3. Utensil jar. Check out that crock of utensils near the stove — are all the pieces in it tools that get daily (or near-daily) use? Do you really need all those spatulas? Take everything out of the jar and put back only the items you reach for often. If there are tools you want to keep but don’t need to access daily, move them to a different spot. The prime real estate nearest your stove should be reserved for true essentials.Houzz TV: Watch a quick fix for overcrowded utensils
Warning: what not to do. The temptation to buy more stuff to help you get organized is strong, but resist! “I’m a big fan of using boxes and bins you can find around the house,” Ley says. “You might think some magic shoe rack or a set of beautiful little acrylic boxes with lids will solve all your problems, but it probably won’t.” She has made this mistake herself. “Now I have like 16 little acrylic boxes with lids in my bathroom and it just doesn’t work, you have to pull them out, remove the lids … I tell you, The Container Store is just full of hope,” she says with a laugh.Find a professional organizer in your area
4. Organize your food. Once you’re done with the drawers and cabinets, attack the food in the pantry, refrigerator and spice cabinet. (You can break this down and shoot for doing just one of these a day for a while.)Take it all out and chuck anything that’s expired or stale. If there’s an ingredient that works only for that impossible recipe you’re never going to whip up or is something your family just won’t eat, put it in a bin for the food bank.Get It Done: How to Clean Out the Pantry
9, Magazines and catalogs. Gather up all your magazines and catalogs in a pile. Go through the stack, one by one, setting aside current issues that you still want to read, and recycle the rest. If there is an article you want to save, cut it out — or (if you really want to reduce paper clutter) check if the same content is available online and bookmark it instead of saving a paper copy.Find magazine racks
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