Sometimes, your intention to become more organized only moves clutter from one place to another, and that accomplishes nothing.  You want to declutter and see the difference, not neater piles!  What mistakes are you making in your efforts fruitless? The following tips will tell you and give you advice on how to correct those mistakes: 

• Begin by looking at your flat spaces.  While they may be clean of dirt, if you see even one pile of “uncategorized” papers, toys, or gadgets, it is still messy.  Every place that has a pile needs a container to hold those things, and once it is full, clean it out. Do not leave things inside that can be seen over the top edge.  
• A much-used entryway can get chaotic, even with hangers and bins for everything. Store off-season items in a closet, or in case of outdoor toys and sports, in the garage.   
• Any neat home can feel busy and cluttered because of the decor.  Hanging lighter curtains instead of heavy drapery, clearing knick-knacks, and using one or two pieces of hanging art as a focal point calms the space. 

• Anywhere there is technology, there are cords. While rolling them up and using a bread tie may help a bit, that may not be enough. Use cord covers or sleeves in the same or similar color as your wall paint to hide the techy mess.  A hanging table cord pocket works well, too, and can be purchased online or DIY with an accordion file holder. 
• Do you have open shelving in your kitchen? Shelves without doors can certainly get cluttered, so if you do not care for a messy-looking kitchen, have one open shelf for a bit of style, and use doors for the rest. 
• Refrigerators can get cluttered since they are used for reminder boards as well as storage on the top.  Post paper items on one side, toss what is not needed, and clear the top of all but one large basket that can conceal what you need to stash there. 
• You can love using pillows and throw blankets, but too many strewn on your living room furniture will give an unkempt appearance.  Keep your favorites out and store the rest in an ottoman or bench with storage space for easy access. 
• Toys can accumulate all over the house, in toy boxes, storage containers, and baskets.  Instead of allowing them to take over, keep them organized in small storage containers or cubbies.  Better yet, store half of them elsewhere, and every few months switch them out with those in the house.  

While messy is not always a bad thing, when you are spending more time at home you want it to be a place you can relax.  Take a second look at your organizing efforts and make another go of it if you and your family can truly see the mess.  Remember that you must declutter first and foremost; trying to organize clutter is like trying to herd cats!  Start small–one room–and you will soon be on the way to a truly organized, mess-free home! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Do you open your closets with dread, knowing it’s going to take several minutes to find that certain pair of shoes, or for fear that something will fall off the top shelf onto your head? As dreaded as it can be, now is a great time to get said closets cleaned out and better organized! The longer you dread it, the more it will be piled up, so let’s get to work now! 

Clothes First 

• Have an empty box or laundry basket handy and take everything on the handing rod off so that you must look at everything as you’re cleaning. 
• If it hasn’t been worn in six months, doesn’t fit, or you simply don’t like it anymore, get rid of it.  

• Try on anything that you’re not sure about. If you still love it, and it fits, keep it. Otherwise, send it to the declutter box. 
• Business attire can be donated to charities that assist those on limited incomes with their wardrobe for job-hunting.  Women’s clothing can be donated through dressforsuccess.org, and men’s clothing is accepted through careergear.org. Be sure to check with any organizations for their policies for donations. 
• Once you’ve gone through everything, re-hang your items by color or season so you won’t be spending a lot of time hunting them down. 

Shoes, Accessories, etc. 

• Same as with clothing, get rid of any shoes or accessories you haven’t worn in a long time, no matter the reason.  
• Organizing shoes can be a pain with or without their original boxes. Purchase clear plastic shoe boxes in bulk at a discount store and use them to store lesser-worn shoes. 
• Place hangers on the back of the closet door or other little-used space, and hang hats, ties, scarves or even jewelry.  Keep your most-used items at eye-level. 
• Storing sweaters on a hanger isn’t the best thing for the sweater–they’ll end up misshapen. Fold them and place them in a plastic storage container lined with fabric softener sheets or sachets. A hanging shoe organizer would be another great way to keep them in shape--just roll them up and put them in the pockets. 

General Closet Organization 

• Add a second rod to your hanging space, which can be a DIY for one day, or purchase a kit that makes this one a cinch to add more storage. 
• For closets with limited space, use wall-mount towel rods and shower curtain hangers to hang handbags or other odds and ends. 
• Use laundry baskets for storing odd items on the top shelf. 

Don’t forget to wipe the closet down when you remove everything for sorting. Wipe down the walls and shelving with a mild cleanser and warm water. Once everything is clean and organized, set aside an hour at every season’s change to keep it that way. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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When the holidays roll around, we usually come across a couple of boxes of decor we haven’t used in a few years, the kids find that they have no room for their new things, and we simply realize it is time for a throwing out party!  Use these tips to have a decluttering and start the new year off clutter-free! 

• You could make some extra holiday cash if you’d get rid of those not-so-stylish Christmas sweaters you have stored away.  Sell them in social media website marketplaces or give them to a charity to sell. 
• Non-sentimental decorations that haven’t been used in a few years should be given the same thought as clothes you haven’t worn lately:  get rid of them. 
• Many schools and other charities hold warm clothing drives this time of year.  If you have coats, gloves and other cozy gear in good condition that haven’t been worn in a year or two, even adult sizes, have them cleaned and donate them. 

• Books are items that are very difficult for readers to declutter, but you can stop the growth of your book pile.  Go to the local library, sign up for a card, and check out books! If you love them, then buy a copy.  That way, you won’t have books you’ll likely not read again stored or crowding your home. 
• Your children can help with the room-cleaning and let them decide what they want to give away.  If they can’t remember the last time, they played with something, and if it’s not extra-special to them, put it in a giveaway bag.  Call local non-profit daycares and homeless/domestic violence shelters to see if they can use them. 
• Take time over the holidays to clean up your computer.  Look for old documents and downloads that you’re no longer using and remove programs that you nor the computer need.  It will free up memory and may even help the speed of your computer. 
• Old blankets and other bedding that isn’t being used would be a great donation for animal shelters! Gather everything in a bag and give your local pound or shelter a call. 
• In the bathroom closet and medicine cabinets, you may find a lot of lotions/creams/soaps that have never been used.  Donate these to assisted living centers or homeless shelters. 

It can be difficult to let things go, because we hold on to things because we just know we’ll need them as soon as they’re gone.  It’s best to set a few things to get rid of, or amount of time to spend on the cleaning, or just a date to start our throwing-out party and stick to it.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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