32 March 14 • 2019
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understand and follow. The whole family
will be more efficient because you’
re not
wasting time looking for things, missing
deadlines and creating a chaotic living
space. This kind of smart organization
creates a sense of calm throughout the
home — something we all need more
of.
”
FOUR STEPS TO ORGANIZATION
The pros weighed in with four steps to
help you to sort, edit and discard your
way to organizational bliss in any area of
your home:
“First, it’
s always best to empty the
entire space you are trying to re-orga-
nize,
” Wolf says. “Take all of the items
out of the closet or space you want to
redo and start with a clean slate.
”
Then, Wise, a former automotive sup-
plies executive, suggests a tried-and-true
method for going through your items,
whether a small kitchen utensil drawer
or a full basement.
“You get three boxes for vetting your
things and label them either ‘
keep,
’
‘
donate’
or ‘
discard.
’
As you sift through
each item, you decide which box it will
go in; and when you’
re done, you need
only organize the ‘
keep’
items. You
remove the other two boxes — giving
them to charity or your trash or recycle
bin.
”
The third step? “Organizing your
‘
keep’
items by putting similar items
together into piles to see if you have
multiples or a surplus of a given item.
Then you can further edit your pile,
keeping the best in each category. There’
s
no sense in keeping five potato peelers
in your kitchen drawer, even if they are
all good, and the same goes for items in
every area in your home,
” adds Wolf, a
member of Aish HaTorah Detroit.
Lastly, the experts say put all your
newly organized items back into the
space, taking extra time to color-code
and label everything if you are using bins
or boxes. Remember, prime real estate
in your home should be saved for the
most often used items, Wolf suggests.
“
And you should also make your space
work for you, not the other way around.
Always adjust shelving heights to what’
s
workable for you. If your space has high
shelves, get a step stool to keep near
them. You’
ll be more likely to put your
belongings away properly and stay orga-
nized that way.
”
Stores like The Container Store, At
Home and Organize-It are popping up
all over Metro Detroit with aisles of orga-
nizers and closet accessories that inspire
us to put stylish structure in every room.
The experts say their personal favorite is
still Target for the best selection of bins
and organizing products.
“
And Bed Bath & Beyond is another
great go-to because of their selection and
coupons,
” Wolf says.
Whether it’
s a grand scale walk-in
closet or a more moderate makeover,
one thing that can’
t be denied is the diffi-
cult feelings that come up when it’
s time
to de-clutter.
“
A professional organizer can help take
the emotion out of deciding what to keep
and what to part with because they have
no attachment to the items.
” Wise says.
“We help clients make decisions and stay
on track. It’
s so easy to get sentimental
and distracted and not stay focused on
your ultimate goal when doing it on your
own.
” ■
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