Home Organization: Room by Room

Getting your home clean and organized can sometimes be a great yet rewarding challenge. Each room in your home poses a different set of requirements, and putting all of your needs into a plan can be quite the chore. The process of cleaning your home from top to bottom can be quite fulfilling. The significant difference in appearance for each room can create a refreshing change in atmosphere that serves as an excellent reward for your hard work. In order to get to this sense of fulfillment, however, you will need to first create a plan to make everything work.

Formulating a plan to clean your entire house can be tricky, but with a few key steps can be easily accomplished. The first and most important step is to identify the specific conditions and requirements attached to each specific room. Before you can tackle your entire house, you need to know how to take down each individual space.

The kitchen is often the most troubling room to clean and should therefore be tackled first. The need for perfection is more significant there than any other space in your home and your plan of action will need to be well thought out. The first step in cleaning your kitchen is taking a detailed inventory. You will need to sort through the various items sprawled throughout your cupboards, pantries and refrigerator. In this process you should clean off every item as well as the shelf, and along with that be sure to throw away those items that or old and ones you never really use. Go through your pots, pans, and other cooking utensils and make sure everything is still in working order. Check all of your condiments and cooking or baking supplies to make sure they are still good. There is limited space in your kitchen for clutter, therefore you need to discard as much as possible. If you find yourself running out of space, try investing in simple organization tools such as extra shelving or storage containers that can hang off of shelves for items such as plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Also consider purchasing a hanging storage device for your pots and pans. An inventory will help considering that the hardest part about getting your kitchen in order is dealing with the amount of items that regularly get used.

The family room can pose similar problems to the kitchen. It is usually a larger space with a lot of frequently used items. Therefore, cleaning it well will require a good inventory and possibly some investment into organizational products. Purchasing a media player with storage space is a great way to store CD's, DVD's and videos neatly. If you have a very large collection of media, then consider purchasing a revolving library. This product is basically a bookshelf designed for media items that can revolve and hold double the amount of items that a normal bookshelf of its size can store. Again, dealing with clutter is the greatest challenge when it comes to cleaning your living room. Inventory your items well so that you can properly adjust to a need that will always be growing.

The bedroom is another room in your home that is dedicated to storage and therefore can sometimes become untidy and unorganized. The challenge in cleaning your bedroom is not necessarily taking inventory and figuring out where to put everything, but instead trying to set it up in such a way that it stays clean and your items are easily accessible. Try investing in storage hutches designed for smaller items such as your cosmetics and jewelry, to keep those items out of the way. Put in extra shelves on the side of your closet to keep the floor space from getting cluttered.

Garages, attics and basements are similar to bedrooms in that they often are used primarily for storage. The challenge in them comes with properly using the space you are given. Since attics and garages are more exposed to harmful elements than the rest of your house, items stored in there are always at a risk. Be sure to cover anything that will be left alone for a long period of time. If items are left uncovered they will take in dust and condensation in their deepest nooks, and eventually may rust or become otherwise damaged. Be sure that you provide quality protection from extreme temperatures as well for these rooms can get very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Finally, put important items in a basement up on boards. While it may be unlikely in many cases, basements are always at a threat to flood. Prepare items that could rot if they get wet by elevating them. These tools will make your basic cleaning easier, and your long term projects much more manageable.

The same sort of process of going through the specific individual rooms, and identifying trouble spots, should be done for the rest of the house as well. Try to coordinate the cleaning of specific rooms with times when those rooms will not be needed. Also, try your best to keep at least one or two rooms fully accessible while cleaning the house, so that those not cleaning have a place to be that is out of your way. In the end, cleaning can be a very fulfilling process, but be sure to plan well and prepare for each room specifically while you work to take care of the entire house.

Nick Kakolowski is a freelance writer who writes about cleaning and maintenance of a home, offering tips and other information about home organization.