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Mind over matter
The main factors in any organization project are time and mentality. "The first step is planning," says Standolyn Robertson, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). "To allow enough time, estimate how long you think it will take and multiply that by three."
Next, you should set up activity zones for each room. "Set up your kitchen as a triangle, moving from stove to sink to rerigerator," says Ramona Creel, professional organizer and founder of onlineorganizing.com, an online resource for organizing products and services.
Then, group like items, says Rachel Logan, a professional organizer and owner of Breathing Space in Orlando. "Only then you will be able to see how much you really have. The next step is to purge the excess, making sure to eliminate broken or unused items. Then you can put things away in their zones."
In the kitchen
Keep the following tips and expert advice in mind when organizing your kitchen:
- Creel recommends you set up a "station" for each of the five basic kitchen activities and keep your equipment nearest the appropriate center:
1. Cleaning: sink, dishwasher, trashcan, soap, rags, sponges
2. Cooking: stove, pots, pans, microwave, toaster
3. Food prep: countertop, mixing bowls, blender, measuring cups
4. Food storage: refrigerator, plastic containers, canned foods
5. Serving: dishes, linens, candles, flatware, glasses
- "Alphabetize spices in a rack to make them easier to locate," Creel says. She also recommends you keep small packets, like gravy, JELL-O and dip mixes, together in a basket, and group all of your foods together in categories for easy access.
In the bath
Robertson offers the following tips for organizing your bath:
- Use college dorm-style totes to store small items.
- Make kits to store in the linen closet for the following: first aid, spa, manicure, hair coloring, cold and flu tote (tissue, lozenges, cough syrup).
- Color-code kids' bath items.
- Regularly check for empty, outdated and worn items that you can discard.
Products and paraphernalia
Investing in containers, baskets and other organizational products is a key step in keeping your kitchen and bath organized. "Hold off buying permanent storage containers until you've completed the cleaning step," Robertson says. "Then, you can choose containers to store the things you are going to keep."
The following items are at the top of Creel and Robertson's lists of products to buy for organizing your kitchen and bath:
- Containers. "It can be a bin or a basket -- any unit that will contain a category of a particular item, " Robertson says. Logan suggests using clear bins whenever possible so you can easily see what's inside.
- Racks and pull-out storage. These make use of any "dead space" in a cabinet, according to Creel, and they make it easy to access your stored items.
- Drawer dividers. These keep utensils, small bath items and much more separated and easy to find.
If you realize the importance of having an organized kitchen and bath, but don't feel you can tackle the organization project on your own, there are hundreds of professionals available to help you. To find a professional organizer near you, visit NAPO's Web site, www.napo.net.
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Breathing Space, 4153 Fallwood Circle, Orlando, FL 32812, (407) 928-5619, www.breathingspacefl.com. The Container Store, (888) 266-8246, www.containerstore.com. National Association of Professional Organizers, 4700 W. Lake Ave., Glenview, IL 60025, |
