Eight Products to Keep Your Home Clutter Free

Eight Products to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free

By Peter Walsh
Oprah.com | January 01, 2006

Staying organized doesn't need to cost you a lot of money. These simple products will pay for themselves over and over again in terms of the time and effort you'll save keeping your home organized.

Clear bins with lockable lids: Blankets, off-season clothes, art supplies, cosmetics...you name it! These organizing staples are key to staying organized and protecting your things from dust and dirt.

Trash bags: Obviously, you'll need these to declutter your space. Use them for the Trash Bag Tango. Grab two bags, and take 10 minutes every day for a week to fill one with trash and the other with items you can donate.

See the trash bag tango in action

A Hamper: Are dirty clothes on the floor part of your vision for the bedroom? Probably not. Get a hamper to collect dirty clothes. That way, they're all in one place when it's time for laundry.

Hangers. Without enough hangers, your clean clothes will fall to the floor (and get mixed with dirty ones if you don't have a hamper). Hanging up clothes does more than keep them off the floor. If you hang all of them in one direction and switch each hanger as you wear that item, you can track what you're really wearing and donate the rest.

Roomy open bins: These are great for easily storing things like toys and sporting equipment. Make sure it's big enough to hold what you need. If it starts to overflow, sort through what's in there and get rid of what you don't need.

A good filing system: Get a stable, well-made filing cabinet and consider one of the commercially available systems like File Solutions or Freedom Filer to help keep paperwork in order by providing pre-labeled files that cover every aspect of home operation imaginable.

Your computer: Is your desk overflowing with bills? Are you running out of room for your CDs? Your computer can be an important organizational tool. Pay bills online to eliminate unneeded paper and transfer your CDs to a computer to give yourself more room.

Label makers: These are essential tools for marking what you've worked so hard to put away. Use them all over the house, especially in the garage, where it's easy for the boxes to start piling up.

Now that you have the supplies, practice these quick and easy ways to keep your home organized.

Printed from Oprah.com on Saturday, May 26, 2012