Home Organizing... Ahh!  
With Meg McCluskey, Owner of Chic & Tidy
Professional Organizer/Wardrobe Consultant/Custom Closet Designer
 
I met with Meg in a client's home for a peek at the storage space
she outfitted & to chat about a few tips in home organizing... 
 
Martina:  What first step do you recommend a current homeowner take in order to get on the path to being organized? 

Meg:  Decluttering is always the first step in getting organized!! Most of us have wayyy more "stuff in our homes than we could ever use. For example, the average American wears 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time, and 1 out of every 10 Americans rents an offsite storage unit. The $8 billion home organization industry has more than doubled since 2000, indicating that people are looking for ways to get a handle on all of their clutter.
 
To cut down on the clutter in your home, keep in mind that the things you own should be useful to you in some way, or bring you joy (a la Marie Kondo!) Look at 
everything you own through this lens. If you haven't used the item in more than 
2 years, or it doesn't make you feel good to have it near you, chances are you can live without it. 

Once you have decluttered, the organizing process can begin. Set up areas that make sense to you, and group things that go together. Once you have systems created, the easier they are to keep up with over time.

Martina:  What would you recommend a new home buyer or tenant plan before moving in to keep things neat and simple?

Meg:  Moving in to a new residence is the perfect opportunity to "start off on the right foot" so to speak.

Before you even start packing, you should start the decluttering process. It's a waste of time to pack, move, and unpack items that have no practical use in your life. Be ruthless!! Doing a significant pre-packing purge will have a big impact on the efficiency and ease of your move.  

Since you will be setting up your new home from scratch, taking a little extra time to pack things up in an organized fashion will help streamline the unpacking process. As you are packing for your move, pack one room at a time, and don't mix things from different rooms together. Label your boxes with the different rooms that the belongings will reside in. Some people even color-code them, for easier identification by the movers.

Martina:  What organizational care should a home seller take to ensure their home is tidy and ready for viewing?
 
Meg:  Buyers should be able to imagine themselves living in the home they are viewing - so that means there should be a minimal (preferably none!) amount of personal belongings scattered about. Remove all photos, collections of items, or knickknacks, or unusual decor that gives the feeling of "personality". 
 
All of your surfaces should be clear, remove everything hanging on the fridge, and neaten up the garage.
 
And DON'T shove things in closets and drawers - these areas are very important
to declutter as well! Potential buyers will look in those places, and if they see an overflow of stuff, they will retain the impression that the home doesn't have adequate storage.

Martina:  Do you have a recommend daily routine or habit a busy homeowner should adopt to ensure things stay manageable?

Meg:  Once I am done working with a client, I make sure they understand the systems we created, and that it makes sense to them.  I advise them that they should share the plan with their family. Once everyone is on board, it should only take a quick 15-20 minutes at the end of the day to get things back in order.  

Life is messy, and things can get disheveled quickly.  So I would advise that the key is to not letting the clutter take over is to stay on top of it.  Toss junk mail as soon as it comes in, put laundry away once it is folded, put things back in their "places" when you are done with them.  A few minutes invested every day will save a lot of time in the long run. 

 
Are you looking to "really" tidy things up at home?
Connect with Meg McCluskey at www.chictidy.com 
 
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