Now that summer is over half way done, I start looking forward to fall, with cooler temps and the general energy and organizational tendencies that come with the “back to school” time of year.

Of course, summer isn’t over yet, so we all have the time now to get organized in these long, lazy days of summer to prepare for that busy time. Right? :-)

Well, hopefully!

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Home Organizing Tips & Tricks From... Who? (My Mom ;-)

My sister and I have been taking time off to get my mom’s house ready to go on the market and I am admiring my mom’s organization.

She had a place for every book, dish, tool, small appliance owner’s manual, and piece of clothing worn in 1985 that she decided to keep, even a few of our old costumes from our dance competition days when we were kids! It had all been carefully preserved, stored and noted.

Honestly, it is a delight to go through some of it.

She didn’t keep everything, just a few cherished pieces here and there to remind her of a time or event in life that she loved. Her home was a one story patio home, so she had culled a lot, 20+ years ago, when she moved in.

Even her garage was well organized, even though she hadn’t really had use for most of the items there, in at least 20 years.

My mother’s garage organization was on point.

Each size bolt was labeled and appropriately stashed.

Time for me to live the example of organization!

I have to say though, going through her bathroom cabinets and finding old medicines, cosmetics, etc., inspired me to get my act together and do a little cleaning out of my bathroom cabinets.

I did not realize I hadn’t been through these cabinets in my own home, in such a long time.

Some products in my cabinets expired in 2010! We remodeled this bathroom just prior to that, so I must have put these products back in the cabinet then. :-/

Here’s how my main cosmetic drawer looks now, cleared out and more organized now. :-)

Organized bathroom vanity cabinet drawer

Here’s my bathroom medicine cabinet, below, with the jewelry cabinet I designed, when I first finished the remodel. I designed it extra deep, to take advantage of this deep cavity in the wall.

It’s worked so well over the years, I don’t keep a lot of stuff out all over my counters most of the time, because I have this storage.

I realized, however, that I hadn’t cleared it out in a long time and things tended to get stashed in there, never to be seen again. :-)

(Like too many half empty boxes of band-aids! :-)

Organized Bathroom Medicine Cabinet

After cleaning things out and organizing them in these long, clear plastic bins, everything feels so right with the world in this cabinet now!

Organizing Command Central

The next weekend I cleared out the countertop and cabinet we use as a landing strip area by my garage door. We tend to pile papers and stuff there and forget to toss stuff out. :-/

I’m not even going to show you the “before” pic of the drawer below the counter. I’m so proud of the “after” though!

BEFORE - Garage door “landing strip” or “command central” station.

AFTER - Garage door “landing strip” or “command central” station, neater and more organized!

It gave me such a rush to open these drawers and cabinets on the following Monday mornings…...there is no better medicine for your peace of mind than getting organized.

I’m now motivated to do a little bit of clearing out and organizing every month around my house.

I’ve already purchased some of these shoe boxes and started in on my closet.

I’ve had plastic shoe boxes before, but I like the way these open in the front, so you can leave them stacked on the shelf and just remove the shoes. It’s just more convenient to take them in and out of the box that way.

And clear boxes let you see what is inside.

Plastic shoe boxes with front loading lid | #closetstorage #shoestorage #closetorganization

Here are the types of organizational containers I have found that are working best for me.

Clear plastic bins or trays - The clear plastic helps you see what you have quickly. In my house, out of sight is out of mind, so I have to be able to see what I’ve got to remember it is there to use!
Medium sized containers - Depending on the space I’ve had available (closet, medicine cabinet, etc.) containers that are big enough to corral small like items together, but small enough to lift easily and take out to use or sort through, make them easy to use.
Size containers to fit the space - My medicine cabinet is a perfect example of how the longer, clear plastic bins work well for the space.

So, to inspire you to get some drawers cleaned out, ready for fall, I’ve included links to some nice organizational products that might help you get motivated to clean things out around your house.

Nothing like getting organized before fall hits!

Get Your Home Organized Before Fall Arrives!