My Post-Holiday Cleanse (No, Not That Kind…)

Don’t let the title fool you. My post-holiday cleanse doesn’t involve kale smoothies and swearing off caffeine, although both would probably do me some good. No, my cleanse involves cleaning out closets, shelves, bins, and other areas that didn’t bother me before the holiday season, but now cause me to develop a nervous eye twitch. I feel this way every year and I don’t know why; maybe it’s because of all the extra “stuff” that comes into the house during Christmas, or the chaos and layer of dust that is left after the seasonal dust settles. Regardless of why I feel the need to go on a manic purge, my 2016 organizational efforts have already begun. Below are a few ideas from my post-holidays past and present that you might find helpful, too:

School Stuff
Now that we’re in January, the pile of treasured art work and gold-star spelling tests is growing. If you didn’t start the year out with an organizational system, it’s not too late to start. Just pick up a plastic bin, label it, and decide which treasures are worth keeping as they come through the door. Not only does this help keep the school stuff organized, it will keep those kitchen counters clean.

The Kitchen Chaos
Although the number of magazines in my mailbox will now decrease (hopefully), there will always be papers in the house in search of a home. Rather than let them pile up, devote one file organizer to the corner of your kitchen for all incoming mail and random paper. When your favorite show is on once a week, sit down in front of the television and go through it all.

Goal! Score! Home Run!
I have two boys two-and-a-half years apart in age. They play the same sports and it’s becoming impossible to keep track of which socks go with which uniform and whose is whose. One of the best rules that I’ve implemented is “nothing leaves the laundry room.” All uniforms are hung up after they come out of the dryer and a small bin is used to store all socks, shin guards, and accessories. That way, when it’s game time, there is only one place to look and we’re not looking under beds for matching socks.

Divide and Conquer
I bought a plastic sock organizer one year and never used it. I quickly realized that I’m more of a “roll ’em up and stick them in the drawer” type of girl. Not wanting to toss it, I decided to use the diamond-shaped compartment organizer in my laundry room drawer to keep random items like sewing kits, measuring tapes and odds ‘n ends in their place.

High Tech Solutions
We’re all glued to our phones anyway, so why not try to maximize their efficiency when it comes to day-to-day tasks. Check out the ocean of apps available to help organize task lists and keep us accountable for our growing list of to-dos. I use an app called Out of Milk, which allows me to coordinate grocery/Target shopping lists with my husband (the list on my phone is updated real-time when either of us adds a new item). Check out these apps identified by Real Simple magazine.

Reuse That Pickle Jar
Everyone has a junk drawer, but I go a little crazy when I can’t find a single push pin among a thousand rubber bands and safety pins that are never around when I need them. Before you get rid of that small glass jar that held your favorite olives, consider using it and others to store the tiny items that you always need, but can never find. You can even paint the top and give them cute labels if you’re feeling creative.