Spring Cleaning! Organize Now!

[5ft Diva]

Yeah, you're right. I need something right when everyone walks through the front door. (I'm thinking the temporary home right now is on that desk under the bunk bed - in a basket, of course, in the living room.) OH, I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL MY BASEMENT IS FINISHED!!!!!! It will solve so many orphan problems.

Thanks for the thoughts, E. And I'm excited for your trip to IKEA. Wish I was going w/. I told BS that I want to go w/ him one day....but I know I'll need to plan a trip all by myself just so I can "window shop".

OH, and the 30th works for me. Until then...

[Erudite]

Well, I didn't end up with an "organizer" for my bathroom drawer, but I'm not sure I need it either. It turns out it was mostly garbage at the back of the drawer, so it just needed to be cleaned out and the stuff put back in a neat way.

I did pick up some magazine holders to organize all the magazines and catalogs that make it into my house, but not to my priorities list. So now I have "organize office book shelves" on my to-do list and that'll be my next project, to be done hopefully before next Monday, April 6. But right now, I'm slightly behind in my work, so I need to do some catch-up before I can do more home organizing.

So what is everyone else's next project? Did you finish the first one? If not, is there something we can do to help?

[Meticulous madness]

My next project is my hall closet#1 (I'm still avoiding my odds'n'ends baskets, NG - heehee).

What happens here in my hall closet? Well, lots of stuff. I throw my extra food items in there when I don't have the space in my kitchen pantry.

It's a place where I store my towels, toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates/bowls, plastic utensils and stuff like that.

I also throw many miscellaneous things in there, like our 72 hour kits, my camera, our humidifiers, packing tape, bar soap and hand soap. Sheese. It sounds worse when I write that all out (especially since I'm only naming the big items).

No wonder I have to clean it out so often, it really does pile up.

Even though it IS a catch-all area, it doesn't look as bad as you'd think by my description. I guess that's because I have to clean it out every few months. I would; however, like to be able to get it organized enough that everything just has a spot, and I no longer use it to hide stuff quickly or to get stuff out of the way.

Maybe I could have one shelf empty, for throwing stuff there (and a time frame for finding a home for anything I set there). Does that sound like a cop out? :-)


What SHOULD happen here? I don't know. I'm kind of at a loss really. My guess is that I should narrow it down to one TYPE of thing. But, finding a home for everything else is daunting, honestly.

I'm listing my deadline for this project as Monday, April 6th also.

[Erudite]

Ohhh! You should see my office shelves. They look SO GREAT! I just went through and straightened and dusted around everything, then I organized and threw out a bunch of stuff that I wasn't using, and I put the magazines in the new magazine holders I picked up at IKEA. I know where everything is again and it is easily accessible.

Next I want to move the fabric on last shelf to a new location so I can have that shelf for the office stuff. My sewing area is a temporary corner in my family room that eventually should have a real table (it's a tipping card table at the moment) and some bench seating for when I need more seats for dinner guests or games or SEWING! So eventually, all the fabric and notions should go there. But I don't have the money to do that area the way I want to do it right now. But, I need something more permanent and useful than what I have now. So I'm going to some inexpensive improvising. Don't know exactly what...I gotta take a tour of my house and see what can be repurposed. I'll get back to you on the plan by next Monday.

MM on your front hall closet....my thoughts are that you do (as you know) have way too much going on for that space. Consider how it is really used and what in it would be better placed elsewhere. I have an even smaller front hall closet than you do that holds my 72 Hour kit, the vaccum, winter coats (though they're about to leave...yeah!) and my wrapping (for presents) supplies). It is CRAMMED, but reasonable because I picked up some sweater shelves...you know the kind you snap onto the bar and it hangs down 6 flat shelves and you put sweaters or shoes or whatever in them? I picked them up at Walmart when we lived there and labeled them all with a name. With this, I have 1) a divider in the closet between the coats and the wrapping stuff/vacuum area; 2) a place to put individual children's hats and gloves in the winter, and bike helmets in the summer.

Then I put those fantastic (no home should be without) 3m hooks on the wall and I hung the 3 biggest gift bags I have and put all the other gift wrap stuff in them. I also have a tall basket on the floor for the tubes of gift wrap paper, which created a home for gift wrap supplies that only get used once a month maybe, but that you gotta have.

The vacuum goes in front of the gift wrap stuff. Under the coats on the other side of the shelf-divider-thing is my 72 hour kit. The whole thing is 36 inches wide and 24 deep. Crammed, but reasonable because I added more organization. Oh, there is a shelf above the bar, but it is so high that it is nearly unusable. I have stuff up there, but I don't know exactly what. Guess that should be my next project.

There are two things that don't work in this house...the back hall and the laundry room. The back hall, where this coat closet is, is just too tiny. That's the one major renovation in the house that has a high priority; we have the space in the garage to double the size of the back hall and thus get oodles of space. But again, can't afford that right now.

Anyway, I hope that might help you to think about your hall closet. Ok...we're supposed to be holding each other accountable...so MM, since you last posted, what have you been able to organize in that closet? I just read your post again and it occurred to me that maybe the paper goods and pantry items should be down in the basement?

[5ft Diva]

Would you be willing to post a picture, E?

[Meticulous madness]

I would definitely like to see pictures, too, ER. I have a coat closet that sounds similar to what you've done. We keep our coats in there, and gloves (though I never thought about doing the drop-down shelves for individual items, like gloves and hats and stuff - and I never thought about removing the coats when it's not winter time).

We keep the broom and vacuum and mop there. I also keep my gift wrap and ribbon in there. I have a hanging organizer for that stuff, which is specifically made to hold tubes of wrapping paper, and bows. It definitely works, but I can ALWAYS fine-tune things when I hear better ideas for particular items. I use the top shelf for more ribbon and raffia-type stuff. I constantly use it, so it seems to be a good spot.


As far as my current closet project is concerned...unfortunately, I've missed my self-imposed deadline. I got a little side tracked, by the other closet (I'll call it closet 2) in my hallway. I cleaned off a few shelves in that one as I was trying to decide what I could move from closet 1. Then I got a bit overwhelmed by still not knowing exactly HOW I need to organize both of them. I really can't do one without the other. So, it's more 'major' of a project than I was expecting. Atleast if I want to clean/organize it right.

I did realize, too, that in Closet 2 I have another section of gift-wrap stuff which I use all the time (in addition to the coat closet stuff). I keep all of my gift bags, tissue paper and nick-nack boxes in there. Hmmmm. I don't know why I separate all those. I keep lots of empty mailing boxes by the gift bags, and some bubble wrap and stuff like that. Maybe it's time to add all that to the coat closet, or vice-versa.

I love this thread, it makes me THINK.

I really should set a new deadline, I know. But, ummm...I'm feeling non-commital momentarily.

I better take atleast another week just to consider my options. I really do want to be happy with the result.

[Erudite]

Ok, I'll post a picture when I get the chance. They really do look great.

On my next project, my sewing area...
I have had a 4 drawer dresser in my garage for 5 years. Yes, I moved it from Tooele. I've never had a spot in the house for it, so I've never finished it. I sanded it back in Tooele, but never painted it. IT is going to become my sewing organization spot. I think I'll take out the divider between the first and second drawers and put doors on it to make a small armoir (this is an idea that 5D gave me eons ago...did you ever do that, 5D?). Then I can put fabrics inside the little cupboard and notions and what not in the drawers. I just have to figure out what color to paint it. The weather is so nice, I might be able to get that done this week, but it'll probably be next week, since I'll need some power tool help.

Then I'm also going to go get a table from DI and get it sanded and paint it the same color as the dresser. And should make an area that will work for a little bit till the permanent elements go in. K...5D? You're good at paint colors and have seen my family room. What color would you suggest for this furniture?

MM...way to go on getting started on closets! The shelves in my office wore me out and I would have felt non-committal about them if you'd asked me in the middle too. That's ok. Give it a day or two of mulling and you'll come up with a fantastic idea, I'm sure!! On moving winter coats: I have a hardly-used closet upstairs in my bathroom that I put them and the boots, hats, and gloves in, so I do have another home for them. Absolutely move them out of your way, even if you box them and put them in the garage. You'll love it for the summer at least!

[natickgirl]

Ummmmmm. Stalling. Stalling. Nothing to report....... Can I use taxes & a dispute w/ a mechanic & Chase Visa as an excuse? No. Didn't think so. Ummmmmm.............

[runamyrun]

I have nothing to report yet about the project I had listed, but I do have something else to report. I really had wanted to have make my project be to finish painting my bedroom, but I wasn't sure if it would happen soon or not. Well, on Saturday we finished painting our bedroom! DH put all the furniture back in place and it is so much nicer. In the future I would like to get matching nightstands, but now is not the time. Also, we are figuring out what we would like to have above our bed. So our bedroom is still a project of mine, but more of a long term one.