HOW TO ORGANIZE JUNK
When you get ready to organize, it can be a little overwhelming. Piles of junk that have probably spent months and months growing can seem daunting. People often make the mistake of creating miscellaneous drawers, boxes, and piles of junk. It may be stuff that you need or use, but if it's not organized, it can seem like a mountain that you will have to climb. You can use these tips to make the task easier. We have been working with organizers for years to come up with the easiest, quickest, and most effective way to organize. If you do it right and avoid some of the common mistakes that people make, you can keep things organized for longer periods of time so that you can avoid the dreaded junk piles.
1) Ask yourself why your previous organization endeavors have failed. We often neglect to plan for the future when we organize, or we put things in an order that is hard to maintain. If something that you use often is hard to get to, it will end up being left out or combined with other things that have easier access. It's important to organize drawers and containers with open tops whenever possible. If you can easily reach and throw in things after you use them, then you are way more likely to actually put things back where they go when you're done. You should also have space for new items that may come in as time goes on. You don't want overflow that could cause you to have to start from scratch down the line.
2) Categorizing is perhaps the most important part of organizing. Use broad categories to start. Let's say you have an "electronics" category. You probably have extra cables, chargers, instruction manuals, CD's, DVD's, cameras, and more that can go into this category. "Art" is another popular broad category. Here you would include things that the kids will use for school, such as construction paper, glue, odds and ends that can be used in school projects, scissors, and even sewing supplies.
"Mementos" is a category that is often overlooked. Keep greeting cards, souvenirs, and other mementos in a specific place so that you can easily add to it or look through them when you're ready for a trip down memory lane. Once you have your major categories nailed down, you can decide which sub-categories are needed. Things that will not fit into a category can be catalysts for starting another junk pile. Try hard to get rid of little extras that don't fit into a category.
3) Getting your closets organized by eliminating junk from them is a good way to ensure that you don't stick a space-robbing box of junk into your closet never to see it again. Use special space saving clothes hangers if you need to make extra space for things. Using the right hangers can help you to keep like items together and avoid your clothes ending up on the floor. Wooden hangers and other sturdy metal clothing hangers can keep your suits and coats in great shape. Allow only certain items into your closet so that you don't inadvertently produce more junk. Plan for the future by placing a bin, bag or basket for clothes you no longer wear in the closet. This will keep the closet spacious and easy to use.
About the Author: Ron Maier is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online resource for clothing hangers. For more information, please visit OnlyHangers.com.