Regenesis Home and Garden » Organizing

Storage Solutions for Cluttered Homes

Genie Simmons — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:14:03 +0000

Keeping your home organized can be a real challenge as your family grows. As each person starts acquiring their own “stuff”, it does not take long for a house to become cluttered. Cleaning things up is the first step in getting your home back in shape. After that is done though, it is essential that you take steps to prevent the problem from occurring again.

To start a major overhaul of your disorganized house, you need to promise yourself that you will not accept any excuses from yourself as you dig in to the project. That means that you are not allowed to talk yourself into keeping things simply because you might need them some day. A pretty good rule of thumb is to get rid of clutter that you have had no use for in the past year. You can either throw the items away, if they are useless, or find them a new home by donating items in good condition to charity or to people you know who will put them to use. Of course this does not apply to family heirlooms or other similar items, but it does apply to things like clothing, books, and other assorted “common” household items that you do not even remember buying.

In many homes, the most disorganized area, by far, is the garage. This is because as clutter appears, it is often moved out of the way by stacking it in the garage. The problem is, of course, that the garage fills up too eventually. This is not to say that you should not store things in the garage. It is actually a great place to keep things. The key to garage storage however, is to go about it in an organized way. There are many garage storage solutions available that can go a long way toward keeping things organized.

One popular method of storing things in the garage is to use overhead storage racks. These units mount to the ceiling of the garage and are designed to hold several containers or boxes filled with seldom used household items. They are perfect for seasonal items like holiday decorations that only get taken out once each year. Some of these units simply hang in place, but some actually are equipped with lifting mechanisms which can be raised and lowered to allow homeowners the ability to store things without having to climb a ladder or lift things above their heads.

If you have a problem with clutter, don’t put off dealing with it. These problems only get worse when they are ignored. If you are willing to dig in and get rid of items you do not use, and then work to keep things organized, your cluttered home can be looking good in no time at all.

Why Choose Portable Closets?

Genie Simmons — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:25:23 +0000

Portable closets as their names imply allow for portability. Most of these units are made up of a cloth cover and metal or plastic poles for a skeleton or frame. The inside may have several pockets or sleeves that act as shelving for clothing, shoes, and other accessories and usually have a hanger rack to hang your jackets and pants. Much like the wardrobes of olden times these units stand in the room holding your clothing, however unlike wardrobes they are much lighter and can be broken down and transported easily. They protect your clothing from dust, dirt, and pets and simply make things more organized.

Portable closets are great for college students who live in dormitories that don’t have closets, and also they may be likely to move rooms, so a bulky wooden wardrobe is clearly not a viable option. Sometimes small studio apartments also do not have closets, in that case these closets are great for use there since they are usually easy to move and very efficient with space. Portables would be ideal for the busy businessman, clothes can be kept in the office and kept clean ready for use whenever it may be necessary to change clothes and look good for a meeting. Someone with a full closet may benefit from this product, if your walk in closet is already filled with clothing or other items then portable wardrobe organizers would be ideal to house your garments.

When choosing what wardrobe closet to buy, it is important to take into account of its design, higher quality closets use stainless steel poles and nylon coverings with zippers, where as cheaper units may use plastic poles and use Velcro as a means of sealing it. Take into account how much clothing you are going to store and what kinds of accessories you may put in it; there are several different designs with pouches and shelves. For instance if your wardrobe is mostly suits, pants and jackets and the like, it may be wise to opt for a more empty closet which allows for more hanging space. Not everything is stored within a closet, some designs have sleeves on the outside meant for shoes, but can also hold useful day to day items like sunglasses, watches, cell phones, ID cards, and anything else that may be handy to get at without having to dig inside the closet.

The convenience of a portable closet is in its flexibility of use, it can be moved from place to place, and when no longer needed it can be packed up and stowed (perhaps inside your closet ironically). These closets can provide temporary storage needs for visiting relatives, or someone using the guest room, usually these rooms’ closets are already filled and cannot be used by the guest. In larger cabin style tents they are also ideal if you are going to be camping or hunting for long periods of time, where it is best to keep equipment dry and free from insect infestation.

Why Storage Unit Design Makes For More Storage Space

Genie Simmons — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:56:12 +0000

Living in small apartments has taught me the value of using decorative storage boxes and storage units to keep my things stored away. It’s an easy way out to try and just shove everything under the bed or in a closet – it works to an extent, but apartments only have limited space in them. By choosing a basket, box, or container that matches the theme of the room, or defines the theme of the room, you can end up with much more room than you thought possible, and more storage than you could need either.

If you have a larger home, then keeping things stored away in the closet or attic probably isn’t too hard to do – you just have so much space you may not care if it gets messy. But this is not the case for those of us who have an apartment or smaller home. This used to frustrate me because I felt like I couldn’t buy the things I wanted, for fear of cluttering up my house to the point I couldn’t stand it.

Instead, imagine if you had an antique trunk in your living room. Now pretend you added a few other decorations that complemented it throughout the room. You now have a theme in the room, one that is actually quite unique, and you can fill the trunk with any extra books, clothes, or whatever you need. That’s the power of decorative containers.

The same is true for storage units in the bathroom too. Here’s an idea: get a cloth, square basket that matches the color of your bathroom. Fill it with shampoo, soap, and toilet paper, and set it right next to the toilet. It’s going to look great – you’ll probably end up with a friends or guests copying the idea. It gives you more storage space, and all you did was made the container match the room a bit.

The smallest elements of home design can double the storage space in your apartment. Keep this in mind if you’re feeling cramped by your limited room – it can be a real lifesaver.

Decorative Storage Boxes for Girls

Genie Simmons — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 07:19:04 +0000

Many mothers wish for more opportunities to bond with their daughters. As little girls grow up their needs and their interests change. One fun activity that you can do with your daughters is to make your own decorative storage boxes. It will unleash the creativity and imagination innate in little girls as well as provide a way to organize the little trinkets and jewelry that girls usually have.

To start off, it will be easy for you to find plain cardboard storage containers in a book store near you. This will be cheap and will come in many different shapes and sizes. You may choose the shape and size that is suited to the storage needs of your daughter. Next, you can choose between many different materials with which to decorate your storage box.

The cleanest material to work with is fabric. This may also be extra fun for girls who like to sew. You can reuse fabrics from old clothes or old bags, or even curtains and upholstery. With these fabrics you can cover your storage container and sew from the inside or the lid. You can make it in the style of a pillow case, since you cannot sew the fabric directly onto the box. You can find instructions online. All you need to do is get the measurements of your cardboard box and follow the dimensions. The only disadvantage of fabric decorated storage boxes is that you may need to wash them from time to time after they get dirty from accumulating dust over time.

Another fun but messier material that you can work with is acrylic paint. This allows you a lot of freedom. You can choose from a wide variety of colors and even a wide range of possible paintbrushes to use. Remember to set aside a space especially for painting since this activity may be a bit messy.

You can also use craft materials such as foam shapes, beads, and different kinds of paper. You can treat the cardboard storage box as a scrapbook, expressing your personalities and holding memories.

Portable Closets Are Affordable Storage Solutions

Genie Simmons — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:25:06 +0000

Problems with storage space are one of the greatest dilemmas that homeowners are having nowadays. However, this is more evident to those who are living in apartments and dormitories such as college students. Now, if you are in a similar problematic situation, then portable closets will be the best solution that you can choose to go for. Take some time to read the portable closet guide that I will be discussing in this article so that you can have a good idea as to how a portable closet will be able to help you with your storage problems.

Portable closets are basically simple pieces of furniture however; they can be used for a lot of different purposes and in different situations, which is perfect proof that they are really versatile storage furniture pieces. One of the most obvious advantages that portable closets have to offer is that they will enable you to free a huge amount of space inside your bedroom by providing you with a place where you can easily organize your clothes and other personal items. In this manner, you can use the resulting extra space for other purposes or furniture pieces, which you think might be necessary or needed inside your room.

Portable closets come in different varieties based on the materials used to manufacture them. You can easily spot metal closet, wooden closet, and plastic closet versions of these in different furniture stores near you and online. Regardless of the type of portable closet you choose to use, you can be assured that it will be able to provide you the storage space that you need without necessarily costing you a lot of money as to the reason that these things are really affordable. This means that you can easily slip one into your budget without feeling guilty about it.

Lastly, portable closets will also be of great help if you are a person who travels on a regular basis.

DVD Storage Solutions To Get Organized

Genie Simmons — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 18:24:03 +0000

People who are fond of collecting DVDs and CDs realize more often than not the importance of keeping good quality DVD CD storage units. If you have contemplated on how much effort you have put into collecting your favorite movies and records, not to mention the money you have invested just to purchase them, you may become conscious why you need to purchase a reliable storage unit. This may be an added expense yet it sure helps keeping your stacks of DVDs organized and well arranged.

The last thing you want is for your guests to feel uncomfortable seeing how disorganized and disheveled your room looks. Your pile of DVDs and CDs is definitely not the stuff you want your guests to notice first thing in your room. That is why a storage unit that fits perfectly in your room or anywhere you want to position it will help greatly in keeping your collection organized and neat.

Of course, whenever you feel like watching a movie from your collection, you feel the need to find it without difficulty. Just visualize how frustrating it is to rummage around hundreds of DVDs and not finding what you are actually looking for. This is time consuming since you may have to waste perhaps 10 to 15 minutes just looking for that specific move while you may spend less than a minute when you have a storage unit in place.

Yes you can breathe easier and can make your life a lot less complicated. If you think you do not have enough space to put your storage unit then try going over your collection and decide if there is anything you no longer want to keep. This way, once you purchase a small storage unit then the rest of your collection will fit while you give away some of the DVDs and/or CDs you no longer want. Determine what design or style you want but do keep in mind that you need not spend expensively on DVD storage units.

Many Uses Of A Wooden Storage Cube

Genie Simmons — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:16:03 +0000

With the movement of many Americans into spaces like condominiums and apartments, smaller than the traditional single family dwellings, the need for storage is growing. To use the space available takes new ways of thinking and different kinds of storage. Those who are being inundated with belongings and don’t have a space to put them, they should think about buying versatile wooden storage cubes. The cubes are ideal for items like bedding, books, games, or video or music DVDs.

When shopping for a storage system you won’t go wrong if you purchase storage cubes manufactured from wood. These units can be found in styles that match any style and they are easily moved because of being lightweight. The selection of cubes includes variety of finishes and colors so they can easily blend with furniture you already have. Be aware that the wooden boxes are adaptable to many uses. One popular use is to convert a box into a hassock. The cassock can be used as a storage space for extra bedding that is easily accessed.

Those who are particular about the decoration of their rooms will have the ability to choose wooden storage cubes in styles that will blend with their taste. They have many uses because of ease in stacking and arrangement. Such a home storage system can be easily expanded at any time so it is unnecessary to buy all of them at once. In the end, the buyer will have an attractive storage unit occupying wall space only. Another use for the storage cubes is to arrange them as a divider between rooms. They are especially good for dividing spaces in small apartments such as a studio.

The price of a storage cube is determined by its size, the wood from which it is constructed, and its style. Premium wood like walnut and oak are more expensive that ash and pine. Their price reflects how long it takes the trees to reach harvesting age. Those who want the something dark such as cherry or walnut can save money by purchasing an unfinished piece and doing the staining themselves. Such projects take very little time to complete, probably less than one day, and with an unfinished piece, buyers can get exactly the color they want. Buying a can of varnish and applying a couple of coats to a wooden cube is well worth the price because of the amount of money that can be saved and the fabulous results achievable.

Closet Organization In Just A Few Simple Steps

Genie Simmons — Tue, 25 May 2010 08:05:03 +0000

It is quite surprising that many people do not even have the slightest notion that their closet needs a bit of organizing. This may be a tricky one because different people may have different definitions of an organized closet. You might also be surprised to find that a closet that looks cluttered to you might just look organized enough for some people. In any case, the general rule of thumb to gauge if a closet needs organizing or not is to observe if any of these signs are present:

Despite your big pile of casual clothes and accessories inside your closet area, you only get to wear a few sets over and over again. Most often, it is the clothes beneath the piles that are being left out.

It takes you longer than usual to find an accessory you want to wear right that very moment especially during the rush hour where you are getting late for work or getting late for an important occasion.
You seem to notice that your closet is already filled to capacity and you suddenly develop the need for another closet space.
You can’t get something out of your closet without getting some other stuff inside being messed up in some way or another.

If you have observed any of the above, then you must get started with organizing your stuff inside the closet before it gets too late. More often, people find closet organizing task a hard thing to do because it appears to be a humongous task. But in a deep sense, it actually isn’t. What just makes closet organization look humongous is the fact that you do not have the slightest idea or is confused on where to begin and how to fit all those stuff inside the closet. If you are among this group, do not fret because things are actually just very easy in contrast to what they appear to be. Moreover, the availability of useful organizing aids such as closet organizers can even make things easier.

In any case, here goes a very simple tip:

First, totally empty out your closet. The main reason for this is to have an empty closet space to start with. Trust me, it is very much easier to start with a clean slate than to do the sorting and arranging with a closet full of things inside.

Next, sort all the things that you have removed from the closet into categories. This means that you will group the undergarments together, casual shirts together, casual shoes together….you get the picture. Take note that this may take some; but this is the step that might be interesting. Why? It is during the sorting activity that some of the things you may have happened to look for may suddenly crop out from nowhere. When I was in the middle of doing this back then, I happened to find out that my favorite gloves which I presumed already ‘lost’ was just stuck inside the fold of a blouse that I haven’t worn for months.

Lastly, put back into the closet all those clothes and accessories as you have grouped them. Never mix them up or you will be back to square one again. You will now notice that your closet is now orderly and uncluttered.

Using Decorative Storage Boxes with Lids Wisely

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:50:38 +0000

If you are like most people, no matter how much you try, it is nearly impossible to keep from accumulating stuff. What stuff am I talking about, you might ask? I’m talking about all the random things that people collect over the years that they could do without. Things like clothes, records, sporting goods, etc. If you have kids, you surely know that having them around means that you have toys, books, and all kinds of other stuff lying around all the time.

Nearly everyone needs to have a place to keep these things neatly tucked out of the way. If they don’t, then their house just gets overrun with stuff strewn all over the place. While many people will just head on over to Wal-Mart and buy the cheapest storage boxes that they can find, doing so is surely not the nicest way to do it. You see, the cheap plastic boxes tend to look pretty dull and rather ugly, and it isn’t exactly appealing to have these things lying around your house.

A better way to do it is to get some decorative storage boxes with lids. There are boxes that will actually look great in your home, and you can put things in them and close the lid tightly to keep bugs and other critters out of them. If you have children, getting some of these decorative storage boxes for the living room is a great way to store toys, stuffed animals, and other stuff.

You can even make a game out of putting toys away. It is a good idea to make a habit of getting your children to clean up their mess by themselves, usually once a day. By doing so, when guests stop by your home, it won’t be a total wreck, and all they will see are the decorative storage boxes with the lids on them.

Clean Up That Mess With Closet Organization Systems

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:31:45 +0000

Do you have messy closets? Perhaps you have closets without enough room? Would you like to smile when you open your closet door and find everything first try without having to rummage? It’s possible if you implement closet organizing systems. Closets need makeovers and if you use closet organization systems it should be pretty simple to do and have great benefits. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Look at your closet. Measure your closet. Think about the space, what you need to store there, how you need to store it. Make a sketch of the space. Divide the space into areas, some with shelves, some for hanging things, some for storage of shoes, sweaters, and accessories. Now you are ready to look at a closet organizer system.
Take the drawing of your ideal closet to the local hardware store. In the section for closet organizer systems, you will find lots of choices. Some of the closet organizer systems come in a kit designed to fit closet of various sizes, ready to install. Others are individual pieces of hanging rods, shelves, and drawers that you pick out to make the closet of your dreams.
After you have purchased your closet organizer system and returned home, you are ready to install it. For easy installation, completely empty the closet. Lay the closet organizer system out on the floor and start to build your customized closet system. Gather the tools, nails, and screws you will need. Many people prefer to start with the top rods and shelves first, then work down. As closets come in various sizes, you make need to adjust the size of your closet organizer system a little bit.

Now comes the fun part, putting your clothes on the new and wonderful rods, shelves, and drawers. Everything is there, neatly put away, easy to see and find, all within reach. Great closet organization systems and a bit of work make closet life fun and easy again.