Keeping Your New Home Organized

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You’re about to move into your new home. Resist all urges to pack up all your clutter with the promise that you’ll sort through it later once you get moved in. Consider “clutter busting” before you move, and certainly before you start packing for the move. Plan ahead to get things organized in your new place, and keep them that way, by making good use of the latest organizers, dividers, storage systems, and shelving.

1. A walk-in closet has potential for a lot of wasted space. Closet organizers can expand the space by two, or even three times. Use only one type of hanger. Add shelves, drawers, and shoe organizers. If your new home has nine or ten foot ceilings, you may be able to stack three rows of short hanging items in a part of the closet.
   
   
2. Kids’ closets usually can use more shelves, drawers, and pull-out baskets than hanging space. Make sure the closets are kid-friendly with hanging bars, hooks, and shelves low enough to easily reach.
   
   
3. You can add pull-out shelving in the kitchen to expand storage and keep things accessible and tidy. Even if the cabinet manufacturer didn’t include pull-outs, you can have them added to usually any cabinet.
   
   
4. Keep clutter at bay in the home office by organizing the space with shelving, a filing system, and drawers or a credenza to stash equipment and supplies. It’s easy for a home office to become the dropping off point for things that haven’t found their own space. Avoid this by vowing to assign a place for everything, and then taking a few minutes each day to make sure that everything makes it to its place.

Being organized will make you and your home more efficient. Decreased clutter means less chaos. Order will bring a sense of calm to your new home, and help you make a space where you and yours will love to be.