Book Review - The Home Edit

THE HOME EDIT – A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals

By Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin

Even Professional Organizers need inspiration from time to time. Recently we picked up a copy of THE HOME EDIT as we are always looking for new ideas to stay on top of our game. The authors founded THE HOME EDIT with the goal of merging conventional organization and interior design. Similar to how we declutter at H2H Organizing, the beginning of the book discusses paring down items by taking EVERYTHING OUT of the area you are trying to declutter. You then group the items by category, decide what will be kept, donated or trashed, and then develop the perfect storage systems for the kept items. (of course this all takes time and if you need assistance feel free to contact us at H2H)

This is where the beauty of the book begins! Each area of the a house is beautifully photographed, with exquisite organizational suggestions. For example, Gwyneth Paltrow’s playroom is an inspiration with color coordination throughout, and plastic toy containers for easy in easy out when her children are looking for their Lego, games and puzzles. The pantry has great suggestions using, turntables, tea caddy, and clear plastic kitchen containers so you can see exactly what food you own.  Wire and wicker baskets are used for bathroom storage and EVERYTHING is labeled! Labels help maintain your organization making it easy for everyone to know where things are stored. 

Of course we all don’t have walk in pantries or walk in closets, and we all live on different budgets. Use the book for inspiration and ideas, take what applies to your home and is realistic for you on your budget.

If you are looking for overall organization and design tips this book is for you. Terrific photography will help you visualize how you can make your living space pretty to look at and easy to maintain, with efficient organization to make your life stress free.

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals (Includes Refrigerator Labels)

By Shearer, Clea, Teplin, Joanna

Buy on Amazon

Guest Post - Best Storage Ideas That Will Organize Your Entire House

Getting your house organized and keeping it that way can be a challenge. One of the first steps to achieving this is to find a “home” for each object in your living space.

To find a proper place for each item, you need to have enough storage areas. It also needs to be divided in a way that makes sense for the way you want to use it. The following tips can help you make the most of the space you have.

General Tips

Declutter

Before you get started organizing, you will first need to declutter. This means separating items that you no longer use and setting them aside to throw away or donate. If you’re into selling your used items, that is also an option.

Choose Containers

Containers help break up a space to make it more practical to use. You can buy the ones you need, or if you have a low budget, you can even use cardboard boxes or repurposed plastic containers you may have at home. 

In general, square or rectangular containers are the best way to economize space. They touch each other at the corners, so nothing is wasted. This principle applies whether you are storing spices in your kitchen or small clothing items in the bedroom.

Label Everything

Labeling is essential in many parts of the house. In the bathroom, you can add names to personal care supplies. In the playroom, toy bins can be marked with a picture of the type of toy that goes in them. In the pantry, they help you keep your ingredients organized.

Organizing Your Kitchen

When you’re working in the kitchen, you want to have easy access to all the items you use regularly. Keep the appliances you use most frequently out on the counter or as close as possible to where they will be used.

Items you use less frequently can be stored in places that are more difficult to access. They can even be stored outside the kitchen if the area is small.

As you organize your kitchen cabinets, you’ll want to choose each item’s “home” according to where it will be used. In general, food should only be stored this way if you don’t have a pantry.

Bathroom Organization Tips

Cabinets

If you need some extra storage in the bathroom, consider using the inside of cabinet doors. Over the door organizers and command hooks can hold many different items. You can also find toothbrush caddies that stick to the cabinet door.

Drawers

Bathroom drawers can quickly become cluttered. To help avoid losing small items, you can use dividers to give everything a specific place. You may purchase ready-made acrylic ones or try your hand at making your own out of wood.

Bedroom Storage Ideas

Underbed Storage

If you need more storage space in your bedroom, you can take advantage of the space under your bed. Find cardboard or plastic storage boxes that fit under there and use them to put away items such as clothes or decorations for other seasons.

Dividers for Small Items

Do you have trouble keeping your socks and underwear organized in drawers? You can easily make cardboard dividers that will create small, square places into which these items fit neatly. If you have little room to spare, you might choose to cut sections of a three-inch PVC pipe and stand them in your drawer to divide up the space.

Conclusion

Organizing your home can be a challenge, but when it is done, it is very satisfying. As you work toward a fully organized home, keep the following tips in mind. Declutter first, use containers and dividers to your advantage, label everything, store things near where they will be used, and use strategic spaces like inside cabinet doors and under beds.

Do all this, and your entire home will be neatly organized, and family-friendly.

Author Bio: Patricia Evans

I am an Interior Designer, Residential Designer, Art Crafter, DIYer, and a full-time mother. I write about interior decorating, and I love working with shapes, shades, and spaces. I am also into green and simple living and enjoy cooking and having tea.

How To Stay in Control by Organizing

For many of us, it has been five weeks that we have been physically distancing at home. Our lives are very different as we attempt to stay healthy and safe. Being home 24/7 is stressful in itself, add in children and your house can feel totally out of control. The kitchen is always in use, laundry is piling up, toys are where they shouldn’t be, and you just can’t keep enough food in the house. Sound familiar?

Organizing is a way to gain control

Living in an organized space can be comforting. Being able to find what is needed quickly and easily will keep your family calm and there will be less chaos. For example, if someone needs batteries how great it is to know exactly which room and which drawer the batteries are located. This way, contents of many drawers are not strewn all over while searching.

Organizing is a good way to keep your body moving and get out excess energy

Organizing can be physical depending on the area you choose to organize. It is challenging to be inside day and night, and starting an organizing project can help you move your muscles and get some exercise.

Organizing can tackle the areas you hate to look at

Many people have “hot spots” in their homes that give them anxiety and frustration. Whether it be your basement, attic, old photographs, whatever, now is the time to dig in and start organizing.

Supplies Needed

You will need a clear surface to work. You can always use a folding table if there is no surface available in the area you wish to organize. Near the table have a box for donates, a trash bag, a recycling bin and a box for sentimental items which you choose to keep but not necessarily where they are currently located.

Start Small

Tackling a big room such as a kitchen can be daunting and require quite a bit of time. Pick a small area to start. Maybe an area that will bring you joy when done. Linen closet or a few kitchen drawers or shelves for example.

Take before/after photo’s

How great to see what you have accomplished! At House to Home Organizing we always take photo’s so the client can see the improvement.

Organizing Products/Systems.

Many clients make the error of purchasing organizing products they “think” will be useful only to find out that once they have purged and removed donates, trash and keepsakes they need a different type of system. Do yourself a favor and do not buy anything before you start to clear clutter. Once you are done you can jump on Pinterest or look in a magazine and see finished products. Amazon, the Container Store, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond to name a few are all excellent places to shop for organizing systems.

Need professional help? Contact a professional organizer. A professional organizer will work with you to help declutter and decide what to keep. A professional organizer will help determine the best place for your items to live and what structures would be best for them to live in. During these troubling times, we are here for you via Facetime, phone or Zoom to ensure health and safety for all.

How to stay organized, comfortable and calm while homebound

Many of us are feeling overwhelmed and stressed. We are stuck at home trying to keep from going stir crazy. You may have noticed you are now running the dishwasher almost every day since first the first time perhaps ever everyone is home for dinner. You may also notice you are washing nothing but pajamas.

Some of us are attempting to work from home while simultaneously teaching and supervising our children. In addition, we are trying to keep the house somewhat neat and orderly.

Here are some tips from House to Home Organizing to help us all stay sane for the next few weeks!

• Declutter and Purge

Now may be the perfect time to clean out and remove the things you no longer find useful, or things you have been holding onto for years which you realize are just creating clutter. The less clutter you have in your home the less stressed you will feel, and right now we can all use less stress in our lives. Where to start? Now that everyone is home you may want to start with the high traffic areas, such as the kitchen or playroom. It  may be the time to let go of kitchen appliances never used or pots and pans which are old and crusty. Take a look at the playroom, you may have toys that your children have outgrown and can be donated or gifted to others to enjoy. If the traditional donate spots are currently closed, store the items in an exit area like the garage or your car so items are close to their next step.

• Ask the whole family to pitch in

If you have school aged children everyone can help organize and clean. The book UnF*ck your Habitat You’re Better Than Your Mess, Rachel Hoffman suggests the 20/10 rule. Set a timer for 20 minutes and give everyone a chore. After 20 minutes everyone takes a 10 min break. 

The break is not optional. This is a great way to get families working together. You will be surprised how even children want to pitch in and help. Make it a daily activity and tackle the house room by room.

• Create cozy comforting spaces

In Denmark they call it Hygge. (prounounced Hoo-ga) Hygee is an atmosphere and experience with the people you love. Being together at home in a safe comforting environment. Now more than ever Hygge is what we need. Candles, flowers and plants can all help create a calm home. Enjoy baking? Sometimes the smell of baked goods can lift our spirts. Also, if it is warm enough outside maybe open a window and smell some fresh air.

• Find your own space

With everybody home finding private space can be challenging. Adults sharing an office usually does not work. Try to find an area which is solely yours to work out of. Also, see what works best for your kids. Maybe they do not enjoy working at their usual desk. That is ok. We all need to be flexible in a stressful time. Maybe a makeshift table or a cozy corner is what they need to be successful right now.

• Organize your pantry or food cabinets

With everyone stocking up on food, now may be the perfect time to reevaluate what you have. Take everything out of the pantry. Toss the expired food. Now that we are cooking more, stock the pantry with what you are using daily. Maybe store the backup items on shelves  in a more remove location like the basement or garage. Use the remote location like a store to replenish the pantry as food gets eaten. If there are children in the house maybe stock their snacks and drinks in a more accessible location in the pantry.

Need help and guidance? We are here if you have any questions. Feel free to contact us at 203-571-9412 or here with any questions regarding organizing!