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Keeping yourself and your things organized. How do you do it?

Anonymous

I've spent most of the weekend doing some "heavy" cleaning : in addition to the usual tasks, the fridge and stove got pulled out, baseboards and floors cleaned, cupboards wiped down and on and on. I am in an insane state of wanting to lock the door, run away, and start all over again in a fresh house. I've become obsessed with baseboards and why mine look so gross, I'm down on my hands and knees with a q-tip trying to get the bathroom floor in pristine shape, wiping off food splatters I didn't know existed at ankle level on the fridge door , etc, and PUTTING STUFF AWAY, which seems to be a full-time job. Running a business from home is one reason my house always feels mildy disorganized at the best of times, but my wardrobe and personal stuff is the worst to manage. I don't live in a massive new home , but nor is it small. Just old. Some questions I have for you :

1. purses, totes : where you keep them and how do you store them?
2. winter boots/other footwear : where and how do you store them?
3. scarves/mitts/hats etc - where and how do you store them?
4. jewellery - where the heck do you put it all and how do you store it?
5. jeans/sweats/sweaters : where do you put them when you've run out of closet and drawer space? They seem to take up so much room.
6. and your baseboards - how do you keep painted wood baseboards and trim looking good and clean??? Agh.

In all seriousness, I'm keen on learning how other women manage their personal wardrobe and other things they own - and keep it all tidy, accessible, and organized when space is not unlimited. Any stories, ideas, tips etc are all welcome!

General

68 replies

Latest reply was from JAileen

Jane

Veteran

Just very quickly on base boards, there was a few years ago a TV series on cleaning, presented by Aggie and Kim. Their tip on base boards was to wipe down with fabric conditioner, as it meant that they would smell good and would be easy to wipe clean.

Helena

Veteran

Well, this is timely - I'm in full-on get organized mode and my family is very afraid! Here is what I do for each of those - not that I'm a pro, but maybe something will be helpful. Looking forward to what others say:

1. purses, totes : where you keep them and how do you store them? - We have two benches in our front hall that fit baskets underneath - I keep my totes/purses currently in use in a bin. The ones I am not using, I keep on a high shelf in our walk-in closet. My laptop bag I stash under the desk in the office. I should note I don't change purses often.
2. winter boots/other footwear : where and how do you store them? - well these are just a nightmare. We have room for shoes and boots again under the hall bench ... I use cupboard organizing wire shelves to create an extra level of storage but for boots it gets tight ... so I must admit, I just accept that the front hall will be a bit messy in the winter and keep the ones in use that don't fit lined up neatly in front of the bench. Dressier boots that I would only pull out on occasion are kept either in the hall closet (we have a two-level shoe rack in there, plus more wire shelves) - or on the top shelf of the walk-in closet.
3. scarves/mitts/hats etc - where and how do you store them? I recently installed a cupboard system in the hall closet (NOT a very big closet mind you, for a family of four), with shelving along one side. Everyone has a bin for their scarves, mitts and hats. We also have those little racks that go over the vent to dry mitts, etc. ... not pretty but so nice to put warm mitts on
4. jewellery - where the heck do you put it all and how do you store it? I don't have much that is overly precious, so I just have one of those hanging jewellery organizers. My every day stuff I have a pretty dish in the bathroom to hold it all.
5. jeans/sweats/sweaters : where do you put them when you've run out of closet and drawer space? They seem to take up so much room. I hang jeans and sweaters - we have plenty of hanging space though so prob not helpful! Sweats you could try rolling or that KonMari folding method to fit more in your drawer?
6. and your baseboards - how do you keep painted wood baseboards and trim looking good and clean??? Agh. On the main floor, I sweep them when I sweep the floor and run the mop on them when I mop the floor, and that keeps them looking not bad (although they are really due to be repainted). Upstairs ... um ... I don't look at them too closely???

Sal

Veteran

I know these fits - and I will be honest here, the good, bad and ugly!!

1.purses, totes : Day bags on hooks on bedroom door, clutches in drawer. I have three day bags and about 5 clutches. This works well enough but could be better.
2. winter boots/other footwear : I swap out most out of season shoes and boots and put them in the 13 year olds closet. Not tall boots though - they stay in the back corner in summer. Sneakers, evening shoes and loafers stay out all year as they are used in all seasons.
3. scarves/mitts/hats etc - scarves in a drawer (in winter they take up two drawers). Hats and gloves usually go top of a small set of drawers in my closet - at the moment the sunhats are here, in the winter it will be a bowl with beanies and gloves. General ones that the three males share are in the coat closet (which is in my office containing ski gear, wet suits, tennis rackets etc and some coats)
4. jewellery - I have a small chest and tiny set of drawers which it goes in and it needs constant resorting. I need to work out a system for my valuables which get hidden and hence not worn a lot.
5. jeans/sweats/sweaters : Jeans are hanging up. I have one big drawer for knits and the sports hoodies, gym tops etc go in the gear drawer. I take out swimwear in winter aside from my "speedo" togs to give myself more room.
6. and your baseboards - I ignore them until I notice them then have a major cleaning fit usually with soapy water and magic eraser:)

I have one big swap over each season ( approximately April and early October) and a few mini swaps in between. For example I won't wear a wool coat until late April but I might wear my camel ankle boots so I will bring them in along with my high top sneakers in early March when I will take out my high summer gear

I like these mini sort outs and try ons. I did this with lingerie last week and noted that I needed two new light bras - which I purchased at outlet in the weekend in a style I already had.

unfrumped

Veteran

I can relate!

I still think the fundamental “ a place for everything and everything its place” applies. Marie Kondo just takes this to another level regarding having both too much stuff but also stuff that is not loved.
I’m still really bad at putting things away daily so then I’m like the Cat in the Hat with a big put- away job that takes all day when I could be doing something else.
But if I’m honest it’s often that yes I’ve got places but they’re a little stuffed so it’s harder to put it back. I get overcrowded. For example, I use s shoe bag in the coat closet for winter gloves but then will say , oh these other gloves are cute, fun color, I must have them, and before you know it I’ve got 6 pairs when maybe I need 2 and I have to double up and then....
Repeat with purses, tights, scarves...
This is my “ year of honesty “ to pare down.

The Cat

Veteran

Great post, Lisa. I will follow this thread with interest, as I, too, would like to get some tips for cleaning and organizing.

Here are my present solutions for your points 1-4:

1. Purses/totes: hanging from clothes hangers or S-hooks in my closet.
2. Shoes: in hanging shoe organizers (the kind that has 10 small rooms under each other). Boots: at the bottom of my closet, beneath my outerwear.
3. Scarves: hanging on clothes hangers (those with a horizontal part). 3-5 scarves pr. hanger. Organized by thickness/size and colour. Hats and gloves: in drawers. Each category organized by colour.
4. Long and semi-long necklaces: hanging from a kind of tie-rack. Other jewellery is placed in a small dresser with rooms for each category: brooches, earrings, rings, short necklaces ...

viva

Veteran

Preaching to the choir, sister. I can make myself totally crazy with this stuff! I manage to stay on top of it with a combination of not owning much (I have pared back to two totes and three purses and the ones I am not using sit on the top shelf of my small closet), using the Konmari folding method in all of my drawers (everything, including all of my jeans and my workout clothes, now fits in my one dresser), and specific places for things.

Jewelry: I hate the messiness of hanging jewelry. I keep special jewelry in a box on my dresser, and all the rest in three craft boxes in my drawer. I don’t have much I don’t think but I love keeping it organized this way. Like the konmari method, it allows me to see everything.

Winter boots: sit by the front door. We change into slippers (but the floor still gets gritty - the city is dirty).

Winter Scarves, hats, etc: Basket by the front door. Another by the back door. They’ll be put away in the spring. Dressy scarves: I only have a few. I keep them folded in a pretty and sturdy box in my room.

Baseboards, trim, doorknobs, switch plates: I wipe down probaby every two weeks with Clorox wipes while vaccuming (which I do prob twice a week - city grit and dog hair: they are my most profound anxiety producers).

I don’t get on my hand and knees with a q-tip but I tend to wipe down the bathroom with a sponge and cleaner several times a week. Not a germaphobe as much as a neatnik. Drives my husband crazy. It’s much nicer having a small house to deal with now, but between dog hair and city grit I still struggle to stay on top of it.

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Suzanimal

I hit the baseboards with the mop once a week and make my kids detail wash the baseboards, stairs and floors every few months. They're teenage boys. I call them my Cinderfellas.

Purses, shoes, and belts. *sigh* I'm working on organizing that stuff right now. I've been watching YouTube videos on the KonMari method and I'm going to give it a shot. I did a good job paring down my clothes but accessories are my weakness and I literally only managed to part with one belt and that hurt. It was a tacky ass belt, too. o_O I bought some folding trunks covered in faux leather to go along the foot of my bed and I'm thinking about using those for bulky items.

Here are the trunks. I bought two large and one small. That fits across the foot of my king sized bed perfectly. They're actually durable, too. My 225 lb husband sat on one to put on his shoes and I panicked but it held him just fine. I bought them in chocolate and paid less than what they're going for right now. They run these on mega sale fairly often.
Big one
https://www.kohls.com/product/.....ttoman.jsp
little one
https://www.kohls.com/product/.....jsp?pfm=rr

Gloves, hats, scarves are all kept on the shelf in our coat closet in bins with our names on them.

Fine jewelry is kept in a drawer in my closet and costume jewelry is in a mirrored case mounted to the back of my bedroom door.

This looks like mine.

https://www.overstock.com/Home.....net-with-M#

jussie

Veteran

Interesting thread. I can’t offer any advice- but I will eagerly read others replies as my situation is an UTTER TERRIBLE MESS. I have never been good at organizing, sorting, or practical tasks of that nature. However since having children I’ve had to get on top of keeping the living room, kitchen and bathroom tidy, as those areas are shared and public. But that’s all I can manage. Cupboards, pantry, wardrobes, bedrooms, laundry, study, filing cabinet etc is a shambles.

The Cat

Veteran

Forgot to tell that I store all out-of-season clothes and footwear in the attic. Clean, organized by category, and easy to locate.

Re 5: A word about sweaters: I have got room for several more sweaters/pullovers, tees etc. in my drawers after I started rolling them.

Suzanimal

The Cat

I'm thinking about trying rolling sweaters/tees. In one of the videos I watched the girl made a point about how she not only, wears more of her wardrobe since she started doing that but she also has a better idea of what she has because she can see everything. Things don't get buried at the bottom of the pile.

viva

Veteran

Suz - I second what that girl said. It’s true. I can see what I have, I wear more, and I have more room in my drawers. It takes a little longer to put away laundry but it’s really worth it to roll.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

1. purses, totes : where you keep them and how do you store them?

I keep the one I am using the most hanging on the door handle of my office.

I keep most out of season larger bags on a hook in a hall closet.
I keep clutches on a high shelf in my bedroom closet.
I keep 2 crossbody bags on a hook inside that closet.

When I run out of room, I get rid of some.

2. winter boots/other footwear : where and how do you store them?

This is awful in our house. A Victorian workers' house with no entryway to speak of and narrow hallways. And a snowy climate. There *is* a double door (i.e. you come in one door and about 2 feet later there is an "inside" storm door. This is both good and bad. It's good for insulation and because it keeps the house feeling a bit private from the street. It's bad because it means the entryway seems even smaller.

My husband and child each keep three pair of boots lined up in this tiny 2 foot entryway. I keep one pair there. All the rest of my boots and some of theirs go in our basement on a rack. It's very inconvenient but the best we can do. We carry them back and forth as needed. There is no place to put a rack in our entryway. The door would not open if one were there. So we cope. And long for spring...Oh, how spacious everything looks once the boots are gone!

3. scarves/mitts/hats etc - where and how do you store them?

We have two baskets. One for my stuff, and one larger one with a divider for husband and child. Both have covers, and look, essentially, like part of the furniture. The larger one stands in the hallway and has a flat top so it doubles as the place we toss our mail, etc. The other one is in the living room, right next to the entrance. It feels a bit cluttered but not to the point of hideousness. I hope.

I think you are getting the idea -- all storage solutions (if you can call them that) were invented ad hoc and are only workable in this house. If I moved, I'd have a different system. This is what works (sort of) here.

4. jewellery - where the heck do you put it all and how do you store it?

I don't have very much but what I have is mostly stored in an old wooden box on top of my dresser. It's not officially a jewellery box but it is a pretty box and holds most of my stuff. Some of the rest is inside my dresser in boxes.

5. jeans/sweats/sweaters : where do you put them when you've run out of closet and drawer space? They seem to take up so much room.

I don't have enough to run out of space. My closet (thankfully) has a deep shelf. Sweaters go in there. My dresser has, not drawers, but shelves. Jeans go on the bottom shelf.

6. and your baseboards - how do you keep painted wood baseboards and trim looking good and clean??? Agh.

When my kid was small I used to ask her to dust/ wash them as one of her "chores." She loved it until she was about 7. They have never looked so good since.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Oh -- and I use those plastic craft boxes Viv showed inside my mahogany box to separate earrings, small necklaces, etc. just as she has done.

Anonymous

Purses, totes : I store all of my briefcases and totes along the base of the closet that contains "tops" and "toppers." I keep them stuffed with paper so they stand up nicely in a row. All of my other purses are housed in shelving that is probably meant for sweaters and knits. I can see at a glance everything I own.

Winter boots/other footwear : During the Winter, these are in the front "coat" closet. During the off season, I store them in their original boxes on the top shelf in my closet.

Scarves/mitts/hats: During the Winter, these are in the front "coat" closet. During the off season, I store them in a plastic bin which sits on the top shelf in my closet.

Jewellery - Top drawer of my bureau. I have these inserts from the Container Store. One contains earrings, others are for necklaces and bracelets. They are stackable.

Jeans/sweats/sweaters : Jeans are hung in one closet along with all of my slacks, pants, and sweats. Sweaters are stored in my "top" closet. Folded.

Baseboards - Natural wood. I clean them every four to eight weeks on my hands and knees. My knees are always sore the next day.

Suzanimal

Sterling made a great point about keeping handbags stuffed. I learned that lesson the hard way. You can ruin a bag not storing it properly. I use tissue and those air pillows that come in mail orders to fill large bags.

unfrumped

Veteran

Oh, for jewelry, along with having too much, I use some stackers as per Sterling, and I do another thing— I got these small rectangular metal pin board thingies from container Store, hung in all using Command picture hangers, attach a combination of pushpins and magnets, and hang necklaces. It’s maybe not as “ clean”, as they could collect dust, the drawback of any open storage.

Windchime

Veteran

Oh, how I can relate to your post! I live with two other humans and two furry creatures; two of the humans work full time plus; the other human attends high school and extracurricular art classes and works half time; no one has enough time or energy to adequately deal with the baseboards...or the fur.

Anyway, here are my attempts at organizational systems.

Purses/totes--I have only a few of each, which makes it easier to store/organize them. Off-season purses live on an upstairs closet shelf. Tote bags are SUPPOSED to reside in the mudroom closet; in truth there are three of them on the mudroom floor as I write.

Winter boots--thank goodness for our mudroom. We try to keep them corralled on boot trays in there. In summer they live in the same closet as the off-season handbags.

Mittens, hats, scarves--in a tote on a shelf in the mudroom, and I only have one or two of each. If there were more, storage would be a problem.

Jewelry--earrings live in a small jewelry box on my dresser, with the few bracelets I own. A few years ago a friend gave me one of those hanging necklace organizers with small clear plastic pockets for each necklace. It hangs on the back of the bedroom door and has been hugely helpful for keeping necklaces organized. A few necklaces which are too bulky for that organizer live in a pretty mirrored brass tray on my dresser. Yes, I have to take them all off the mirrored tray and windex it monthly, but I like the tray--and the necklaces--well enough that I don't mind.

Jeans--folded in a deep dresser drawer. I own less than half a dozen pairs.

Sweats and sweaters-folded on closet shelving unit. They go into upstairs closet or cedar chest off season.

Baseboards--vacuum them occasionally. Wash them when I can't stand how dirty they are.

Anonymous

Oh god. I fear I own too much stuff. I am good about keeping clothing edited and not overbought, but like Suzanimal (great name) , accessories are my thing. I want that over-the-door hanging jewellery armoir. That would be so perfect for me.

Suz - laughing at your now-unattended baseboards. Jill used to love to vacuum. Now, not so much. I've been trying to come up with an idea for a basket(s) near our front door for mitts and hats etc. Like you, we have no front entrance to speak of - guests shoes are left in the doorway and that's about it. A designer friend of mine suggested I completely reconfigure our little front hall closet (below) by taking off the doors, removing the frame, getting rid of the rod , and then inserting a bench of sorts (and fitting baskets underneath) , and putting in a few hooks for coats. Top shelf can remain with baskets for more mitts etc. Between 3 people, we have 867 pair of mitts, hats, scarves, and this coat closet just holds R's and J's stuff. Not mine. I like your idea of two baskets in the front hall and living room. I may just do the same.

viva, the CAT : I still can't wrap my head around rolling clothes. I am resisting it for some reason. Do sweaters and jeans actually roll? I understand how this combats not seeing things on the bottom of a pile, but how do you identify jeans they are all rolled up? Ok, I have too many pair of jeans, yes. All imperfect, which is why I have so many.

unfrumped = you are describing me to a t. How many pair of gloves and mitts does one person need? Even here in MB? And wooly scarves? I start out with them all in little rooms in a shoe holder bag in my closet, then all hell breaks loose and they are all over the place. I find if I don't put things back in their place within one minute of entering the house, it will not happen.

viva - yes, to city grit. Our city uses sand on the winter streets to combat iciness, and you can only imagine what gets tracked in just to the back door on a daily basis. And our back door entrance is big enough for one person to stand in at a time - I am not kidding. Boots have to sit on the mat to dry or on the stairs up to the kitchen. Winter is so bad for keeping a house clean. I carry around a packet of wipes while cleaning too, but today (after reading BobVila.com - haha) decided that is not good enough and I should be using a bucket of water and a sponge in order to clean properly. I exist to be a vessel of guilt .

torontogirl - it sounds like you have much bigger closets than I. We live in a 50's two-story with tiny, tiny closets, no entry ways of any size. My dream is to have a front entry with room for a bench, and for a back entry with a full mudroom. Dream on , Lisa.

Suzanimal

lisa p ...

Oh god. I fear I own too much stuff. I am good about keeping clothing edited and not overbought, but like Suzanimal (great name) , accessories are my thing. I want that over-the-door hanging jewellery armoir. That would be so perfect for me.

I did not spend that much on that jewelry mirror, btw. If you keep your eye out, you can find them for around 60.00. My mom has a big floor mirror jewelry case and that's what I really wanted but I just don't have the space for it. It really worked out for me because I didn't have a long mirror. I would have to stand on the edge of the tub to get a full length view and that's not easy in heels. It really killed two birds with one stone.

Thanks! I've been Suzanimal since I was a little kid. I beat up the neighbor boy (he was bully and had it coming) and his mom drug me home and told my mom I was an animal and should be locked in a cage. My older brothers (4) thought it was funny and started calling me Suzanimal.
They even made me a cage out of laundry hampers.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

We don't even have a hall closet! Just hooks behind door two and (as with boots) Mark and LJ take up most. Mark has 2 hooks. Why does he rate more when he has fewer coats? It's like that here sometimes. You can't argue with it.

We ALSO have hooks in the basement. I'll try to take some photos of all this tomorrow. It's really not great but it is at least liveable. I like your designer friend's idea. But you have to be willing to live with the sight of coats. We have to look at ours from the living room when the "inside" door is closed.

I don't think a person ever has enough boots, coats, scarves, mitts etc in our climate. That is one area where, honestly? We get to forget about "capsule" this and that and just get what we will wear and accept that this is our reality. If I lived in Florida you can be darn sure I'd have more than 2 bathing suits.

Of course bathing suits are easier to store...

Anonymous

Suz- yeah , seeing the inside of this closet is one downfall . Because for it to look best , we’re talking 3 coats in it , not 20 or whatever is in there now . I can’t really bark at anyone for having so many coats and jackets so I just keep my mouth shut and ignore it . I’m going to do the mini Reno this spring though . Ugh , I feel like doing another huge purge of my stuff , but it’s getting embarrassing . You all are my heroes.

The Cat

Veteran

Lisa, I don't roll HEAVY/THICK sweaters. I fold them. And longer ones (coatigans etc.) are on hangers.

I have never rolled jeans. My jeans are on hangers. In earlier years, when I had many jeans and trousers, I used hangers which took 5 or 6 jeans/trousers each.

Anonymous

It’s a shambles honestly. I have two 6 drawer jewelry armoires but still have boxes of jewelry under my bed and on my open jewelry trays. Have purses in a row by my dresser, on my closet floor, on a hanging hook etc ...
I have some stuffed with spare mittens scarves etc ...
the baseboards, oft’ overlooked and the rest stored in guestroom and my closet/dresser.

Anonymous

Approximately every six to eight weeks I feel a kind of seasonal change and adjust my closet and bureau so that only clothes being worn are visible. Crowded closets are a total turn off.

Everything else is stored until the same time next year, when I unpack and assess wether the things are still appealing or should be donated. I buy a few things during every one of these "seasons" and I never wear the same combinations the following year.

I think the best trick for baseboard is not to mark it in the first place and to wipe it down with a little water and dishwashing detergent. Most of the damage is from people whacking it with the vacuum cleaner.

Irina

Veteran

We have one small closet near the entrance door. Coats are on the hangers, boot underneath ont the floor. I have a couple of bags. My DH put hooks on the wall inside the closet for it. Small bags are in the duster bags on the shelf in my closet in the bedroom.
Gloves and hats are in the wicker basket by the door. I’m really glad my DH build me this thing - kind of like a ladder, it’s attached to the wall on the stairs to the basement. I hang my scarves on it. It keeps them out the way but organized and visible. No wrinkles , too.
I roll my sweaters and love it. It saves space. But I only roll sweaters that are simple, straight and don’t have any details.
DH vacuums the baseboards when he does the floors once a week. I wash it about once a month together with the floors. My baseboards are white,wall too

Cee

Veteran

I may need that organiser guy from Oprah's old show !!!

Mainelady

Veteran

When we designed this house I had plenty of closets and shelves built in, so much of what we need to store is behind doors.

1. purses, totes : ones not in use are stored on the top shelf of the closet in my dressing area. The handbag and totes in use have a space on an antique school desk in our entry way.
2. winter boots/other footwear : during the winter we have two boot trays in our entry way for the boots. Extras and off season are stored on shoe shelves in the coat room, just off the entry way.
3. scarves/mitts/hats etc - We have two baskets on antique school desks in the entryway.
4. jewellery - I have 2 jewelry drawers, with divided trays in my dresser and inside my closet I have 3 16”x8” shelves for jewlery boxes and trays. My long necklaces are on Command hooks above the shelves.
5. jeans/sweats/sweaters : Mine are folded on shelves in one of my closets
6. and your baseboards - most are natural wood, so I swiffer those. The few painted ones we have I swipe across once a week.

One of the best organizational choices I made was to get rid of my desk and move all paperwork, files, bills and mail to baskets on shelves in one of our hall closets. The desk top was always an eyesore and unsettling to my eye. The closet system works for us so much better than the desk, where things would just get plopped down.

Anonymous

Mainelady - your home sounds lovely . My needs are based on a much different type of dwelling .

Mainelady

Veteran

Thank you, Lisa P. We built, raised two children and lived in our first home for 20 years. When we designed this home we had a clear idea of what we needed to make this our forever home. Lots of closets with shelving were high on the list!

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