It seems almost impossible that summer is pretty much over and that most kids are back to school. If you had a summer filled with fun activities and not a lot of structure, you might have put organizing your house at the bottom of the list of things that needed to be done. Now that summer is behind you and the days are cooler, this is a perfect time to organize your house. Here are some ideas that might help you to get the job done efficiently and quickly.
A Good Place To Start - If you have come to terms with the fact that you have more stuff than you have space, consider renting a self storage unit. Keeping your belongings in storage will mean that they're in thermostatically controlled units where they won't be damaged. It also means that they'll be safe because of the great security measures that storage service companies maintain.
- You may be surprised at how affordable this service is, and you'll be pleased to know how easy it is to access your belongings.
- For example, if you have large collections of holiday decorations, you can arrange them neatly in storage bins, label them according to the holiday, and then access them when you need them. That will be especially handy with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner.
- Self storage is also a great way to store off-season sports equipment that may take up too much room in your garage. Do you own a canoe, skis, camping gear and other large items that are cluttering your attic or your basement? They'll be safe in storage.
Enlist Help From Your Family - Even the help from little children can make a difference in your work load as you organize the different rooms in your home.
- Getting family members to go through their own belongings will be a good place to start. Perhaps you could ask them to divide their things into different categories such as a stack of things that will later be placed in a yard sale, a stack of items that will be given to charity and, of course, a category that goes right to the garbage bin.
- If your children don't want to part with certain things, but those items are simply cluttering their rooms, consider putting them in storage. For example, if your daughter has outgrown her play kitchen set, but she doesn't want to part with it, assure her that it will be safe in storage and that her own little girl will be able to play with it when she has a family of her own.
- Think of working in teams, too. Older members of the family might be paired with little children to get the organization job done well.
As you are reorganizing the different rooms, it will be helpful to place things in transparent containers that are stackable and easy to access. Large baskets that can slide under the coffee table in your family room would be a great place to keep blocks and other toys. Another idea is to buy under-the-bed boxes that can hold school papers and other mementos your children want to keep forever.
