The second step in the organizing process (after sorting through your belongings), is to categorize everything you own. \u201cA common mistake we see during this phase is that people make the categories too specific,\u201d reports Hagmeyer. When the categories are so narrow, it can be difficult to keep up with the system you\u2019ve created and you\u2019ll end up tossing items in any container you see.\n
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Smart Solution:\u00a0When sorting, Hagmeyer recommends keeping in mind the mantra \u201cbroad is best,\u201d and avoiding the tendency to create narrow categories. \u201cAn example of this would be in a children’s space labeling one bin cars, and another trucks, and another planes. Instead, name one bin auto!\u201d she says.\n Sure, you could store all your cleaning supplies on the service porch, in the garage, or under the kitchen sink, but if your home is large or has multiple floors, that\u2019s a lot of trekking back and forth come housework day. Instead, keep cleaning supplies in or near the room where they are actually used: toilet and tub cleaner under the bathroom sink, kitchen-cleaning products under the kitchen sink, and\u00a0general household cleaners\u00a0stashed in a tote that\u2019s easy to grab-and-go when you need it.\n Many homes have closets and cabinets loaded with dusty items being stored \u201cjust in case\u201d they are ever needed. But unless that item is actually used at least once a year\u2014holiday decorations, for example, or seasonal sporting goods\u2014it\u2019s actually just taking up space that could be put to better use storing things you do need and use regularly. Be honest with yourself, and sell or donate those \u201cjust in case\u201d items that you know deep down inside are never going to be needed.\n Stacking Dishware Way Too High\n As the founder of the organizing team\u00a0Bneato Bar, Beth Penn is a pro at streamlining everything from entryways to email inboxes. Oftentimes, the smallest tweaks that clients would never think to make themselves end up being the most transformative. Case in point: Penn recommends never stacking dishes or cups too high in a kitchen cabinet. \u201cThey can chip or wobble,\u201d she warns. While the cabinet may appear tidy upon first glance, if you end up needing the plate all the way at the bottom of the stack, you\u2019ll quickly learn how impractical this system is.\n Organizing your home is never a \u201cone and done\u201d activity. It requires regular\u2014usually daily\u2014attention to putting things where they belong, getting rid of belongings that no longer serve a purpose in your life, and adapting your methods as necessary to maintain a clean, functional, and attractive space. Luckily, for most people it only takes a few minutes a day to accomplish this. Don\u2019t make the common mistake of procrastinating on your organizing efforts, as all too quickly what was a small task becomes a major project that is hard to face, thus leading to further procrastination.\n Cramming Every Product into the Medicine Cabinet\n If you own a massive stash of makeup and products, trying to fit them all into a narrow medicine cabinet isn\u2019t going to work. If a bottle of hairspray or a tube of toothpaste falls out every time you open the door, take it as a sign that you\u2019re overloading this storage unit.\n Smart Solution: \u201cTry adding open shelving nearby… and a big basket with a lid to hide things like a hair dryer and hair products,\u201d Penn recommends. Show off the prettiest bottles and perfumes on the open shelving, and use the closed basket for any products you\u2019d like to hide out of sight.\n Just because you\u2019ve neatly stacked all of that unfiled paperwork on your desk, the multiple plastic storage containers sans lids in your cupboard, or the magazines you definitely intend to read \u201cone of these days,\u201d that doesn\u2019t actually count as organized. You\u2019ve merely made clutter less overwhelming. Instead, file or toss those papers, read or dispose of the magazines, and get rid of excess storage containers, along with any other items you\u2019ve \u201corganized\u201d by stacking.\n Far too many people become so enthusiastic about the idea of organizing that they hurry out and buy an overload of boxes and bins which wind up becoming clutter themselves. If your garage, kitchen cabinets, or\u00a0coat closets\u00a0hold a plethora of storage boxes packed into other storage boxes that you\u2019re holding onto in case you need them at some indeterminate date, then it\u2019s time to let those extra organizers go.\n Not Cleaning Clothes Before Storing Them\n \u201cThe only way to keep moths and other pests at bay is to clean your clothes and linens before storing them for any length of time,\u201d says Cattano. If there are traces of food and scents on the fabric, bugs will find a way to get to them, and the last thing you want is to open a storage bin to find a moth has devoured your favorite sweater. \u201cI’ve seen moths in airtight containers loaded with cedar chips,\u201d warns Cattano. \u201cBugs will get wherever they want, so don’t invite them.\u201d\n A well-organized bedroom closet definitely speeds up your mornings, but only if that organization works for your actual lifestyle and needs. Just because you admire a gorgeously organized closet on Pinterest or Instagram doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s the best solution for your own home. Sure, your dressiest shoes and garments might look spectacular up front and on display when you open the closet door, but if you rarely wear those items, it makes more sense to store them towards the back of the closet, and instead move the shoes and clothing you wear most often up front where they are easily accessed.\n Ideally, clean and organized go together, but one does not necessarily indicate the other. It\u2019s entirely possible to have a clean home that\u2019s very cluttered, or an organized home that\u2019s actually grungy. However, once you have your space organized properly, it does become a lot easier to keep it clean, as you no longer need to maneuver around clutter. Still, don\u2019t confuse the two; you need to both organize your belongings and clean your home on a regular basis.\n Your kitchen counters might look Instagram worthy without the coffee maker, toaster, or knife block out on display, but if you use those things every day, it makes more sense to keep them out than to put them away and pull them back out each and every morning. Instead, store small appliances and kitchen gadgets that are used on occasion, while leaving out only those items that truly are used regularly.\n It\u2019s possible to have a well-organized home that still feels cluttered. No matter how large your space, it has a maximum storage capacity beyond which you enter the \u201ctoo much stuff\u201d zone. The solution is simple, although not necessarily easy; you need to be honest with yourself about each and every item residing in your home. If it isn\u2019t useful, beautiful, or loved, it\u2019s taking up space best used by something that does fit those requirements.\n source: bobvila, realsimple\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Making Your Categories Too Specific The second step in the organizing process (after sorting through your belongings), is to categorize everything you own. \u201cA common mistake we see during this phase is that people make the categories too specific,\u201d reports Hagmeyer. When the categories are so narrow, it can be difficult to keep up\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6276,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[85,61,30,6,31,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-6274","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-cleaning-mistake","9":"tag-cleaning-tips","10":"tag-household-hacks","11":"tag-life-style","12":"tag-tips","13":"tag-tricks"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Monochromatic-Pink-and-Blue-Mother-and-Daughter-Photo-Birth-Announcement-Facebook-Cover-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Inconveniently Placed Cleaning Supplies\n
\n\u201cJust in Case\u201d\n
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\nPutting Off What You Should Do Today\n
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\nNeatly Stacked Piles of Clutter\n
\nOverloading on Organizers\n
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\nBedroom Closets that Don\u2019t Work For You\n
\nConfusing Clean with Organized\n
\nInconveniencing Yourself\n
\nToo Much Stuff\n
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