Friday, October 14, 2016

Time Tidbits: Drawer Organization - Ideas You'll Love to Live With




By Lea Schneider
You may have heard that your bedroom should be a peaceful oasis—somewhere you can go to forget your worries and fall into a deep slumber.

If you just chuckled as you pictured your bedroom, which is not quite an oasis, then you are in good company. As a professional organizer, I can tell you that plenty of people really want a neat, tidy bedroom, but can’t figure out where to put all of their stuff.

Often, dresser and nightstand drawers do not live up to their fullest potential—instead, they are just full. Making the best use of drawer storage will really help you keep your room neat and find what you need faster, plus your drawers will be more pleasant to use. Here’s how to tackle the organization.

Bedside
Sometimes the drawer next to your bed resembles more of a junk drawer than a drawer of necessities. Getting it in shape helps keep the top of your nightstand from becoming cluttered.

·       First, empty the top drawer of your nightstand. As you comb through the contents, ask yourself “Is this item something I’d reach for during the night?” Return only those items to that drawer.

·       Common nightstand items might include lip balm, tissues, reading glasses, earphones, ear plugs, charger cords, hand lotion, eye drops, a flashlight, a book light and an eye mask.

·       Drawer dividers are great to keep your nightstand collection from becoming a jumble, as they create sections for storing like items.

·       Lower bedside drawers can give you a bit more room for clothing storage. They’re perfect for smaller items such as socks or bathing suits. Moving these kinds of items out of your dresser frees up space for bulkier garments.

Dressers
There are a few tricks when it comes to storing all of your clothing. There are some things you shouldn't hang, such as sweaters; things you don’t have room to hang, like piles of t-shirts; and things that are impossible to hang, like all of your socks.

Closet size and configuration will pay a big role in deciding what to hang and what not to hang. In one home, there might be room in the closet for everything. In another home, particularly if it’s an older house, there simply isn’t space and you must choose some garments to fold. In that case, stick to items that respond well to being folded, such as jeans. Then, follow these steps for an organized dresser.

·       Start with an empty dresser. Once all your clothes are out, begin sorting them into piles of like items. Be sure to remove any items that don’t fit you, as well as items that you no longer wear, are not in good condition or are out of style.

·       Smaller items, like socks or underwear, can go into lower nightstand drawers. If you still need more drawer room, you can place socks in a basket next to your shoes in the closet.

·       First place items in the drawers that can’t be hung. Sweaters tend to get pulled out of shape by gravity on hangers, so fold them instead and stack them in the drawers. Sorting them by weight will help you find the right sweater when you need it. This way, you’ll be able to go right to heavy ones on a cold day.

·       Keep in mind the following items can be either hung or folded: jeans, slacks, t-shirts, sweatshirts, nightgowns, pajamas, exercise wear and tanks. (Hang tanks by their hem with clip hangers to keep them from falling off.) Choose to hang or fold items based on your closet size.

·       Fold graphic t-shirts with the design facing out so you can easily find the shirt you want. Standing them on end, like papers in a filing cabinet, helps you take out just one without tossing a whole stack around.

·       Rolling items instead of folding them helps to prevent creases. If you’ve got items that wrinkle easily, try folding them in half length-wise and then gently rolling them.

·       Assign each drawer a theme, such as pajamas or exercise wear. Separating items helps you find and return them.

·       Stay organized by adding a small label to each drawer. You can place the label on the top edge of the drawer so that it won’t be visible when the drawer is closed. This is very helpful for families where more than one person puts away the clean laundry.
 
Keep Storage in Mind
A minimalistic bedroom should mean having less stuff visible, not having less places to store stuff. Sometimes, people end up with nightstands without any drawers or dressers with only two drawers on legs instead of drawers that go to the floor. As you add or replace furniture, go for maximum storage potential. The more storage you have, the easier it is to get that bedroom oasis you desire.

From nightstand drawers to armoires, Lea Schneider has your bedroom organization covered. Lea is a home organizational expert who writes her tips for Home Depot. If you are on the lookout for chest of drawers waiting to be organized by you, you can visit Home Depot’s website to research many models.

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