Five One-Minute Tricks to Help Get You Organized

If you seem to be surrounded by clutter at home, there may be no need to set aside a weekend to get organized. A panel of professional organizers and interior designers shared one-minute tips with Good Housekeeping magazine for clearing the clutter:

Spin away bathroom disorder – Stuff tends to disappear in the dark depths of that deep bathroom cabinet under the sink. Invest in a couple of lazy Susan turntables. A quick spin will put all those shampoos, cotton balls, cosmetics and more directly in your line of sight.

Unclutter the kitchen – Gain extra storage space under the kitchen sink by putting a few hooks inside the cabinet underneath. It’s a good way to get wet dishcloths, towels and gloves out of the way. Try the same trick under other low-level kitchen cabinets, making space to hang long-handled cooking utensils and de-clutter kitchen drawers.

Minimize playtime clutter – When your kids play with Legos, figurines, or other multi-piece toys, stage a play area first by laying out a large blanket or bed sheet. It gives the kids a more defined play area, and when it’s time to clean up, bring the ends of the blanket together and dump the toys back into their storage buckets.

Make better use of your car’s trunk – Keep a couple of small bins in your trunk. The bins can corral bungee cords, paper towels and basic cleaning supplies as well as small toys and books to keep your kids happy while you drive.

Control the sports gear – Tired of hearing, “Mom, where’s my helmet?” Find a used playpen and tuck it away in one corner of the garage. Now the kids have one spot where they can drop all their sports gear when they come home. No more searching at the last minute, and no sports gear cluttering bedrooms or the family room!

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.