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Sometimes, life feels like a mess.<br />
With all the stressors of daily living<br />
— family, relationships, work dynamics,<br />
financial stability, a global<br />
pandemic, etc. — it’s easy to feel<br />
overwhelmed. We can’t always control<br />
the chaos life throws at us, but<br />
one thing that makes me feel in control<br />
is having an organized home.<br />
The more organized my space is, the<br />
more organized my life feels. Below<br />
are some ways to keep common areas<br />
of your house tidy:<br />
The kitchen can go from spotless<br />
to a war zone in a matter of minutes.<br />
Between kids running in to grab<br />
snacks or a husband who doesn’t<br />
There are many physical and mental health benefits to<br />
organizing your home.<br />
understand why all paper documents<br />
can’t be left on the kitchen<br />
counter, keeping the kitchen organized<br />
is sometimes an uphill battle.<br />
Clear glass containers are a simple<br />
way to organize pantry items while<br />
maintaining a consistent look. Fill<br />
them up with flour, sugar, rice, pasta<br />
and more. Make sure you use ones<br />
that have a tight seal to keep air out<br />
of the contents. Many also come<br />
HOW<br />
with labels you can write on — or<br />
purchase a label maker to mark<br />
which items go in which containers.<br />
Baskets are perfect for storing snacks<br />
and other small packaged items.<br />
These can be grouped by type or<br />
even by use. Keep breakfast, lunch<br />
and snack ingredients separate. This<br />
is also a chance to arrange your<br />
pantry and fridge so<br />
the kid items are on<br />
kid level. The next<br />
time your child asks<br />
for a snack, have him<br />
or her grab it from<br />
an easy-to-reach shelf.<br />
For items that are out<br />
in the open in plain<br />
sight, I’ve found that<br />
keeping all appliances,<br />
dishes and containers<br />
on the same<br />
color palette makes<br />
even a full counter<br />
look organized.<br />
The bedroom closet<br />
is one space that<br />
everything seems to<br />
just get shoved into.<br />
The motto “out of<br />
sight, out of mind” is<br />
often easily applied.<br />
One way to make<br />
hanging clothes look<br />
more organized is to<br />
use uniform hangers.<br />
Whether you go for<br />
velvet or plastic, using<br />
the same color<br />
and style of hanger<br />
for all of your clothes instantly elevates<br />
your closet. You can also arrange<br />
your clothes by season and<br />
color to make everything easy to<br />
find and visually pleasing. Storage<br />
baskets can be used on shelves to<br />
store smaller items, like hats, gloves,<br />
accessories, belts and more. For<br />
shoe storage, a shoe rack or overthe-door<br />
rack keeps pairs together<br />
and off the closet floor.<br />
www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com x April 15 — May 5, 2021 x 21<br />
TO ...<br />
Stay Organized<br />
A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place<br />
by Lauren Salinero<br />
The bathroom is another area that<br />
is often a small space but where<br />
many items are kept. The less clutter<br />
there is on countertops, the cleaner<br />
and more organized the bathroom<br />
will look. Make use of any storage<br />
available from drawers or cabinets<br />
to keep cosmetics and grooming<br />
products tucked out of sight but easily<br />
accessible. You can also use small<br />
containers or baskets in the bathroom<br />
to organize products by use.<br />
For general organization around<br />
the home, keep these tips in mind:<br />
• Minimize clutter. The fewer<br />
items you have out on display, the<br />
cleaner an area appears.<br />
• Create a space for keys, backpacks,<br />
purses, shoes and other commonly<br />
worn outerwear close to the<br />
door.<br />
• Arrange items within a space<br />
by size, color or type, making them<br />
neat and easier to find.<br />
• Don’t be afraid to let go.<br />
Donate old clothes or household<br />
items you don’t need or use anymore.<br />
Also, be sure to go through<br />
your pantry and refrigerator on a<br />
regular basis to get rid of expired<br />
foods.<br />
• Have everyone take ownership<br />
of their messes. Each person in the<br />
house can contribute to cleaning up<br />
after themselves and putting things<br />
back where they found them.<br />
• Maximize unused space.<br />
Convert empty corners, nooks and<br />
behind doors to storage areas.<br />
• Think vertically. Instead of trying<br />
to sort everything on counters,<br />
consider shelves to store items higher<br />
and out of the way.<br />
• Be flexible. There isn’t just one<br />
way to have an organized home,<br />
and it doesn’t have to look like a<br />
magazine cover to be organized.<br />
Try out different storage options and<br />
arrangements to see what works for<br />
you and your family. ª<br />
Each month, Chick-fil-A of Sand Lake Road and the Southwest Orlando Bulletin<br />
honor one Southwest resident who has been spotted giving back to the<br />
community. Winners receive a FREE Chick-fil-A catered celebration, delivered to<br />
the winner safely, following Covid guidelines! Send nominations for the You’ve<br />
Been Spotted Award to Lauren Salinero at lauren@kearneypublishing.com or call<br />
407-351-1573, ext. 4.
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