Arriving at Kristen’s, I asked where she would want to work. Surprisingly, she chose the laundry room. I’d thought she’d prefer to focus on the larger room’s basement clutter. Okay, let’s go!
Using my professional organizer’s tried-and-true method, we would start in one area of the room and work our way around it. Why? It keeps us on task, and provides a visual trail of satisfaction. That can provide a boost, if concentration and/or energy start to dip a bit.
We started on the shelves to the right of the washer and dryer. First, we added another lamp to the top shelf for safe storage. Then, working top to bottom, we methodically touched everything else. Keep? Toss? Recycle? We placed items to be saved on the shelves or in bins and, in general, made the shelves more accessible and look better, too.
Turning to our right, we repeated the process on the next set of shelves. We looked in boxes, finding a couple of art prints to be framed at some point. I placed them on a shelf to be enjoyed now! We neatened up the shelves, making their contents more accessible.
Rotating right again, we first cleared the floor, pushing a couple of big bins in front of the shelves last cleared. While not the best solution, it was an acceptable interim step. We placed on the top shelf delicate Irish crystal and some other fragile keepsakes. Working our way down, we placed tools and gardening “like with like” and, as with the other areas, made everything more accessible.
With more floor clutter to clear, we tucked in a pegboard and pet gate snug next to the dryer, and a kitchen stool, too. We emptied boxes, by adding their contents to other bins or placing them in the trash. The wooden chest may go upstairs, but that’s for another time.
Our session time used up, Kristen now could do laundry easier and, bonus points, she also could reach everything stored in the laundry room. Success!
About De-clutter Me!
De-clutter Me! offers non-judgmental, competitively-priced, and confidential assistance to help clear clutter in your home and/or business. We’ve been changing chaos to calm since 2013.