Lifestyle

The 4 C’s Method for Organizing Any Space in Your Home

Posted on January 20, 2017

Get Organized Blog Hop 2017 | This is our Bliss

Organizational guru. Nope, not me. Not by a long shot. I have learned, however, that when you spend a little bit of time up front to create a functional, organized space in your home, it pays off in the long run. Today, I’m sharing a simple method I came up with to use when I muster up the courage to tackle an organization project. Because it sure does take courage, doesn’t it?! I’m calling it The 4 C’s Method for Organizing Any Space in your Home. Brenna from Domestic Charm rounded up a fabulous group of bloggers who’ve been spilling their tips and tricks all week to help us get and STAY organized this year, so be sure to stick around until the end to check out what everyone has up their sleeve this January!

When we DIY’d the littlest’s nursery closet and then took the time to organize the bins and baskets by like-things and then added labels to the fronts, it remained the only clean and kept-together closet in the house! There was a system in place and all of his things had a home. After he was done playing with a toy, it went back in the bin labeled “TOYS”. When his clean laundry was ready to be put away, some things went in his dresser, but items like burp cloths and blankets were kept in the labeled drawers in the closet. The storage containers were color-coordinated and the labels were practical and easily readable. It just worked for us.

Now, let’s be serious, every nook and cranny in our home DOES NOT look like this [trust me!] but as I start to tackle various spaces little by little, there are 4 basic steps I take to ensure we can maximize function and efficiency in these spaces. It’s not a secret formula, but by following these 4 C’s, they’ve helped me tackle the horrid drawers and cupboards that we all dread opening. Just recently, I’ve been following the 4 C’s as we work to overhaul the playroom for the New Year, New Room Refresh Challenge. The playroom reveal is less than 2 weeks away, so believe me when I say I need all the help I can get when it comes to keeping the boys’ toys neat and tidy!

1 | Clear the clutter.

Always start with a clean slate! Completely empty the space you’re working on and start to make piles of things to keep and most importantly, things to clear out and get rid of. If you no longer wish to keep certain things, decide if the items should be donated, recycled or handed down to family or friends. Be sure to look into local charities in your area who would be so grateful for your unwanted things! Once everything has been physically removed from the space your’re working on, you will be able to create a vision of how you want the new “neat and tidy” space to look. I find that the vision really comes after you’ve cleared out the clutter that distracts you from being able to see it any other way than a messy dumping ground. If you are sitting there thinking you have so many spaces that need to be organized and you just don’t know where to start, I promise you’ll feel sooo much better after step one. It really is a freeing thing to de-clutter a space and minimize what goes back in that space.

2 | Clean it.

Like actually clean it. Whether you’re working on organizing an entire closet, a small drawer or even just one shelf or cubby in a piece of furniture, after everything is emptied out and you’ve begun to get rid of unnecessary items, it’s a good idea to literally clean the space before filling it back up again. If you’re working on a closet, grab the vacuum and get to work on the floor, then grab something to wipe down the shelves and bars. Even if the closet just has wire shelving and not a full surface to dust, its probably safe to say the wire shelves could use a good scrub down. If you’re cleaning out a drawer in a dresser or even the junk drawer in the kitchen, be sure to wipe out the inside of the drawer including the sides, back and even the knob or pull on the outside.

3 | Corral and contain it.

After you’ve cleared out the unwanted items and you’re left with items that you plan to put back in your newly organized space, you must find appropriately sized bins, baskets, cubbies, etc. to house all the things! This is where you can totally shop your house and make use of what you have! This is exactly what I did when I was working on organizing my nightstand drawer last year. I rounded up bins and baskets from around the house to keep like things together inside the drawer. They didn’t all match perfectly and they were different sizes and shapes, but that actually worked in my favor. From chapstick and hand lotion to extra phone chargers and a wine opener, each item had the perfect-sized “nook” inside the drawer. Yes, I said wine opener! Check out the bedside table organizing post to see when this comes in handy 😉

4 | Categorize it or simply CALL it something!

After you’ve completed steps 1 – 3, you can plop the cherry on top – a label! You can DIY a label or buy ones that you can personalize to fit your specific needs. I know that by having a clearly labeled box, bin or drawer, it helps the kids, T, grandparents, sitters or anyone else who’s helping to clean up know exactly where everything belongs. I’ve used a variety of different labeling methods over the years to categorize like items and they type you choose comes down to personal preference.

Do you want a label that you can easily change as your needs change? As the contents of the storage piece change? This is my very favorite label to use. I simply print off the name of item or category on card stock paper and then trim it down to fit in the slot of the label holder. Then you simply peel off the sticky backing and press it on the surface you want labeled. I’ve used them in the littlest’s nursery closet, in my office and even on the baskets in our old pantry. They are super versatile and can be spray-painted to your color of choice!

While there are plenty of fancy label options out there, sometimes its nice to go the cheap and easy way! I opted to use card stock paper and washi tape labels on our old playroom toy bins and there’s certainly nothing wrong with a piece of duct tape and a sharpie!

I’ve used this method time and time again for quick labels on storage bins that we stack and store in the basement. While they it doesn’t look quite as pretty, it surely gets the job done!

A quick recap…

The 4 C’s Method for Organizing Any Space in Your Home

1 | Clear the clutter.
2 | Clean it.
3 | Corral & contain it.
4 | Categorize it or Call it something.

What do you think? Do the 4 C’s help you envision being able to tackle that neglected space in your home?

January is always the RAH-RAH! GO TEAM! WE CAN CONQUER THE WORLD! time of year, but honestly, why not spend a day, an hour or even 15 minutes to take back a little control in your life! Good luck to you as you attempt to conquer your home and please wish me luck wrapping up the finishing touches on the new playroom. I think I need to go back and revisit the 1st C a few more times! Too. many. toys!

Don’t forget to pin for later!

Another big thank you to Brenna of Domestic Charm for hosting this fantastic hop! Be sure to take a couple of minutes to hit each of the stops below. Everyone is sharing their favorite organizational DIY’s and tips and you can bet I’m taking notes!