If you’re ready to make a change and get rid of all of that unwanted clutter in your home, start the year off with this January decluttering challenge!  This home decluttering “detox diet” will help to jumpstart all of your decluttering and organization habits and set the tone for an ongoing organization plan!

The Household Organization Diet 2024 officially kicks off on January 1 with my January decluttering challenge – The 31 Day Home Detox Diet!  Whether you just have a few trouble spots in your home or are completely feeling overwhelmed with all of  the clutter, this challenge is for you.  Who’s ready to make 2024 the best organized year yet?

What is The Household Organization Diet?

The Household Organization Diet is basically a year-long, systematic plan to get every room in your home decluttered, cleaned, and organized.  You’ll receive monthly to do lists, tutorials and tips to get it all done, and tons of cleaning and organization inspiration!  It’s designed to help you learn strategies and systems to create your ideal home and {most importantly!} how to keep it up on an ongoing basis.  You can read more about it HERE.

What is The 31 Day Home Detox January Decluttering Challenge?

The 31 day detox decluttering challenge is designed to jumpstart your decluttering and organization habits and will help you clear out all of that obvious unwanted and unused “stuff” that is clogging up your home. For the next month we will be doing a quick rundown of our homes and getting rid of at least 10 items per day {feel free to do as many as you would like!}. The idea is to keep it simple and easy to keep up with. We will be going more thoroughly through each room during the year, so this is not the time  to be taking on any time consuming projects or major re-organizing.  Just 15 minutes per day – anywhere you would like.

Inevitably, I always get at least a few comments from readers laughing that they would never be able to do this in 15 minutes per day.  While it’s true that you may not be able to completely declutter and organize the space – we’ll actually be doing that later in the year – this will hopefully give you a good head start and inspire you to keep going.  It feels SO good to start clearing that extra weight out of your home and the benefits you see should encourage you in the year to follow.

What do I need to get started on this decluttering challenge?

All you really need are some garbage bags for trash and recycling and some bins or boxes for items that you will be donating.  If you’re going to be following the full Household Organization Diet, I also recommend that you get a binder to keep all of the printables in.  You can find the title page OVER HERE and the January printables below.  This year I will be releasing the WHOLE YEAR of printable calendars and monthly tasks so you’ll have even more flexibility in designing what works best for you.  They should be out mid-January so be sure to follow along!

Let’s Get Started!

Free Decluttering Challenge Printables

Before you get started, print out the organization printables below. You can use my pre-done challenge or use the blank plan to create your own areas to declutter. If the daily plan doesn’t work for you, spend a little longer once or twice per week and work on a few tasks at a time. Whatever works best for you!

JANUARY TASKS DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD A BLANK JANUARY TASK SHEET HERE

GET THE JANUARY NOTES SHEET HERE

Tips for a successful home decluttering challenge.

Remember that this is just a quick decluttering – NOT an organization project!

We have a whole year of organization ahead of us so don’t get burned out now!  Remember that it has likely taken you years to accumulate all of your stuff so don’t feel bad if it takes you some time to get rid of it!

Get rid of any possible distractions.

Put away your phone, turn off notifications, and keep your kiddos busy with something else for 15 minutes {or better yet, get them involved if they’re old enough!}.

Work quickly.

Put on a timer and work as quickly as you can for the full time.  Don’t spend time debating about things that you’re not sure about.  Instead, target all of those obvious items that you know need to go.  There will be more time for other items when we work on the individual rooms.

Stay focused.

If you have a lot of decluttering to do, it can be easy to get overwhelmed.  Just remember – it’s only 15 minutes and it is only one small space.  Pull out only what you have time for.  You don’t want a bigger mess in the end than what you started with!

Have a donate bin {or two!} handy.

Trust me.  You will probably be making multiple trips down to The Salvation Army this month. Have a bin or tote {and garbage bag!} nearby when you are decluttering to sort out all of your items that you will be getting rid of as you come to them.

Don’t let perfection get in the way.

Again, this is a quick decluttering.  Spend all of your time getting rid of things and we will be coming back to make things look pretty later.  Don’t think about it too much – just get started!! If you come across items that belong elsewhere when you are decluttering, put them away where they belong!

If you need a little extra motivation to get your going, read this post on tackling procrastination and this post on conquering your decluttering paralysis to help get your started on your way.

The Home Decluttering Diet Book

For those of you that really want to get your home decluttered and organized, my book, The Home Decluttering Diet, is the perfect companion to the plan!   You can find it on Amazon, {plus it’s currently on SALE!} as well as Barnes and Nobles and many other online retailers.  While the blog is a great place to get inspiration, I really wanted to create a book that had all of my thoughts and organization ideas in one place and would allow my readers to easily keep referring back to the information that they needed to keep them motivated and encouraged.  The book is based on the basic idea of The Household Organization, but is filled with additional organization inspiration, strategies, and simple DIY projects.  Think of the book as your ultimate organization text book and the blog as your workbook.

What’s the plan for the decluttering challenge?

Day 1: Paperwork.

Do you have a pile of paperwork {or two?} collecting on your kitchen counter or in your home office? Go through bills, receipts, and any other paperwork, tossing {or shredding} what you don’t need and sorting whatever is left over into its proper location.

Day 2: Front entry way and coat closet/mudroom.

Donate any coats, shoes, or accessories that you no longer use. If you are short on space, put items that are out of season into storage somewhere else in your home.

Day 3: Purse.

Empty out all garbage and items that you do not use regularly. Sort through any receipts and either put them into paper recycling or file away. Use a small pouch to hold make-up and other essentials that can easily be transferred from purse to purse. Donate any purses that you no longer use or love.

Day 4: Cleaning supplies.

Go through your cleaning supplies {wherever they may be!} and get rid of all of those products that you don’t use. Try to use multipurpose cleaners or green cleaning products whenever possible. If you have multiple partially filled bottles of the same product, combine them into one bottle. Toss any old rags or cloths that are at the end of their use. You can see our organized cleaning cabinet HERE.

Day 5: Fridge and Freezer.

Remove all items from that are expired or you know you will not use. Minimize packaging when possible to save space. Find other organization ideas HERE. Does your fridge need a deep cleaning? You can check out my fridge cleaning tips HERE.

Day 6: Pantry and other dry food storage.

Toss all items that are expired and get rid of anything that you know you will not use. Don’t forget to go through all of those spices too! Place items that will be expiring soon towards the front of the cupboard.

Day 7: Free for All.

This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you’re all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home and spend a little extra time there.

Day 8: Kitchen Cabinets.

Look for any kitchen items that you do not use or have room for. Ensure that all Tupperware has matching lids and eliminate as many unnecessary kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, and duplicate utensils as you can.  You can see how ours are organized HERE.

Day 9: Medicine Cabinet/First Aid Supplies.

Medicine is actually best stored outside of the bathroom in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children. Go through all medications and look for items that are expired or that you no longer need. Return expired medications to your local pharmacy for proper disposal. Find more ideas HERE.

Day 10: Dining Area.

Commit to keeping your table clutter free.  Find storage solutions for all items that frequently find their way to the table. Donate any dishes, serving ware, or other items that you do not use.

Day 11: Entertainment Area.

Make sure all CDs, DVDs etc are in their proper cases and evaluate what you really will use. Music and videos are so easily accessible through our computers and mobile devices, that your CDs and DVDs may be a thing of the past.

Day 12: Magazines and Books.

Let go of your magazine hoarding and get rid of any outdated editions.  Cut out pages that you would like to keep and sort into a filing system.  Recycle or donate old books that you will no longer read and sort the rest in a logical order.

Day 13: Junk drawer.

Get rid of everything that is not needed. If you have time, use inexpensive plastic containers to store similar items together. Put items that belong elsewhere away.

Day 14: Free for All.

This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas.  If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.

Day 15: Desk.

File away any needed paperwork and shred remaining papers. Sort smaller office supplies and only keep products that you use.  Get rid of those 2014 calendars!

Day 16: Bathroom cabinets.

Go through all beauty products and keep only what you really use. Do you really need all of those hotel shampoo bottles?

Day 17: Linen closet.

Donate any linens that you no longer use that are still in good condition.  Toss any items that are really dingy or have holes.

Day 18: Make-up.

Toss anything that is expired, cracked or no longer your style.  Pick your favorites and get rid of those other 10 lipstick tubes that you never wear!  To find out more about the recommended shelf-life for various make-up, check out this post on how to organize your makeup.

Day 19: Jewellery.

Sort through all of your jewellery and decide what items you still wear. Donate or toss the rest!  If anything you would like to keep needs cleaning or repairs, put them aside to take care of as soon as you can.

Day 20: Bedroom closet.

Sort through all clothing and ask yourself if you would still buy it today. If not, it is time for it to go!

Day 21: Free for All.

This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas.  If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.

Day 22:  Sock and underwear drawer.

Go through all of those socks and underwear.  Make sure you have matching socks with no holes and only keep what you still wear.

Day 23: Nightstand.

Clear off table top and sort through drawers keeping only what you would need before bed or during the night.

Day 24: Kids’ Toys.

This is always a fun one. Sort through toys to see what your kids still use {and have your kids help out on this one if they are old enough}. Check to see that toys have all parts and are in working order before donating or selling.  Toss the rest!

Day 25: Kids’ Closets

Check to see what clothes still fit and donate the old ones or sort them into a labeled storage bin if you are saving them for younger children. You can find more kids closet organization tips HERE.

Day 26: Craft space.

Be ruthless and really evaluate what items you still need and use. Schools will often take extra supplies that you are looking to get rid of.

Day 27: Laundry Room.

Sort through cupboards for any laundry products that are old or not used.  Toss any unpaired socks that are hanging around.

Day 28: Free for All.

This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you’re all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.

Day 29: Basement.

Chances are this is one of the biggest source of clutter.  Set a timer and try to get rid of as many items as possible.  Use large storage totes to store seasonal items together.

Day 30: Garage.

This one is also a big clutter offender.  Again, set a timer and collect as many items as you can that you no longer use or need.

Day 31: Car.

Grab two bags – one for garbage and one for anything that needs to go back in the house.  Put everything away in its proper place that you bring back into the house.

Get a support team.

The best way to stick with any new plan or habit is to find a support team.  Try doing this challenge with all of the members of your household, a friend, or an extended family member. And for even more support and inspiration, follow along with Instagram or Facebook  and subscribe to my emails {the sign up is right on the side bar!} so you won’t miss a post!  There is definitely strength in numbers and I love to hear how things are going for you all!  Please email me with any questions you may have or tag me in your social media posts.

Happy Organizing!!

For more information on The Household Organization Diet and to see last year’s spaces, check out this post HERE.

The post January Decluttering Challenge – The Home Detox Diet appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

If you’re looking to improve your kitchen organization, this post has it all!  Here’s everything you need to get your kitchen deep cleaned, decluttered, and organized – tips, tricks, tutorial, and free printables included.

Kitchen Cleaning and Organization

Are you ready to get your kitchen cleaned and organized? This post will help to guide you through all of the steps you need to completely declutter, deep clean and organize your kitchen. It was originally designed to be used as part of The Household Organization Diet but it can definitely just be done on its own.

You can take as long as you need to get the checklist done – just keep moving forwards! Intentionally scheduling in some organization time – and actually sticking to it – can really help you to tackle your goals. It’s all about progress over perfection.

The Household Organization Diet – Kitchen Organization

The kitchen is the heart of the home – the place where friends and family gather and delicious meals are enjoyed together. Having an organized and decluttered kitchen will make it easier to find what you’re looking for, cut down on your meal prep time, and create a more relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for your whole family to relax.  Don’t invite clutter to the dinner table! 

The Household Organization Diet Plan

The Household Organization is basically a year-long plan to work on decluttering, deep cleaning, and organizing every space in your home. Each month we work on a different room. Some spaces may need a lot of time and others will be easier. Just work at your own pace, do what you can, and feel free to adapt the plan to make it work for you.  The key is to just get started!

For each month, there is a free set of printables including a task list, a blank task list for you to add your own tasks, and a notes sheet. I recommend that you print these out and put them in a binder for frequent reference.  You might even want to print two copies of the task sheet so you can hang one up on the fridge or other visible area of your home. If you’d like to move through the tasks quicker {or need a little longer!}, you can definitely adjust the speed to whatever fits your particular schedule. It’s totally up to you!

I also always post some helpful tutorials and tips to help you complete each of your tasks. Be sure to pin or bookmark these posts so you can read these over before you get started. Please leave me a comment or email me if you have specific questions or ideas that you would find helpful to complete the tasks and keep you on track. I always love to hear from you!

The Kitchen To Do List

Here are the tasks to work on in the kitchen this month.  You can print out the list as shown below or print out a blank one and customize your own to do list.

DOWNLOAD THE KITHCN TO DO LIST HERE
DOWNLOAD THE BLANK KITCHEN TO DO LIST HERE

Kitchen Notes

Keep a notes sheet {or two!} handy to jot down any kitchen projects, home improvement ideas, extra tasks, products, etc. that you would like to do or purchase.  You might want to use one for tasks that you would like to do this month and a second sheet for future projects that you would like to do.

DOWNLOAD THE KITHCHEN NOTES SHEET HERE

Kitchen Cleaning Tips

The kitchen is probably the hardest working room in the house so it definitely deserves a little TLC. When you’re working on your deep cleaning tasks, start with items that are higher up and work down to the floor for the most efficient cleaning plan. Many of these cleaning tasks will also need to be done periodically throughout the year, so this is a good time to come up with a regular cleaning plan. I’ve put together all of my favorite kitchen cleaning posts for you below to help get you started.  If you need anything else, just let me know!

• How to Clean the Microwave
• Clean the Garbage Disposal
• How to Clean the Fridge
• How to Clean the Dishwasher
• The Best Ways to Clean the Oven
• How to Clean Wood Floors (and laminate too!}
• Power Cleaning the Kitchen with Steam
• How to Remove Burned Food from Pots and Bakeware
• How to Clean a Glass Top Stove
• The Best Way to Clean Stainless Steel
• How to Speed Clean the Kitchen
• How to Deep Clean the Kitchen
• Free Printable Cleaning Labels
• Seasonal Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

Kitchen Cleaning Tasks to Remember

In addition to the tasks above, don’t forget about these little “forgotten areas” to clean during the month:

• The tops of kitchen cupboards. If you’re cupboards don’t extend all the way to the ceiling, be sure to give the tops of the cabinets a good cleaning. Do this task first, so all of the dust and dirt that may fall doesn’t mess up anything you’ve already cleaned.
• Light fixtures and light switches. If you can remove the light fixtures, wash them in mild dish soap and water.  Otherwise, just dust and wipe them down.
• Behind your appliances. If possible move your appliances out so you can clean behind and underneath them.  Not only does this remove dust, dirt, and debris but it can also make your appliances run more efficiently {especially the fridge!}.
• The inside of cupboards and drawers.To do a really good organizing and decluttering, you should remove all of your items from the drawers and cupboards {You don’t have to do this all at once!}.  While the items are out, take some time to give the inside of your cupboards and drawers a good cleaning.
• Kitchen cabinet doors. Even if you regular spot clean spills and drips, these can use a good deep cleaning to get rid of any oil and grime build up.
• Blinds or curtains. If you have blinds or curtains in your kitchen, be sure to give them an extra good cleaning.  Curtains can be laundered and I recommend using the highest temperature setting you can based on the material. If you can take down your blinds, I find it easiest to just throw them in the bathtub to wash.  Otherwise, be sure to use a good degreaser when spraying them down.

Kitchen Organization Ideas

Having an organized kitchen not only looks better, but it can also save you time, energy, and money.  An organized space will cut down on food costs and waste and speed up meal planning and cooking time.  Plus, it just makes your time in the kitchen more enjoyable and less frustrating!  i recommend starting with this post  –  8 Steps to Organize the Kitchen – and then go from there.  I’ve listed all of my kitchen organization posts below, so it should have you covered!

• How to Organize the Medicine Cabinet
• How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets
• Keep Your Kitchen Counters Clutter-Free
• How to Organize Under the Kitchen Sink
• How to Organize the Fridge
• Free Printable Fridge Labels
• Under the Sink Organizers and Organizing Ideas
• Kitchen Command Center
• How to Organize the Pantry
• Pantry Organization Ideas
• How to Organize Cleaning Supplies
• Kitchen Organization Tips and Tricks

Whew!  You made it!  I know there’s lots of information, but I wanted to have all of the information in one place for you. Don’t let it overwhelm you – just work your way through one task at a time. You can totally do it!  If you have any areas that you need help with, let me know!

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Learn how to prepare your vehicle for winter and keep your family safe with these 6 simple tips. Free printables and an emergency vehicle kit checklist are included to help keep you organized.

This year has been one of the coldest, snowiest winters that I can remember {and we’re not even a month in!}. Usually we’ll get a day or two of snow per year and a few odd cold spells, but it doesn’t stick around for long.  The snow started this year, however, at the beginning of December and still hasn’t left!

How To Prepare Your Car for Winter Driving

Winter weather can be hard on your car, so it’s important to do some basic steps to protect your vehicle and ensure that it’s prepared for those winter conditions. Follow this checklist below to get your care in tip-top winter shape! {NOTE: Always check your owner’s manual for any specific details about your car’s components.}

Start with a Winter Maintenance

Schedule a seasonal maintenance check on your vehicle to keep on top of any minor repairs that may be needed. Make sure your battery, brakes, lights, cooling and heating systems, electrical systems, and belts and hoses are all in good working order.  Since the colder weather can cause your vehicle’s oil to thicken, change the oil just prior to the winter months to help keep the oil flowing easily through your engine. To keep track of all of your repairs and maintenance work, print off this maintenance log and keep it in your vehicle or family binder.

DOWNLOAD THE VEHICLE MAINTENANCE LOG HERE {KILOMETERS}
DOWNLOAD THE VEHICLE MAINTENANCE LOG HERE {MILES}

Check Your Tires

When the weather starts to turn, it’s time to check those tires! Make sure that you have the appropriate tires on your car to meet the winter driving conditions in your region, and check the tire’s tread indicator to ensure that they’ll last through the season.  All-season tires {or 3 season tires} are designed for weather conditions above 7 degrees celsius {or 45 degrees fahrenheit}.  If you have temperatures below that, you will need all-weather or winter tires installed.  Remember to check your tire pressure regularly {and don’t forget about the spare tire!}.  Tire pressure tends to go down with colder temperates making your tires more susceptible to damage.

Do Regular Fluid Checks

Make sure your windshield wiper fluid and anti-freeze is topped up.  You may also wish to carry an extra supply in your trunk.

Keep your Windshield and Windows Clear

Make sure that you clear any snow and ice from all windows, lights, and mirrors, as well as the hood and the roof of your vehicle, before driving.  This will allow for clear visibility and will ensure that a big pile of snow doesn’t go flying off your car while you’re driving!  If your area is prone to heavy snow and ice, change your wipers to winter blades.  These are heavier and can help clear any snow and ice from your windshield easier. If you’re battling the cold weather you might also want to read this post on how to create this simple DIY car de-icer.

Give Your Car Some T.L.C.

Ice, salt, and slush can wreak havoc on your car.  To help avoid rusting, wash and apply a fresh coat of wax to your vehicle prior to the winter season.  Your car should also be washed regularly throughout the winter {especially the underbelly} to help protect your car against the winter elements and to keep your windshields, mirrors, and lights clean for optimum visibility.

Keep a Winter Emergency Kit in Your Car

It’s always a good idea to keep a basic emergency kit in your car at all times, but there are some additional items that you should add for the colder months.  You can purchase pre-made car emergency kits or gather the supplies on your own.  Use the list below and evaluate what you need for your area and driving conditions.  You can also find a free printable checklist to keep in your car or add to your family binder.

What should a car emergency kit include?

• water {ideally a 3 day supply}
• calorie dense, non-perishable food such as energy bars, nuts, etc.
• blankets or a sleeping bag {a light, heat reflective blanket is ideal}
• wind-up flashlight or a flashlight {ideally waterproof} with extra batteries
• standard first aid kit with seatbelt cutter
• whistle
• fire extinguisher
• jumper cables
• duct tape
• tow rope
• tire gauge
• reflective warning triangles and reflective vest
• matches or lighter and a candle and small tin can {this will help to provide some warmth when you cannot run the car}
• small pocket knife

Additional items that you may want to add for winter driving {depending on your area’s weather conditions}:

• small {or foldable} shovel
• ice scraper
• 2 bags of sand, salt, non-clumping kitty litter, or other traction aid
• extra blankets and extra clothing {hat, socks, mittens, etc.}
• winter chains
• hand warmers

DOWNLOAD THE EMERGENCY VEHICLE KIT CHECKLIST HERE

The post How to Prepare Your Car for Winter appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

This easy DIY bathroom storage ladder is a pretty way to add easy, functional storage to your bathroom space. Perfect for small bathrooms or to add interest to blank wall spaces.

Main Floor Powder Room

Our main floor powder room didn’t have a lot of storage options and had this blank vertical wall in the back corner. After trying out a few different ideas in the space, I came up with this easy DIY storage ladder. It fills up the space perfectly, adds a little extra interest to the room, and provides some additional easy access storage. This really is a very simple DIY that anyone can do with just some basic supplies. The dimensions can also easily be adapted to any space or your specific storage needs.

DIY Storage Ladder Tutorial

This simple DIY bathroom storage ladder is the perfect beginner project. My version came in at around $30 for all supplies {although I did already have the paint on hand}, which was way cheaper than other storage ideas that I had been looking at.

Materials

• two 1×3 boards {ours measure about 7 feet each} for the sides of the ladder
• wooden garden stakes or 1×2 boards cut down to your desired size for the rungs {we used 8 rungs on our ladder and they are about 11 inches in length}
• 1 1/4 inch wood screws
• drill
• wood putty
• level
• paint or stain {I painted ours with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite}
• wire baskets {these came in packs of 2 at Target in the bathroom section}
• shower curtain hangers or ‘S’ hooks

Directions

• Cut all of your wood pieces to your desired size and sand smooth.  Make sure that you find your baskets before building your ladder so you can determine what the length of your rungs needs to be and how much space you would like in between them.  This will especially be important if you are wanting more baskets on your ladder to ensure that you have enough space.
• Once you have determined the distance that you would like between your rungs {ours are about 8 1/2 inches}, cut a spacer from the 1×2 board at that length to ensure that you place your rungs evenly.

• If you’re assembling the ladder on your own, you will likely need to use some wood glue to attach the rungs prior to drilling in the screws.  In our case, I aligned and held the rungs while Dave did the drilling which eliminated the need for glue. Take extra care with the placement of the first rung, as that will determine the alignment of all of the other rungs to follow.  Align the long edge of the first rung against the side rail {see photo above} placing it in the middle of the 1×3. Secure in place with the screws. Once you have this first rung in place, all you need to do is slip in your spacer and make sure that it is level when placing your next rung. Completely screw in the rungs on one side of the ladder before doing the other side. Repeat on the other side.
• Once your ladder is assembled, fill in the screw holes with wood putty.  Allow to dry and then sand.

• Paint or stain the ladder and allow to dry.  Attach your baskets and some other fun accessories and you are good to go!

What can I store in a bathroom storage ladder?

The fun thing about this storage ladder is that you can customize it however you’d like. The possibilities are endless, but here’s a quick list of storage ideas. Let me know if you have any more!

• hang larger towels over the rungs
• roll up smaller towels into the baskets
• place mason jars in the baskets and fill with basic self-care items
• store extra toilet paper rolls
• display small decor items
• use hanging metal planters for small plants or as storage for other items
• store extra toiletries for guests

How else could I use this storage ladder?

The dimensions on the ladder can easily be adjusted to your particular needs and can really be used in any room in your home. Here are just a few ideas to help get you started…

• hang throw blankets
• display table linens
• hang pretty scarves or other accessories
• use the baskets to hold art supplies
• fill the baskets with small potted plants

More Bathroom Organization Ideas

For more bathroom organization and storage ideas, check out these posts…

Bathroom Cabinet Organizer Ideas

Coastal Style Design Bathroom Makeover

20 Items to Declutter from the Bathroom

The post DIY Bathroom Storage Ladder appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

Get all of your family’s paperwork and schedules organized with these kitchen command center organization ideas. Simple tips that anyone can do!

What is a Kitchen Command Center?

If you haven’t heard of the term “kitchen command center” before, it’s basically just a central area in your home for you and your family to keep all of your daily paperwork and schedules. It really doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it can make a huge difference in controlling paper clutter and keeping your whole family on track. Generally command centers include your family calendars and schedules, any papers that you may need to refer to on a regular basis, basic office supplies, etc. You can, of course, customize yours with whatever you want!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission {at no charge to you!} on items purchased directly through the links provided. Thanks for your support!

How to Set Up a Kitchen Command Center.

If you have difficulty controlling the paper clutter in your home or need help keeping up with everyone’s schedules, a command center is for you! What you want your command center to look like and how you would like to set it up is totally individual though. It’s all about meeting the needs of your specific family. Here are some command center organization ideas to help you with the basic set up…

Pick a location.

A kitchen command center can really be anywhere – it doesn’t even have to be in the kitchen!  Ideally you want to pick a spot that’s easily accessible to the whole family. When choosing your location, look for spots where your clutter tends to accumulate and pick a location close by. A spot in the front entry, mudroom, or even a hallway could work. If you’re short on space, you can even hide it away on the inside of a cupboard or closet door.

Choose what items you want to include.

Spend some time thinking about what it is that you have difficulty keeping organized and what information needs to be shared.  What type of things are you constantly looking for or is your family needing? Depending on your needs and space available, you’ll need to decide what items you want to include. Here are some common items that may be needed…

• family calendar
• day planner
• file folders and somewhere to store them
• incoming and outgoing mail
• shopping lists
• chalkboard or white board for messages or other reminders
• a menu plan
• hooks for keys
• a menu plan
• charging station for electronics
• basic office supplies
• frequently called numbers and emergency contacts
• shopping lists
• coupon storage
• current bills to pay
• takeout menus/flyers that you want to follow up on

Declutter your papers.

The kitchen command center should be where all of your paperwork arrives – bills and other mail, school papers, medical papers, etc. To get your paperwork organized, gather up all of your papers and sort them quickly into three piles: keep, file {for more long-term storage elsewhere} recycle, and shredding. Group the papers from the keep pile into categories that make sense to you. This can include {but is definitely not limited to!}…

• bills to pay
• upcoming events
• kids’ papers
• coupons
• records to file and papers that need to be kept long-term
• personal papers for each person in your household

If you need more ideas for keeping your paperwork under control, check out this post on how to eliminate paper clutter.

Put it all together.

Once you’ve decided how you want your family command center to look, you’ll need to put it all together. Shop your home for items that you can use that you already own and then determine what items you may need to purchase. Remember that you’re trying to cut down on clutter, so only purchase what you’ll need and use. It may take a few weeks of using the system to really figure out how it will work for you, so start with the basics and add more if needed.

Other Kitchen Command Center Organization Ideas

File Folders

My file folders are probably the most helpful thing for me to keep all of my papers organized and I actually have two places that they’re stored.  One is in the wall mounted system {it’s from the Martha Stewart collection at Staples but is sadly discontinued} and the other is in the bottom drawer of the desk.  In the wall unit, I have a file folder for bills to pay, things to do {such as a letter that needs to be mailed or a prescription that needs to be filled}, things to file in our long term filing cabinet, and a personal file for any miscellaneous items.  You can simplify it even more if you like into simply “file” and “to do”.

The bottom drawer in the desk was pretty much filled with items that I never used.  So I tossed them all out {after donating what I could}, and added a wood block so I could place some additional file folders there.  The vertical storage is so much more functional than stacking everything on top of each other especially in a really deep drawer like this. There wasn’t quite enough room to use the label tabs on the file folders so I just used my label maker to print out some labels for the front of the files.

I have a separate file for every member of the family as well as one for coupons/gift cards that aren’t necessarily going to be used for a while.  The family files are more for short-term storage like school papers that need to be returned, medical forms or prescriptions that need to be dealt with, birthday party invites etc.   I also have our address book here and a few extra office supplies.

The most important thing to remember when using a system like this is to have a day of the week that you sort through everything.  Papers can quickly pile up!  I spend about 15 minutes per week going through the folders, completing what needs to be done and filing away those items that I need to keep.

Calendar

I actually use more of a planner calendar than a typical wall calendar and it fits nicely into our bottom drawer with the file folders. I like the portability of it and the fact that there’s lots of room to write notes on the other pages. Use whatever works best for you though.  Some people really do better if the calendar is always right out in the open in front of them. You can color code your appointments but family member if you would like, but I try to keep things as simple as possible.  I’ll use a little washi tape to dress things up a but for important events or vacations, but otherwise it’s pretty basic {and unfortunately a lot more filled up now than when this photo was taken!}

By putting the additional file folders in the drawer, I was able to get rid of the bulky drawer unit that I was previously using {you can see it here} and create a lot more work space on the desk.  Less clutter on the desk also means, easier cleaning!

Basic Office Supplies

Keep your basic office supplies on hand that you use on a regular basis. This can include pens, pencils, erasers, paper clips, stamps, elastic bands, tape, or whatever else you use.  Use drawer dividers, jars, or small bins and containers to keep everything separated with a specific home.

Re-evaluate as you go.

Every now and then, re-evaluate what items you’re using and what things you might want to change. After a few years of using the wall system, I wanted to simplify things a bit more and replaced it with an acrylic wall calendar. I was able to fit everything that I still needed in the drawers, and it definitely created a more decluttered look. I promise I do actually use the calendar – the photo below is just from when I first purchased it. lol!

So there you go – my organization hub of the home! I hope you enjoyed these kitchen command center organization ideas. Having some kind of family command center in your home can truly make a difference in your paper organization and planning. You may need to tweak things every now and then as your family needs change, but get into the habit {and train your family!} now. It really is worth it! Happy organizing!

More Organization Ideas

For more organization ideas, check out these posts…

Free Organization Printables

The Household Organization Diet

The post Kitchen Command Center Organization appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

Get your keys decluttered and organized with these simple key organization ideas and cute, faux-suede DIY keychains. Includes an easy, step by step tutorial and cut pattern for your Cricut cutting machine.

Key Organization

I really haven’t done much in the way of organizing our keys over the years, but when I did a little makeover on our front entry closet a few months ago, I realized that our keys were a mess. First of all, we had a few different places around the house that various keys had migrated to. Secondly, we had a lot of keys that we no longer needed or didn’t know what they were for. It’s amazing how many keys you can actually accumulate over the years!

I decided to do a total re-vamp of our key organization system and come up with a functional {and pretty!} solution that worked for our family. I love using my Cricut machines to help customize our home organization projects, so I created these cute DIY key chains and added a custom vinyl “keys please” sign to tie it all together. We’ve been using this system for almost 2 months now and it’s been working great!

This post is sponsored by Cricut and does contain affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission {at no charge to you} from items purchased directly through this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

How to Organize Your Keys

Gather all of your keys.

Go on a hunt around your home and gather up all of your key chains and loose keys. Lay them all out and get rid of anything that you don’t want and keys that you don’t use anymore. Make sure you know what each key is for and set any “mystery” keys aside.

Sort your keys into categories.

There are different ways that you can organize you keys – just pick something that works for you. Categories that you may have include work keys, recreational vehicle keys, occasional keys such as bike lock keys, back-up keys you may have for a family or neighbour’s home, , outdoor keys for sheds or other items in your yard, spare keys, etc. You may also have loyalty card key fobs that you want to keep.

Group similar keys together.

Once you have everything sorted, you can group your keys onto a few different key chains. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do this. It just needs to be sometime that works for your specific needs. First, you want to choose what to keep on your everyday keyring. For our system, my husband and I each have one main key chain with all of our keys that we use on a daily basis like our car key and mail key. Personally I like to keep this key chain as minimal as possible so I’m only carrying the keys that I need regularly.  I then made additional key chains for those keys that we don’t use on a regular basis or keys that would need to switch between Dave and I. For example, we have one key chain for our trailer keys, one for our bike locks, one for all of our spare house keys, etc. These can be clipped onto our main key ring as needed.

Label your keys.

Labelling your keys {especially those that you don’t use regularly} helps to keep things organized, save time, and allows everyone that may need the keys to find them easily. There are various ways that you can label your keys such as color coding, directly adding a small label to the key itself, or using labelled keychains. I like a more unified look so the labelled keychains worked perfectly for us.

Faux Suede DIY Keychain with Cricut

Are you ready to create your own custom DIY keychain? These are so quick and easy to make on your Cricut and can be customized however you’d like. They work well as a cute gift idea too!

Materials

• key fob templates or create your own in Cricut Design Space
• Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2.
• Cricut faux suede or faux leather. I used this faux suede sampler pack. {NOTE: This would also work great with genuine leather but you will need a deep cut blade for this. Check out this post for more tips for cutting with leather}
• clear Gorilla Glue or Krazy Glue
• rivets {optional as these are decorative}. This rivet kit comes with everything you will need.
• key chains {I purchased these ones and these ones from Amazon}
• Cricut Everyday Iron-on material {optional}
• Cricut Easy Press {or iron} if customizing your keychains

To Make

Step 1: Open Cricut Design Space

Open the key fob template in Cricut Design Space using this link and click on customize. I added a variety of word labels that you may want to use, but you can edit any of these to create your own custom labels or wording. You can also change the font type and sizing if you would like. Once you’re happy with your design, click on “Make It” in the top right hand corner.

Step 2: Cut the Word Labels

If you’re adding word labels to your keychain, these will be the first cut that you’ll make. Select your iron-on material from the “Browse All Materials” and ensure that the premium fine-point blade is loaded into your Cricut. Place the iron-on sheet face down {shiny side down} onto the green standard grip mat and load it into the Cricut and hit the cut button.

Step 3: Cut the Faux Leather.

Once you’ve cut the iron-on materials, it’s time to cut that faux suede! When prompted, select Faux Suede from the “Browse All Materials” option. Ensure that the fine point cutting blade is loaded into your Cricut and slide the small white “stars” on the Cricut roller all the way over to the right so they don’t leave any indentations on your leather material.

Place the faux leather right side down on the green standard grip mat. Load the mat into your cutting machine and follow the on-screen prompts to complete cutting.

Step 4: Assemble the keychain.

Peel away the excess suede and remove the key fobs from the mat.

Fold over the bottom of the faux suede to the size you would like your key fob, leaving approximately just over an inch at the top to fold over. Secure with a little Krazy glue at the overlap and press to secure.

Place the key chain ring through the excess suede. Add a little glue to the top of the overap and fold over to secure.

You want to leave a little space between the ring and the suede so it can move freely.

I used the solid key rings for my keychain, but you can use the cable loops if you want to be able to remove the rings {see top key ring below}. The cable loops could be added to either option.

Step 5: Add the Rivets.

The rivets are more decorative than functional but I think they create a much more polished look. Punch a hole through the key fob towards the bottom of the overlap. The hole punch that came with my rivet kit worked fine for punching through all three layers of the faux suede. {NOTE: There’s also a hole setting tool that you can use for thicker materials.} Place the rivet with the longer point through the hole.

Position the round metal base under the rivet {this prevents the rivet from getting dented and secures it more in place for hammering} and top with the rivet cap. Place the setting tool over the rivet cap and hold in place firmly. Hammer firmly on the top of the setting tool a few times until the rivet is set in place.

I ended up using the smaller, silver rivets for my keychains, but here’s an example of the larger, darker colored rivets for comparison. Either size works!

Step 6: Weed the iron-on.

Trim down the excess vinyl away from the words so it’s easier to work with. Weed away the negative space using the weeding tool. You should be left with the words stuck on the clear liner. Using scissors, carefully separate the words.

Step 7: Iron-on the labels.

Pre-heat the EasyPress to 280F {140C}. {NOTE: I always refer to the Cricut heat guide when I’m using iron-on materials.}. Place the faux suede strips on the Cricut EasyPress mat and lightly press the EasyPress over the material for 5 seconds to preheat. Remove the EasyPress and place the labels where you would like them on your key fob. Press the EasyPress in place for 30 seconds and remove. Allow the material to cool slightly before carefully removing the clear backing. Repeat for all of your keychains.

Step 8: Add your keys.

Now for the finishing touches! Add your keys and decide how you want to store your keychains. I attached two key chain rings to each clip – one for the label key fob and one for the keys themselves. This allows me to just take the keys off the keychain {without the label} if I’m going to be adding them temporarily to a larger keychain.

If you prefer, you can leave both the keychain and keys attached and just clip them to a round loop ring. The clip makes it quick and easy to secure the keys to another keychain without fumbling around trying to take the individual keys on and off the ring.

Your key chains could be stored in a pretty basket or hang them from the wall from some simple wall hooks. We have a basket by our front door for our everyday keychains and our front entryway closet holds the rest of them. I added a cute vinyl “keys please” wall label above our hooks.

How to Customize Your Key Chain

There are so many different ways that you can switch up these key chains to make them your own!  These would be perfect to give as gifts or personalize your own everyday keychain with a special touch. Here are a few ideas for you

• add a monogram
• use a special date {this would be perfect for a wedding gift!}
• write an inspirational word
• create a cut-out design on one side of the key chain. For example, you could use a small heart or star or put a small house silhouette for your house key.
• add a geometric design – stripes, dots, chevron – with iron-on vinyl
• switch up the colors. I wanted to keep these particular key chains neutral since we’ll be mixing them around, but there are so many fun colors that you could use! There are 10 colors available in the faux leather or start with a neutral base and add your color with the iron-on vinyl.

Tips for Cutting Faux Suede {or Leather} on a Cricut

Use the premium fine tip cutting blade.

One of the benefits of using faux suede or faux leather vs genuine leather is that you don’t have to purchase the deep cutting blade. All you need it the premium fine tip cutting blade that comes with your machine. If you’re using non-Cricut brand faux suede or leather, however, you should do a test cut first to make sure that the material is not too thick for the premium fine tip blade.

Secure the faux suede properly to the cutting mat.

Lay the faux suede face down onto the cutting mat. This keeps your mat cleaner and will help to extend the life of your mat. I generally use the green standard grip mat for cutting faux suede. You can use a brayer or rolling pin over the suede to ensure that it is adhered well. If it still isn’t sticking, use the purple strong grip mat.

Choose the correct cut settings.

When cutting, pick the faux suede (paper thin) setting in Cricut Design Space. You will need to move the dial to custom on your Explore series machine to get to this menu. If you are placing your suede face side down be sure to mirror your image if it is not a symmetrical design {i.e. for letters or other designs that are not symmetrical back and front}.

I hope you find these key organizer ideas useful and have fun making your own DIY keychain. There are so many different ways that you can customize them to make them your own!

More Home Organization Projects Using Cricut

If you’re looking for more ideas on how to use your Cricut for home organization projects, check out these posts…

DIY Leather Cord Wraps

How to Organize Your Spices and Spice Labels

Custom Towels

The post Key Organizer Ideas and Faux Suede DIY Keychain appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

Get all of your cords and cables organized once and for all with these DIY cord organizers. They’re easy to customize with a Cricut machine and keep your cables easy to access and wrap back up.

This post is sponsored by Cricut and does contain affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission at no cost to you from items purchased through the links. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thank-you for your support!

Cord Organization

With all of the technology these days, you’re bound to have a pile of cords, chargers, and other random cables cluttering up your home. Well, today, I’m going to help you get all of those cords decluttered and organized once and for all – with a little help from my Cricut!

My new favorite project is these cute {and super functional!} DIY cord organizers. These can be customized however you’d like and are the perfect way to master your cord organization. They’re designed to stay on the cord, so even when you undo the cords, you’ll always know where to find the wrap. Make them for your whole family and don’t forget to make a few extras for gifts!

How to Organize Your Cords

Are you ready to tackle that tangled pile of cords and cables? Taking a little time now to get them decluttered and sorted will save you a lot of time in the long run. And probably prevent a lot of headaches  and a few arguments too!

Gather everything in one spot.

Those tech cords and cables are likely spread out throughout your house so go on a little hunt and gather than all up!  Check purses, desks, bedside tables, your car, and any other spots that those cords tend to accumulate in your home.  Get your whole family involved and see how many different cords you can come up with. You might be surprised!

Detangle and sort.

Detangle all of those cords and sort them into categories such as iphone cables/chargers, lap top cords, tablet cords, Android cables/chargers, micro USB chargers, ear buds, etc.

Decide what to keep.

Once all of your charging cords are sorted, make that they’re all in good working order. Discard any that are damaged. Toss {or donate} cords that you no longer need or those that you have an excess number of. I couldn’t believe how many micro cables we had!

Make sure you know what all of the cords are used for and that you still have the devices that they go with. If you have any “mystery” cables that you’re not sure if you’ll need, store them away for a designated amount of time. If they’re not used within that amount of time, chances are you can safely discard them.

Come up with an organization plan.

Now that you know how many cords you have and need to store, it’s time to come up with an organization plan. Depending on the number of cords you have, you may want to have a central storage place for extra cords or universal cords that the whole family may use. In addition, you could keep a small cord storage in various rooms depending on your needs and where you tend to charge your devices. This is our main cord storage area where we keep the majority of our cords and chargers.

DIY Cord Organizer

I’ve tried a number of different cord wraps over the years, but I think this DIY cord organizer that I made with my Cricut is my favorite one yet. I just takes as few minutes to make, but will save you hours of frustration!

Materials

• DIY Cord Organizer File
• Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air
• Cricut metallic rose gold leather {alternatively you could use the pebbled faux leather, however, this is not as thick}
• Deep cut blade {If using faux leather you can just use the premium fine point blade that comes with the cutting machine}
• snap fasteners. This kit that I got from Amazon comes with all of the pieces and tools needed to assemble them. You can find these at craft stores as well.
• hammer

If you want to customize your cord organizers, you will also need:

• Everyday Iron-on vinyl. I used metallic gold for more of a tone-on-tone subtle labelling for some of the cord organizers and black for a darker label.
• EasyPress. I used my 9×9 EasyPress for this project but the EasyPress Mini would work great for this.
• EasyPress mat
• parchment paper
• weeding tool
• scissors

To Make

STEP 1: Customize your design in Cricut Design Space.

Open the DIY cord organizer cut file in Cricut Design Space. If you’d like to adjust the size you can unlock it and alter the length and/or width to meet you specific needs. If you don’t need as many cord organizers, just delete the ones you don’t want. Change the text to whatever names or labels you would like. You can always alter the font and font size if you wish as well. If you don’t want to customize your cord organizers, just delete the text and go to step 3.

STEP 2: Cut the Iron-On Materials.

Once you’re happy with your design, click “make it” and follow the prompts on the screen. Be sure to mirror the images before cutting.

Select your iron-on material from the “Browse All Materials” and ensure that the premium fine-point blade is loaded into your Cricut. Place the iron-on sheet face down {shiny side down} onto the green standard grip mat and load it into the Cricut and hit the cut button.

STEP 3: Cut the Leather.

Once you’ve cut the iron-on materials, it’s time to cut that leather! When prompted, select Metallic Leather from the “Browse All Materials” option. You will then need to load the Deep-Point Blade {black housing} into the cutting machine. {NOTE: If you need instructions on how to change the blade click HERE} Slide the small white “stars” on the Cricut roller all the way over to the right so they don’t leave any indentations on your leather material.

Adhere the leather face down {smooth side down} onto the strong grip {purple} cutting mat. It’s important that it’s adhered quite well so it doesn’t slip around during cutting. If your mat is older and you need a little extra adherence, roll over the leather with a brayer or place masking tape around the edges of the leather to hold it in place. Load the mat into your cutting machine and follow the on-screen prompts to complete cutting.

Step 4: Weed the iron-on.

Trim down the excess vinyl away from the words so it’s easier to work with. Weed away the negative space using the weeding tool. You should be left with the words stuck on the clear liner. Using scissors, carefully separate the words.

STEP 5: Iron-on the labels.

Pre-heat the EasyPress to 280F {140C}. {NOTE: I always refer to the Cricut heat guide when I’m using iron-on materials. Since there wasn’t a leather option listed, I used the same settings as the faux leather and tested it first on a scrap piece of leather}. Place the leather strips on the Cricut EasyPress mat and cover with parchment paper to protect the leather. To speed up the process, you can do a few cord organizers at a time.

Lightly press the Easy Press over the parchment/leather for 5 seconds to preheat the leather. Remove the parchment and place the labels where you would them on the cord wraps. Recover the leather with the parchment and press the EasyPress in place for 30 seconds. Allow to cool slightly and carefully remove the clear backing. Repeat for all of your cord organizers.

STEP 6: Add the snap fasteners.

Gather up the supplies needed to attach the snaps. You’ll need a solid surface to work on – either a self-healing mat or an old cutting board work best.

1. Take one of the caps from the snaps and press it into the cord wrap where you want it to sit. This will leave a mark so you’ll know exactly where to put the hole.
2. Using the hole setter and a hammer, make a hole for one side of the snap.
3. Once you have the first hole, fold the organizer in half and place the hole setter through the first hole to mark the second hole.
4. Add the cap and socket to the front side of the cord organizer in the following order: cap, leather, socket. To avoid denting the cap, place the cap in the silver base before hammering. Place the smaller nose head tool into the socket and hammer in place.
5. Add the stud and post to the back side of the cord organizer. Use the wider based tool to hammer them together.

STEP 7: Wrap up your cords.

Now’s the best part – it’s time to wrap your cords! My favorite thing about these cord organizers is that you can slip the cord through the slits so the organizer will always stay on the cord – even when unwrapped.

You can also use the wraps to shorten up your laptop cords so you don’t have extra cord falling down from behind your desk. Just plug it in and wrap up any excess.

For the cords with larger plugs, you can wrap the cord around the plug if you prefer and then just secure the cord with the smaller cord organizer.

If you don’t want to take the time to add the labels to the cord organizers, you could use a labeller to just add a label directly to the cord itself.

Tips to Cut Cricut Genuine Leather

You can cut Cricut brand genuine and metallic leather on both the Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air. I’ve had my Maker for more than 2 years now and can’t believe that it took me this long to try out the leather! I’m always nervous to try new materials, but it was so easy. Here are a few tips for getting the best cuts out of the Cricut leather materials…

• Place the leather face down onto the cutting mat. This will help to preserve your mat as this side has less “fuzz” on it.
• Since you’re placing your leather face side down, you will need to mirror your image if it is not symmetrical {i.e. letters or any other design that is not symmetrical if you flip it over front to back}.
• Use the purple {strong grip} cutting mat. If the leather is still not sticking well, roll a brayer {or rolling pin} over the leather to adhere.
• Move the star wheels all the way to the right to avoid leaving any indentations in the leather.
• You will need to use the deep cut blade for cutting genuine leather. This comes in a black housing. {NOTE: If you don’t want to purchase an additional cutting blade you can use faux leather with the fine point blade that comes with the Maker or Explore}
• Check the material to ensure that it’s cut all the way through before unloading the mat.
• If you are using non-Cricut brand leathers such as garment leather or tooling leather you will need to use a knife blade. You can find the specific recommendations for these leathers HERE.

I hope you find these cord organizers as helpful as I do. I’d love to see your creations! If you have any questions, just let me know.

More Organization Projects

For more organization ideas, check out these posts…

DIY Laundry Labels

Spice Organization Ideas

Under Kitchen Sink Organization

The post DIY Cord Organizers {With Cricut Maker} appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

Create a pretty and organized front entry closet with these simple small closet organization ideas. Easy tips to transform your closet from drab to fabulous and functional!

Front Entry Closet

Our front entry closet is super small but needs to serve a variety of purposes. It stores our coats, accessories, shoes, dog supplies, my purses, cleaning products and a few other random items. Despite being such a hardworking space, this closet has definitely been neglected and I really haven’t done anything with it for years. When I decided not to use this peel and stick wall paper in our bedroom, I thought that the closet would be the perfect space to try it out. And that’s how our mini-closet makeover was born!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission at no cost to you on items purchased directly through the links. Thank-you for your support!

Small Closet Organization Ideas

Today I wanted to share a few simple tips and organization strategies to help you optimize your closet storage. Taking a little time to think about what you need to store and how you want to organize your items, can make a huge difference in how your space will function. So find a closet or other small space in your home that’s been driving you crazy and put these tips to the test!

Start with a blank slate.

If you’re wanting to do some re-organizing in any closet space, I always recommend starting with a clean slate. Emptying everything out allows you to better see the space and get a little more creative with alternative ways that you can arrange things. Declutter and purge items that you don’t want or use so you know exactly what you need to put back into the closet. {See my tips on how to declutter and organize any space HERE.} Sort any remaining items into categories {grouping similar items together} for more functional storage. And prioritize your most important items if you’re short on space. Once this is done, you’ll have a much clearer picture of your storage needs.

If you think you still have too many items, you’ll need to go back to the drawing board. Are there any items remaining that you really don’t need and could get rid of? Are there off-season items that could be stored elsewhere and rotated around with the seasons? Keep editing until you’re down to what you need.

Identify your storage needs.

Now that you’ve scaled down what you really want to keep, it’s time to start looking at organization options.  Always make sure you measure your space beforehand and know your needs prior to shopping for storage solutions. Here are some ideas for you…

Hanging Storage

If you need to hang coats, clothing, or other items, some kind of hanging bar {as opposed to actual wall hangers or pegs} will give you the most storage space. The wire shelf and rod in our closet is a very inexpensive option and provides a shelf above for additional storage. These can always be cut down to match the exact dimensions in your closet. Use matching, thin coat hangers to provide a more cohesive look and save on space.

Bins

Bins are perfect for storing smaller, loose items that you want to remain hidden. To keep things organized, have a dedicated space for each grouping of items so you’re always storing similar items together. Label the bins if needed. We have a bin for my personal accessories, one for my husband’s items, and one for all of the dogs’ extra stuff {collars, brushes, dog bags, etc.}. The kids store their stuff in our laundry room/mudroom, so we keep all of their stuff out of here!

Storage Cubes

Storage cubes are another great, inexpensive storage solution and I love using them in closets! They can provide a ton of storage for both bins as well as larger, open items. Using half bins and half open storage, gives the space a little more of a lighter feel and still allows a few peeks at the pretty wall paper. Depending on your space, you can position them vertically or horizontally.

Shoe Storage

Shoe racks generally fit well below any hanging storage. Look for expandable shoe rack options so you can really optimize your space or double them up if they’re still not long enough. If your shoe rack will be more out in the open and you wanted something a little more substantial looking, I like this option. A hanging shoe organizer would also work and these work great for other storage options too! {see below}. Make sure you have an idea of the type of footwear and how many pairs of shoes you want to store so you can make sure that the shoe rack will fit for your needs. Winter boots, for example, will either need to be stored on the top shelf or a shoe rack with higher shelves.

Optimize the layout.

This has got to be one of the most awkward closet spaces that I have worked on. The closet is set at an angle to the small door opening and is kind of shaped like a right angle triangle. I tried to do my best with the photos, but given the space, poor light, and weird angles, it’s definitely not the easiest space to photograph.

Make it pretty.

Just because it’s small doesn’t mean it can’t be pretty! This closet hadn’t been painted in about 18 years so it was definitely in need of a touch-up. To get started, we painted it using Old Soul by Benjamin Moore to match the rest of the hallway color. I then added some pretty removeable peel and stick wall paper that I picked up at Home Depot.

The peel and stick wall paper is so easy to apply – even easier than painting a wall! I love seeing the pretty paper every time I open the door. I know it may sound silly to try and make a little closet look pretty, but I find that it’s much more motivating to keep it clean and organized when I love the look!

Add a light.

Trying to find things in this closet when it was dark out used to drive me crazy.  We’d often have to get a flashlight to see into the corners and bins and it was such a pain. I got this stick on LED light for Christmas and it has been one of the most useful little gadgets that we own. It has motion and light sensors so it only goes on when the door is opened and the light is required. It’s the little things in life that make such a difference! lol!

Maximize all of the vertical storage.

For small spaces, it’s so important to maximize all of that vertical storage. Bring that storage up as high as you can and look for any wall spaces where extra storage can be added. Keep less used items or out-of-season items up higher and keep those daily items within easy reach. Wall hooks are a great way to add a little extra storage for non-bulky items that you need to access on the go.  I use these hooks for my purse and scarf as well as guest coats {when we can actually have company again!}. There’s even a small shelf on the top of the unit with a basket for our sunglasses and any other small items.

Utilize those awkward spaces.

The far corner of the closet is extremely small – not even a foot wide – with really awkward angles. These super sturdy mop and broom hooks work perfectly for holding our cleaning products. I love that this one from Homely has both the hooks and the rubber tool slots. It also comes in a variety of sizes so you can totally maximize storage for your specific space.

These hangers would also be perfect for the garage for storing outdoor and gardening tools. They can be screwed into the wall for heavier storage needs but also come with a double sided adhesive option as well. Since we’re having to pull our cleaning tools out at an odd angle, we ended up screwing ours into the wall to secure.

Use a hanging organizer.

I love using hanging shoe organizers in closet spaces – and they don’t have to be just used for shoes! They come in different lengths, widths, and configurations, so you can tailor them to whatever space you have. You can even find some with drawer units in them. I used ours for some extra cleaning supply storage but you could really use them for anything. Accessories, clothing, dog supplies, extra coats – the potential is endless!

I hope these tips help you out and inspire you to look at those small spaces! If you have any great organizing tips for small spaces of your own, let me know. I always love to hear from you!

More Closet Organization Ideas

For more closet organization ideas, check out these posts…

Clothes Closet Organization Ideas

Cleaning Closet Organization

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Lots of easy cleaning closet organization ideas that you can apply to any space. Includes the best organizing products and favorite green cleaning products.

Cleaning Closet

You may have caught a peek of our cleaning closet when I was sharing our kitchen cabinet organization ideas. This little cleaning closet started as a useless cabinet in our kitchen. I have no idea what the cupboard was initially meant for – it was tall and skinny like a broom closet but wasn’t actually wide or deep enough to hold a broom. At some point we added a few shelves and tried to use it for some food storage, but it just didn’t function well. Eventually, I turned it into a cleaning closet and it has been very well used ever since. It was just a matter of finding the right purpose!

It’s always a good idea to have a central storage place in your home for basic cleaning supplies. Having everything in one spot makes it easy to see what you already have and what you might be running low on. It’s also helpful so everyone in the household can grab what they want when it’s needed. No excuses for not cleaning up their mess!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission off items purchased directly through these links at no cost to you.

What to Keep in a Cleaning Closet

I know everyone has their preferences for what cleaning supplies they use, but I thought I would show you some of my favorite cleaning products and how I store them. Maybe you’ll discover something new that you love!

Microfiber cloths.

I think a good microfiber cloth is the backbone for any cleaning project. The Norwex microfiber cloths are probably my favorite, but I also really like the ones from Grove Collaborative. I prefer cloths that have built in hangers so they can easily be hung on a hook between uses. Since we have a lot of cloths, they store best when they are just rolled up and stacked on each other. I try to roughly color coordinate our cloths so the blue ones are only used in the bathrooms {I think of ‘b’ for blue and bathroom} but I’m sure the kids probably don’t stick with this. lol!

Polishing cloths.

The polishing cloths are probably my favorite cleaning supply {if you can really have a favorite cleaning supply!} These are the purple cloths that I get from Norwex and they have a smooth, soft finish to them. As the name says, they’re used to clean and polish any shiny surface – windows, mirrors, facets, counters, etc. Really anything. They’re also great for removing streaks on kitchen appliances, walls, and other other surface that gets streaky after cleaning. I have a hook on the door that I use to store my current polishing cloth so it’s quick and easy to grab whenever I need it.

Hydrogen peroxide.

If you don’t have hydrogen peroxide in your cleaning supplies, you’re missing out! It probably deserves its own post since it has so many uses, but hydrogen peroxide is probably best known for its non-toxic disinfecting power. I also love it for stain removal and laundry whitening. You do need to keep it in a dark container as the active ingredients will breakdown if exposed to light. I like to attach a spray top to ours to make it easier to use.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is another green cleaning supply staple. I keep a box in our laundry room and a shaker bottle in our cleaning cupboard. {This is just an inexpensive salt shaker that I picked up at The Dollar Store.} My favorite way to use it is to make a paste with water for a gentle abrasive cleaner. It’s also a great deodorizer, so you can sprinkle it on carpets, upholstery, etc. to absorb odors and then vacuum it up.

Sponges and scrub brushes.

There’s not really a lot of space to hold organizers in this cupboard, so I was happy to find these acrylic organizers from The Home Edit. They fit perfectly and worked great for holding sponges, scrub brushes, essential oils for cleaning, and our cleaning concentrates.

Multi-purpose cleaner.

Whether you make your own, or you buy store-bought, everyone needs a good multi-purpose cleaner. I love using the cleaning concentrates from Grove Collaborative. They come in the little colored tubes that I have stored above and the packaging is all recyclable. All you need to do is mix it with water and store in a spray bottle. Make sure you label all cleaning products clearly when you’re storing them in your own containers. You can find these free printable DIY cleaning labels HERE and they come in a couple of different designs.

Toothbrushes

There’s nothing better for getting into all of those little corners and crevices like toothbushes! Just pick up some inexpensive toothbrushes {or use the free ones that you get from the dentist!} and put them in an organizer. I used a small stick on bin to hold ours so I could use some of the empty vertical space in the cupboard.

Brooms and mops.

Ideally I would love to have everything all stored together, but since our broom and mop doesn’t fit in the closet, we have them stored in our entryway closet with our coats. They just hang from hooks on the side of the closet so they take up hardly any room. For those little messes, I found this cute mini broom and dustbin that fit on the side of the cupboard.

My Favorite Green Cleaning Products

Here’s a quick list of my favorite green cleaning products. I’ve been using these for years and would highly recommend them for their quality, efficacy, and durability.

• Norwex microfiber Enviro cloths
• small stick on bin
• Norwex polishing cloths
• Grove cleaning concentrates
• sponges
• Norwex dusting mitt

What I Used for Organizing

It’s amazing what just a few good organizing products can do. These items can be all be used for so many different organization projects so don’t just think about organizing your cleaning supplies.

• clear acrylic bins. The ones I used are the tall ones but there are a few different sizes. These are great for keeping smaller items together and can even be used in larger storage bins.
• Command hooks {clear and white} – perfect when you want to hang anything. You can get these in SO many different sizes and styles to fit almost anything
• vinyl chalkboard
• small stick on bin
• glass spray bottles

Other Ideas for Cleaning Closet Organization

Everyone has a different layout and space for organizing their cleaning supplies, so play around with things until you find what works for you.

• use an over the door pocket shoe organizer to hold cleaning products
• if you don’t have a dedicated cleaning closet, use a rolling cart for your cleaning “closet”. It can be rolled away into another closet or tucked into a corner when not in use. Just add some divider bins to store similar items together.
• utilize all of the vertical space by hanging brooms or mops on hooks or attaching acrylic adhesive bins to the sides of a closet for extra storage. {You can see the adhesive acrylic bins that I use in our kitchen cabinets.}

I hope you found these cleaning closet organization ideas helpful! Do you have any other favorite products that I didn’t include? I always like finding new items, so let me know!

More Organization Ideas

For more organization ideas for your home, check out these posts…

Kitchen Cabinet Organization Ideas

Bathroom Cabinet Organization Ideas

The Household Organization Diet

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Learn how to declutter the bathroom in no time with these bathroom decluttering ideas and decluttering checklist. Free bathroom organization printable included!

The Bathroom Decluttering Challenge

If your bathroom is starting to feel cluttered and chaotic, it’s time for a good decluttering! Decluttering is the first step in any organizing project and probably one of the most important. By getting rid of all of that extra “stuff” that you don’t use, you’ll be able to create a much more functional and calming space. And who doesn’t want a more spa-like bathroom retreat to pamper yourself?

Timed Decluttering

I find that putting on a timer really helps me get things going when I’m working on organizing a room. A timed decluttering challenge is all about getting rid of as much stuff as you can in a dedicated amount of time {30 minutes works well for me}. During this time you want to stay completely focused on JUST decluttering. I always sort my items into 4 categories: “Keep”, “Donate”, “Trash” and “Belongs Elsewhere”.

After you’ve gone through all of your items, go back through your “Keep” pile and sort the remaining products into similar categories to make it super easy to organize when you put it back. You may choose to sort your items into like items {i.e. all hair care products together, all dental products together, etc.} or by how you use them { i.e. a bin of items that you use regularly when getting ready in the morning like I did here}.

How to Get Started

To get started, all you need is a couple of boxes to hold items that you’ll be getting rid of and a large trash bag or two. You may also want to have a bin for items that you come across that belong elsewhere in your home, but that’s not really the focus of this particular challenge.  Once you’re ready to go, just set the timer and work in a systematic pattern around the room going quickly through all of your cupboards, drawers, and surfaces to see what you can get rid of.  I like working in one direction around the room but you could also work top to bottom if that works better for you. Pretend you are on a gameshow with the timer ticking and the audience cheering you on to gather as much stuff as possible!

Questions to Ask When Decluttering the Bathroom

When it comes to decluttering, there are a few questions that you can continuously ask yourself as you go along to help determine if the item should stay or go.  If have you have think about your answer, chances are very likely that you don’t need it.  As you are evaluating your items, keep these questions in mind…

Do I use this?

You shouldn’t really have to think long about this.  You either use it or you don’t.  Take note that the question is NOT “Will I possibly use this one day?”.

Is this product still good?

Remember that almost all beauty products have expiry dates. Most products will last around 6-18 months from the date that you open them. If you notice that the texture, color, or scent is “off”, it’s probably gone bad and should be discarded.

Is this item extra?

How many bottles of body lotion do you really need?  Do you really use that sparkling eye shadow? Evaluate what you need and use on a regular basis.  As mentioned above, almost all beauty products have a life span so it’s not always wise to “stock up”. Choose your favorite and toss or donate {if unopened} the extras!

Would I buy this today?

Ask yourself if you still love the item and if you would still buy it again today. I find this questions is especially helpful for bathroom decor items. Is it adding beauty or function to the space or is it just adding to the clutter?  For beauty products, think about whether or not you really like the colors on you, does it work for your skin type, is it as effective as you thought it would be, etc.  If the answer is no, it is time for it to go!

Does this help to make my life easier or better?

There may be some items that you don’t really need, but you do use regularly and they help to simplify things or give you pleasure in life.  You can definitely splurge on some items – just make sure they are useful to you or provide you with joy.

Can the space that this item takes up be reduced?

For items that I am keeping, I always look for ways to reduce its footprint.  Can the packaging be removed for more condensed storage?  Do you have multiple bottles of the same product that can be combined?  Can you transfer the item to a smaller container?  Is there more appropriate storage that would make it easier to store and/or access?  It’s amazing what a little creativity can do to minimize space!

20 Items to Declutter from the Bathroom

Are you ready to declutter the bathroom?  Here’s a list of 20 items to declutter from your bathroom. They may not all be applicable to you, but it should definitely give you a good start. Remember that items that are important to you might not be important to others, so just do you! Let’s get started…

Towels.

Take a good look at your towels and see if they are all in good shape.  For those that have seen better days, you can either use them for rags {if you NEED them!} or look at donating them to an animal shelter if they are still in decent condition.  Determine how many towels you actually need to have (I limit ours to two bath towels per person plus a couple of extras for the rare time that we have house guests stay overnight} and donate any extras.

Cosmetics.

Start by going through all of your make-up and tossing those items that are passed their expiry date {you can see a list of how long to keep make-up here}.  Next go through what is remaining and determine what you actually wear and what you don’t.  Unfortunately, some colors just look better in the packaging than they do when we put them on ourselves! Keep only what you use and makes you feel pretty.

Make-up Brushes.  

Go through all of your make-up brushes and pick out what you use and toss old brushes that may be losing fibers. Many times you buy a make-up brush set and only really need 2 or 3 of the 10 brushes that are included so make sure you are actually using what you keep.  Wash remaining brushes with some gentle baby shampoo and dry before putting away.

Hair accessories.

Go through any hair ties, elastics, head bands, etc. and toss those that you no longer wear.  Store remaining items together.

Skin care products.

Be ruthless. If it does not work for you, you do not use it {even if you wished you used it!} or if you prefer another product that serves the same purpose, let it go.  Smell all products and place a small amount in your hand to make sure that it has not gone bad.  I find that older products tend to take on more of a “chemical” smell to them or the texture is off.

Hair products.

Go through all hair products similar to what you did with skin care products.

Nail products.

Nail polish has a longer shelf life compared to a lot of other beauty items.  If stored properly {out of direct sunlight and in a cool, dark area} it should last for at least a few years. Look for changes in texture (clumpy nail polish is bad!) to determine if it needs to be tossed rather than how long you have had it.  Of course, just because it has not gone bad doesn’t mean you should keep it if you don’t use it so make sure you still like the color and actually have the time to apply it.  Store other nail accessories such as clippers, nail polish remover, files, etc. in a make-up tote or small bin.

Medication.

Medication should ideally NOT be stored in the bathroom due to the temperature fluctuations and steam caused from the bath and showers.  Go through all medications and gather all items that have expired or you no longer need/use.  Toss in the garbage if safe to do so or return them to the pharmacy for safe disposal.  Find an alternative place to safely store your medication {such as the kitchen cabinets} if you have been keeping it in the bathroom.

Beauty appliances.

Sort through all beauty appliances such as hair dryers, straighteners, curlers, foot baths, shavers, etc. and evaluate what you use and what you don’t.  There always seems to be something that we hold onto for that “someday” when you will have the time to use it, but if you haven’t pulled it out in the last 6 months, the chances are that you never will.  If you are holding on to that foot bath that you use once per year, maybe it would be better to get rid of it and just head out for a pedicure instead!

Hair Brushes/Combs.

There seems to be a different sized/shaped hair brush for everything these days.  Toss what you don’t use and clean what you are keeping.

Decor items.

Take stock of any decor items that you have in the bathroom such as artwork, storage bins, and other accessories.  Ask yourself if it is adding to the space or if it is just producing clutter.  Keep those items you love and donate or toss any items that are no longer your style. When choosing decor items {especially in smaller spaces}, look for items that are both functional and pretty.

Shower Curtains.

Plastic shower curtains can be washed in the washing machine using warm {NOT HOT!} water and hung to dry.  Eventually though, they do pass their prime and it is time to toss them for a new one.  If you have a cloth shower curtain, do you still love it?  Give it a wash if you do or donate/toss if it is time to update it.  A new shower curtain is a fun and inexpensive way to give your bathroom new life!

Trial sized bottles.

If you have a ton of trial sized bottles that you picked up when traveling or received as free products when you purchased another item, it is time to use it or lose it.  While it’s nice to have one set of travel sized bottles for when you do go away, that’s all you need!  If you really love the product, commit to using up all of those little bottles first so you can get rid of the extra clutter. Items that are still sealed can be donated to a shelter but most will not accept any packaging that has been used or opened.

Shaving/Hair removal products.

Toss old razors, and other items that you don’t use {maybe that home waxing kit?}. Test any electric razors to ensure that they are working properly and discard any extra accessories that you don’t use.

Bathroom Cleaning Supplies.

Take stock of your cleaning supplies and toss those that you no longer use.  If you have multiple bottles with the same product, combine them.  Place those bottles that are close to empty towards the front of your stash so you will use them up first.  Look for cleaning products that can be used for multiple uses and minimize chemical cleaners as much as possible.

Counter Clutter.

Counter space is generally prime real estate in the bathroom.  Try to store as many items away as possible {while still keeping them accessible} and keep only those items that you use all the time out {such as hand soap or hand lotion}.  Keep decorative items to a minimum depending on your space and make sure that you truly love them.

Perfumes/Cologne.

If you store perfume in your bathroom, ensure that it is stored away from heat vents and away from the steam of the shower {as it will make it break down quicker}.  Depending on the perfume and how you store it, most perfume will have a shelf life of about 3-5 years. Check all bottles to make sure that it is still good and you still love it {on you!}.  Think of how many bottles you have compared to how often you apply it.  If you have more than you can possibly use, donate it while it is still good and keep your top 2 or 3 favorites.

Bath Toys.

If you have younger kids, sort through bath toys to see what they still use and what they have grown out of.  For those toys that you would like to keep, check to make sure that there is no mold anywhere {especially those water squirting toys!}.  Discard worn toys.

First Aid Supplies.

Check through all supplies and see what you don’t need as well as what might need restocking.  Check anything that has an expiry date to make sure that it is still good.  You can see our first aid organization here.

Personal Care Items

I won’t go into details here, but go through them and see what you need!

Free Printable Bathroom Decluttering Checklist

If you’d like to print out your own checklist to help you declutter the bathroom, just click on the link below, save it to your computer, and print it out. This printable coordinates with my Household Organization Diet printables, so you can just add them to your binder with your other bathroom tasks.

DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE HERE

I hope this helps you to finally declutter the bathroom once and for all! If 30 minutes seems too short for this, remember that it is just a quick discard of all of those items that you are going to toss or donate. If you stick to the task at hand and work quickly, you will be surprised at what you can come up with! {NOTE: If you like this decluttering challenge, you can also find 20 Items to Declutter from the Kitchen HERE}

More Bathroom Organization Ideas

For more bathroom organization tips and tricks, check out these posts…

Bathroom Cabinet Organizer Ideas

Easy Tips to Organize the Bathroom

Coastal Style Bathroom Makeover

The Household Organization Diet

This post is part of The Household Organization Diet. If you need some organization inspiration, check out THIS POST  to learn more about the plan and grab your FREE room by room organization printables.  You CAN get your home cleaned and organized once and for all!  To see all of the previous posts click the Get Organized tab at the top of the blog and go to The Household Organization Diet.  I also have all of the posts pinned to my Household Organization Diet pinterest board.  Start at any time and make sure you are following along so you don’t miss out…

FIND THE PLAN HERE
INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / NEWSLETTER / BOOK

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