Organizing and Storage Solutions For Dummies Book

Introduction.

About This Book.

Icons Used in This Book.

Where to Go from Here.

Chapter 1: Dealing with Clutter.

Living in an Overstuffed World.

The Causes of Clutter.

You’ve got mail and other forms of information overload.

The drive to buy.

Gifts that keep on taking.

Saving for later.

Souvenirs and mementos.

Your Organizing Plan.

Organizing your mission.

Your organizing goals.

Your organizing time.

Organizing your space.

Organizing for the people who work, live, or play here.

How You Do It.

Maintaining Organization.

Chapter 2: Assembling the Tools, Supplies, and Systems.

Putting Things in Their Place: Containers.

No-strain containers: Types, shapes, and sizes.

The Three Ds: Using containers as clutter busters.

The Six Organizing Secrets.

Designing any space with a layout.

Saving or tossing.

Everything in its P-L-A-C-E: Organizing space.

Clearing your desktop with R-E-M-O-V-E.

Responding to your mail with R-A-P-I-D.

Maximizing your time with P-L-A-N.

Chapter 3: What’s Cooking: Organizing the Kitchen.

Clearing Off Your Countertops.

Identifying countertop criteria.

Arranging the countertop.

Simplifying Your Sink.

Creating the dishwashing center.

Under the sink: Cleaning and supply center.

Classifying Your Cabinets and Drawers.

Dishes: Serving centers.

Glasses, cups, and mugs: Beverage center.

Pots and pans: Cooking center.

The Drawer Doctor Is In.

If you have a few more kitchen drawers.

Divide, conquer, and contain.

Sectioning Off Your Pantry.

Reconfiguring the Refrigerator and Freezer.

Five steps to a reconfigured fridge.

Freezer freedom.

Fast-Track Food Storage.

Cool container solutions.

Wrapping center.

Mealtime or Hassletime: The Organized Meal Planner.

Writing your master menu and grocery shopping list.

Unloading the goodies.

Cookbooks and Recipes.

Cleaning up your cookbook collection.

Reducing your recipe burden.

Coupons: Turn Clutter into Cash in Hand.

Sweeping the Kitchen Clean.

Chapter 4: Bathe and Beautify: Creating Functional Bathrooms.

Where Order Meets Indulgence.

The Organizational Conundrum: Sink and Vanity.

Medicine cabinet: A misnomer.

Dividing it up: Drawers.

Storing: Under-the-sink cabinets.

Shower and Bath.

Where to hang the towels.

Personal-care products and bath toys.

Hand washables solution: No wet stuff draped on the towels.

Safety and soft, dry landings: The bathroom floors and doors.

Closet of All Trades: The Linen Closet.

The Half or Guest Bath.

Chapter 5: The Hangout Spot: The Family and Media Room.

Casually Neat Is Not a Contradiction.

Fun or Frustrating: The Media Center.

The Computer Equation.

Managing Your Precious Moments: Photographs.

Books and Bookshelves: The Library.

Clutter or Current: Magazines.

The whole magazine: Rack ’em.

Articles: File ’em.

Games, Toys, and Collections.

Keeping games fun (and organized!).

The toy crate.

Stamps, coins, shot glasses, and spoons: Collections.

Chapter 6: Organizing for Fun: The Playroom.

Positioning the Play Centers.

How to Be a Senior Toy Manager.

No cutting corners: Storing games.

Getting it together: Puzzles.

The Reading Center: Children’s Books.

The Art of Organizing Arts ’n’ Crafts.

Rec Room and Playroom Combo: All-Ages Fun!

Chapter 7: Lightening Your Load: The Laundry and Utility Room.

Doing the Laundry Where You Live.

Hallway facilities.

The laundry room.

Apartment laundry rooms and public laundromats.

Sorting Systems.

Drying without Crying.

Getting It Straight: Ironing.

Scheduling Your Laundry Day.

Utility or Mudroom.

The mess-free mudroom.

Utility unlimited.