Read the rest of this entry »

Situation:
A bathroom cabinet that didn’t have any zones or holding areas for individual items. It was a cathcall for whatever landed within.

Challenge:
Separating the contents and determining what should be stored in this spacious cabinet area.

Solution:
We purged and brought in other itmes that were spread throughout the other cabinets. Plastic Sterilite bins were installed to hold specific types of items including travel, feet/spa, brushes and more.

Side Note: Creating a separate travel bin for your small toiletries collected on previous trips will keep these items easily available when packing for your next trip. By keeping the bin no larger than a small shoebox, you will also know when your collection needs to be downsized.

Tip: Most charities that assist the homeless need these items at all times, so give your excess to those who really need it.

Today, kitchens are the focal point of many homes and account for a fair percentage of the total square footage in any new home. Planning a kitchen for optimal workflow will enable you to get the most out of your space. What you do most in your kitchen will determine the focus, but there are a Read the rest of this entry »

Situation: This long and narrow room had ample floor to ceiling and wall to wall cabinets but the toys were constantly out and underfoot. The challenge was that the younger child could access the older child’s toys and had not learned how to put them back into tubs. At the same time, she was quite young and only beginning to learn how to put things away for herself. Add too many toys into the equation and this room became a constant challenge and source of stress for mom.

Solution: Purge and sort through excess toys and donate to charity. Organize the toys by type and activity into plastic bins with lids that could not be easily opened by the youngest. Place her toys low and at her level and her older sister’s up and out of the way on the higher shelves. With snap lids that were not quickly opened, the young one could not easily dive in and dump all of the toys while no one was looking.  It was also easier to supervise her and keep her focused on one type of activity at a time. The older child now had her games and toys up where she could get to them as she wanted and knew how to put her toys away when she was done playing.

Have you or someone in your family ever felt that “cold coming on,” late at night and all the medicine cabinet had was old, half-empty, probably expired medicine? Does the tiny area of the medicine cabinet seem like a hunt in a deep forest when looking for something in particular? Managing prescriptions, first aid, supplements, and cough medicine is important. Getting things organized can help you minimize the frustration of hunting for “those pills” or “that medicine.”

Here are ten medicine cabinet organization tips, in no particular order, that can help resolve some unhealthy chaos. Read the rest of this entry »