5 Simple and Effective Home Organizational Tools

Jul 4
07:43

2011

Heidi DeCoux

Heidi DeCoux

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With so many products on the market how do you know what organizational tools are helpful? Here are five simple products that can make a big difference.

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Are you an organizing addict?  On a day off do you find yourself walking around the aisles of the nearest organization store appreciating the baskets,5 Simple and Effective Home Organizational Tools Articles containers, hangers, gadgets, and all the other “must haves”?  We have goals for organizing home paperwork, closets, drawers and other rooms and spaces than we go to the store and buy more things to fill our homes!  What items do we actually need to help us organize?  We don’t need all of the latest organizing tools on the market, but there are some items that can help you get organized and not bust the bank.

 

A Paper Shredder:  One of the most necessary things on the list even if it is one of the bigger investments.  When organizing home paperwork it is crucial to be able to shred documents that have your personal information on them.  Feeling confident in securely recycling will help you keep your stacks of paperwork to a minimum!  A cross cut paper shredder is a good choice.  This shredder makes it almost impossible for someone up to no good to reconstruct your document.  It shreds your paper into small diamond shaped chunks instead of straight strips.  Safety features are important for a paper shredder you use in your house, especially if you have children in your home.  Store your paper shredder near the area you sort your mail.  This will help with organizing home paperwork since your toss papers can go right into the paper shredder!

 

Binders:  Great for organizing home paperwork!  Use binders to contain loose paperwork that doesn’t belong in your home filing system.  Recipes you’ve collected from magazines, or printed from online sites can all be kept together in a binder.  Avoid searching through stacks of papers frantically looking for a recipe you had ripped out and now can’t find.  In an organized binder you can quickly find a recipe whether you are looking for an entrée, side dish, or dessert. It will save you time and energy.  Children’s medical records and information can also be kept in a binder.  Organized this way it can be taken with you to a doctor’s appointment or given to a babysitter if need be.

 

Drawer Dividers:  From the kitchen to your desk drawer dividers can be a big help.   Keep pens, pencils, loose staples, highlighters, and other essentials corralled in a desk drawer.  Stop them from becoming a big jumbled mess.  Do you fight to get your utensil drawer closed in the kitchen? Add dividers.  Keep spatulas, measuring spoons, and whisks divided.  It can stop things from stacking up and getting lost.  Have you bought another kitchen tool, sure you already had one, only to later find it jammed in the back of the drawer?  Don’t buy another melon baller!  Ranging in price and look drawer dividers can be purchased a number of places.  Purchase dividers at an organizing store or use small baskets you can find at your local dollar store.  Try repurposing washed out plastic containers that you have purchased other things for this.

 

A Dry Erase Whiteboard:  A low tech way to keep your calendars synced!  As a busy family you can use these boards to stay in touch and keep your life more organized.  Don’t ever overbook your Saturday events again.  Important happenings can be put on a board so that everyone knows what is happening.  Your grocery list will be up to date if you keep a list of things you need on your board. Simply write them on the board as you run out.  Don’t find yourself standing in front of your fridge saying, why did no one tell me we were out of sandwich meat!?

 

Labels:  You can label in a number of different ways. Choose a label maker, hand written stickers, paper tags, or another method.  No matter how you do it labels are a great way of keeping things in order.  Label children’s baskets and buckets to make it simpler for them to put things away and clean up.  Cars go in the basket labeled cars; there are no discussions or instructions needed.  Labeling your things in storage will help you find things quick.  No need to open multiple boxes looking for an item.  It helps keep all of the adults in your house on the same page.  Whether it is your home filing system or storage boxes labels can make it obvious where things belong!

 

These are five things that will help you organizing home paperwork, your bedroom, living room, kitchen, or closets! The best news?  They won’t break the bank.  In fact you may even have some of them in your home already.  Next time you go into a store make a plan first.   Go to the store with measurements for your drawers or other spaces you are looking to organize.  Better planning helps avoid filling your home with more unused STUFF.