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Home › Articles › Nursery and Layette › Goodbye Clutter!

Goodbye Clutter!

Clear the Clutter Before Baby Arrives

By Kathy Waddill

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

  • Make sure your furniture supports your activities. If you can't store things, select furniture with storage space. If your seating is uncomfortable or inadequate, replace it. Don't let your furniture keep you from functioning efficiently;
  • Next to every seat and bed, make sure there's a flat surface that can hold such items as drinks and plates. Have enough end tables and coffee tables for everyone;
  • At your main entrances, make sure there's a place to put things that are on their way in or out. Create a "staging area" using a cupboard, bookcase, or basket to prevent this spot from degenerating into a big pile;
  • Use patterned runners and throw rugs in your kitchen and bathrooms to catch drips;
  • Make sure your household has a functioning desk. This is an essential organizing tool.

    Use the Right Containers and Tools for Your Things
    • Keep a wastebasket in every room;
    • In the spot where you open the mail, put a recycling bin to catch all the junk. Have one in every spot where papers are routinely discarded;
    • Shelving units are essential organizing tools. Make sure you have enough shelf space in your living space and your storage areas;
    • Use clear containers whenever possible. They allow you to see the contents readily, which means you're more likely to use the things they contain;
    • Store photographs in photo boxes instead of albums. Create albums only for pictures of special occasions, but not for everyday snapshots;
    • Put a note cube next to every telephone;
    • Use dishpans on your children's shelves to hold collections of small toys;
    • Don't forget simple, free storage alternatives. Sometimes the best container is a cardboard box. Using a utility knife and hot glue, you can transform a leftover box or box top into the exact container you need. Be creative!
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