That's Neat! Blog

Let’s face it, we all have those unsightly areas in our homes that seem to catch everything as soon as we hit the door. The kids drop books, backpacks and lunch pails. We adults plop down our briefcases and/or purses, our shoes - even our mail. These spots grab it all and often not in a very orderly manner. You might have a mudroom for this purpose but a good number of us carve a “drop zone” out of hallways, overstuffed closets, stairways, laundry rooms and sometimes even valuable kitchen countertop space.

This summer (before the new school year starts) why not create an organized, efficient area for all of these daily essentials?

Here are a few ideas:

• Mudrooms. If you’re fortunate enough to have such a designated space, make it work for more than just your shoes, boots and coats. Add hooks for each family member and encourage them to hang backpacks, purses and briefcases. If your mudroom has a bench, slide labeled bins underneath for each family member to hold books, sports equipment even pet supplies. Hang a simple file organizer for mail and add a key hook underneath so you won’t spend valuable morning time searching for your keys.

• Hallways. If a central hall area space works best for your family, add a bench and use the space underneath for storage. Labeled bins or baskets work well. Add a coat rack or install hooks. A simple tall container (clear glass cylinder, vase or galvanized flower bucket) makes a great umbrella stand. A basket to catch the mail, and another for pet supplies (leashes, collars, toys, towel).

• Hall Closet. Install efficient, adjustable shelving and a hanging coat rod. My favorite system is by Elfa. It adjusts by the inch! Measure typical items that would go into the closet (how long are your coats for example?) and adjust accordingly. Sort and stack hats, gloves, scarves, shoes and other daily essentials and purchase bins for each family members stuff. Slide a basket or two onto the floor and use for backpacks and sports equipment. Don’t forget to use the inside of the closet door for storage too. Small hanging shoe bags work great for keys, glasses, sunscreen, etc. and a file holder for the daily mail.

• Kitchen Area. If you must use valuable kitchen space for these items, try to designate a cupboard close to the door. Purchase bins for books and backpacks; label them and place on the cabinet shelves. On the countertop above, place a letter basket for mail and a free-standing accordion file labeled with each family member’s name for important papers (homework, bills to be paid, etc.) If space allows, add a bulletin board for notes and a calendar. A cute flower pot holds keys and another for pens, pencils and stamps.

So stop the morning chaos. Spend a little time this summer carving out an efficient drop-zone in your home. Before you know it, you’ll be spending valuable time enjoying an extra few minutes of shut-eye or another cup of Joe.

A few weeks ago a neighbor asked me how to go about organizing the spices in her kitchen. She, like many of us, had collected a variety of spices beyond the usual parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme and the storage and organization of these various bottles, jars and cans has become an issue.

Years ago I had the same issues in my kitchen so I came up with this system to eliminate the problem. Here’s what works for me:

• Buy spices in bulk if available. This eliminates packaging waste and you can purchase just the amount you need.

• Buy one style of container and decant all of your dried spices into them. Buy a few extras so you’ll have them on hand when you need to add a new spice to your collection. I like clear glass bottles with screw on lids – these are a great choice. 

• Label all of your spice jars either on the top if you choose to store them standing up in a drawer, or on the side if they are stored in a pantry or cupboard.

• Organize spices alphabetically.

• Put a removable or reusable wipe-off sticker on the bottom of each spice jar with the expiration date of each spice. Most spice companies will date their spices for freshness.

• If you’ve purchased a bit more spice than will fit in your jars, store it in small zip top bags, label with the variety of spice and expiration date and store in the freezer.

I keep the spices I use everyday - oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme - on my kitchen counter in a tray by my stove. I also keep a variety of salts and peppers on another tray along with bulbs of garlic, olive oils and vinegars, and I have two pots of fresh herbs on my kitchen windowsill.

Hopefully these tips will be helpful to you in your own kitchen. Remember to select a container and labeling system that work for you and stick with it. Soon, you’ll find it’s fast and easy to have a pinch of fresh herbs and spices at your fingertips.

These tips were originally published in The Neat Sheet newsletter (Nov/Dec 2008) from That’s Neat! Organizing.

1. The Fridge: November is national "Clean out your Fridge" month. This is nobody's favorite task, but it is important for several reasons: getting rid of expired foods can keep your family safe and healthy; knowing what is in your fridge can keep you from purchasing duplicate items and save money; and cleaning out your fridge and freezer will free up space for holiday cooking.

Get started following these easy steps:

• Gather supplies: gloves, sponge, cleaner, masking tape and marker for labeling items, and garbage bags
• Take everything off the shelves and out of the drawers in your fridge. Wipe clean each shelf and drawer.
• Pick up everything that you took out of the fridge; throw out any unidentifiable leftovers and expired foods.
• Group the remaining items into similar categories such as drinks, dairy, veggies, and leftovers.
• Put the items back in your fridge, keeping the groups together. Many fridges are designed to help with this by having drawers for meat, fruits, or veggies.
• Follow the same process with your fridge shelves, keeping things together like peanut butter and jelly or marinades and sauces. Adjust the fridge shelves if necessary. Also, use plastic bins or a lazy susan to keep small items from getting lost in the back of the fridge.   
• Now tackle the freezer using the same process. Take everything out, even food in the way back, and throw out anything that has been around for a year, or has a layer of permafrost. If you have food in containers, label each one before you put it back. Get into the habit of writing a description and the date on everything before it goes in the freezer. For two nights in the coming week, plan a meal using up foods in your freezer and fridge.

2. The Pantry: A well-stocked pantry is a must for cooking, but a well-organized pantry means you can actually find what you need quickly and easily (and help avoid those last-minute trips to the grocery store). Whether your pantry is a whole room or a few cabinets, try this quick fix.  

• Gather your supplies: sponge and cleaner, small plastic bins, garbage bags, paper and pen.
• Take everything out of your pantry and clean each shelf.
• Sort the items into categories such as baking, spices, canned vegetables, pasta, and cereal.
• For each category get rid of expired foods, items that are stale, and any empty containers. As you purge, make a shopping list of things you'll need to replace. 
• Put items back, keeping categories together. Place foods that you use often, such as cereal and snacks, within easy access. Place foods that you use less often (or don't want the kids to reach) on higher shelves.
• Use containers to keep small items together. Products such as Expand-a-Shelf can also help you find items in the back.
• Consider labeling sections of the pantry to make it easier to find and put away items. You may have a section for snacks, pasta, or cereals.

Enjoy your re-organized kitchen!

Whoopie! Did you know that November is National Clean out Your Fridge Month? Me either… until Elizabeth informed me that I was ahead of the game (I cleaned mine last month)! Seriously? A whole month dedicated to the discovery of the icky, the sticky, the gooey and the furry? Yep.

Stuffing the turkey takes on a whole new meaning when you’re trying to make room for it in your over-stuffed fridge, so November is the perfect time to tackle this task.

I not only cleaned out my fridge, I went ahead and did the freezer too. Might as well, right? And I did something I’ve been meaning to do for years, create a Freezer Inventory Log so I know what I have and when I bought it. Now, I go to my “log” before I make my weekly grocery list. Brilliant!

My freezer log started out as nothing fancy. A small, re-purposed three-ring binder. I added a couple of dividers (I have an old fridge/freezer in my garage too), then divided the binder into Inside and Outside categories.

Next, I made a list of the items in each freezer and divided it up alphabetically and by the types of foods and added the date it was purchased. Note: Keep a marker by your fridge/freezer and write the date purchased on the item.

The Freezer Inventory Log is as simple as this:

INSIDE
Date: October 2009

Baking:
1 pkg. Pie Crust (9/09)
1 pkg. Puff Pastry (7/09)

Bread/Crackers:
1 Baguette (10/09)
2 Wheat Sandwich Bread (10/09)

Fruit:
1 pkg. (1lb) strawberries (8/09)

Beef:
1 pkg. Flank Steak (7/09)
2 Skirt Steaks (7/09)

Pork:
1 Tenderloin (9/09)

and so on….

Oh, and another discovery…once I did my binder I quickly realized I could just keep the list on my computer desktop (remember I’m older than Elizabeth, I did not grow up with technology). It’s easily updated and right there for quick reference.

Honestly, for someone who is perceived as being “so organized”, this one task had slipped by me for years. I can’t tell you how much food we’ve managed to eat up in the past month. Diver scallops – yum!