The Neat Life

IKEA and LEGO have teamed up! A match made in toy organization heaven. 😊

A collaboration between the IKEA® and LEGO® brands The BYGGLEK LEGO® collection of play storage solutions and a LEGO starter set unique to IKEA gives kids new space for play. Explore and shop online today.

What an ingenious way to organize cables! I love it! ❤

It turns out Lego hands make for perfect cable holders!
Upcycle old Lego pieces!

In my line of work, I see this kind of laundry room a LOT. It tends to be part utility closet/bulk paper item storage in addition to its primary function. However -- when I put on my "organizer glasses", I see a storage goldmine! All that empty vertical space, just waiting to be utilized!

This before-and-after really illustrates how much more working space you can get out of a small area if you look ^UP^.

Thanks to friend and realtor extraordinaire Nola Chow for the link -- if you're looking to buy or sell a house in Boulder CO, please chat with Nola!

Before and After: This $1000 IKEA Laundry Room is Peak Organization Sure, there’s a lot to be said for minimalist decor—but there are places where blank walls just don’t work. One of those is a laundry room. When Ten V (Delish & Decor) and her family moved into their home, for instance, the laundry room was pretty much empty. “When we moved in, we just quick...

Never let it be said that professional organizers don't have a sense of humor... 😜 It's okay -- I'm guessing she's an ideal client for The Neat Life services! I often tell perspective clients: I'm like a personal trainer for your stuff. When I come over to your home/office (either in person or via virtual visit), your stuff gets a workout! At the end of the session, your stuff is a lot leaner and looks GREAT!

Even celebrities have junk drawers! 😉

Are y'all ready for Part 2 of the junk drawer reorg?

Yesterday, I introduced the first two steps of Julie Morgenstern's S-P-A-C-E organizing technique, "S"ort and "P"urge. Today, we are going to A-C-E the rest:

Assign a home
Containerize
Equalize

So, the next step is to assign a home (the "A" in "SPACE") in the drawer. Figure out where each group of items need to live in the drawer. Pro tip: I tend to put bulky/rarely-used items in the hard-to-reach back part of the drawer. This an important step in the S-P-A-C-E process: it not only ensures you have enough room to store things neatly, but also gives you a "shopping list" for the types of storage containers you'll need. It's like doing a rough sketch, before creating a masterpiece. Which is what your junk drawer will look like when you're through!

By this point, you should be starting to get a sense of the different types of containers you'll need -- how many, their dimensions. I highly recommend jotting down what you need. *NOW* you're ready to get your containers!

You can buy sorting containers at big box stores, the dollar store -- or you can make them yourself! Examples of repurposed containers I've used: egg cartons, cut-off cereal boxes, jewelry/gift boxes, metal tins, silverware sorters, take-out plastic containers, old checkbook and business card boxes. It's amazing what storage you already have, if you look at your stuff with a new perspective! If you want to have a theme, you can always use wrapping paper to create a unified look. Old spray paint that needs to be used up also works well. Once you've ID'ed your containers and prepped them, now it's time to load them up! A good rule of thumb: you want your containers to be only about 80% full. Otherwise, it feels too full and psychologically you won't want to use the container.

The last step, Equalize, means establish a maintenance plan. You could have the most perfectly organized, Marie Kondo'ed drawer in the world -- it will eventually "revert back" if you don't maintain it. So, pick a reasonable amount of time (i.e. 6 months) and schedule an appointment with yourself to do an organizational tune-up on your lovely "life maintenance" drawer!

[Photo credits: Erebuss Efozon, Better Homes & Gardens, Home Talk, Chasing Foxes, The Kitchn]

Sooo...how's your junk drawer lookin' these days? 😜

No worries...breathe...you're definitely not the only one who feels a stab of panic at the mention of the junk drawer. Just about every house, from a small city apartment to a large country estate, has one. I know this because I've seen them! If yours is starting to feel out of control lately, I'm here to help.

Before you begin: take a moment and think about your end goal. What do you want to see when you open this drawer? What functions does it need to serve? I often find that a client's junk drawer sometimes lags the "real life" of the client, and needs to be brought up to date. For example, it may contain some baby/toddler stuff -- but the youngest kid is 8. So think about the current priorities of your family, and envision accordingly.

I always start by using the first two steps in Julie Morganstern's SPACE method: Sort and Purge. Pick a time when you can have about an hour or two to tackle this. Just clear off your counter or table, put down something like a towel or newspaper to protect your surfaces and take everything out. Breathe through the initial "augghh!!" moment this action tends to induce. Everything is about to get a lot better! Group like items together, and purge (toss/recycle/move to its correct home) the stuff that doesn't need to be in there.

Please: RESIST THE URGE TO GET CONTAINERS BEFORE COMPLETING THESE TWO STEPS. Lots of folks want to jump to the "fun part" of getting all the cute little organizing containers. From a professional organizing perspective, that's like going to the grocery store and buying a lot of random food, before you know what recipes you're cooking. If you do that, you will likely end up with a bunch of cute stuff you won't actually *use*! I've done a LOT of returns to Target and The Container Store on behalf of clients for just this reason. Trust me -- wait!

Stay tuned tomorrow, when we cover the final three "A", "C" an "E" steps of the organizing process!

[Photo credits: A Slob Becomes Clean]

An area of your home that's undoubtedly getting a workout is the pantry. Here are some ideas to repurpose everyday items to keep food stuff organized!

If you use a lot of the same type of can (think diced tomatoes, green beans), you can "giftwrap" an old soda box and load it up with canned goods. I like this because you can stack multiple boxes -- getting a LOT more storage out of the shelf "real estate" taken up by cans. Another idea is to use magazine butlers (bonus points for the metal mesh, ventilated ones) to store irregularly-shaped items like small potatoes and onions. It converts them into something that can be stored easily and efficiently on a pantry shelf. Also good for keeping pasta boxes organized!

[Photo credits: dumpaday.com, vitamin-ha.com, thekrazycouponlady.com]

So I'm guessing many of you are doing a LOT of crafts! And you may have craft supplies that need to be contained...but you don't have easy access to organizational supplies. It's time to MacGyver (you 80's kids out there will recognize that "verb") some craft organizers!

Remember, right now we're primarily focused on *function*, using stuff you have around the house. Don't feel like you have to "Martha" (also another helpful verb) everything...unless you find labeling/color-coordinating relaxing. If you do, then have fun!

You can make a brush holder out of a bit of pool noodle, and spongy "brushes" from packing foam and clothespins. If you have some pegboard, eye hooks and some soda bottles then you have a hanging storage system! You can also repurpose a Keurig pod holder for paint, and a paper towel holder for ribbon/tape storage. Hopefully these ideas will help you manage your craft supplies! What are your go-to solutions for organizing crafts?

[Photo credits: Ceramic Arts Network, Family Handyman Magazine, decorfabulous.net, Cassie Kent at Hometalk, sublime-decor.net]

This is likely the *longest* your car has sat still in the driveway...why not take this time to organize it?

I admittedly have never thought about putting a desk organizer in the center console...but I sure will now! I also love the idea of dollar-store clear shower organizers for the "way back" zone. And when you can finally *go* on a road trip again: window stick-on tub organizers for the kiddos!

[Photo credits: Better Homes & Gardens, The Castro Family Happynings Blog, Moser Moments Blog]