Now that we’re officially in the New Year, many of us have goals and resolutions in place for a better year.  One of the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions is getting organized and the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has named January “Get Organized Month(SM)”. When you’re more organized you can get things done in a timely manner, find the things you need and generally feel less stressed.  So who wouldn’t want to be more organized? 

Although containers, bins, shelves and baskets won’t make you organized, they can certainly help you to contain all of the important things you need.  Containers will also help you to create the systems you need in your home so that you’ll be more organized, and more importantly, remain organized!  Here are a few organizing products and organizational systems that may help you on the road to organization.

Food dispenser

Wicker storage chest

Jewelry organizer

Laundry sorter - 4 bags

Handbag purse organizer

Wall cubby organizer

So, when do you plan to start decluttering?  Pick one space today, and focus on getting that one space decluttered and organized.   Starting with one space helps to prevent overwhelm.  But if you feel overwhelmed regardless, enlist the help of a friend or hire a professional organizer.  According to NAPO, “Professional organizers can help you deal with everything from your paper to your professional responsibilities and give you parameters on what to keep, what to toss, and where to take action.”

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com 

Homeowners who are blessed with large closets often have the same problems as homeowners with only a few square feet of closet space! This reminds us that having more space isn’t always the answer to being more organized. However, for those of us with small closets, we would love the opportunity to remodel ours to the closet of our dreams!  What we can all do, whether we have a small space or large walk-in, is improve it with the many closet organizing solutions available, without breaking the bank.  Simply updating your garment hangers can make all the difference in how your closet appears. 

If you’re ready to make a change, with a small investment, start with updating your clothes hangers.  Get rid of the dry cleaning hangers that sag your clothes and replace them with wood, cedar, vinyl, metal or friction non slip clothes hangers.  Your clothes will thank you by keeping their shape and lasting much longer.

Then, move on to better storage solutions for your folded sweaters and tops that may currently be falling all over the place on the shelf above the hanging rod!  You can pick up canvas, cedar and natural woven baskets, boxes, bins and containers.  If you have room for a small chest of drawers, you can add a 3-5 drawer chest that would sit below your short hanging clothes, providing a more “custom closet” feel. 

So whether you have a large walk-in or a small reach-in, you can still have an organized closet by selecting the right hangers, purging occasionally and storing your sweaters and tops neatly in containers or drawers that won’t create a big mess!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com and register for an organizing workshop.