JOIN USA well-organised home is a dream come true. Swati Kapur offers creative ideas that help you organise the storage of your stuff better.
One of the most boring chores is organising a cupboard.
It is very hard to keep all the storage spaces spic and span.
But there are some ideas that can help you to manage and store your stuff well.
Every morning, rummaging through the wardrobe is not a pleasing way to start the day.
First of all, put in place a recognisable system — no, we’re not coding clothes here.
It simply means that anything you need from your wardrobe should be easily reachable and handy.
Start from the wardrobe
Organise them in categories like the ones that can be hung on a hanger – trousers, shirts, skirts, coats and jackets.
Then keep aside the foldable ones – T-shirt, knitwear, lounge-wear, denims etc.
Keep a rule that out-of-season garments should stay out of sight. Pack them off in a suitcase and shove it in an attic or basement storage.
A drawer for the shoes at the bottom of the cupboard is a good idea. Try storing them in clear bags so you can pick and choose in a sight.
And then there are the fiddly items that keep getting lost — socks, hosiery stuff, lip balms et al.
Use drawer dividers to keep things from creeping into nooks and corners.
Stores like Ikea, Home Store and other decor shops are good to look for dividers.
Hair clips and bands are a real menace to handle and store, especially if you have little girls around.
Invest in transparent small boxes and store clips and bands as per their colour.
Space saving ideas:
Place small handbags inside large ones.
Use curtain rings to organise many scarves on just one hanger.
Gain extra space by using slim hangers.
Maximise your cupboard space by installing a door rack for hanging scarves, belts, ties etc.
Keep socks neatly folded, one into the other.
Fit in more shoes in the drawer by alternating the way they are facing.
Using different colour boxes to keep segregated items is useful.
Kitchen kitsch
No matter how spacious and open a kitchen is, unless the shelves and counter tops are not organised, it will always remain messy.
Start from analysing what you really need on the counter tops and what needs to be pushed out.
You will find unnecessary containers, pickle bottles, equipment and even crockery that can very well be removed from there.
Once you’ve cleared the tops, peep into the shelves.
Make a zone for all items.
For example, have a baking zone shelf which would have all the dry ingredients as well as all equipment needed for baking.
You can organise the kitchen shelves and drawers by grouping items as per baking zone, pasta zone, Indian dry cooking items, fruits and vegetables corner, bag zone, snack zone, breakfast zone, large appliances zone, mops and dusters zone etc.
Investing in a double or a large sized sink for cleaning utensils is a good idea. It takes care of all the extra utensils that would otherwise start to pile up on counter tops, or even the floor!
Handy tips
Modular drawers and shelves are in themselves very indicative and you can intuitively figure out where to keep what.
Just make sure you don’t mix up places in a hurry because this can really mess up your kitchen in no time.
Use clear containers wherever possible.
This will not just render a neat look, but also save you a lot of time and hassle.
This also lets you know when the supplies are just about to finish, saving you the last minute run to the grocery store.
Use space racks and divider shelves wherever you can to accommodate more in less space.
Bathroom beauties
Keep only what you need currently in the bathroom. While, financially, it is smarter to buy bathroom items in bulk, you will find it hard to store large containers of anything in a bathroom that has limited space.
For instance, rather than storing the entire 36-roll package of toilet paper on your bathroom floor, make space by purchasing a small toilet paper holder.
These space-savers can usually hold up to four rolls at a time and take up less space than a wastebasket.
Add shelving if you can.
There are so many things you can store on a shelf in a bathroom. Extra towels and washcloths, to name a couple. You could also get a shelf with hooks to place bathrobes in.
Basket bargains
Small, inexpensive baskets bought at thrift stores could be excellent for holding hair brushes, combs, hair accessories and attachments for razors and hair styling tools.
Don’t just allow curling irons, hair dryers and electric razors to take over your counter space. Use wall mounts instead.
Do a clean sweep of your shower on a regular basis. Half-used bottles of conditioners and soaps are the first ones that should be used.
Make the best use of under the counter space by shelving or pushing in hampers that can store big bottles, cleaners, mops and other cleaning stuff.
Last but not the least
Every month, put aside a weekend just to reorganise things as per your lifestyle and needs.
Don’t pile up books, clothes, utensils or empty boxes for heaven’s sake. Give away, donate and reuse wisely.
If you’ve not used something in the last six months, chances are you will never use it, so simply throw it or give it away.
Clean decor is not just what looks clean, but is actually clean with daily dusting and cleansing.