It’s summer! So I am declaring it’s time for Organizing Summer Camp!
I’ve done this in the past for organizing clients at work. We would meet more often in the summer months to get a jump on the clutter that had built up for the past year. I’m devoting my Friday blog space to Organizing Summer Camp. Let’s jump in.
Area of Attack: Drawers!
What You Need: Trash bag, box for donations, Velcro squares or circles to fasten drawer organizers and drawer organizers (if you determine you need them). Shoe boxes make great drawer organizers.
The Big Tip: Once you determine what you’re keeping and what space you need, fasten any drawer organizers to the drawer with Velcro. This keeps the organizers from sliding around each time you open or close the drawer.
Plan of Attack: We are attacking the kitchen drawers, junk drawers, bathroom drawers, desk drawers, craft drawers and clothing drawers.
Tackle a drawer at a time. As you sort through the drawer, ask yourself: Do I use it or wear it? Do I need it? What is it? Is it in the right place?
Kitchen Drawers: Get rid of multiples. You may be surprised by how many you find once you go through all of the drawers. Put like items together – such all of the serving utensils, all of the bottle openers, and all of the knives.
Junk Drawers: We all need a place to put those things that don’t belong to a specific room. The key is to contain it, limit what you have and ditch the stuff that you don’t know what it is. Put like items together or contain them in plastic baggies.
Bathroom Drawers: Toss anything that’s expired, has changed in texture, smell or color, or was a tragic purchasing mistake. Any drawer organizers and the drawer may need to be cleaned because cosmetics and personal care items can leak and spill.
Clean make-up brushes with shampoo and warm water and lay them out to dry on a towel.
Desk Drawers: Deep-drawer organizers work very well in most modern desks. Group like items with like items by grouping office supplies with other office supplies and personal items with other personal items. Keep extra supplies that won’t fit in the drawer in a separate office supply area. Keep only what you need on hand in your drawer.
Donate extra boxes of staples, tacks, paper, cards and other supplies. Recycle outdated business cards.
Craft Drawers: Go through your crafting drawers and eliminate the things you no longer want or need. If you’re no longer pursuing a particular hobby, sell or donate those items. Group like items with like items, and, if you have two or more different interests, sort them by drawer. You don’t want jewelry beads mixed in with scrapbooking stickers.
Clothing Drawers: Toss anything that is stained, torn and heavily worn. Gently used items can be donated, but do NOT donate used underwear. That’s gross, and charities have to spend a bunch of money every year to toss the crappy, unsellable stuff. Don’t be part of the problem.
If you’re not into folding your underwear, that’s okay. If you have different types of undies (granny, bikini, thong, etc.), sort them into sections using drawer organizers or shoe boxes. This will help you quickly pick the underwear you want for the day.
If you have both navy and black socks, make sure you separate them by white socks or another color. It’s easier to see which ones are navy and black when they’re not sitting side-by-side. Again, using shoe boxes is a great way to keep your socks sorted.
Now all of the drawers at home should roll smoothly!
