Ask an Expert {OM Organizing}
Spruce up your space with these spring-cleaning tips.
Words by Sam Lauron
Spring has officially sprung, and with the new season comes the opportunity to give your home a much needed refresh. To provide some guidance through the cleaning process, professional home organizer and stylist, Karie Winfree of OM Organizing, shares her best tips on getting organized and creating a clutter-free space that lasts throughout the year.
What would you say is typically the first step of the spring-cleaning process?
The first step before any cleaning can take place is to de-clutter. The less you own, the less you have to dust! Sort items into three categories: keep, donate, and throw away or recycle. Be sure to follow through with getting items that no longer serve you out of your space and putting your “keep” items where they belong.
What services do you offer through OM Organizing?
I offer a variety of services customized to the needs and learning styles of my clients, such as designing solutions for home and office that promote efficiency and give clients time to live their lives, as well as assisting clients in the implementation and maintenance of organizational solutions that create a sense of balance and peace.
What is a common organization issue you often see clients facing, and how do you suggest resolving it?
The number one issue many clients face is paper clutter! Most of the paper we bring into our homes are things we don’t need to keep: newspapers, junk mail, receipts, etc. Everyone can follow these 5 steps to keep paper clutter in check:
- Go paperless with your bank statements, bills, and newspapers
- Purge your paper daily (Don’t let it pile up! Put a recycling bin/bag near where you enter your home to drop off any junk mail. You can also unsubscribe to any lists you may be on using the PaperKarma app.)
- Create a filing system for important documents
- Make a “Take Action” station for papers that need your immediate attention. (Don’t hide them in a box, bin or basket. Visible storage is best for actionable items.)
- Stay organized using apps: Scannable or Evernote capture documents, receipts or business cards you may need later. Keepy and Artkive make it easy to document all the beautiful masterpieces your budding artists bring home from school.
How can homeowners strive to keep spaces organized and clutter-free all year round?
- Make mindful choices about your consumer consumption. Don’t buy more than needed or that you can store.
- Don’t wait for spring to get organized. Do a quarterly purge of items throughout your home to toss, donate, or recycle.
- Go paper-free (or pretty close to it!).
- Put things away now—not later. Addressing messes before they pile up is key to keeping a tidy space and your sanity.
Karie’s top tips for decluttering and organizing common areas of the house.
Kitchen: Throw away any expired foods and spices, and re-organize your pantry by putting like items together. Deep clean the inside of your fridge and cabinets.
Bathroom: Declutter bathroom shelves and drawers by taking everything out and wiping down the insides and outsides. Only put back items that belong in that space. If there are expired medicines, be sure to take them to a participating drugstore for recycling.
Closet: Spring is the perfect time to switch out your clothing for the season and get your winter clothing cleaned and stored until the next cold snap. This is also a great time to go through your wardrobe and donate items that no longer suit you. Not sure your old concert t-shirt full of holes you’ve been holding onto since middle school is worthy of donation? Not to worry! The City of Austin provides recycling for clothing: austintexas.gov/clothing.
Office: Spruce up your office by getting rid of old papers and clean off that desk! Shred any papers with sensitive information and recycle the rest. If you don’t have a filing system, create one. Plastic filing bins are an inexpensive way to organize all your important documents. If your desk is a mess, clear it off and decide what items you need access to daily. Only those items deserve a space on your desk. For everything else, stash (neatly) in a drawer.
