Here are some organizing tips for different rooms in your home. No matter what size your home is, keep only the things you use most. Your home will be more peaceful if it is not stuffed full of things. If you haven't used an item for a year, definitely consider blessing someone else with it. You can give as a gift, donation, or venture into a resale option. A large or small place is much more pleasant to live in if it is not filled to capacity.

If you live in a small place you must be more selective with what you keep. Allow yourself open spaces. Look for a way to store things from the floor to the ceiling in a pleasant way. Look for small inventive places to store things within each room. Remember less is best. If you like books, go to the library instead of buying them. Rent videos instead of buying them. You can still enjoy items without owning them. When making a purchase, consider what you will get rid of when bringing a new item in. Measure your home. Make sure things like furniture fit the rooms before purchases.

If you live in a larger home, you can easily fill it up with items that are more than you can handle. Keep your items simple and easy to get at. Don't worry about filling open spaces.

A. KITCHEN -
1. If your top cupboards do not go to the top of the ceiling and there is a space between them and the ceiling, use large containers like flower pots or decorated cans to store extra things that you do not use all the time. I like to use washable brass colored containers so that they can be cleaned easily when needed. I like to store birthday candles, cookie cutters, and other small items that I use only occasionally.

2. Keep appliances on the counter down to a minimum. Store other appliances that you don't use very often in a separate pantry or storage area. Evaluate what you put in cupboards and drawers. How often do you use items? If items are not used at least monthly, think about donating them or storing them away from the main areas of the kitchen work space.

3. Label your cupboards and drawers on the inside with a label maker. This makes it easier for other family members and visitors to see where things go and it is easier for them to help you clean up after a big meal. It is a great conversation point also. The excuse "I don't know where it goes!" no longer applies for family and friends.

4. Look at any open spaces in cupboards or drawers. If you have plates on one shelf in your cupboard and there is half open space between the dishes and the top of the next shelf, look for some wire shelves with legs that you can put in to add more dishes. You can double stack glasses with wire shelves so that you can eliminate open spaces. Use a hack saw to make the legs of the shelf the size you need.

5. Stack bowls and pans of like size and shape together and store lids close by.

6. Make sure to put spices and seasonings in a cupboard near the stove. Turntables work well for getting at spices quickly. I use one turntable for salt, pepper, and the spices I use most like garlic powder, parsley, different kinds of pepper, onion powder, garlic salt, etc. I use another turntable for spices I use less often. The third turntable holds baking supplies like vanilla extract, flavorings, food coloring. I like to store spices in the cupboard. They last longer and stay fresher when not exposed to sunlight. If your cupboard has glass doors, I would either block the light coming through the glass or store spices in a drawer or spice cabinet.

7. Instruments like pancake turners, potato masher, soup spoons and ladles, wooden spoons should go in a drawer next to the stove along with potholders in another drawer near the stove. These things should be easy to get to while cooking.

8. If you have a dishwasher, store the dishes, glasses, and cutlery near the dishwasher. This will save time when putting dishes away after they are washed. If you don't have a dishwasher, store dishes, glasses, and eating utensils near your dish drainer.

9. Bottom cupboards work well with containers that slide in and out on a track. If your cupboards do not have slides, you may want to purchase plastic bins that fit inside the cupboard on a plastic track. It is so much easier to get to supplies by pulling out a container. This works better than pulling multiple items out of the cupboard to find what you are looking for.

10. Store basic cleaning supplies under the sink and clean them out regularly. Put restraints on this cupboard to prevent pets and children from getting at these items.

11. Store cookbooks in a cupboard or buy a small bookshelf that might fit in the dining area.

12. Set up a notebook with all of the kitchen appliance information. You can use a three-hole punch on many of the manuals and put them in the notebook. Whenever there are repairs or maintenance needs, you will have the instructions at your fingertips. Write the model and serial numbers on the manual cover for each appliance. Put the names of repair companies and places
where the products were purchased in the notebook. Label the outside of the notebook "kitchen appliances."

13. If you don't have a desk in your kitchen, you can designate the "junk drawer" as a place to keep some pens and pencils and some 3x5 cards for taking quick notes when needed. Another idea for a place for papers is to purchase a small single paper tray and place it in a cupboard for mail that is current. Along with the paper tray, have a stapler, tape dispenser, note cards and a few pens. This should all fit on one shelf. Measure the shelf first to see if these items will fit before you buy them. Important papers like invitations to a party or driver's license renewals can be taped to the inside of the cupboard doors for quick retrieval when they are needed.

14. If your incoming mail lands on the kitchen counter, consider adding a paper shredder to your counter top that is compact, can be easily emptied and is safe for pets and children when turned on. Shred junk mail as you bring it into the house and empty the bin into the paper basket in the kitchen when full.

15. I like to store canned goods and dry goods in a cabinet that looks like a bookcase that has doors if your house does not have a pantry. A lot of times you can fit this in an eating area, but measure the cabinet and room first. You can find economical versions in many stores. Store things by categories like soups, canned meats, baking goods, etc. so that you can quickly see what you have and what you might need when going shopping or putting together a meal.

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B. BATHROOM -
1. Store the toilet paper, feminine products, waste basket, toilet brush, and plunger near the toilet for quick access. You can get creative with their storage so that you won't readily see them when you enter the bathroom. Store the paper products away from the floor or enclosed in something that will protect them from water damage like a shelf or a drawer.

2. Use dividers in drawers and slides or containers in cupboards.

3. If you do not have a cabinet in your bathroom, look into storage shelves for bathrooms. Get creative and decorative.

4. If you store cleaning supplies in a bathroom, make sure you store them in a place where children and pets will not have easy access to them.

5. Towels and wash cloths can be easily stored in a linen closet or on a rack or shelf that is hung on the wall.

6. Hair brushes, combs, hair dryers, curling irons, etc. can be stored in a decorative container.

7. Store shampoos and soaps in or near the shower or bathtub.

C. BEDROOM -
1. Linens should be stored in a linen closet. We do not have a linen closet in our home, so I store the linens in plastic containers with lids and stack them in the clothes closet or put containers under the bed.

2. Shoes and purses are stored in see-through containers with lids to keep them clean. I can see which shoes are in each container. I add labels to the containers to make it doubly easy to see what each box contains.

3. Pants, shirts, skirts, dress, nightclothes are hung according to category and then according to color.

4. Belts are hung on hooks.

5. Underwear is folded and sorted according to category in drawers.

6. Jewelry is put into plastic clear containers with partitions. These can be bought at craft stores for storing crafts. Sort earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, etc. into separate containers. Have one container set aside for pieces that need repair. Stack the boxes on a shelf or in a drawer.

7. If you wear a few pieces of jewelry often, have a few hooks put up on your wall in the closet and hang your favorite necklace or ring on the hook for easy access.

8. I find that craft projects that I may be working on store nicely under the bed also.

9. Books are stored in a bookcase near my reading chair in the bedroom.

D. LIVING ROOM -
1. This is a good room for media storage and book storage. Plastic drawer sets are used to store audio/video media like DVDs and CDs and video games and controllers. They are sorted according to genera like drama, comedy, action, family, etc. and then placed in drawers.

2. I like to have a notebook designated for Audio/Video equipment. Once again the three-hole punch comes in handy. It is nice to have the directions for remote controls, TV, VCR, DVD player, cameras, sound equipment, etc. all in one notebook. This is also a good idea for computer information in the office if it is part of your living area.

3. End tables and coffee tables are a great place for things like the telephone book, books and magazines, reading glasses, etc.

4. I use small metal plant stands with glass tops placed near recliners for places to put drinks and food. I use decorative pots slid under the stands to hold misc. items.

5. Extra blankets and pillows are stored behind the couch, which sits at an angle to the wall for anyone who wants to sleep over.

E. SEASONAL STORAGE - I try to keep seasonal things like Christmas decorations limited to four or five boxes. One small box is used for Christmas cards purchased at discount prices for the next season along with the current Christmas card list from the previous Christmas. The list includes names, addresses, children's names, emails, and telephone numbers.

F. GARAGE STORAGE - If you have a garage, high shelves around the perimeter of the garage is helpful. I like to hang the shelves high so that they won't interfere with the vehicles. This is a great place to store Christmas things, garden equipment, building supplies like flooring, etc. I also like to store archived files in this area in plastic containers with plastic lids. I like to store shovels, hoes, brooms, etc. along the wall of the garage. A small workbench area can organize tools along with a pegboard to hang things like screwdrivers and hammers.

G. BASEMENT STORAGE - I like to store things high and off the floor in a basement in case of flooding. Pegboards and shelving attached to the wall of an unfinished basement are some of my favorite methods. In a finished basement you can become a little more fancy with storage units, cupboards, etc.

As a general rule I like to store things in clear plastic boxes of various sizes. I use a label maker to label what is in the box. Being able to see what is in the box and also read what is in it from a label saves a lot of time shuffling through containers looking for things. The plastic boxes keep items dry and if you have pets, prevent them from chewing and tearing at the boxes. This also makes it easier if you have to move because many things are already packed and ready to go.

When looking at storage containers, consider if they are child and pet friendly. I would love to use wicker or baskets but my pets like to chew and the baskets soon look frayed. Also consider if the container is washable in case something spills in it. I like container that are stackable. It's just a personal preference.

Being organized gives you more time to do what you like best, like maybe writing. You can easily find things need. It saves you from having to buy something just because you can't find it in the house and you don't have time to look for it. It also gives you the opportunity to be creative. Have fun with it. Look through magazines, supply catalogs, web sites, etc. for ideas.