Are you one of the many who’ve jumped on the recent bandwagon and started madly piling your clothes and books hoping to declutter? It’s quite overwhelming when you stare at that large quantity wondering, “Am I really doing this?” If you’re looking for an easier task, how about tackling a few smaller projects. I’ve compiled a list of containers I often create when decluttering people’s homes. They are so obvious, yet for many do not exist. By creating homes for these common clutter magnets, you’ll be able to find what you need when you need it. Instead to tossing these items on a shelf or into a drawer, when you come across similar items you’ll know where they go and what to do with them.
Travel Accessories
– Most people have a place to store their luggage, but what about other common travel items? Packing cubes, luggage scale, international chargers, and headphones can be gathered together and stored in a labeled container for easy access. Same goes for travel size toiletries like shampoos, conditioners, lotions and more.
House Parts
– Even in the most pristine and well constructed homes, there’s always the leftover switchplate, extra cabinet knob, or allen wrench that is just the right size to tighten your faucet handle. You don’t want to throw these items out in case you need to replace or fix something, but leaving them in your tool box or randomly on a garage shelf is not the answer either. By having all the items in one place, you’ll panic less when something breaks in your home.
First Aid & Medications
– Band-aids tossed in a drawer getting dirty and crumpled is not what you want to use when treating a cut or scrape. And shouldn’t your anti-biotic cream be located nearby? I like to store band-aids in the box they came in, the box top and side tabs removed allowing you to easily see what is inside. Various sizes are then neatly nested in one container, with anti-biotic cream standing up inside one of the boxes. Store your first-aid on a shelf where you can easily grab it when something goes wrong. Medication for cough/cold, stomach, eye, and others can be gathered and stored in their own individual containers.
Photos
– I’ve seen them shoved in a drawer, buried in paper piles, and even clinging to the bottom of a kitchen drawer. Despite the fact that digital photos and selfies inundate our lives, printed photos seem to inhabit the homes of many. Once you start pulling them all together you’ll want to store them in an acid free photo box if you plan to preserve them. If eventually you plan to send them off for digital conversion, any container will do in the short term.
Mementos
– I tend to store photos separate from mementos as photos are their own category and likely large in volume. Mementos like cards you’ve received, a trinket from your vacation, or the frame your daughter made for you at preschool are mementos that you may want to keep, but don’t need lying around the house. Store them together in their own memento box ready to collect the important memories you gather throughout your life.