A few years ago, I sat down with Lora Van Balen from California Closets and she gave me probably 50 tips or more for organization and storage...They're ALL free things you can do to declutter your house and feel calmer before the hustle and bustle of the holidays!
Here's the top 10 things I learned from her that I wanted to share with you...Some of them seem like common sense but sometimes we need a little reminder!
10 Tips To Get Organized For the Holiday:
- Check expiration dates! You'd be surprised how many spices, condiments and other things in your kitchen that can be tossed out...
- Take stock of your 'gadgets'. Do some inventory of your kitchen counters and I'll bet you'll find you don't use half the stuff taking up space. Do you really use your bulky toaster oven each day? What about that Blender? Clearing your counters is huge for decluttering.
- Fold your sweaters. When you hang your sweaters they can stretch and lose their shape...Fold them in short stacks on shelves and it will keep your hanging space free.
- Iron your linens. If you plan on putting out a pretty tablecloth, cloth napkins or placemats out for a fancy holiday table, iron the linens in advance and hang the on hangers. Then when it's time to put them out, you don't have wrinkly tablecloths!
- Label containers. It takes time to label all your holiday containers, but you will thank your future self when you're looking for things next year!
- Get same storage bins. Invest the money to buy some or throw out any different sized storage bins. If you have all the same size and shape bins, it will make for much easier and more efficient storage in attics later.
- Take inventory of decor. When you're putting away decorations this year, take inventory of what you didn't use that stayed in the bins. If you didn't use it this year, chances are good you won't use it next year and don't need to keep it!
- Cheap hacks are in your trash. You can use toiletpaper tubes to manage cords. Egg cartons are perfect for breakable decor items like small ornaments. Use an old magazine rack to store your gift bags neatly.
- Get wire baskets. Wire baskets are cheap and are great for storing winter and/or summer gear in your garage and keeping clutter down. From snow shoes to basketballs...anything can be thrown into a wire basket!
- Shelve your shoes. Shoes should go vertically on shelves to clear up space on your closet floor. Plus, it's easier to see them all! California Closets has an incredible shoe storage system...check it out below:
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