Five Easy Organizing Tips

Simple is always better, especially when it comes to getting and staying organized. While we all have big projects to tackle, the holiday season usually eats up the time and money available for them. That doesn't mean that organizing has to be put on hold, though. I've put together a short list of five easy organizing ideas to help you get organized going into this New Year.

1. Super Easy Shower Cleaner

I hate cleaning the shower. It's one of my most un-favorite cleaning tasks. I usually end up more wet than the shower. Because I dislike this chore so much, I don't do it as often as I should, which results in a bigger and more difficult job when I do clean. I figure if I'm going to get wet when I clean the shower anyway, why not clean the shower when it's my intention to get wet?

I found the dish washing wand at the dollar store. Yes, the dollar store. Fill the wand with half white vinegar, and half dish soap. Hang it in the shower. Next time you're in there getting yourself clean, grab the wand and scrub down a wall or two. It really works! No more spray bottle, sponge, scrub brush, and wet socks. Just a sparkly clean you and a sparkly clean shower!

2. Scarf Organizer

It's certainly scarf weather here in Michigan and, like most ladies, I have built up quite a collection of scarfs to wear. For awhile, I had them rolled in a drawer but they didn't stay rolled. Then I tried hanging them in the closet on a hanger but they all slouched together or slid off as soon as I tried to pull one out. Then I found a bag of plastic shower rings in a storage box downstairs and a brilliant idea on Pinterest and built myself a handy organizer. Simply clip the shower rings onto the hanger and hang one scarf through each ring. The hanger can hang in your closet or out on a hook as a decor object in your bedroom. It's easy to get to the scarf I want and, more importantly, easy to put it back when I'm done with it.

3. Simple Sheet Storage

I mentioned above that cleaning the shower is my least favorite chore. Folding sheets falls close behind. I'll never forget the story my mom told me of how, when she was younger, she had to iron her sheets when they came out of the dryer before folding them or putting them on her bed. Ugh. I think I would have slept on a plain mattress! I've tried several different methods of folding sheets but I've settled on the gather-the-corners and fold method. That being said, pillow cases still got lost or buried at the bottom of the sheet pile and I couldn't find what I wanted when I needed it. Again, thanks to Pinterest, my problem is solved. Store your sheet sets inside one of the pillow cases. This saves room and keeps everything together. Plus, when that awful fitted sheet just doesn't fold evenly, no one will notice because it's neatly tucked into it's own case. Lovely!

4. File Your Clothes

I'm not suggesting you purchase a file cabinet to use as a dresser - though that would be a resourceful idea. But piling clothes on top of each other in a drawer not only makes it hard to see what you have, but it makes it almost impossible to get something at the bottom of the pile out of the drawer without either removing everything on top of it or making a mess. I have a lot of t-shirts. Every time the Mr. and I attend a concert or show, I usually end up with a t-shirt. And if we're somewhere that free t-shirts are being given out, I'm there jumping for mine. Storing all these shirts in a dresser drawer just wasn't working for me. I'd wear only a select few simply because I forgot I had the others. They were buried underneath, hidden and forgotten. So I took all the shirts out of the drawer, folded them in half, and stuck them in vertically, like a file cabinet. I folded most of them with the design facing out so I had somewhat of an idea what was what. Now, I just reach in, grab the shirt I want and move on. And when it comes to putting away laundry, I can just push the row back and put the newly folded shirts in front. It saves room and my sanity!

5. File Your Pans

Again, I'm not recommending stashing a file cabinet in your kitchen. In my gift ideas for organization lovers post, I highlighted the handy file folder organizer because of its versatility. I use mine in the kitchen to store all of our baking pans and cutting boards. Before this, they were stacked on top of each other in a drawer. While putting them away was easy, getting what I needed out was a pain. I found one of these organizers at a garage sale and stashed it in one of our larger cupboards. Each pan and cutting board has its own space and I can easily pull out and put in whichever item I need. No more heavy, noisy piles of metal pans! 

I hope these five simple ideas will bring some peace and sanity to your New Year!

What simple organizing tips keep you sane?

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