5 Tips to Make Organizing Your Home Easier

Posted by Dave Kotler on Monday, October 25th, 2021 at 11:40am.

Tips for Organizing Your HomeWhether it's because you want to or because you need to, there's always a time when you organize your home. Depending on its size and how much you own, it can be a significant investment of time. Here are some tips to make your organizing more efficient and help it from being too much of a chore in the future.

Clean Rooms in the Right Order

Having a plan of attack will make the task feel more manageable and will save you time in the long run. Start from the top of the house and work your way down, then inside to outside. Dust and clean first, and then vacuum and sweep, leaving mopping for the end. This will help you avoid having to redo any cleaning by messing up areas you already worked on.

Get Others Involved to Organize Faster

This doesn't need to be a task for just one person, but if you're going to get the family working, you will need to motivate them. When possible, work in pairs, put on some fun music, and set a reward incentive to keep them moving. A make-your-own pizza party or a movie night should do the trick. If you're on your own, consider hiring a local student to help. Working alongside them will motivate you, and they could surely use the money as well.

Keep Yourself Motivated by Working Efficiently

Tackle one room at a time so that you get a feeling of accomplishment and progress. Don't run all over the house putting things away, but make piles at the door of the room you are working on and keep moving them closer to their goal. Whether you're organizing your books, clothing, or other items, putting things of similar function and colour family together creates a clean and orderly appearance. Multitask whenever possible—while your dishwasher is running, you can clean the windows. Take scheduled five-minute breaks as a reward to keep yourself motivated.

Store Your Clothing with Care and Keep it Clean

If you want your items to last, make sure you store them right. For example, to help ensure that your business or special occasion clothing stays in wearable condition, buy nice hangers. Wood and fabric-covered hangers drape your clothes well and help your clothing maintain its shape. Use wooden hangers for your suits, jackets, or business clothes and padded fabric hangers for delicate dresses and blouses.

Another clothing tip is to keep your seasonal clothing on a metal rolling rack. You can keep it in your garage, attic, or basement, and have it covered to ensure it remains dust-free until you need it again. There's also always the option of upgrading your closets to make more space.

Sell What You Don't Need to Clear Up Space

A simple way to make organizing your things more manageable is to make sure you're not holding on to anything you don't want or need. If you're like most people, you probably have items in the attic, basement, garage, and closet that fit that description. Garage sales allow you to free up more space and make money. Here are some tips for how to make the most of the garage sale.

Create an Inventory Sheet & Price as You Go

Make a list of what you're selling, including the price of each item in case the tag goes missing. To ensure you're not adding any stress, it's best to price your things as you come across them, rather than saving the decisions for the last minute. Although you want to price your items slightly higher to account for haggling, don't price them so high that you can't sell them. Remember: shoppers expect bargains.

Host a Joint Garage Sale

Recruit your neighbours, family, and friends to sell their items with yours. Bigger garage sales often attract more people, as they easily catch attention with the sheer amount of items to consider.

Get Your Items Ready to Sell

Clean your items and make sure they're in good shape. If you're selling electronics, ensure they're in good working order and have the cords attached. Everything should be more or less ready for its new owners to be able to use it as soon as they've bought it.

Set the Date and Place for Your Sale

Saturday is the best day of the week to hold your garage sale. Choose a date a few weeks in advance to give you time to prepare, and make sure to have backup dates in mind if there's bad weather.

Advertise Around the Neighbourhood

There are plenty of places to advertise your garage sale, from your local newspaper to websites and signs on local roads. Choose bright coloured poster board or cardboard and write the details of your sale in large, black letters so drivers can see from their vehicles. Put up six to eight signs a few days before your sale to improve the chances of shoppers stopping by.

Set Up Early

Experienced shoppers will show up at the posted time so that they can score the best deals. So, if you plan to open your sale at 7 a.m.—the best time of day to do so—then start setting up around 5 or 6 a.m.

Commit to Organization so the Process is Easier

It's easy to fall back into old habits from time to time. However, to ensure that your storage spaces remain organized, commit to keeping them that way. When you put away your laundry, make sure everything goes in its designated location. And, to keep down the clutter, when you buy a new item, get rid of the old one that you don't use anymore. Staying on top of your organization — including keeping your garage tidy — in real-time means you won't have to clear through a backlog of it later.

Dave Kotler

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