September is the start of school for many families, and the avalanche of mittens, hockey equipment and winter clothing is all trying to find an open niche in overcrowded closets.
What's a family to do?
Or where in heck is there room for a new jacket or pair of skates when you're 30-something and call a very cool, but very small, urban condo home?
And what self-respecting car addict can find the appropriate tool, when it's chaos in the garage?
Get organized, says a trio of Ottawa's top designers and clutter busters.
Where to start? The task can seem overwhelming when you look at your home as a whole, but taking one room, or even one space, at a time immediately reduces stress levels., says Laurie Jarvis, managing partner of an Ottawa design firm that decorates model homes.
"It's best to target the most overwhelming space first," says Jarvis. "That will help make the rest seem easier."
Jarvis loves the idea of getting a family organized in September, as so many stores feature new products. This is the best time for a vast selection of style and colour of baskets, storage boxes and other accessories.
Once you've made the decision to tackle a space, parting with objects that hold sentimental value can be a huge hurdle.
You need to be brutally honest and decide which items are indispensable and what can be donated or discarded.
"People need to realize there's always going to be a purge when you're doing any kind of makeover," says designer Carole Norton.
"If people are ready to purge, it can feel quite good."
For many families, clutter starts at the front door, with the collection of keys, spare change, mail, shoes, coats, purses and bags, not to mention all the kids' belongings.
"The front door tends to be a problem for everyone, it seems," says Diane Kaiser, a professional organizer.
"I often tell people to have hooks at each door for keys, or to put up a shelf or a small table where people can capture all that stuff."
Kids might feel more inclined to help reduce the clutter if their belongings have their own space.
"If you have the luxury of a mud room, hooks and baskets for each family member really help everyone take ownership and keep clutter to a minimum," says Jarvis. "Help kids learn by giving them their own hooks."
With three young girls, Jessica Dy and husband Chuck Su knew they would be facing an abundance of clutter at the front door of their new home, so they incorporated a spectacular mud room featuring a double closet and a bench that has a drawer and shelving for Jordana, 8, Juliana, 5, and the youngest, Jennna, 2.
"It makes their life and my life easier, as it helps take away some of the guesswork," says Dy. "The girls know where to look for hats or mitts."
The family also made the most of space above the stairs leading to the basement -- they had a shoe closet built with a shelf for each girl.
"With the closet, we're sort of planning for the future with three girls," says Dy with a laugh. "They're already used to putting their own shoes away, and it really helps reduce that front-door clutter."
Making things easily accessible for kids will make all the difference, as they will be able to take ownership of their space.
Blair Dickerson doesn't own many pairs of mitts, yet admits she couldn't live without her mud room.
"Our house is over 50 years old and has no real front entrance," says Dickerson, who turned to Norton for design and organizing advice. "When we renovated, we added the mud room, and it's the best room in the house. It was money well spent, as Carole was really able to help us see how much space we could have, just by making a few changes."
Space is critical, since the mud room also serves as the laundry room and is a catch-all space for sporting equipment, clothing and shoes.
"Having that area really helps keep the front door tidier," says Dickerson. "As soon as we walk in the house, we head right to the mud room."
Norton is a big believer in everything having its own space.
"Sometimes a little thinking and a little looking at a space can make everything work better," Norton says. "Everything has to have its own space to make everyday routine that much easier," adds the designer, who also added a closet organizer in Dickerson's master bedroom.
Even though there are lots of organizing experts, baskets and sage advice, the first crucial step is to empty closets and start to purge, starting with that favourite pair of jeans that are two sizes too small. "It's time to be realistic," says Norton. Jarvis and Kaiser all back up Norton's tough fashion advice.
Take everything out of your closet and start sorting them into piles, urge these get-tough organizers.
Create piles that include anything stained or damaged and things that don't fit. They are all out the door. If you're not sure, try them on and make a snap decision. Are you hoping the black dress with the flouncy collar and bat sleeves will be in style? Put it in a special pile which, at the end of the night, may or may not make the cut.
Make a pile of your favourite clothes, the things you wear regularly and a separate pile for your special-occasion clothes.
"If you haven't worn it in two years, get rid of it," says Jarvis. "A good rule of thumb is that any time a new piece of clothing comes into the house, an old one should leave.
"Holding onto clothing hoping it will come back in style is not a good idea," adds Norton. "Just get rid of it. Goodbye, black dress."
Once you've sorted through everything, decide what can be donated, what goes to the trash and what can be brought to a consignment store.
When you've finished sorting, bring back your favourite clothes, jeans that fit and some special-occasional clothing. Then set up the closet organizers.
"I think everyone can use a closet organizer," Jarvis says. "There are so many great products available at every price point."
Now that you're in a purging frame of mind, don't stop at the clothes closets. Turn your attention to kitchens and bathrooms.
"Take time to partition utensils in your drawers," advises Norton. "Bathrooms are easy to organize, and if it's big enough, you can give everyone who uses it his or her own space."
All organizers love baskets, especially Norton. Baskets can be used in closets, as toy bins and in deep storage areas. Baskets are great in kids' closets, as they can pull them out, get what they need and put them back.
In front closets, they can be used to individually sort family members' mitts, hats and scarves. Baskets are also a great way to keep toys sorted so that dolls and crayons and cars don't all get mixed together.
"Baskets are probably the No. 1 thing I would recommend to people to help get them organized," says Jarvis.
"There are so many different sizes and styles available that everyone should be able to find something they like."
-- Postmedia News
Order in the house
We are surrounded by stuff -- often too much stuff. Here are nine clutter busters to bring order back into your life.
1. Start smart
Deal with the mail, loose change and keys when you walk in the door. Have a jar or pretty bowl handy for change, hooks for keys and sort the mail. Recycle the junk right away and file the rest as needed.
2. Kid-size it
Easy-to-reach hooks for your children will help them hang coats and backpacks the moment they get home.
3. Just hang it
Pick up matching hangers for your closets. Wire hangers are hard on your clothes and you can pick up plastic hangers fairly cheaply these days. Not only will they be better for your clothes, but they'll make your closet more visually appealing. Wooden hangers are great for the front closet to deal with the weight of heavier winter clothing.
4. Toys, toys, toys
Have a place for everything. Trucks, Barbies, hand-drawn pictures all need a home at the end of playtime and if everything has its own place, kids will be better able to help tidy up. Baskets or bins that are marked in a format kids can identify will help them with the task of tidying up.
5. Purge, purge, purge
Getting organized is ultimately going to lead to some purging, but if you just can't bring yourself to throw things out, a good tip is to put things in a storage bin and if you haven't opened it in a year, then maybe you should consider donating those items.
6. Pride and joy
Go through last year's homework, books and supplies and throw away items you no longer need or that are no longer relevant. Keep only a few special school projects or assignments and file them in a personalized box or labelled file folder.
7. Stay on top
Bulletin boards or chalk boards remind everyone of appointments or assignments. But be sure to promptly remove events that have passed.
8. What's on the menu
A great item to keep in the kitchen is a binder of takeout menus, recipes or printouts of your favourite wines. Make sure to perforate holes and insert them into the binder correctly, not simply stuff them in, as they will eventually begin to tumble out.
9. Keep it separate
Bathroom drawers are a great place to use drawer organizers for hair elastics, cosmetics, even dental floss. Drawer dividers are also great in a desk drawer to separate paper clips, erasers and many other small items.
