Last month I fixed a leaky sink in the bathroom at my son’s house. In order to fix the leak, I needed a pipe wrench, but I couldn’t find one. After an hour of searching in his house I finally found a suitable wrench in the garage. Now, I have several pipe wrenches and other tools and so does my son, but half the time he can’t find them when he needs them. I keep all of my tools organized. I don’t waste time finding the right one. I know where they are and I return them where they’re supposed to go. My son will figure out eventually that having some kind of home organization, whether it is tools, the pantry, or a medicine cabinet, is a good idea.
In the Garage
Garages are notorious for collecting things people don’t use often. Many people never actually park in their garages, because they have so much stuff in there. There are a couple things you need to think about if you are going to be organizing your garage.
The first one is that there’s probably some stuff in your garage that you could stand to get rid of. Take some time to go through everything in your garage. If you haven’t used it in a year, and can’t think of a specific time in the near future when you will use it, get rid of it.
The second thing to think about is using some kind of shelving unit. Wire shelving units work best in the garage because they don’t collect as much dirt and dust. You can use the shelves for most of your tools and toolboxes or things like light bulbs or furnace filters. Another great aid for organization is wall hooks. Wall hooks work great because they don’t take up space and allow you to utilize the space you have in the best way. Both can be found online or at your local hardware store.
In the Kitchen
The kitchen is often one of the messiest rooms in the house. The nice thing about the kitchen is that there are often already cupboards and storage space built into the walls. While these spaces work great, you can purchase drawer organizers and cupboard organizers that will make keeping everything neat even easier. I don’t spend too much time in the kitchen other than to open the fridge and grab a drink or make a quick sandwich. I used to try and cook, but after a few failed attempts (I burn everything) I decided it was best to let my wife handle the kitchen. She does a great job keeping it neat, and has invested in many different organizers that make cleaning up easier than ever.
When Organization Isn’t Enough
While organizing your stuff is one of the best things you can do to make your life easier, sometimes it really doesn’t help Sometimes you just have too many things. Most likely, you’ll get rid of some stuff as you organize, but sometimes not. The answer shouldn’t be getting a storage unit, or finding more space. Sometimes you just need to minimize the amount of stuff you have. Part of the reason I think my son hasn’t organized his tools and other things is because he just has too much. Organizing his things will help him realize what’s important and what’s not.
