Decluttering Your Home
We’re spending more time at home than ever, and that means more disorganization and clutter too. To keep things tidy and your sanity intact, here are small tips and tricks to organize your home that I shared on Live! With Kelly and Ryan.
KITCHEN
PRETEND LIKE EVERY SHELF IS A COLLECTION
I have this stoneware mug collection I’ve gathered from every corner of the US. And before they were double stacked on each other, and just a huge mess of a crammed shelf; I honestly rarely used them because getting just one was a difficult task.
I’ve decided that to keep shelves neat, I pretend like every shelf is a collection. Now I display my mugs neatly aligned in two rows inside the cabinet, as if they were on display for others to see. I’ve done the same with my plates, for example separating soup bowls from salad bowls, and also dinner plates from salad plates, and stacking all in neat rows using wire shelves to take advantage of vertical height.
Tip: if you find that you have some stray plates or cups that don’t belong and you no longer fancy them or simply don’t know what to do with them, consider taking them out of rotation and donating them.
SHORT ON SPICE SPACE?
We all have the messy spice bottle section: cannot find a darn thing! For your most used 10-12 spices (you know which ones they are!) lie your spices flat down, alphabetical order in a drawer. Dare I say empty your junk drawer for this task? You’ll really love the results as the spices you need will be easy to grab.
I had an extra and unused desktop file folder holder (the kind one uses for file folders and papers) and I used this to hold the spices in place so they wouldn’t roll about each time I opened the drawer. This held closer to 14-15 spice bottles!
VERTICAL BAKING PAN STORAGE
Even though baking pans are flat, they could take up a lot of surface area when laid flat. And whenever I pull them out, for some reason they all come out in a loud clatter, and everyone wonders what I’ve broken in the kitchen!
Use a metal file holder to store baking pans vertically. I like this because it separates the pans from each other and makes the most use of vertical space that most cabinets don’t utilize. (This was demonstrated on a countertop, but would be stored inside of available cabinet space!)
If you like to separate and stack your pans separately from their lids (which I do), you can also store your lids in this as well!
Here’s another file folder organizer I have, and this works if your baking pans do not have a curled edge (as that curved edge causes the pan to pitch forward in this style of organizer).
TAME THE FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS
My storage containers have a “mixer” seemingly every day in my kitchen drawer and I’m not invited! If I find a bottom, I cannot find the top, and vice versa. The key is to stack like types and lids together in organizational bins that are small enough to clear the width of your drawer.
The medium or small size of these bins will likely work well.
THE BAKING BASKET
Always running back and forth to the pantry when you bake? Repurpose a basket like this rope one I own and love from Target (13”, $12.99), and make it designated for baking!
Put everything you need for basic baking like flour, sugar, baking soda, powder, salt; condiments like chocolate chips and nuts all in one. My kids LOVE this because it’s grab-and-go for baking with ease! Plus, my daughter used to make a mess with the bags all over the place and this is entirely neater!
REUSE TO-GO CONTAINERS FOR THE HALF-BAG WANNABES!
We have some plastic to-go containers lying around from giving patronage to our fav local restaurants during this time. Clean them out, and place the half-bags from your pantry in them: ideas include lentils, powdered sugar and the like. I learned the hard way that spilled lentils are really messy to clean up! Take it another step and use a label maker to identify what’s inside.
I hope you can see my silicone baking cups in there as well, as I’m a huge proponent of re-useable cups (just grease generously before using, or your lil’ cupcake or muffin will get stuck!).
GRAB & GO PANTRY SNACKS
Repurpose all of those shipping boxes either as is or with some inexpensive SUNNY COLORED wrapping paper I got at the dollar store, and make your pantry a grab and go snack station for the kids! While I was putting these together, literally three snacks were grabbed by my kiddos: it works!
Hey, do you recognize the projector box from my previous Movies Night at Home with Kelly & Ryan? #repurpose #reuse #recycle
BATHROOM
CLEAR BOXES FOR UNDER BATHROOM SINK STORAGE I recently did an overhaul of my under sink area. I recommend getting EVERYTHING OFF THE BATHROOM COUNTER and organizing like items into clear, open storage organizers. Clear or white because bathrooms generally tend to be dark and this way you can see everything. This is really the unsung hero of storage, and often overlooked.
This or something similar for storing toilet paper rolls out of their plastic.
Note: in a half bathroom, I have an entire drawer dedicated to individual rolls of neatly lined up, out-of-the-package toilet paper. It’s a sight to behold! And because it looks so nice, I keep it well stocked and looking organized!
DIY TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER
My son leaves his toothbrush on the bathroom countertop in a pool of his spit and leftover toothpaste. I’m so tired of it! Here’s an easy DIY toothbrush holder that will help aerate and dry the bristles and doesn’t take long to make!
Using a plastic lid you no longer need: look for one that has slightly pliable plastic (you can cut through) and has a slight width to it (otherwise your toothbrush will fall off!).
Cut out a ½ inch notch.
Using a Command wall safe sticker, attach to wall or inside of medicine or vanity cabinet.
Hang toothbrush!
The best part about the wall-safe sticker is that if you want to move the location of the cap or the cap itself needs washing, it can be removed safely and then stuck back on using a fresh sticker.
PROPS FOR PROPS
I usually throw my hair dryer, curling iron and flat iron in a lined basket. This works for me. But to make better good use of space, use a mesh magazine holder for your hair dryer and other hair tools. Hang on side of vanity if your screws don’t go through the cabinet door.
Mine had bigger holes, but something like this would work too.
ROLL YOUR TOWEL
If you like to keep your towel light and fluffy, roll it! As opposed to stacking towels one atop another where gravity weighs them down, rolling helps disperse the weight and retain the fluff factor!
A huge thank you to Bed Bath & Beyond and Target for supplying products for this editorial segment.