Document text
June 26, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 12, 2004 Get rid of your stuff By Buffy Pollock For the Tidings Spring is in the air. The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming and households everywhere are filled to the brim with stuff. When the time comes for spring cleaning, cleaning up is only half as important as cleaning out, says professional organizer Stacey Larnerd. A clutter counselor on a mission, Stacey has made a career out of helping families make their homes more livable by clearing out piles, organizing living spaces and correcting bad habits. In the spirit of spring-cleaning, Larnerd agreed to provide an inside peak at the secrets to taking control of clutter and disarray. Phoenix resident Sigrid Fiske volunteered to be de-cluttered in hopes of reclaiming open space in her home and finding things she hadn't seen for a while. "I'm pretty good at the tuck and shove," said Fiske, like "just sticking something somewhere because I can't think where to put it, then not being able to find it when I need it again." According to Larnerd, Fiske was guilty of one of the most common causes for clutter build-up. "The biggest mistake that most people make is that they don't put like things with like things. You want to have a home for everything. If you don't have a home for everything, you pick something up, put it down somewhere else and leave it," Larnerd says. "It's about changing a habit, which can be the toughest part about getting organized." In just one weekend, Larnerd and Fiske worked through a set of steps - sort, purge, "containerize," assign a home and maintain - that Larnerd says, can de-clutter the messiest of spaces. Fiske's trouble zones included her bedroom and closet, bathroom, child's bedroom and living room. Sort For starters, Larnerd and Fiske organized everything into piles that should be kept or stored together. Not only did making piles help get everything in one spot, it opened up areas where things could be put back. In her bedroom closet, Fiske's dropping-off zone, there were dozens and dozens of pairs of shoes, decorative handbags and hats from floor to ceiling. In her bathroom, scattered cosmetics filled her drawers, often in duplicate, because individual items were difficult to find. In the living room and her son's bedroom, scattered books and magazines, toys and things that piled up on a daily basis made the rooms seem cramped and small. Purge "If you haven't used something in two years, throw it out, donate it, give it away - just get rid of it," says Larnerd. After sorting everything into piles, Fiske took a hard look at the things that were cluttering her space, and then she thinned down by making piles for trash, donation and items to be repaired. There is no sense, says Larnerd, in letting things take up space when you won't be using them again. In addition to sorting piles, furniture not being used was put into storage to open up space. Out went the table and the rocker in the bedroom. Assign Homes and containerize Once piles were sorted and thinned down, Larnerd helped Fiske figure out the best places to relocate the items that cause the most clutter. The best spot for an item that is used regularly, says Larnerd, is as close to where it will be used as possible. For the bedroom closet, white, rubber-coated shelf extensions were clipped onto existing shelves to hold sweaters and jeans, thus reducing crammed clothes' racks. A mirror large enough to use inside the closet (to view clothing combinations) keeps piles from making their way onto the bed. A garden tool rack behind the door made space for handbags and belts that were previously "tucked and shoved." For shoes, using the boxes they come in will keep Fiske's shoes from ending up in piles and collecting dust. In the bathroom, an array of containers helped separate cosmetics and other items used regularly. In the living room, an assortment of decorative baskets tidied up magazines and toys almost instantly, and in the child's bedroom, simply adding bins and crates made cleanup more of an actual possibility. "When you try to figure out where to put things, if it's not close by and not easy to put back, basically we're not going to do it," says Larnerd. "If someone has to get up and go across the room to get something or put it away, they're not going to bother. Keep things simple and obvious." Maintenance Finally, stay on top of things. Label shelves and containers now designated for specific items, get rid of things cleaned out and put things where they belong. By making and keeping good habits, less of your spare time will be spent agonizing over clutter and messy rooms and more time can be spent enjoying favorite pastimes, spending time with family and exploring new possibilities - thanks to a simpler lifestyle. Getting rid of clutter will take a little bit of work, but getting a great system in place will make everyday life that much easier. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams