April 29, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — If the pantry is already stacked with labeled plastic containers, the shower has a caddie stacked with essential items, and the closet clutter is cleared, then you are ready to take your newly organized home to the next level of neatness.
The ever meticulous guru of home organization, Alejandra Costello has some time tested advice that will push your spring cleaning skills to new heights:
Raise the pantry stakes. Alejandra suggests that if you’ve already transferred all of your dry goods into airtight containers, the next step is to create clear plastic pouches for the back of each canister. Inside the pouches, will be the product’s nutritional information and/or cooking instructions.
Containers in containers. Besides storing snack foods and other pantry items in labeled bins, Alejandra has organizers inside organizers. Juice packets and teabags each get their own divided box, and they’re even sorted out by type — green tea with green tea, etc.
Add sheet metal to the inside of cabinets. If you want your bathroom and kitchen cabinets to do double duty, take Alejandra’s advice to attach metal backs to all of the cabinetry. This clears some of the clutter on the fridge by moving reminders and old photos to a hidden but commonly used spot. And, in the medicine cabinet, magnets hold everyday essentials like Q-tips and tweezers.
Create a double duty shower curtain. It’s an easy way, in addition to the shower caddie, to clear shampoo bottles, hairbrushes, and other large toiletries off the floor. Alejandra recommends finding a shower curtain liner that comes complete with several large pockets.
Cage up your sports equipment. In Alejandra’s garage, sports equipment gets its own unique container. By stringing bungee cords between metal shelves, you can create a flexible box that you can fish balls and mitts out of without sending everything else tumbling to the floor.
Take labeling seriously but make it fun. If Alejandra’s house has a theme, it would have to be labels. Everything is labeled without exception. But, she aims to tailor the tags to each room and personality. For instance, in the pantry, Alejandra uses a picnic-inspired red check pattern for each label. In shared closets, she uses photo labels for simplicity’s sake. But, she got her most creative in the garage when she repurposed paint chips from a local hardware store and attached them with painter’s tape.
If you still have spring cleaning time to spare, you can check out one of Alejandra’s videos with even more advice on how to get organized for summer fun. HGTV has already crowned her one of the 5 Most Organized People in America.
