A Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place

I get a lot of calls from my fiance wanting to know where things are at the house. 

"Have you seen my flip flops?  I've been looking for them everywhere for over a week and can't find them," he says.
"You mean the flip flops sitting on top of your sock drawer in the closet?" I reply.

"We're out of milk," he says.
"There is a full gallon.  It's behind the butter on the bottom shelf," I reply.

I'm growing more and more concerned with his failing eyesight as the days go by. 

As I've stated time and time again, the key to organization and efficient time management is to have a place for everything, and have everything in its place.  Well, this past weekend I was looking for a certain article of clothing, and dare I say, I had to search for it!  I was on my way to the gym and could not find my black Nike shorts.  They should be on the left hand side of the third drawer from the bottom on the right side of my dresser.  But they weren't.  Oh, the humanity!!  I eventually found them, got changed, went to the gym, and finished my workout.  All the while I was in a panic that my home was falling apart.  I was on yet another mission:  Organize my dresser drawers. 

My original system consisted of lingerie in top right drawer, swimsuits and sports bras in second right hand drawer, all shorts (sleep and gym) in third right hand drawer, socks in top left drawer, and sleep pants and gym pants in second left hand drawer.  However, within each drawer there was no organization or categorization.  Bras and panties mixed together; gym shorts and sleep shorts mixed together, all socks mixed together.  The fact that I had to actually look for something meant the system did not work.

So off to Bed Bath & Beyond I went.  Mission #1 was to get the lingerie drawer organized.  I was working with a drawer that was 14" deep, 18" wide, and 5" high.  I found clear plastic bins that fit within those dimensions.   One larger bin was used to house my bras together.  The other two smaller bins were used to divide my underwear into two categories:  "Everyday Panties" and "Those really cute panties that are terribly uncomfortable and never stay where they should but you paid a lot of money at Victoria's Secret for them so you can't toss them out but they always get in the way when you're looking for those really comfortable full coverage granny panties".  Mission #1 accomplished.

Here's a hint when using drawer organizers, especially if you use "expandable" ones.  A problem I use to run into a lot was that no organizer is ever going to fit exactly perfect in your drawer.  And the expandable ones are created to move, so you will have issues with them shifting around.  The key to fixing this problem is double sided mounting tape (I prefer Scotch brand).  It's thicker than regular double sided tape and comes off of most surfaces relatively easy.  Use the mounting tape on the sides or bottoms of your containers and they will stay exactly where you want them.  Brilliant!

Mission #2 was to get one drawer organized just for my gym attire.  For this I simply needed a divider to keep gym shorts on one side of the drawer, sports bras on the other.  I didn't want to use containers because this would just cut down on the amount of actual space I would have for storage.  So I looked into the expandable drawer dividers.  The first ones I tried were from Real Simple.  They were horrible.  They were flimsy and did not stay in place.  So, I increased the budget and went with the good ol OXO brand dividers.  They worked great.  They are much sturdier and have a locking mechanism that allows you to lock them into place whereever you need.  (The cheaper version only allows for you to lock them in place within designated ranges).  Mission #2 accomplished.

I used the same OXO dividers for my new "PJ drawer" to divide sleep shorts and sleep pants.

Mission #3 was to bring order to the sock drawer.  I needed to divide these into gym socks, house socks (that my fiance abhors for me to wear, but until he stops keeping the house cold as a meat locker I will continue to wear them), and boot socks.  I used the same OXO dividers for this drawer.

My final mission was to organize my ten swimsuits.  Why I have so many swimsuits, I'm not sure.  I live 4 hours from the beach so I find this a bit ridiculous.  I did toss out two that I deemed inappropriate for a woman in her 30's to wear, but I couldn't bare to part with any of the others.  For my swimsuits, I wanted each one to be in its own compartment.  I was able to accomplish this by using a fabric jewelry divider (like the one I had previously had my jewelry in).  The dividers I found had 9 small square compartments and one large compartment on the right hand side.  This gave me the perfect amount of space for my 9 bikinis and my one larger tankini.  Although I found my fabric dividers at Big Lots, you can find similar products (such as these) online.

Now that all of my dresser drawers are organized, I can start nagging the fiance to let me organize his.  Wish me luck!

Please let me know of ways in which you have organized your dresser drawers. And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com.

Take Two of These, and Call Me in the Morning

I have a Jack Russell named Booze.  Here he is.

He sure is cute.  He was purchased from a puppy mill.  Needless to say, he's not the smartest pup out there.  A few weeks ago I sat and watched him catch a red wasp and eat the entire thing within a matter of seconds.  The entire time I'm thinking to myself, "What a stupid dog."  A few minutes later I was walking in the area where the wasp homicide had gone down and that's when I realized the dog isn't as dumb as he appears.  Apparently he ate everything except the stinger, because the stinger was now lodged in the bottom of my foot.  I dropped to the floor in pain as my fiance stared at me like I was a crazy person. My dad is allergic to red wasps so any time he gets stung he has to hop in the car and head to the ER for a shot.  I had never been stung by a red wasp that I could remember but was afraid to find out if I was allergic or not, so I tell my fiance to please go grab me a Benadryl.  He looks at me and says where are the Benadryl.  Well, they are in the bin with all the other meds in the bathroom closet.  He goes in search for them and returns to say he can't find any.  So I hobble my crippled (and possibly dying) body into the bathroom, open the bathroom closet, look in the bin with all the meds, and pull out a Benadryl capsule.  As I give him the death stare, I realize I need a better organization system for my medicines.

This is how my "medicine cabinet" use to be organized.

Everything was tossed in a plastic bin and stored on a shelf in my bathroom linen closet.  Although I knew where everything was, there was no system to separate the different items so my fiance couldn't find anything.

Here is the new system.

I purchased a larger container with two large drawers and one smaller drawer.  Each drawer houses a specific category of medication supplies.  The top drawer has one container of allergy medication (so he can find the Benadryl for me when I have my next near-death experience), one container for tummy trouble meds, and another container for my anxiety meds (shocking I know; someone with extreme OCD would get anxious about things out of their control).

The center drawer houses cold and sinus meds (you can never have enough NyQuil) and pain meds.

 

 

The bottom drawer stores all of my vitamins that I never take and all first aid supplies.

 



 

Now, all my medicine supplies are divided and stored in their respective areas for easy access and quick retrieval when needed.  Plus I was able to purge out expired meds, something I apparently had not done since 2004 (I'm so ashamed). 

 

As a side note, I have no children (except for the puppy) in the house.  This is why I can use a plastic container and store it in the floor of a closet.  If you do have children in your house, make sure the container you use can either be locked or is in an area out of their reach.

 

Please let me know of ways in which you have organized your medicine cabinet. And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com.



Keeping the Bathroom in Order

So, my fiance and I share a bathroom (something that will not happen when we build our dream home!).  Here is a picture of my drawer:

 

I have a plastic divider so that each item I need access to has its own home, with room to spare.  I would now like to show you my fiance's drawer.  Brace yourself.

 



Just looking at the picture makes me a little light headed.  I obviously do not use this drawer or need anything out of it on a regular basis, which is the argument my fiance has when I ask if I can organize it for him.  Apparently my nagging got to him and he finally agreed to let me give him a little organization.  Here is the result (I stopped short of using the label maker.  Didn't want to push it with him.)

Now everything has a home.  Razors go in a compartment, contact lense care products in another, deo in another, and his massive collection of nail clippers have thier own home.  (Still haven't figured out why one person would need that many, but I guess that will remain one of the great mysteries in life).  The drawer organizers I use have a smaller tray that sits on the top.  This tray can be removed and house items you may not need access to on a regular basis, but still don't want to have to hunt down when you do need it.

The organizers I used are made by Madesmart and can be found online or at Target.  As I've preached before, the key to organization is having a home for everything, so these organizers do the trick beautifully.  Of course, I have more beauty products than what fits in that one drawer.  For the products I use on a daily basis to get ready each morning, I store them in a bucket (these are actually cutlery dividers I found in the picnic area of Target!).

One bucket holds items such as mouthwash, face cleaner, and deodorant.  I have a second bucket that holds all my hair products.

These buckets can easily be pulled from the cabinet, use what I need to use, toss it back in the bucket, then put the buckets back in thier respective home under the sink.

As you can see, there isn't much else housed under there.  I have a drawer organizer for all of my mani/pedi supplies, my makeup mirror, and facial steamer.  But I definitely have more beauty products.  Those are stored in a separate drawer, each category of product in its own container.

These containers hold the items I don't use on a regular basis, but still need to be able to find when they are needed.  Coconut oil for my hair (if you haven't tried this I highly recommend it!), baby oil, foot scrubs, etc.  This drawer could probably use a good purging, but no matter the level of OCD, a girl needs her beauty supplies!  As far as having a bulk supply of products, I avoid that my having my current supply and one backup.  For the products I use on a daily basis, I have the items I have in my shower, the items in my respective buckets, and the drawer organizer.  In addition, I have one backup of each of these items in a travel case that I keep in another drawer (along with a backup hair dryer).

My "Backup Case" serves two purposes.  First, if I'm taking a shower and end up using the last of my shampoo, I simply get a bottle from my backup case, then on my next trip to the store I buy a new bottle and put that bottle in my back up case.  Next time I run out of shampoo, my backup case is stocked and ready to go.  No need for three and four bottles wasting precious space in my bathroom, however I am always prepared.  The second purpose it serves is that I never ever ever have to pack my beauty supplies to go on a trip.  They are already to go.  That case has every product I use on a regular basis:  face cleaner, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, razor, body wash, deodorant, body lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash.  It has everything down to Qtips, cottonballs, and floss.  When I go on a trip, I simply grab my case and the hair dryer and go on my merry way.  (Well, in all honesty this time saver just gives me extra time to stress over what clothes to take).  I grew up in a house where we had 10 bottles of shampoo, 20 tubes of toothpaste, and more hotel samples of product than I care to think about.  At the same time we were a family of five sharing one small bathroom.  I see that as taking up valuable storage real estate for no reason at all.  I understand buying in bulk and purchasing items when they are on sale can save money, but by committing to the ''Backup Case", I allow myself the freedom to hunt for coupons and sales on items that I need without having to buy 20 of everything.

One last organizing system I employ in the bathroom is using decorative containers on the countertop to house cottonballs and Qtips.  These two items have a way of taking over a bathroom drawer and somehow always get dirty or destroyed before being used.  By keeping them contained out of the way of messy products, they stay useable and are convenient when needed.  I found these containers at World Market. 

 

 

In addition, I keep a matching box on the back of the toilet for feminine products.  

Please let me know of ways in which you have organized your bathroom clutter. And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com.

Wrapping Paper, Etc.

A week or so ago I run into Hobby Lobby for a quick errand.  The short walk into the store from my car in the 110 degree summer has me soaking wet with sweat.  I enter the double doors and am instantly hit with the glorious chill of air conditioning.  Ahhhh.  I then take two steps into the store and am instantly hit with 100 aisles of Christmas decorations.  What????  It's still summer for goodness sakes! 

After my initial disgust and irritation with what I am witnessing, I roam the aisle with Christmas wrapping paper.  I'm not a big Christmas decorator.  I have a modestly decorated tree and the mandatory wreath on the door, but other than that, not much.  My OCD doesn't allow for trinkets and knick knacks to sit around the house, even if it is for just a month or so.  However, I do love Christmas wrapping paper.  Well, most all wrapping paper.  I feel that the presentation of the gift is just as important as the gift itself.  Tell that to my fiance who hands me my Christmas and birthday gifts in the plastic bag they left the store in.  Usually as soon as he walks in the house from purchasing them.  (Although he is an excellent gift giver.  I'm not complaining, just saying his presentation skills could use a little honing).  In addition, I feel that you can't really have too much ribbon on your gift.  It's a known fact at the Starkey house during the holidays, you will need a trusty pair of scissors to get into one of my wrapped gifts. 

Needless to say, I have a good bit of wrapping paper supplies.  Seeing as how I'm no Candy Spelling, I don't have the luxury of having a gift wrapping room in one of the wings of my home.  I have an empty shelf in a closet in a spare bedroom.  When wrapping gifts I may have to go in another room to either (A) hide the gift from my fiance, or (B) keep the dog from eating the ribbon and stealing the tape.  So my wrapping supplies need to be easily transported from area to area.  The solution I discovered were these handy boxes from Snapware.

I have ribbon in one compartment, tissue paper in another compartment along with supplies such as scissors and tape, bows in the third compartment, and gift bags in the fourth compartment.  You can divide up your supplies as you see fit, however each box snaps to the other.  So when you are transporting them from area to area, you only have the one box to tote.  Brilliant.  My wrapping paper I keep in a long Sterilite bin that is flat enough to take up minimal room in the storage closet.

Also, I keep my Christmas wrapping paper and supplies separate from my all-occasion supplies.  For Christmas supplies, I keep the paper in one of the stand up organizers.  This way I can keep all the Christmas paper stored out of the way in the attic and the stand up organizer takes up only a small amount of attic floor space.  In addition, I keep any Christmas themed ribbon and cards in a small Snapware box and Christmas gift bags in a larger Snapware box - in Christmas colors of course.  (I religiously store all holiday items in color appropriate bins.  No need for labels, no one asking questions, and no additional trips to the attic to retrieve or replace a bin.  Even the fiance can distinguish that the red and green bins need to come down for Christmas and the orange and black for Halloween.  I will post more details on this when we actually get closer to the holidays.) 

Please let me know of ways in which you have organized your wrapping supplies. And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com.

Organizing the Crown Jewels

My oversized dresser in the master bedroom (shown in the last post) has a small jewelry drawer conveniently located top center.  For the past few years I have used a fabric lined divider tray (that I found at TJ Maxx, of course) to keep the items organized.  Accessories I wear on a daily basis in one cube, ponytail holders in one, necklaces and bracelets in one, and earrings in another.  I thought this system worked well for me, but found myself dumping it out on the bedroom floor from time to time to either find a particular earring or put items back into their respective spot.  Then my best friend sent me a link to a cute jewelry organizer that hangs on the back of your closet door (found here).  I thought, "well, that's cute but I already have an organizing system for my jewelry that works great".  And then i realized, no i don't.  Mine sucks.  If it worked I wouldn't have to dump it out and re-work it on a regular basis.  I then realized that I could no longer live this way.  How did I survive so long with such as unorganized jewelry drawer?  I was on a mission to find a better system.  (I actually played hooky from work to go shopping for products.  No lie.)  Thanks Jackie.  I appreciate you bringing this travesty to my attention! 

 

I liked the hang up system that my friend initially sent me, but after some thought realized that my habit is to walk in the bedroom and take off my jewelry at the dresser.  If I were to use an organizer that was in the closet my jewelry would begin to camp out on the dresser instead of making its way to the organizer in the closet.  Eventually a piece of jewelry would get knocked on the floor, eaten by my Jack Russell Terrier who is convinced we don't feed him enough, and then I would have to go on poop patrol to recover my lost jewels.  (Not that I have ever had to do that).  Plus, I'm not sure what use I would have for the tiny jewelry drawer in my dresser if I didn't use it for jewelry. 

So, I scoured the internet and all of my organization go-to stores:  Bed Bath and Beyond, TJ Maxx, Ross, Target, Michaels, even Wal-Mart.  I eventually found what I had in mind at Michaels (which means 40% off coupon!).  I realized the flaw in my original system was that although items were divided up by category, they each needed their own home.  I had 15 pair of earrings and found myself wearing the same two or three pair simply due to the fact that I couldn't really see what I had since they were all in a jumbled mess.  So I found a jewelry organizer with enough compartments for each pair of earrings to have their own spot, clearly visible. 

Now, all of my smaller earrings each have their own compartment on the left side, the necklaces have a large compartment, my ponytail holders have a place, my larger dangly earrings each have a compartment, my watch has a home, and the pieces I wear on a daily basis are stored together. 

The organizer I used was from Michael's and can be found here.  It is intended to store beads and jewelry making supplies, but worked great for what I needed.  Since Michael's sells so many jewelry making products, they had a very large selection of organizers to choose from.  In addition, these organizers are meant for transport so they all come with lids (which I simply popped off of mine).  I had originally wanted a felt lined divider tray, such as this one sold by a company called NeatNix.

 

However, due to my small area to work with and my need for multiple sized compartments, I could not find a combination of trays that worked for my needs.  The bead organizer did the trick, although I don't think it's as cute.  You may have room to store an actual jewelry box, but the key to having a functioning jewelry organization system is first, make sure it is in a convenient spot for you.  If you take your jewelry off in the bathroom before getting in the shower, have a system in the bathroom, not in your bedroom closet.  If you make it inconvenient, you are more likely to ignore it.  Second, make sure there is a place for everything.  My original system failed because I lumped too many items together.  You need to be able to see what you have or else you won't make use of the pieces you own.

 

Please let me know of ways in which you have organized your jewelry collection. And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com. 

Taming the Linen Closet

At last count, I belive my mother had about 427 sets of sheets in her linen closet.  "Well, perhaps she runs a very large bed and breakfast", you may say.  Although that is a logical assumption, the reality is that she owns a four bedroom home that houses two queen sized beds and three twin sized beds.  In addition, as far as I'm aware, I'm the only person that has slept in that house in the past 15 years that doesn't also receive mail there.  So, why all the extra sets of sheets?  Mainly due to her fear of getting rid of anything and the fear of not having something when you need it.  Which I think most people with clutter issues deal with.  I myself (OCD and all) deal with this from time to time, and the linen closet just happens to be one of those areas. 

I have two queen sized beds in my home but recently discovered that I was hoarding about 10 sets of sheets.  When my fiance moved into my house, he brought along two or three sets of sheets and over the course of the years, I had obtained a number of sets at Christmas.  However I always used one of two sets on my master bed and one of two sets on my guest bed.  So, I cleared out the linen closet and donated the unused sets to one of our local charities (and saved a few as handy dandy drop cloths for painting projects). 

Instead of storing the backup set for each bed back in the area deemed my linen closet (which is in actuality a small cabinet in my oversized dresser), I found two lidded boxes at my local Michael's craft store (found here) and put one extra set in each box. 

I then stored one box under my master bed and the other under my guest bed.  Now, as soon as I strip the sheets off of a bed, I simply pull the box out from under the bed and immediately make the bed with a fresh set of sheets.  After I launder the dirty set, I fold them up and put them in the box and store it under the bed, ready to go when laundry time runs back around. 

(Oh, and good luck with folding that fitted one.  I've seen the links on Pinterest on how to do it; I am convinced they are using magic or sorcery.) 

Now I have gained my linen closet back for other storage (purses perhaps?) instead of wasting the space as a bedsheet graveyard.  If cutting your linen count down to two sets makes you a little nervous, cut it down to three and simply get a slightly larger box.  As far as the boxes go, I purchased cardboard boxes that are covered in decorative paper and have a hinged lid.  Since I don't access them on a daily basis and they are under the bed out of harm's way, these hold up fine.  You can also find plastic ones, fabric ones, or a lidded basket.  If you use a basket make sure to use one that is lined with fabric, otherwise you run the risk of having tiny splinters of the basket rub off on the sheets, making for a not so comfortable slumber.  Another tip is to make sure to get a lid, not just an open basket, for two reasons.  First, the lid will keep any dust out therefore keeping them clean and fresh.  Second, I like sticking a dryer sheet on the bottom of the box when I put a clean set of sheets in the box.  Having the lid keeps the sheets smelling 'straight-out-of-the-dryer' fresh the next time you use them.

Please let me know of ways in which you have tamed your linen closet in the comments section. And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com.

My Nemesis, The Knife Block

My last post introduced you to my arch nemesis, the metal file cabinet.  Having a severe case of OCD, I have a multitude of enemies.  Another one is the knife block and utensil caddy.

After staring at this countertop clutter for months, I finally found a product to get rid of it.  The knife block that fits in the drawer.  Along with the knife block, I found an expandable bamboo organizer with compartments wide enough to hold the larger serving utensils.



With everything safely hidden in a drawer (directly by the stove for easy access) the only step left was to label the separate slots.  In all of my years on this planet, I have yet to find a situation that did not benefit from a clearly printed label.  My label maker is one of my prized possessions; a birthday gift I received from my little brother years ago (ironically, the most un-organized person I know).  Adding labels to the utensil organizer will help save time when the fiance unloads the dishwasher.  This will alleviate questions about where things go, or me finding the pasta spoon where he thought the logical place would be, the pantry maybe.  Or the washing machine.

The knife block I used came from the Westview Shop and holds up to 15 knives.  You can find it here.  The bamboo organizer was purchased from my ol' stand-by, TJ Maxx.  It is made by a company called Lipper and can be found online here.

Please let me know of ways in which you have conquered kitchen counter clutter in the comments section. And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com.

The Battle Against Paper

I am a very organized person.  My world functions best when everything has a place and everything is in its place.  When an organizational dilemna pops up in my home, I usually find a way to handle it quite quickly and efficiently.  However, I have fought the battle against paperwork for years and years and just recently won that battle.  For good, I believe.  Since my early days in college I have had a small two drawer filing cabinet that has lived with me, following me from apartment to apartment; home to home.  I would spend weekends sorting paperwork, organizing it into colorful folders, labeling those folders, only to have an unorganized pile of paperwork staring me down in a matter of weeks.  I could not win this battle.  Until I discovered the file box; what I believe to be one of the wonders of the world. 

The file boxes are designed to hold letter size hanging folders.  They come in a variety of colors and materials; I use sturdy cardboard ones and they work brilliantly.  The problem I always ran into by using the metal filing cabinet was that, first of all, it was ugly so it was always hidden in some back room or closet.  This made it inconvenient to use when I needed to file documents, so those documents slowly became piles of documents.  Secondly, the metal rods that held the folders never, ever, ever, ever stayed in place so as soon as you attempted to open a drawer, the folders fell over and got jammed.  After using a creative blend of inappropriate vocabulary, I would finally get the drawer open but the folders had to be taken out and put back in order.  To have a process that simply did not work and did not make my life easier just was not an option.  The fix to these issues is the file box.  They are attractive, so they can simply sit on a shelf for easy access and they are easily portable, so you can tote them to whatever area of the home you need to use them.  These also work great in the office where you can be confined to one or two small file drawers that can quickly become crammed and unmanageable. 

In my experience with the file boxes, I use one for Home and Auto documents, the other for Financial related documents.

I love using the ones that have the outside label holder so that you can use matching boxes and still distinguish between what each holds.  Within the boxes, you can use different colored file folders to distinguish between the categories.

I absolutely love this product.  They are durable, efficient, and actually attractive.  What use to take up valuable square footage in my office closet when housed in the attrocious metal filing cabinet now takes up one small shelf in my office.

The navy box shown in my picture above is the Bigso John Archive File Box which is available in a variety of colors from multiple online retailers.  You can find them here.  The khaki boxes I found at TJ Maxx.  The company name is Sheffield Home and are distributed by a company named Enchante Accessories, Inc however I could not find any of their products online. 

Please let me know of ways in which you have won the battle against paper in your home or office in the comments section.  And if you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area and could use my help in taming any organizational issue in your home, email me at TheNeatFreakOrganizer@gmail.com.