Quarantine Blues? Use Your Time to Get Your Home Organized

With much of the country still under stay at home orders from their governors to slow the spread of coronavirus, people are finding themselves with more time on their hands than ever. Rather that watch movies or stay on the computer all day, why not remain productive and tackle home organization when the chance is there to do so?

Below are several tips for people who want to use this time to organize their homes as efficiently as possible. However, keep in mind that de-cluttering and organizing are not the same thing. De-cluttering is simply getting rid of things homeowners no longer need, which makes the organizing process much more efficient.

Finish One Room at a Time

Even with more time to devote to the task of home organization, the whole project can still feel overwhelming. The best way to deal with this is to tackle one room entirely before moving onto the next one. The easiest way to decide which room to complete first is to determine how much time the family spends in each room. The answer to that question is the living room for many families.

Storage containers that slide underneath a couch or chair are one option as is a single extension cord outlet to connect all cords. The goal is for the room to be neat and organized to allow everyone to continue using and enjoying it.

Kitchen clutter and disorganization can quickly spiral out of control. If cooking utensils, silverware, dishes, and pots and pans are scattered everywhere with no organized system, it can be impossible to cook a good meal because homeowners won’t know where to find anything.

Drawer organizers and pantry organizers can help enable better kitchen organization. It’s also a good idea to go through all food in the refrigerator and cupboard to make sure nothing has expired. Pegboards are another novel and space-saving way to store pots and pans.

Don’t Neglect the Bedroom Closet or Any Other Closet

Clothes go out of fashion, seasons change, and body sizes change. A quick glance at the bedroom closet confirms this. That makes it a great place to start for homeowners serious about taking control of their clutter and living in an organized home. The same rule of thumb applies here as it does to anything else.

If no one has worn an item of clothing in a year, it has stains or rips, or it just doesn’t fit anymore, it doesn’t need to remain in the closet. Clothing still in good condition can go to a donation center while anything no longer wearable can either go in the recycle bin or the trash.

Regardless of the size of a bedroom, coat, or utility closet, it’s easy to make it more organized and appear larger by investing in items like shoe organizers and tiered hangers. The latter allows homeowners to place more than one piece of clothing per hanger based on the size and weight of each item.

Utilizing pegboard shelves is an excellent way to store boxes of clothing not needed this season or boxes containing miscellaneous items from the keep pile.

Create Keep, Store, Donate, and Toss Piles

As described in the above section, eliminating anything not used in one year or longer is an excellent organizational strategy in most situations. For seasonal items, it’s normal to only use them once a year.

Storage bins work especially well for storing them. When going through each room, dividing the items into piles of what to keep, place in storage, donate to charity, or throw away helps to keep organization on track. Just be sure that anything in the donate pile is clean and in gently used condition before giving it away.

Invest in a Pegboard for Better Home Organization

A pegboard is usually several feet long and contains dozens of small holes to hold items in place. For example, a homeowner who places a pegboard in the garage might use it to organize tools by size or by frequency of use.

This can also work well to get children’s toys under control. Some pegboards will require the owner to purchase specialized hooks to accommodate the weight and size of items placed on it. Not only is the pegboard itself neat and organized but placing items on it helps reduce clutter and create a neater and more organized appearance in the home.

Best of all, a pegboard costs much less than a home remodel to add more space.