote a post during the middle of the pandemic when everyone seemed to be buying bins—thanks to a few popular home organizing shows on Netflix. While organizing isn’t just about the bins, I recently realized that my pantry canisters were far from efficient.

During the pandemic we baked and baked, and I accumulated a few more types of flour, in addition to trying to store larger amounts of ingredients. At the same time, one of my stainless steel round canisters got really beat up and bent so that the lid wouldn’t fit tightly anymore. I loved these glass-top, stainless steel canisters that were a wedding gift more than 20 years ago…but they just weren’t working anymore.

I always tell clients to use their vertical space, and as the before photo shows, I had a lot of empty space. I measured and searched for new square bins that would allow me to stack two in the space. I found some online that were perfect for stacking and bought two sets. Now I can store much more in the same amount of space!

Don’t Stress When Getting Dressed: 5 Tips to Clear Closet Clutter

Do you feel stress every time you open your closet? Your closet should make you smile. The number one issue I see with clothing closets is that they are overstuffed. Try these tips to clear the closet clutter and make getting dressed easier.

1. Start to dig into your closet. Pull out all the things that don’t belong there, like papers, tools, stuffed animals. Put these items aside to work on later.

2. Gather and hang similar pieces of clothing together - shirts with shirts, pants with pants. Do the same with any items on shelves.

3. Within each category of clothing, sort by color. This is an instant pick-me-up for your closet, and you’ll be able to see how many white shirts and black sweaters you actually have.

4. Hang one item on a hanger or else it will be impossible to see what’s beyond the first layer of clothing.

5. Organize your accessories. Use hooks to hang belts, bags, or jewelry. Clear out and donate items you really don’t use anymore. The top shelf of the closet can be for hats or dressy bags/shoes that don’t get used as often.

Virtual Organizing Basement Before and After

This summer I organized virtually with a client to help her clean out her basement. We had organized in-person at her home years ago, but never worked on her basement. The client is a busy parent and a professor, and every summer was stressed out by the basement clutter. She dreaded going down there and tried to work on it every summer to get it “done.”

The client realized she needed some support to get through the project, so in late spring we set a schedule of virtual sessions over a few months. She emailed me photos of the space and we made a plan. We met virtually every few weeks to check in on her progress, brainstorm next steps, or find solutions for obstacles. This is the summer that she accomplished her goals!

What worked this time?

• Our regular check-ins, set ahead of time, gave the client regular accountability.

• She scheduled time on her calendar each week to work on the project; instead of saving full days to try to get through it, she aimed for a few sessions each week.

• We broke the large project into smaller discrete projects/tasks she could do in her smaller sessions.

• We discussed where and when she would donate items so she had a plan for getting the unwanted items out of her house.

• After our virtual sessions, we planned out what she’d do later that day, like put donate items out on her curb.

• We also made a plan for the “phase 2” projects that she could do a later point, so she could stay focused on her priority projects.

An Organized Entry

It was so fun to help a client get started on a hall organizing project this month. Closets can easily get overstuffed, so spring and fall are great times to take another look at what’s hiding in there.

Tips from this entryway makeover:

• See what’s really in the closet: the client pulled everything out and sorted the items into different categories.

• Clean out the excess: next the client decided what to keep, what to donate.

• Use containers: the client used bags and bins (ones she already had!) on the closet’s high shelf to contain the less-used categories, such as helmets, snow shoes, and skates.

• Use the vertical space: between the closet and the stairs there was just enough room for the client to add a thin but tall set of cubes with pull out bins. She labeled the bins with the most-used categories of stuff, such as her exercise gear.

She loves her revitalized new entry space and the best part: the whole family is able to find what they need AND put it away.

"Organizing Hour"

I’m excited to share this creative tip from a client to get her family involved in organizing. She instituted a family “organizing hour.” During this time the entire family works on an organizing project, such as decluttering the family room. They have also had their kids organize a space in their rooms, with the parents popping in to support each child as needed.

Projects feel more do-able when broken down into an hour, and the kids can mostly stay focused during that time. Over a school break they accomplished 4 or 5 “organizing hour” sessions. They’ve also had sessions on weekends and over the summer. It’s a simple way to get the family to participate in organizing, while modeling good behaviors such as sorting and donating items.

What creative ideas have you used to motivate yourself or your family to organize?

21 Tips to Get Organized in 2021

January is Get Organized (GO) Month, according to the National Association of Organizing and Productivity Professionals. You’ve probably spent more time at home over the last year than ever before, so it is a great time to refresh your space and tackle some decluttering projects.

Need inspiration? Check out this article from Redfin with 21 ideas to get organized in 2021. Be sure to read to the end to find my tip for how a cart can be an organizing tool!

Pandemic Organizing: Getting Creative with Storage Space

Last spring, after a few months of lockdown, I wrote about pandemic storage - and storage dilemmas I never thought I’d have, like how to store your face masks.

Today, 10 months into the pandemic, we’re definitely buying more in bulk than ever before. I used to have space in my pantry or basement storage, but those areas are really full. This calls for more creative storage. For example, check out these mudroom essentials: bags, gear, exercise stuff...and the Costco-sized box of popcorn.

I also finally decided I need to purchase more bins for my pantry to corral the bulk baking supplies, so they don’t topple down every time I take something off the top shelf. More posts to come on that project.

#saturdayorganizing #pandemicpurchase

Organize your Attic

Today was the day! The semi-annual organizing of the attic. Every fall and spring I do a big organizing of the attic. We have an easy walk up attic, but often lots of things get stuck on the landing or right inside the attic door, not really put away. Today my husband helped me tackle the space.

What we did:

• Put things away. A bunch of bins had been moved due to a roof leak, and now we could put them back. Other things were out of their regular spots. Not putting things away is a huge reason for clutter, so we tackled this first.

• Recycle old boxes. We discovered lots and lots of boxes for electronics we are using and since we’re not moving, it’s time to get recycle the boxes.

• Organize and get rid of donations. I knew we had stuff to donate in the attic, so I pulled it all out and separated the stuff by where it would get donated (books, household goods, and things to put on my local Everything Is Free list). Once you’ve decided to donate something, get it out of your house as soon as possible.

• Plan projects. We had acquired some new “project” furniture, items that we are planning to update or redo. These took a prominent spot not to far away so that I can work on the projects this winter.

This took about three hours, but we felt very accomplished once it was done. Happy that our unwanted items go on to be used by someone else.

Pandemic Organizing: Grab and Go-Get-Social Bag

As I’ve written before, pre-packed bags for different activities make it easy to get out of the house quickly with what you need. The pandemic has created a few new categories of bags at my house.

In late spring we started to drive to different spots for weekend hikes, and put together a hiking bag with water bottles, granola bars, hand sanitizer, bug spray, and sunscreen.

Now as the weather in New England is getting cooler, we’ve created a grab and go-get-social bag for hanging outside in friends’ yards. Everyone in our area seems to be getting a fire pit, fire table, or heat lamp to extend the season for safe outdoor gathering.

For our bag, we used a favorite tote and loaded in:

• bug spray

• blankets

• hats/mittens

• disposable hand warmers

• our own plastic drinkware

Having this “kit” ready to go means we’ll be prepared, whatever the weather, to keep socializing with friends outside this fall. What would you put in your bag?

It's Not About the Containers

Have you been watching a certain show that is making you want to redo your pantry, garage, and every closet with clear bins?

While I’ve been using containers and labels for years, lately I’ve found myself considering reorganizing my entire pantry and kitchen with new bins. Maybe after 7 months of living and working at home all.the.time I’m seeing my kitchen in a new way. Or maybe it’s the relentless ads from certain stores attempting to convince me to buy containers and watch a new home organizing show. Or it could be my ongoing need to be able to control something during this time when so much seems out of control.

Containers can work:

• Clear and labelled containers are very helpful for finding things and putting them away.

• Sometimes there is a specialized container that solves a particular problem.

• I agree that when our space looks great and we use containers we like to look at, we are more likely to be motivated to keep up the organizing system.

But I also know that organizing is not about the containers.

Organizing is about how we interact with our stuff. Containers don’t solve the underlying issues. You still need to deal with the stuff.

That’s why any sustainable organizing strategy has to start not with the containers, but with the harder work of making decisions: keep, toss, recycle, donate? And that’s how I work with clients. We go through the items and I support clients as they make the decisions. Only then will they know how many mugs or books or LEGOs they have, and can determine if a new or specialized container is needed. Clients often have some bins, baskets or other containers already, or we can get creative to repurpose other things already in the space. (See how I used a shoe shelf in my dining room, for example.)

While I’m not anti-container by any means, remember that buying 20 new clear containers probably won’t solve your organizing issue in the long term. Don’t forget to first consider the stuff you are putting in the container.

Organize Your Sheets

Recently a friend asked me: how can she keep her bed linens together by size?

Sheets often get stuffed into the linen closet, making it hard to figure out what size they are, and the printing on sheet tags can wear out over time.

Here are 6 ways to keep your linen sets together:

1. Put the sheet set inside the pillowcase, and label your linen closet shelves. This is my favorite way to keep sheets by size together because it is so simple!

2. Store sheet sets in small bins, labeled by size.

3. Use a permanent fabric marker to indicate the sheet size right on the sheet - just put a “T,” “Q” or “F” for example on the sheet tag, or inside corner.

4. Use a band around the sheet set, like this “sheet keeper” that states the size on the band.

5. Another option is to store the extra sheets for the bed in that bedroom, either under the bed or in a drawer or closet. That way you’ll have the right size for the bed.

6. You can also color code your sheets by bedroom or size: light blue is master bedroom, while the green and navy sheets are the kids’ rooms.

Sheets kept in the pillowcase, on labeled shelves

Creating Storage in a Vintage Closet

Closet storage is a top issue for my clients. Many of the homes I work in (including my own house, circa 1890) were built before walk-in closets were invented. Homes from the late 1800s, and even from the turn of the century to 1950 just didn’t have large closets.

In the typical New England house closet, you open the door and see one shelf near the ceiling, and then below a single bar for hanging clothes. To make this kind of closet work, I recommend either installing a closet system (like Elfa from The Container Store, which I’ve had installed in my antique closets) or using bins.

For this project, the client was storing baby items and outgrown kids clothes in this guest-room closet. We pulled everything out, then sorted and weeded. Some items were donated or went to another room. The remaining items were stored in clear bins with labels.

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Organize Your Bathroom

Bathrooms are a high use area and can be challenging to keep organized, especially if you don’t have a lot of space. Here’s how to keep it in order:

• Only keep daily use items on the counter. Things you don’t use every day don’t need to be out.

• Use a tray to keep similar items together.

• Use containers to keep categories of items together, like shampoo, soap, or toothpaste.

• Smaller containers are useful to break up larger spaces, like deep drawers or under the sink.

• The under sink area can be a trap for lots of stuff. Clear out what doesn’t belong and get rid of old or expired items. Keep cleaning products together, ideally in a bin.

• Regularly go through your medicine cabinet.

• Don’t forget to use vertical space for hooks, or space on the back of the door for towels.

Clearing Cookbooks

We’ve been doing a lot of cooking during the stay-at-home orders, and digging into new recipes from our cookbooks. While I know many people prefer digital recipes, I do enjoy using actual cookbooks, and many are sentimental. I also have binders with my favorite recipes, some from my mom and some I’ve printed out. My daughter has also been creating her own collection of cookbooks and we were running out of room.

Finally I decided to tackle the project on a recent Saturday and weed out a few cookbooks in the pantry that we didn’t use much. I’m hoping I can donate the extras through my local “Everything is Free” list once it opens up again.

By moving some other dishes around and getting rid of a stack of cookbooks I gained a ton of room. Excited to create a little space!

More shelf space for cookbooks (and cooking magazines) in the pantry

How to Store your Face Masks

In this age of coronavirus, masks are a new necessity. Here in Massachusetts, masks are currently required wear, so we can’t leave home without them.

How to remember to take your mask? Find the right storage spot. Some ideas:

• Hang masks on a hook with your coats or keys.

• Hang them on the doorknob.

• Store them in a basket by the door.

• Keep some in the car glove box (at least one for each family member).

How do you store your masks? Comment below or email me your ideas.

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Pandemic Storage

Have you had to store things differently during the coronavirus pandemic? We’re going on week seven of our stay at home orders here in Massachusetts. Since we have been trying to limit our shopping trips, I found myself stocking up on hard-to-find items when they were available. This has led to some organizing issues I never expected, like how to store 25 pounds of flour (and judging by my friends’ social media posts, I’m not alone in this issue!).

My storage tips for life right now (buying in bulk):

• Make room!

  • We cleared out some junk and found extra space on shelves in the basement for paper goods. The shelves are right near the bottom of the basement stairs so they are easy to use. We often keep paper goods there, but we had a larger amount than usual.

  • We’ve had to make more room in the freezer for food from our larger-than-normal grocery runs. Bonus: tips for organizing your freezer.

• Use the right containers. Some we had, some we had to buy. Two examples:

  • I purchased two food-safe storage bins online for holding the 25 pounds of flour, instead of the original bag. We had to clear more shelf space to store the bins! Flour was really hard to find around here at first, so everyone has been buying it in bulk, Another friend suggested this container on wheels.

  • We saved the empty yeast container and decanted from the new 1-pound bag into it. The remaining yeast went into a clean mason jar with a new lid. (My daughter loves to bake desserts and my husband makes bread, so I know we’ll be going through these supplies.)

• Plan. We’ve had to plan even more than usual: what do we need to eat up from the freezer, what ingredients go in the recipe, how we’re going to get groceries.

Have you come up with creative storage solutions? Let me know!

25-lb bag of flour

Flour in clear food-safe bins

Organize Your Freezer

During the stay at home orders, I heard from several friends that they were buying larger amounts than usual, and had to clean out the freezer. Here’s how to keep your freezer organized in a few easy steps:

• Take everything out, even food in the way back, and throw out anything that has been around for a year, or has a layer of permafrost.

• If you have food in containers, label each one before you put it back. Get into the habit of writing a description and the date on everything before it goes in the freezer.

  • Bonus tip: to make labeling easier, I keep masking tape and a sharpie in a drawer next to my fridge so I can quickly write out a label.

• Keep similar sized items together; for example, stack up prepared foods - and turn the labels facing out so you can easily see what you have.

• Consider using clear bins to store similar items, such as frozen veggies.

• Need more space? Plan meals using up foods in the freezer.

• Don’t know what’s in your freezer? Make a list/use a whiteboard.

Easy labels with making tape and a sharpie

Organizing to WFH: Conference & Video Calls

Going on week four of quarantine/mandatory work-from-home (WFH)…and this is a typical scene: I’ll be helping a client organize virtually (yes, it’s a thing!) while my husband is on a conference call with his team. Throw in our high-schooler who may be on Zoom for classes and volunteer activities, and there can be a lot of calls/video going on in our house at the same time.

I’ll admit it: I’m not used to being in my home office every day (I do miss working with my clients at their homes), not to mention sharing it with my husband every day. To be fair, it is supposed to be “our” home office but in normal times, I’m the only one who uses it regularly. The room isn’t large and our work stations are back to back, so sometimes while we are working away I’m not sure if my husband is talking to me, or talking on his conference call, thanks to his wireless headphones. He can walk all over the house chatting too, still on a call. Similar issue with our teen: her door is often closed and we don’t want to walk in on a class video call.

We needed to figure out how to alert others in the house that we are on a work call, so we came up with these ideas:

• Connie the Conference Call Dinosaur (see photo). If Connie is on your desk, you’re on a call and not available to chat with others. This could work with any fun object.

• Wear a particular hat, especially useful for my husband if he’s walking in and out of the home office and still on a call. There are many hats he can choose from: Fez, Cowboy hat from Australia, or the navy hat, to name a few.

• I suggested my daughter make a door sign that says “video call in progress,” kind of like the sign you see when filming TV to let you know you’re on the air.

So far Connie seems to be working: now in our office I can quickly glance over my shoulder and if Connie is out, I don’t ask my husband if he took the trash out. We’re going to try to implement the other ideas as well. What are you doing to make working from home work for you? I’d love to hear your creative ideas.

Bonus: Good article from Staples about how to work from home with a spouse or partner.

COnnie the Conference call Dino In action

Organizing to Work From Home: Your Routine

It can be challenging to work from home and still be productive. There are more distractions (kids, snacks, the couch!) than you usually have in the office, yet you still have to meet work expectations.

With so many of us now forced to WFH, here’s how to ease the transition and keep it all together.

• Have an intentional workspace (not just the laptop in bed)

• If you do have an office area, avoid getting up and going right to your work computer in your PJs

• Try to stick to some familiar routines: shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, get your cup of coffee before you start working

• Do take breaks to get outside for a walk around the block or just hang out in your yard for a few minutes; studies, like this one, have found that a “green break” can be good for you and your productivity

• If you and a partner are both trying to work and take care of the kids at the same time, make a schedule of who’s “on” to help with the kids around daily work calls and project priorities

• Be sure to keep in touch with your manager/your team throughout the work week

Organizing to Work From Home (WFH): Your Space

In our current reality, you may now be unexpectedly working from home. Here’s how to get your WFH space organized for success.

If you have an office or dedicated room to work in:

• Make sure you have a clear space to work. This could be an actual desk, or a temporary table set up in the space. If the desk/table isn’t clear, for the time being you have permission to move off the “stuff” into a box and go through it later.

• Have the supplies you’ll need within easy reach, such as phone, note paper, pens.

• Do you need a whiteboard in your space for sketching out ideas? (You may have on in another room you can borrow temporarily.)

• Working via video conference? Check your spot for good lighting and pay attention to what’s behind you if your webcam is on.

  • Bonus links: How to look your best on a webcam from the New York Times and more great tips from Lifehaker.

If you don’t have a dedicated room to work in, you can:

• Create a temporary workspace in the corner of another room. A card table in the living room, comfy chair in the bedroom, or kitchen counter.

• Set up a mobile workstation. Gather your supplies in a bin or basket and have it handy, wherever you work. This is similar to my idea of a homework workstation, gather what you need and leave it in the bin.

For any work space:

• Take stock of your computer set up: do you need a headset, webcam, or monitor? Again, pay attention to lighting and the background for any video conferencing.

• Don’t forget to be sure you have a powerstrip and cord control. One of my favorite items to contain the cords is the CableBox.

• Use a comfortable (and ergonomic) chair.

• Have something that makes you smile - a photo, drawing, or other object - in your workspace.

• Don’t scatter your papers and supplies around the house, especially if you have other family members working from home. Try to keep work things contained.