“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day.”* You could sit around and watch TV all day, or you can be productive and tackle an organization project or two!
These projects may not sound like your idea of fun, but when you're done you'll feel totally in control, you'll be ready to conquer the world, and you'll be ready for a giant hot fudge sundae. Hey…there has to be a treat at the end, and I'll work for chocolate any day.
5 Rainy Day Projects
Closet
There are 5 easy steps to an organized closet, and when there's a method to the madness…the project seems much less overwhelming!
- Empty and Sort – Make piles…piles of pants, piles of blouses, piles of sweaters, piles of shoes…you get the idea. This is not the time to make decisions about what stays and what goes.
- Decide What Stays – Ask yourself the following questions about every piece: Does it fit? Is it in style? Have I worn it in the past year? Do you love it? If the answer to any of these questions is NO, it's time for it to go. Make a pile for donations and consignment.
- Take Inventory – Do you need a few pieces to maximize the clothing you already have? Do you need some storage bins, baskets or matching hangers? Would a closet organizing system help? P.S. – If you're buying new hangers, opt for the slim no-slip hangers…you'll get twice the amount of clothing in your closet!
- Update Your Closet – Now that it's empty, this would be a great time to give your closet a fresh coat of paint! Of course, this step is totally optional.
- Put Everything Away – The key is to organize your clothing in a way that makes sense to you. Maybe it's by color or style? You could organize by season or type of clothing. Whatever you decide, your new closet will look better and will simplify your mooring routine.
Refrigerator & Freezer
There's a bonus when you clean out and organize your refrigerator…you'll get to take a week off from grocery shopping because I bet you'll find all sorts of meals just waiting to be created!
- Tackle one shelf at a time.
- Throw away expired items.
- Wipe down each shelf.
- Many refrigerators and freezers already have labeled compartments which allow for instant organization!
- Group similar items by shelf, especially in the freezer. My freezer shelves are: breakfast, breads, meats, fruits/veggies, sides.
- Consider making a leftover shelf in the refrigerator, so everyone in the family will know where to look for a quick meal.
- Group similar items together in the door shelves – salad dressings, condiments, assorted pickles and peppers, etc.
Pantry
While you're in the kitchen, and you're in the organizing mood…let's tackle the pantry. Oh, the food you will find! You might be taking 2 weeks off from grocery shopping!
- Tackle one shelf at a time – empty the shelf and make 3 piles (throw away expired items, donate to a food pantry, save).
- Wipe down the shelf.
- If you find an item, and you’re just not sure what to do with it…try a google search for recipes using ________. With the click of a mouse you’ll have more recipe ideas than you could possibly use!
- Give each shelf a “theme”. Suggestions: snacks, breakfast, baking, canned goods, starches, spices and flavorings.
- Use plastic lazy susans to make spices and flavorings easy to find.
- Plastic bins or baskets are perfect for snacks.
Junk Drawer
If you only have a little time for organizing, tackle your junk drawer. Empty, add some sort of organizer, put back the important stuff. Easy, done.
Laundry Room
You're probably getting the hang of organizing now! It's always a 5-step process for any room, closet or drawer.
- Empty
- Clean
- Make Piles – keep, junk/recycle, sell
- Find or buy organizational items – bins, baskets, etc.
- Put Away
Now that you know the 5 steps for organizing just about anything, what room will you organize this weekend?
I'll leave you with my Pinterest Board where I've put together a collection of free printables that a perfect for kitchen organizing and adding a little pizzazz to your laundry room.
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image courtesy of verandah, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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*Dr. Seuss
