TOYS

The 1-2-3s of big and small de-cluttering projects (and how to make short work of both)

Last month we talked about the fundamentals of preparing for a move. As I pointed out, you don’t have to make a physical move for this topic to be relevant. Even if you are not changing residences, it’s smart to de-clutter periodically. It clears your mind and confirms what makes you happy. It also helps life go more smoothly. And if you ever do change residences (and most of us will), you’re a step ahead.

Before we get into the specifics of tackling projects, I want to review just a couple of major points. The first might well be my mantra because it applies to so many aspects of organization and life:

You pay rent on everything you keep in your life.

What I mean by this is that in addition to the actual rent you pay for the space each item occupies; you pay rent on the visual space when you see it, and finally it costs you mental rent because once you see it you process it and decide what it is; a pillow, magazine, etc. For the things you love and reflect who you are, a family photo, for example, the rent is an investment. Items that don’t bring you joy, don’t work, or even aren’t used, are probably expenses. 

Keep in mind, when you let go of something, you are not letting go of the memory, nor are you being rude to the giver. You might believe that you will forget if you give it away, but you won’t forget that your 35-year-old daughter once played with the toys you have boxed up in the attic.  

Review point: The decluttering process is much like losing weight.

When you are on a diet, you lose weight one pound at a time. You don’t lose the entire 30 pounds in one day. It’s the same with de-cluttering. Take it one drawer, one bookshelf, one closet at a time.

Final review point: This process is not a race.

For some, it will be a daily task, for others weekly, and for some a sporadic job done between the more urgent needs of caring for a family, a job or both. It doesn’t matter as long as you are moving forward at a pace that doesn’t cause you stress and anxiety.

Ready to get started?

There are no extra points for tackling the Mount Everest of decluttering first. The view won’t be better nor will you get done faster. So:

1: Start Small

Sock drawers are a good small project. They are simple to go through and non-emotional. As you go through the drawers, do two things. Throw away most of the socks with worn-out heels or holes in one sock or both. It’s not fair to give those to charities and force them to go through them again.

I say most because I like to use socks for dusting fan blades and for things like cleaning wood with an oil-based cleaner. If you have small children, socks are also an easy way for them to help wash cars or windows. Keep a few for those tasks, but if you only clean the fan blades a few times a year or the kids don’t help with those kinds of tasks, you won’t need dozens of socks. 

One question I often hear about sock drawers is whether to purchase the dividers designed to help you organize your socks. Personally, I don’t like them. I won’t take the time to fold each pair and line them up in the divider. Others love them because they can immediately see the precise pair of socks they want and organize their socks by color and type. The question is: Will you take the time to put them in the dividers properly? There is no right or wrong, no organizational high ground. Do what works for you.

Lingerie drawers are another good starter project. As with socks, the goal is to remove any items that don’t fit or you don’t/won’t use and give them to charity or the trash. As you are going through, make a list of anything you need to purchase. When there is a sale on lingerie, you will know what you actually need.

Congratulations. You are now ready to move up the difficulty scale. You should be able to estimate the time you will need for more emotionally-involved or item-heavy jobs based on your success with smaller jobs. That leads me to the next tip:

2. Be realistic

Don’t unload several closets at once thinking you will get them all organized in one morning or even one day. In fact, you may want to start with part of a closet, or just the shoes in the closet. 

In fact, shoes are a good example of a medium-difficulty organizational project. Shoes can be a huge thing for some people and not just women.

Begin by deciding on an organizational method. By that I mean how specific you want to get. You can organize shoes into broad groups, i.e. dress shoes, work shoes, and play shoes. Or you can organize them into very specific groups, i.e. summer shoes (flip flops, sandals), sports shoes (tennis, walking, aerobics, golf), casual shoes, dress shoes, work shoes, etc.

The same principles apply here as with other items: If you don’t use/wear it, give it to someone who can or donate it.

When deciding how many of a particular type of shoe to keep, consider how you spend most of your time. If nice shoes are a big part of your life—you wear them most days—you may want to keep more pairs than if you work from home. Is there a pair that can go with multiple outfits? Keep those over a pair with limited use. How many pairs of sneakers do you really need? Unless you play multiple sports, the answer is probably two—a nice pair and one to do chores in. The litmus test for keeping shoes and many other items is: When these wear out, would I go out and purchase these again?

I want to comment on kids shoes for a minute. So many parents keep shoes for younger siblings to grow into. Check with your pediatrician about this. Every foot is different. Even if it is the right size, a shoe that supported one child’s foot perfectly may not do so for the next child. Sorry to say, this is even true for those expensive sports shoes such as baseball cleats. Even though it is a thrifty thing to do and the cleats may not have been worn that much, they may be doing more harm than good by not giving the child the needed support.

3. Divide and conquer

This tactic has worked well since the days of Alexander the Great, and it’s a great way (pun intended) to conquer organizational projects such as your kitchen. (Organizing a kitchen, by the way, can often take up to eight hours.)

Divide your work into themes: easy drawers and cabinets (i.e. dishrags and potholders or mugs) harder areas (utensils), and really tough jobs (junk drawers). You can also be imaginative here and create your own categories. The goal is simply to divide the job into manageable parts and then go after each part.

Don’t forget the first two rules: 1) start small and 2) be realistic.

I do likewise and start with dishrags, towels, and pot holders. It’s a smart bet that you will find many of these in poor condition. Before you dispose of the old ones, make a note on your shopping list. Even if they are soiled or have a few holes, there is a wonderful alternative to tossing them out that goes for regular towels as well. Humane Societies love to receive them. I have volunteered enough to know that they never have enough towels, and the critters won’t mind a few stains. Placemats and tablecloths are also good things to donate to humane societies. 

Thoughts on several other popular projects:

Sports bottles: Unless you have six or seven children involved in sports, you only need one per child and maybe two extras. Write the child’s name on the bottle and lid with a Sharpie so they won’t get mixed up. Give the others away. Before you do, throw away the used straws.

Mugs: You are paying expensive rent on kitchen cabinets where mugs typically reside. If coffee cups belong to a dinnerware set, you may want to keep them, even if you don’t use them. Store them away in a labeled container. For the remaining mugs, go through them at least once a year and keep only the ones you really need. A special note to teachers here: You can give away a mug and still have fond memories of the student who gave it to you.

Kitchen utensils: Because you use these so often, purchase a replacement for any item you find in bad condition. If you think they can be used by others, donate them. There is an exception to the rule.  If the utensils are burned or rusted, throw them away.

Junk drawer: Before you start, do two things. 1. Gather several small trays you can use to sort items, as well as several items that can hold stuff for a short time. Shoe box lids, plastic ware work well in this instance. 2. If you have plans to buy a drawer organizer, it is extremely important that you measure the drawer (height, length and width) before you shop. If you can’t find a single unit organizing container, a collection of individual plastic containers will do nicely. If you plan on using single pieces, it is much like putting together a puzzle. So you may have to buy several in each size to see what works in your drawer and best fits your needs.  If you have extras that you didn’t use, you can simply return the remaining pieces.

            You may also want to store take out menus or food delivery coupons in a two pocket folder that you simply place in the back of your phone book. And speaking of phone books, find your favorite or most recent book and keep just that one.  However, if you have phones throughout your home, you may want to have a book near each phone. Then recycle the rest. Throw away any software delivered with the phonebook, unless you use it. Also feel free to paper clip or fold the corners of pages you use often such as favorite restaurants, physicians, places to shop.

Tupperware/plastic storage containers: At first mention this sounds like a simple product to organize.  However, as most of us know, our plastic ware collection multiplies at the same time lids get lost and containers have seen better days.  With that said, this project can take up to 90 minutes or more and typically needs a large clear work surface or two.  If you don’t have that much time, sort by genre – work with the round storage pieces first or the really large containers.  Again it’s whatever makes sense and works for you. Also, check your dishwasher for any containers or lids. When you’re ready to begin, pair containers with lids, knowing that you’ll probably find containers without lids and/or lids without containers.  If you can’t find all the lids, check other cabinets, but don’t get caught up in that cabinet. Once you’ve matched what you can, label matching lids and bottoms A, B, etc. or use some sort of symbol (*) This way you can easily pair them together if they get separated, Ultimately, store lids on the bottom of the container or at an angle in them or standing. Nest any/all containers that you can.  

Personally, I like square containers rather than round ones because they take up less space and can be bumped up or stored next to each other. If you have round containers and use them a lot and don’t have the budget to purchase new ones, keep them. If you do want to make that change, give away food in the round containers with a note that the recipient doesn’t need to return them.

Margarine and frozen topping bowls are also good to have. They are especially good to store red-sauced leftovers that typically stain since you won’t mind too much. However, you don’t need 10 of them. You are going to eat more butter and whipped topping later so you should always have some on hand.

Bread machines, can openers, food processors, blenders: If you use these items daily or weekly, store them in an accessible space. If you use them only for special occasions, store in place a little harder to get to.

Finish this big organizational job by clearing off the front of your refrigerator. That’s high-priced real estate, too, since you see it every day.