Sounds like those old Tupperware systems. Not my cup of tea!
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Thank you to this thread for the motivation. Not much on the agenda this weekend. Organized 3 junk drawers of “stuff”. Threw out a lot. Bought drawer organizers and now I can’t stop opening the drawers to look at how clean they are!
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I loved that show! I even bought their books. But, have I implemented any of their ideas or “systems” yet? Nope! I think I loved the show so much because I binge watched it during spring 2020 during the early covid lockdown days. Between the funny banter and watching the team transform a hot mess room into a lovely organized space each episode, that show was my happy place for a few hours every day!
This thread has now motivated me to tackle my closet tomorrow.
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I love The Home Edit, but I view it the same way I would Architectural Digest. It’s fun to look at, but not realistic for most people. I follow them on Instagram after watching the Netflix show and love the ideas, even thought it’s a little more colorful with all the rainbow theme than I would like for myself.
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Yeah, it’s for folks with a designated linen closet AND a designated “gift” closet AND a roomy coat closet in the front hall and a huge mud room in the back off the garage (oh, and a double garage to organize) and a separate laundry room with cabinets along the walls and an ample counter for detergent and laundry baskets AND a walk in closet in each bedroom. Sure, go buy cute storage organizers for those spaces!
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I have not watched The Home Edit. We do not have tons of storage, so I can’t see it working for me. I felt the same way about Tupperware that @thumper1 does. I tried that back in the day and felt like I was having to store twice as much.
I took my closet and drawer purgings of yesterday and a few other odds and ends to Goodwill today. I also ordered three 10” Lazy Susans to use in my kitchen for spice storage. I have a narrow cabinet with three shelves, and I am hoping that will be an improvement over my current location which is in our (sort of) pantry space in a pull out drawer. Moving those will let me shift some other items.
I’m also eyeing some storage containers from BB&B to use under my sink in our bathroom.
I definitely need to be utilizing some wasted vertical space under there.
Under my kitchen sink is another matter. Our garbage disposal has this annoying, low, horizontal pipe that makes organizing beneath there particularly challenging. So,I will probably tackle that last.
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@Hoggirl : I have those same shelves for under the sink in my master bath. They work well and can even be attached to the cabinet so they don’t wobble.
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My new little shelf in the office is from this company (I bought it on Amazon): https://youcopia.com/
They do seem to have some different storage solutions, like the roll out caddies for refrigerator and under sink. YouCopia – Sink & Under Sink Organizers
Also their (probably overpriced) spice rack:
I thought I would love The Home Edit. I guess they can be interesting to a degree- I remember watching a couple of episodes where they redid celebrity closets/space - Reece Witherspoon was one of them. I actually didn’t think they showed that much of the work they did. And when I followed them on Instagram I don’t know, they seemed kind of show-off - ish - one of them was building a new home and gosh, it was SO sterile!!! It was a turn off to me. I think I ended up unfollowing them.
The spice rack made me laugh. I’d need a dozen of them to hold all my spices. The spices I use all the time and use of fast are on three Ikea open shelves in the kitchen, alphabetized. The spices I use only for Indian cooking are in a box in a cupboard. They are mostly in their original bags. Then I have another box of rarely used or extra spices in the pantry. And finally there’s another cupboard that has a few bottles of large containers that don’t fit on the Ikea spice shelves. It actually works pretty well except that I have to stand on a stool to see what’s in the pantry box, or take it down - and it’s surprisingly heavy.
What I did today was take down the Christmas tree and throw away lots of unloved ornaments. We went through all the lights and have tossed out the bad strings. Boxes are labeled and there are a couple fewer now. I did realize I’d be happy to give my son who had a Christmas tree tons of ornaments if he wants them. We have enough for two or three trees.
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One of the best things I ever did in my fairly modest home was change a walk-in closet in the hallway off the kitchen into a walk-in pantry with solid shelving. That happened more than 20 years ago and it still works! I’m not sure why they had it as a big coat closet, but it works so much better as a pantry. I have hooks in the kitchen for coats. Every now and again I will empty it and rework it, because my needs change. I also took the door off, which motivates me to keep it looking tidy. I do NOT decant any food - I write the expiration date on masking tape, and anything that gets close to it I donate to the food bank and then re-assess. Especially in these pandemic days, it’s a source of comfort. I use MDesign bins to categorize and limit myself. I do decant office supplies and toiletries (another post) like the Home Edit.The Home Edit collection at Wal-Mart is very nice - the bins have lips on them, which means they stack. I love them and have bought several in addition to what I already had.
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No coat closet in our hallway, but that does sound like a great idea!! We have a closet that houses a stackable washer & dryer and a very small broom closet that holds the vacuum, steamer, etc. Actually, both of THOSE are also areas where I need to figure out better systems of organization.
However, it also sounds as though you don’t mind seeing things out as long as they are organized/tidy. I am not sure which type of “clutter bug” that is from the quiz above. My personality desires to have stuff hidden away. I do love that there are different styles of organization. Not all systems are right for all people or the space they have, so sharing a variety of methods of organization on here likely provides tips for everyone - yay!
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I turned a small hall closet into a pantry as well. We have a larger closet right by the front door a d a “mud room” closet in the sunporch so this extra closet was not needed. Functions much better as a pantry.
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I love this thread and all the ideas being shared!
I think my “bug profile” (Ladybug) is fairly accurate. As long as everything is tidy, clean and outwardly organized for company to drop by unexpectedly, I’m okay with easy access/not perfectly neat organization behind closed doors. e.g. My coat closet has labeled bins for hats, gloves, etc and we just toss in and dig around the bins and shoes aren’t always placed neatly on the shoe shelf. My junk drawer is pretty junky and needs some good purging/organizing attention.
I do like to stay organized in my kitchen. I have to as I downsized so storage is limited. Im going to experiment with some suggestions here… I never considered storing my Pyrex storage with lids on! I currently nest the Pyrex and have a bin for all the lids. I have a decent pantry space plus I have the hanging organizer from The Container Store someone shared upthread. I decant some items. My storage containers are not all the same brand so little by little I’m trying to get all from the same line in this space. I’ll repurpose others elsewhere.
Once I finish some bigger purging projects like my bedroom closets and holiday decor I may revisit these frequently used spaces and see if I can make them work better for me/our family.
Photos following… “A Ladybug in its/her natural habitat” lol
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I know you “shouldn’t” store spices too close to hot areas like the stove, but I need my spices very near my cooking area - I use them SO much. Having them in a pantry unless very, very near and accessible would be a pain.
I would love for my pantry areas to be uber organized. But time is not on your side when you work full time and also take care of (not hire out) any other home chores. We do what we can!
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I agree! Do what you can and what works for you.
Like you, I keep my most frequently used spices on a shelf in the upper cabinet by my stove along with oils, etc for easy access.
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I finally took the quiz posted above - I’m definitely a ladybug:
"You know you’re a ladybug if your surfaces are clean and tidy but your junk drawer is overflowing and you would be embarrassed if guests opened your closets. "
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I have my spices in a drawer next to the stove.
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I agree and have the cooking spices I use most often in the cabinet that hugs the range hood and baking spices in a drawer near the baking corner of the kitchen. I used to complain about the distance to the pantry when needing ingredients for salad dressings and sauces, so I cleared a small space on one of the shelves to do the prep in there. Eventually, DH built a pull-out shelf to make it easier to work in there.
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