Manage Your March: the Outdoors

As things start to warm up and green up, we’re entering our long season of outdoor living and entertaining.  By maintaining our outdoor space and keeping it organized, it’s primed and ready the next time you want to take the party outside.

“Supply and demand” can also feel like it means that you demand to keep your supplies where you put them, minus water hoses walking off and never being able to find the right tool or gardening supply when you need it.  So house your outdoor maintenance items right.  You may have room in the garage for a section dedicated to them, but you may not.  Consider a small tool shed or supply container similar to the size of a chest deep freezer.  Today’s tool sheds come in kits you assemble, and they look like attractive mini houses.  Placing one in your backyard or on the slab of a patio can give you room enough for the lawnmower, ladder, weed eater, mulch, fertilizer, and even shelves of tools and other supplies.  Keep it under lock and key, and you’re protecting your investments from the elements and theft alike.  Additionally, large storage containers with hinged lids offer space for shovels and spades, hoses and watering cans, seeds and pesticides.  Add an outdoor-only broom for patio sweeping that stays out of sight.  Top with a layer of outdoor fabric cushions on the lid, and you’ve added additional seating to your back patio space.

If you’re into gardening, use a weatherproof rolling cart to hold your go-to supplies like gloves, hand tools, and potting soil.  Keep a boot tray outside your patio door to keep dirty shoes from tracking your backyard in.  If outdoor games occupy your patio space, a short shelving system can hold sealed bins of balls, paddles, rackets, and darts.  Keep a container of cleaning wipes stored away outdoors for quick wipe-downs of patio furniture just before you’re ready to use it.

Also consider your home’s front entry.  Are your house numbers visible from the street?  If all you have is a faded indicator on the curb, refresh your mailbox numbers and add decorative house numbers to your exterior in a high-visibility spot.  Is it time for a fresh coat of paint on your home’s trim?  Think about making that a budget item this spring.  If you have various items just left out that should be located elsewhere, take the time to clean up and remove anything that’s not adding to your curb appeal.  A good sweeping, door cleaning, new welcome mat, and maybe a few potted plants or succulents can go a long way to renewing your entryway’s look for spring.

Manage your outside with the same care the inside deserves.  So whether you’re ready to sit out with an ice-cold lemonade and watch a sunset or get to that more consistent lawn maintenance, you’re doing it in a space all set for outdoor living.

Today mark’s DesignInMind’s 200^th column!     

Appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 30th.     

Managing Your March: the Home Office

Tackling and taming the paperwork that comes in and out of your home can feel like an unsurmountable task if you’re looking around at piles of mail, documents from work, bills to pay, and papers to get to from school and social outlets. Clear the clutter by implementing home office systems that keep those papers in line.

Have a designated space to work with.  Not all homes have a room for a home office, but in that case, set aside a workable area to store what you need that allows you to work, type, and write when you need to.  That could be a low counter in the kitchen or laundry room, a nook of a guest room, or a small writing desk you place where it suits your space.

Get your tools in order.  A small rolling or stationary metal cart or stand is a great sized piece to have a printer on top and document cases or magazine files on the shelves below.  There are also rolling filing carts that have a top portion allotted for hanging file folders and two metal drawers below for office supplies, and they roll right under a desk beside your chair space.  A designated desk or slim foyer or sofa table can house a laptop or desktop computer and your basic supplies like pens, stamps, and your everyday planner.  You can designate a kitchen, laundry, or mudroom cabinet for supplies like paper and office supplies out of sight.  If space allows, an open cubby system that doubles as a nice piece of furniture is great to hold office supplies in bins, magazines, stationery, files, and books right near where you will use them. Use wall space near your work area for a dry erase or chalkboard calendar for family schedules and a peg board for reminders, invitations, and notes.

Create a flow for paper.  Mail that comes in the house needs a streamlined process to go through to avoid the issue of piling up.  Sort mail where you can throw away the trash, recycle, and move important documents into bins, trays, magazine files, or folders that are designated for action: To Pay, To File, and To Do.  This can work better than having one in-box for some.  Then tend to those containers consistently to avoid having a lot to attend to in one sitting.  File documents in a way that works for you – file folders, notebooks, documents cases – that can be easily accessible when you need something out or need to file something away, while being easily moved on to inactive storage at the end of the year.  Keep 7 years’ worth of pertinent records for tax purposes, keep a reasonable amount of keepsake type items, and keep unimportant documents from taking up your space by getting rid of them.  Yearly records can be stored in labeled document archive boxes or bankers’ boxes and moved to your storage space and out of your work space. 

Don’t let paper overwhelm you or your home.  Create an environment just right for a little at-home work supplied with what you need in an orderly fashion.  And be willing to properly store or throw out what’s choking your space.  When you create a home office space you actually enjoy working in, you might be surprised just how productive you can be. Next week: we’re going outdoors!   

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 23rd.

Manage Your March: the Bedroom

Reorganizing in your home’s bedrooms can give you a real sense of renewal for spring.  Think about getting back to basics and protecting your space as the haven it should be.  You might just wind up feeling like you have your own hotel suite around the clock.

Look at each bedroom as you would imagine a stranger would in order to gain a little distance in your perspective.  Would someone raise an eyebrow at the kids’ toys taking over the master or the home office space that started in a corner but has seemingly grown?  Refocus your space on the essentials: sleep, privacy, and clothing storage.  That may mean hauling out items that just don’t belong and that are choking out your space, rest, and sense of peace and calm.  Reapportion those non-bedroom items to other appropriate areas of your home, incorporate them into storage, or remove them altogether through a charity donation. 

Take the opportunity to try a new furniture arrangement to refresh what you have and perhaps get more than you had before.  You may find a way to add a small seating area in the master bedroom with a new orientation, like moving the bed to another wall or on an angle or pushing two chests of drawers together to turn two pieces visually and spatially into one.  You may open up space in a child’s bedroom to take toy storage vertical or incorporate a desk area as they progress through school or now have some room for a new storage piece in your guest room.  Work off the premise of keeping the essentials and making them as attractive and functional as your space allows.  On a smaller scale, rearrange your wall art or small décor pieces within a room, or swap things out from other rooms for a new look without making a purchase.

Do some reorganizing.  If you didn’t really hit the dresser drawers during your closet organization, sift and sort and make sure what you’re storing is being worn, not just cramming your drawers.  Clean off the nightstand tops of items that just seem to be piled there, and go through the drawers for a clean out.  Clear out under the bed, vacuum with the wand extensively, and only put back what is stored neatly.  Under-the-bed storage bins are great low profile storage pieces that can easily be pulled out and pushed back, and they keep loose items from just being shoved under.  Use them to store things like gift wrap rolls, flat packed bags, additional shoes, travel or seasonal accessories, or nail care supplies. 

Expend the energy for some deeper cleaning.  Vacuum under furniture, even if you don’t rearrange the room. Launder drapery panels if that’s an option, and give the windows and blinds a thorough cleaning.  Launder the bed skirt, comforter, blankets, and shams that aren’t cleaned in your regular routine.  Clean baseboards, door knobs, and light switches right along with your furniture dusting and mirror cleaning.             

The bedrooms are supposed to be the quiet, restful retreats in your home.  The effort to ensure they function that way will be well worth it when you stand back and marvel at your spring-ready spaces.  Now, get some good sleep.  Next week: the home office!  

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 16th.

Manage Your March: the Closet

The closet space: prime real estate in any home, and yet, many feel somewhat like a desert tundra, parched and gasping for air.  And space.  And order.  Turn that wasteland into your own private clothing store where every piece is easy to find and up for grabs.

The closet purge is one of the biggest steps to hurdle in reorganizing a closet, but it is also one of the most rewarding and freeing when all you want is some freed up space to really get your things in order.  Take the time to go through, piece by piece, all of your clothing, shoes, purses, belts, ties, scarves, and any other accessories present.  Pull out what you truly won’t wear again, using criteria like fit, fashion, and favorites.  Does it fit you well?  Is it current among the wardrobe you’re wearing?  And does it make the cut and make the rounds in your washer and dryer because it’s actually in your rotation?  If the answer isn’t yes to all 3, you’re likely wasting a hanger better put to use with a new piece.  Gather all the items headed out the closet door and make good use of them through a local charity donation.  Then keep a bin or bag on the floor of your closet to add pieces to over time, taking it to a donation site when it is filled up. 

Consider the space you have.  If every shirt, pair of pants, dress, or jacket is cram-packed in, and you struggle to get hangers in and out, rethink your quantity.  It has to be based on the space you have.  Know your closet’s limits for good use and proper storage and easy-to-see principles, and store accordingly.  My rule for my closet, which is at proper capacity, is a new piece in, an old piece out.  I don’t have free hangers; they are in use, and if a new item comes in, one that doesn’t make the cut as outlined above goes out.  Free hanger, meet my new selection.

Use tools suited to your needs, like belt and tie hooks or loops, clear bin shoe stackers or shoe racks, sweater bins, shelf dividers – whatever it takes to have a place for everything so you can easily keep everything in its place.  These items may not be acquired all at once, but consider consciously adding storage pieces to your space over time.  Hang, line up, or contain the purses you do carry.  Utilize any open wall space for a jewelry organizer or added shelving if you have the room.  Try to keep folded t-shirts or sweaters in dresser drawers to avoid avalanche clothing piles on shelves, or contain them in bins or clear containers to maintain order and accessibility. 

Utilize the closets throughout your home to ideally store items not related to clothing and accessories outside the bedroom closet.  Make over a hall closet to hold linens, towels, and the vacuum cleaner.  Bring in under-the-bed boxes to move keepsakes, gift wrap rolls, and so forth out of your closet.  Move some appropriate items to cabinets in your laundry room, kitchen, or bathroom.  Corral luggage in a guest closet, storage space, or attic. 

Use some online inspiration from organizing websites, some time over a weekend perhaps, and some muscle to sift, sort, and store what matters to you in the most orderly and fashionably accessible way.  Next week: the bedrooms!       

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 9th.

Manage Your March: the Kitchen

As spring is on its way and March can have you motivated to clean and organize (here’s hoping, right?), we’ll dedicate this month of columns to managing your home, spring cleaning style.  First up: the hub of the home, the kitchen.

Get down and dirty to get one of the most used areas of your home sparkling and renewed.   Start inside your pantry and cabinets.  Remove everything, one shelf or cabinet at a time. You can remove more than one section at a time if you intend to do some rearranging as you put items back (or if the really undone look won’t overwhelm you).  Wipe down all the surfaces with a hot, soapy dish cloth or antibacterial kitchen wipes.  Replace old contact paper with new versions if needed (the spongy, easy-cut material can be better and more stay-put than the older paper styles). 

Go through all of your pantry items and check dates, throwing out outdated, long overdue, or skipped-over food that likely won’t get eaten.  Look into your dry goods, oils, spices, boxed meals, and canned goods in particular.  Take stock of what you have and what you need, making a pantry restock grocery list as you go.  You want to keep general use items on hand, like staples needed to make a batch of cookies or cook spaghetti, and buy specialty items only as planned recipes call for them.  This helps you manage your space and keep your inventory in check. 

Look over your arrangement of glasses, dishes, cookware, and bakeware.  Is your layout in your cabinets the best use of the space you have?  Does it make unloading the dishwasher and setting the table a streamlined process?  Could you better use the space you have or remove unused pieces altogether?  Let your answers to these questions direct any action you take to make your kitchen storage space function at the highest level.  Do the same for your drawers.  Clear them out, wipe them down, and reload them, keeping like items together in the proper storage bins and dividers, and getting rid of stirring spoons, spatulas, etc. that have been burned or torn and could cause little pieces of plastic or silicone to come off in use.  If you need to revamp your stock, add some pieces to your wish list. If you have cooking or serving pieces that are “so old” and don’t get used anymore, or you have multiple mix-matched sets that could use some paring down, consider selling or donating your excess to open up some storage space, leaving you with an uncluttered, easy access look. 

Finish off with your countertops.  If you leave small appliances out that seldom get used, consider storing them away for clear, open, easy-clean counter space.  Other options to consider are using a knife block designed to fit inside a drawer or doing away with the container of utensils and opting for storing them in divided drawer bins instead.  Give every surface a thorough cleaning, including over and under the microwave, toaster oven, and every grip, handle, and pull in the room.

Tackling a kitchen spring cleaning project can be a lot of work, but it can reap major benefits for the chef in you.  Next week: the closets!        

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 2nd.