San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TOP TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR CLOSETS AND CABINETS
In the 1930s, two popular radio comedians were Fibber Mcgee and Molly. The running gag with Fibber was his hall closet – whenever he opened it on his show, a heap of piled-up possessions would come tumbling out in a comedic cacophony. Today, however, if you opened your closet and a jumble of junk spilled out, you wouldn’t find it so funny. Yet many of us continue to treat our closets, cubbies and pantries like landfill zones where all manner of miscellaneous items can be hidden from sight. That’s a recipe for organizational disaster, the pros caution. “One of the most common challenges is putting things away where they belong. It’s tempting just to shove something in a closet or cupboard. Homeowners say to themselves they will deal with it properly later,” says Jonda Beattie, a professional organizer in Atlanta. “The problem is that later never happens. Things get piled on top of things and are pushed to the back of a cabinet. All order is lost.”
Maintaining a clutter-free, organized and neat home requires keeping tidy cabinets and closets, says Jayna Lattimore, pro-organizer and founder of Ordered, LLC. “This allows your home to be its most functional so that you can have positive experiences in it. Upkeep is especially important in enclosed areas like cabinets and closets because you are only allotted a certain amount of square footage for the smaller spaces, and it’s (important) that you make the best use of that space,” says Lattimore. Proper organization can bring a sense of calm and relieve stress by avoiding feelings of overwhelm when there isn’t enough time in the day to do household chores, notes Caitlin Ruth, founder and CEO of a home-organization company in Atlanta. “When small spaces like closets and cabinets have systems in place, your entire household can collectively contribute to putting away groceries, laundry, and other important things,” Ruth explains. Your first step is to determine the purpose of each closet and cabinet. “In your bedroom closet, for instance, do you want it to hold all your clothes or only the current season’s clothes? Should the linen closet also hold extra toilet paper and bathroom supplies?” asks Diane Quintana, a certified professional organizer. The next step involves decluttering closets and cabinets. Decide what you no longer like or want to keep and remove these items, which can be discarded, donated, or sold. Also, remove duplicates. “If you have doubles, pick one. No one needs five spatulas,” says Ruth. For bedroom closets, invest in quality hangers, utilize space under hanging areas, create zones