Small organizing tasks

Working toward getting an organized home does not have to be one or two intense days of organizing. If you have limitations on how much time you can spend on organizing, try some tasks that take 10-15 minutes of your time and continuously organize a little at a time.

Plastic containers and lids

How many plastic containers do you have and how many do your really need? Go through your kitchen and pull out all of the plastic containers. If they don’t have lids, toss them. If they are stained with food or warped, let them go.

Jeans

We all have an assortment of jeans with varying degrees of wear. Purge the jeans that no longer fit or need major repairs. If they need minor repairs that you can do on your own, we’ll have another organizing session for those.

Office supplies

We accumulate pens at all kinds of events and even visits to the doctor or dentist. Throw all of the pens in a pile and discard those that either don’t work or leave globs of ink when you write with them. Pads of sticky notes and magnets can accumulate over time too. Organize the rest of your office supplies. If you don’t have a place to put everything away, then you probably have too many of things. You can donate them to a school charity or toss them. https://teachersupplyswap.org

Socks

How long do you save an orphaned sock before you toss it? Match up all of your socks. If some need minor repairs, put them in your repair stack to tackle on another day. If there is no mate, toss them.

Medicines

Medicines have expiration dates whether they are over the counter or prescription. Go through your medicine cabinet and remove any expired medications. Some medications should not be flushed as they get into the local water supply. The FDA has information on how to dispose of medicines.  October 27 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Visit www.ralimd.org to find out how to participate. Old bandages and other supplies can also become unsterile and should be tossed.

Accessories

As we’re getting into cooler weather now, it’s time to go through gloves, scarves, hats and other winter accessories. Orphaned gloves and mittens are of no use to anyone so say goodbye to them.

Clothing quick fixes

Once you have a decent pile of clothing and accessories that need small repairs, it’s time to get to work. Sewing on buttons, or quick seam repairs can be done in a matter of minutes. Try to tackle the whole stack at once. If you realize it’s something that you can’t repair on your own, ether immediately take it to be repaired at a tailors or dry cleaners, or discard the item. Don’t leave it sitting forever waiting to be repaired.

Pet toys

Pet toys, especially dog toys, can get gross after a while. Go through the toys and get rid of the old, dusty, slobbery ones. You can usually wash stuffed toys in the washing machine. If they are coming unstuffed, toss them. If they are worn down to have sharp edges, get rid of those too. Find a box or basket to keep all of the toys when they are not being used.

There are many other places around your home that could use a quick organizing – junk drawer, coat closet, gift wrap, refrigerator, linen closet and other problem areas. You can simply clear off a table or counter. When you break down the organizing jobs into smaller pieces, it is always easier. If you need help, contact me and we’ll figure it out together.