6 steps to becoming CLUTTER FREE!!

Do you have that ONE space in your house that just needs a better system?? FULL DISCLOSURE…I have LOTS of those spaces. In January, I cleaned under my bathroom cabinet. I searched high and low for the perfect containers, I cleared out the junk, organized every Q-tip and bobby pin, and it looked amazing!! BUT guess what??? IT DID NOT LAST!! Even though it looked pretty, the system was not user-friendly. I had to take out 2 containers EVERY time I wanted to grab anything, the stacked boxes were always tipping over and spilling, I never knew WHICH bin to look in, and after a few days, I just started throwing stuff under the counter again without even TRYING to stay organized. The clutter that I had JUST conquered came back with a vengeance. SOOOO I decided I needed to figure out what WAS NOT working, fix it, and try again. I just needed a simplified system!!!

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Here are a few steps I use WHENEVER I am clearing out the clutter:

1. Completely clear out and clean the space

The hardest part of ANY cleaning project is STARTING!! So I find that if you just jump right in and start clearing out the clutter, you will start to gain motivation. Grab a couple of boxes or totes, a garbage can, and start digging. Just being able to SEE the space without all of the clutter is SOOOO motivating. I had been putting off this bathroom project for SOOO long because I didn’t really want to SEE what was all under that sink. BUT once I pulled out the bins and got started, I could start to visualize the space I WANTED under that sink. Having that space all empty and clean made it seem bigger and made me WANT to only put pieces back inside that were WORTHY of being in that space.

2. Sort, toss, donate, organize

Once EVERYTHING is out, it is SOOOO much easier to see what you have and what needs to go. I immediately start grabbing for the garbage and tossing any old, broken, or unwanted items. Then I start sorting into piles. Like items with like items. I keep it vague in the begining…just loose categories to get started. Once I start sorting, it becomes more obvious what items will need bins, baskets, etc. Once I got everything into a pile, I could see which final categories I had and what was LEFT OVER. Those leftover items all got put together into a MISCELLANEOUS pile and created their own category…easy peasy.

3. Find the right containers/shelves/systems

This step was where my bathroom re-fresh almost failed. I had the RIGHT containers, but the system was not sustainable. Every item had a PLACE, but those places took toooo many steps to use. SOOOO I ended up with a mess after a very short period of time. Simple is REALLY the way to go when organizing. It is tempting when we see those perfect spaces on Pinterest…everything in rainbow order. And hey…if you want your bathroom organized in rainbow order I will NOT judge you!! BUT the best organizing system is a sustainable system. I can keep up pretty for about a week…but I can keep a SUSTAINABLY organized space clean forever!! The whole point is to organize it once and then let the system keep it organized after that. For me, that means a bin that is big enough that I can toss ALL of my random hair products into it without standing them up or worrying about what order they are placed in. I can just toss all HAIR items into the HAIR bin and put them back under the sink. If I have to 1. Pull out the bin. 2. Stand up all of the bottles. 3. Place the blue bottle next to the purple bottle. 4. Stack the hair products bin under the hair accessory bin inside the MORNING PRODUCTS BIN…well that is just NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!! If you want something put back in the correct spot, it has to be as easy to put away as it is to just leave out. Keep it simple…and sustainable.

For my bathroom sink project, this took trial and error. I looked and looked for bins that were the right size, shape, and price…finally finding THESE (and THESE) cute budget-friendly bins from Target. I thought my under sink organization dreams had come true. BUT since they had to be stacked, the system was not easy to maintain. I had the patience for a few weeks, but after that, I gave up on pulling out the right bin and went back to my old ways. BUT with a simple solution…like adding THIS shelf under the sink…I can keep everything in its place now. There was NOTHING wrong with the bins, my categories, or space…I JUST needed to make the system more user-friendly. We are all humans. If it takes more than two steps to keep a system organized…simplify the system!!

4. Make it pretty!!

This might seem kinda silly to you, but I find that if a space is pretty to look at, I want to KEEP it that way. For example, if you are using mismatched baskets you have found around the house, you might want to spray paint them all to match. Or add some pretty handles to the front. This does NOT have to cost more money…in fact, if you come up with a pretty option that is also CHEAP, I bet you will be even MORE excited about your new organized space!! I have plans to add some pretty shelf paper under my sink JUST to create a happy little pop of color when I open the doors. JUST that tiny little bit of effort might make the difference between me retreating back to old habits or keeping my newly organized space clean and tidy.

5. LABELS

If you live alone, you can probably skip this step. BUT if you have kids or a husband that will be attempting to put items back into your newly clean, organized, GLORIOUS space. Label that shiz!! You would think that a kid could see a bin full of brushes and combs and realize THAT is where the brush in his hand should go. BUT NO!! Remember that if the system is simple enough…it should stay clean!! SOOO if it is simple enough for EVEN your husband and children…then it is a good system. Remember, if you want something to get put back in the right spot, it has to be as easy to put away as it is to just leave out. If Kid 2 can open the door and see the bin marked HAIR SUPPLIES, he is 50% more likely to put that brush back into the correct bin. Only 50% because there is no way to account for pure laziness or the way that children (and husband) brains actually work. You can only do SO much though about that…haha. But labels should HELP!! I used THESE labels for my bathroom because they are…wait for it…super simple and budget-friendly. They are just stickers and take WAY less time and energy than pulling my vinyl machine out and making custom labels. PLUS, they can be removed and re-used if you need to change categories. AND they have PRETTY much any label you could ever need…so that is a major plus too.

I used THIS version of the labels when I organized my pantry last year and LOVE THEM!!!

6. Move on to the next cluttered space!

I don’t know about you, but when I have cleaned up a messy space, it motivates me to KEEP MOVING!! So when I get one space organized, I find it best to QUICKLY find another area that needs some attention. Strike while the iron is hot as they say:) Empty the trouble space out and leave it empty for a bit…that will help you to find the PERFECT tools, ponder the system that will work, and inspire you to create a clean organized space. I have way too many hot spots in my house that collect ALL THE THINGS!! Now that ONE bathroom cupboard is cleaned out, I am ready to tackle…the OTHER cupboard…haha!! And then I will need to use that momentum to dive into my kids’ bathroom.

If you need a good place to get started, head HERE for my 15 day decluttering challenge. ORRR if you need some more cleaning inspiration, you will want to check out THIS post and THIS post!! Wish me luck. And good luck to you on creating simple organization systems that will make keeping a clean house MUCH easier!! Let’s chat again soon. JESSICA

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