Do you have a small room? Organize it with the following hints, tips and helps. An organized room stays cleaner, looks larger, and is much easier to maintain than a room that is in total disarray.
Cope With Clutter
One of the first things that must be done when it is time to organize any room, small or large, is to cope with the clutter. Papers, magazines, and other items are distracting and make it difficult to clean. You will need to decide what to do with each item that is not put away properly in your small room. There are three options:
- Put it away
- Throw it away
- Give it away
Use these three labels on three boxes or large clothes baskets. As you clean and organize your room you will put the clutter in one of the three containers. The stuff in the throw away box will go straight to the trash, the giveaway box will go straight to the thrift shop, and the put away box will need to be put away properly. Once you have a clean slate to work with it will be easier to organize your cozy space.
Make a Plan
If you are starting from scratch with new furniture then make a scale diagram of your room on graph paper. Be sure to put in doors, windows, and other architectural features. Be sure that any furniture that you bring in to your space is a good fit. By having the scale drawing you can easily tell if you can fit both the three foot ottoman and the five foot bookcase on the wall by the window. When you go to buy items for your room take your drawing and your measuring tape.
Have an idea of what the room will be used for. Different types of rooms need different types of organization. If it is going to be used as both a guest bedroom and a home office then it will need a different type of organization than if it was going to be used as a den. Make notes of what containers and other organizational items you will need. Some that may be useful are:
- Baskets are a great way to organize small items
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- In bathrooms they can hold makeup, towels, and other items
- In other rooms they can hold magazines, papers, books, craft supplies and other things.
- They can be used on shelves or in cabinets
- Placed in a mudroom, or by the door baskets can hold library books, homework, and other items necessary for school
- In a child's room baskets can hold socks, mittens, or small toys
- Files
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- Magazine articles
- Important papers
- The kid's drawings
- The masters for printable to do lists
- Book Cases
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- Books
- Baskets
- Magazine holders
How to Organize Specific Small Rooms
Now that you have an idea of what to do, it is time to work on each room individually. After all, a small bathroom will be organized much differently than a small kitchen.
The Kitchen
- Keep spices in a clear bin with a lid. Depending on how many spices you have you may need more than one bin. The plastic boxes that are sold to hold shoes work well for this. The bins stack easily and are easy to take to the work area when you are creating a recipe.
- Transfer dried grocery items like beans and pasta to clear, glass jars if possible. You will quickly be able to see what you have and they look nice.
- Keep your counter tops clear as much as you can. This is especially important in a small kitchen.
- If possible hang your pots and pans from a hanging rack. This will keep them within easy reach and yet leave your cupboard space open for other things.
- Organize your kitchen by area:
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- Wet- sink area. Keep dishwashing soap, dish cloths, scrubbers, vegetable scrubbers and colanders in this area of the kitchen.
- Hot - stove and oven. Keep hot pads, pans, wooden spoons, and other items that you need to cook with in this area.
- Work- counter top. This is the area where you will prepare the foods for cooking as well as preparing them for storage. Knives, bowls, mixers, and other items used in food preparation should be stored here if possible.
Bathroom
- Keep makeup and other small cosmetic items in plastic bins.
- Have dirty clothes hamper and use it.
- Use baskets to hold towels if necessary.
- Use hooks on the wall to hang items.
- Get a soap dispenser.
Closet
- Sort your clothes and put off season items in storage
- Categorize your clothing by style:
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- Casual
- Work
- Formal
- Hang belts on racks
- Place shoes on a shoe rack, an over the door one may work best
- Use clear bins to hold scarves, shoes, mittens, gloves, and other small items.
If you have a small room, organize it to make it both beautiful and efficient. Organization takes some planning but nearly anyone can create a relaxing space when they get rid of the clutter. Whether you are downsizing to a smaller house or apartment, or you are just coping with a small sized room, an organized space is relaxing and comforting.
