indoors
KNOW-HOW
6
From now on,
vow to buy only
white towels. They’ll
give your bathroom
a spa look, different
styles pretty much
match, and it’s easy
to keep them looking
good by bleaching
. them. Same
goes for
bedsheets.
7
“Keep a small notebook with you at all
times and use it as a constant brain dump.
Go through your scribblings each evening and
put thoughts in their appropriate places, such
as your calendar or to-do list.”
MICHAL GREGUS,
Los Angeles-based professional organizer
10
e next time you sit down
to watch TV, pull out a drawer, any
drawer. During commercials, sort the
contents into four piles: keep, toss,
donate or sell, and items to relocate.
Then put back only the keepers, using
expandable organizers to keep it tidy.”
Axis 178 Junk Drawer Organizer, $30;
amazon.com
DONNA SMALLIN,
author of
The One-Minute Organizer A to Z Storage Solutions
9
Keep a
bag or
pillowcase in
your laundry
area. When a
lone sock
appears, toss
it in the bag.
At the end of
the month,
most lost
socks will be
reunited with
their mates.
3 6 JANUARY 2010
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
3
Quit taking
brochures,
menus, and
flyers just
because
somebody
hands you
one. Don’t let
that extra
paper cross
your home’s
threshold—
toss it right
into your
recycling bin.
4
“Create an indoor
mailbox in a
central location. Set a
time to go through
the box once a week.
Open everything, pay
bills, file important
correspondence, and
recycle junk mail.”
NIECY NASH,
host of
Clean
House
on the Style Network
n
Practice
organizational
layaway. Keep a box for
things you’re thinking
about getting rid of but
aren’t sure you can part
with. When the box is
full, write the date on it
and store it. After one
year, if you haven’t
needed or missed
anything in the box, it’s
time to toss or donate.
5
Shop dollar stores for storage bins and
baskets, and buy a bunch of them in the same
color. Displayed in multiples, inexpensive plastic or
cloth bins look calm and organized plus give tons
of storage. Be sure to add labels.
8
“Have a pile of
cookbooks
gathering dust? Scan
and print the one or two
recipes you use most
often and then donate
the book. Same goes for
recipes in magazines.
Tear out the relevant
page, then recycle the
rest. Put the pages into
clear plastic pockets in
a three-ring binder.
You’ve just made
yourself a customized
cookbook with plenty
of room to grow.”
LORIE MARRERO,
author
of
Clutter Diet
PHOTOS: (BINS) MARCO RICCA; (DRAWER) GREG SCHEIDEMANN; (JOURNAL) ADAM ALBRIGHT
