This post may contain affiliate links. I will be compensated when a purchase is made through these links.
The new year always sparks a cleaning frenzy in everyone to start your year off with a clean slate.
With the new Netflix series Tidying Up With Marie Kondo being all the rage right now as well, everyone is all hands on deck when it comes to cleaning their homes – and I’m no different!
I’m naturally a pretty tidy person and enjoy staying organized, but I love jumping on the bandwagon this time of year to really organize my home. And the way I’ve learned to see it as that there’s no use in organizing and cleaning old crap that you don’t even want. Know what that means!?
Time to purge.
purge: : to make free of something unwanted
I’m sure you can find a TON of stuff in your home that’s now unwanted. Trying to fold or make closet space for clothes you don’t even want is a waste of time and space. Old expired soup in the pantry? Yeah, you’re never using that. All of that stuff just causes clutter.
I’m going to take a page out of Marie Kondo’s method and break this down into categories. Let’s start with the easiest to purge.
Clothes
Your clothes are the thing that can make your closet and room look so messy. And we all know having a clean room has so so many benefits for you (ahem, like sleep!)
Not only that, but I bet you that you have a bunch of clothes that haven’t seen the light of day in years.
If you’ve seen an episode of Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, you know that she makes her clients start with taking everything out and putting them into a pile. This can really make you realize how much you have (& how ridiculous that may be).
Now I know in her method she wants you to find items that spark joy. Which I totally get! But when it comes to clothes, that may seem a little silly. For me, I look at each piece and ask myself these three questions:
1. Does it fit me anymore?
This one’s a no brainer – if it doesn’t even fit, toss it in the donate pile. There’s no use holding on to something that you can’t even wear anyways.
2. Do I actually like how it looks on me?
This second question is something you really need to be honest with yourself about. Sometimes you’re gifted clothes, sometimes you buy something just cause it’s one of the latest trends, and sometimes your style or body just changes.
Try it on again and see if you really do like the way it looks on you. If not, next!
3. When was the last time I even wore this?
And this third question is for all those items shoved in the back, collecting dust. There’s probably a reason you never pulled them out – I don’t think you’ll be missing them anyways. Sayonara!
When it comes to your pile of clothes you no longer want, I highly highly suggest donating them. Anything ripped and in rough shape, yes toss, but everything that’s still wearable, please donate!
If you have some clothes that were pretty pricey and you’d like to try to salvage some of that cost, I’ve seen many people selling their clothes on Facebook Marketplace and other buy and sell apps. Worth a shot!
Electronics
In this day and age, I’m surprised this category doesn’t get more attention when it comes to organizing.
Do you have 17 random cords you have shoved in a drawer? Chargers galore scattered across your house? Are you still holding on to your old Gameboy & your PlayStation 2 memory cards?
Purge purge purge.
In this category your first step is to get rid of useless stuff. Cords you don’t know what they’re for and you have not used in years? Toss.
Are you really ever going to use your old game consoles again? I’m gonna guess no. Old phones? Phone boxes? Phone cases for a phone you no longer have? Buhbye!
Have a spot for cords, batteries, USB sticks and memory cards. Each one should have their own box in a drawer so you know where they are when you’re looking for them (so they can actually be useful!)
Pantry
Ahh the dreaded pantry. This spot can be so hard to organize. But I have faith in you!
First step is to take everything, and I mean everything out and place it in front of you.
Check expiry dates. Anything expired, chuck it.
Any canned or dry goods that you have for some reason but know you’ll never actually use, put in a box to be donated to the food bank. Someone else can use it.
Now since everyone’s pantry is laid out differently, you’re going to have to work with what you’ve got.
Baking Ingredients
I recommend clear, well sealed containers. This way you can see what everything is, know they’ll still stay fresh, and they have a much more cohesive look than a bunch of random bags. This is also great for snacks that are regulars in your house (goldfish crackers, banana chips, nuts).
I love my OXO containers. They seal great and they look nice. You can find them on Amazon, Walmart and I know Costco has a big set of them for a great deal!
Spices
I recommend you put your spices into matching clear shaker containers. Not only does that make it easier for adding to meals, it looks nicer, and you can buy the cheaper baggies of spices to refill them instead of the more expensive and mismatched containers of them.
Canned Goods
Can organizers are great for canned goods. They stack them to look much more neat than just being thrown in there. Make sure that from the front you can see each type you have so you’re not buying duplicates!
Pasta
Again, clear containers are your best friend. Tall skinny ones are perfect for spaghetti, linguine, fettucine and lasagna noodles and square ones work great for penne, macaroni, farfalle (bow ties as everyone knows them), and all your small pastas!
And yet again this allows you to buy the cheaper bagged pastas instead of the ones in boxes that cost more! Newsflash, I’ve never noticed a difference in the taste of cheap pasta versus more expensive ones.
Snack Foods
Of course you’re going to have boxes of crackers, chip bags, granola bars and all those little snacks that tend to change from month to month so they don’t quite deserve a dedicated container of their own.
And of course they come in all shapes and sizes, with crazy colors and just don’t look neat no matter how you place them in there.
Bins to the rescue! Grab some taller bins (check the dollar store first!) that take up most of the height of your shelf so whatever’s inside is hidden away nicely. The bins look way nicer stacked beside each other, and you can organize each by the snack categories of your choice. Ugly bags hidden away but you still get your snack cravings!
So there ya have it! You’re finally on the right track to having the most organized home ever.
Getting rid of unwanted and unneeded items is your first step to an organized home, and with a few tips and tricks your house will be in order (& you’ll be able to actually find things!)
These categories are the easiest to start purging and from there you can tackle more areas of your home (ahem, looking at you under the bathroom sink!).
What are some of your purging and organizing tips that have worked in your home!?
1 Comment