The One Touch Rule Is a House Clutter Solution That Works

A clutter-filled home doesn’t make for the most comfortable living environment. Your household’s neatniks will be perpetually stressed out and grow tired of cleaning up after your home’s messier occupants.

They know their cleaning efforts will only pay short-term dividends before things become disorganized once again. This isn’t good for household chemistry or morale.

On top of that, finding items when you need them becomes a constant challenge. Without effective home storage solutions, the problem becomes even worse.

If these scenarios are resonating with you, it’s time to apply the one touch rule to help with your house’s clutter.

What is the one touch rule?

The one touch rule was conceived by Ann Gomez, a productivity consultant and the founding president for Toronto-based organization Clear Concept Inc.

While Gomez’s company specializes in business training and ways to improve productivity, her one touch rule can be applied to your home as well.

Her concept is deceivingly simple, right down to its self-explanatory name. The rule is: put away your things immediately and avoid handling them more than once after you’re done with them. That’s it.

Putting items aside to deal with later only creates clutter

Here’s an example you’ve undoubtedly seen before: do any of your family members arrive home and leave their coat, backpack, or purse on a chair or sofa? Those items will then likely get moved more than once when someone wants to use the furniture.

What you end up with is a scenario where items that should have a proper home keep getting shuffled around and tossed aside, creating clutter.

When the owner of these improperly stored belongings eventually needs them, who knows where they’ll have ended up? This leads to wasted time searching for items.

How the one touch rule can benefit your home

Despite the self-evident nature of the rule, don’t be fooled by its simplicity. Especially in more disorganized residences, if you apply the one touch rule to your home’s belongings, you’ll soon find clutter and mess greatly reduced, if not almost entirely eliminated.

By hanging up coats on a rack or in the closet and storing backpacks, purses, and other belongings in a designated area as soon as you walk in your home, you’ll minimize clutter and be more organized.

The one touch rule can apply to so many other areas of your home:

  • sorting your mail right after bringing it into your home
  • putting dirty clothes in a laundry hamper or bin instead of on the bedroom floor
  • hanging up clothes in the proper place after wearing them (or putting them in drawers)
  • hanging up yard tools in the garage once you’re done with them
  • washing dishes (or putting them in the dishwasher) as soon as you’ve finished a meal
  • fixing broken items right away instead of leaving the task for later
  • even replying to emails immediately after reading them instead of replying later

smartline-closet-organizer-2

Make the one touch rule easier with effective home storage solutions

After implementing this rule, you might come to the realization that as much as you’re trying to put away your belongings right away once they’re no longer immediately needed, they don’t always have a proper home.

That does make things harder. You should consider some effective home storage solutions.

By enabling your home with sensible storage solutions, the one touch rule becomes much easier to commit to and maintain.

With some practical front entryway storage solutions like a closet organizer, letter holder, key rack, or shoe rack, an area of your home that’s highly prone to clutter accumulation will be more organized.

A custom closet solution or wardrobe in other areas of your home such as the bedroom will also prove to be beneficial in keeping clutter at bay and your home organized.

Add a laundry hamper to your bedroom to keep your dirty clothes organized (add multiple hampers to keep your dirty clothes sorted by colour).

For the garage, try a slatwall hanging system to allow for easy storage of your garage’s belongings.

Give your household a week to try the one touch rule

Committing to the one touch rule on a permanent basis will take some effort, especially for your household’s, shall we say, “organization challenged” members.

Give your home a week to try the rule as much as possible and you’ll quickly be encouraged by the results you see. Your younger kids aren’t too young to adopt this new philosophy either.

It’s not realistic to expect any home to use the one touch rule 100% of the time. Sometimes fatigue and time constraints will simply make it too difficult to use it every single day.

Allow yourself and your family members a little leeway when it comes to using the rule, but strive for as much consistency with it as possible to obtain the best results.

Let Organized Interiors provide you with some practical home storage and organization solutions to help you get the most out of the one touch rule.

By scheduling a free in-home consultation, our design expert can assess the best storage solutions that are suited to your house or condo.

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Why A Cluttered Home Causes You Stress & What You Can Do About It

Did you know your cluttered home is having an adverse affect on your health?

In this consumerist society where we tend to accumulate far too much “stuff”, the clutter that results has taken a toll on our stress levels.

That direct link between excess home clutter and higher stress levels has been made in numerous studies in recent years.

Our home is supposed to be our private refuge, but its value as a comforting space declines if it’s not kept in an orderly fashion.

Get educated on the harmful effects of living in a cluttered home and what can be done to fix this problem.

The science behind how clutter causes you stress

A study conducted by Princeton University Neuroscience researchers found that a cluttered home environment impedes your ability to focus.

When we have a hard time focussing, our mental faculties get worn down and frustration ensues, causing stress. Struggling to focus properly also inhibits our ability to be creative and to problem solve.

The Yale School of Medicine published a study that revealed some surprising results. When the study’s participants who were less inclined to throw away things were forced to part with belongings, researchers found increased activity in the areas of their brains that are associated with conflict and pain. It literally hurts some of us to part with things we own.

Findings from UCLA researchers showed that women who had an increased level of clutter in their homes also had higher levels of a stress hormone known as high cortisol. Their study also found that the tidier a home was, the happier its occupants seemed to be.

 Messy bedroom closet.

Further evidence of clutter’s negative impact on our lives

On a less scientific level, but still worth a mention, is a recent Huffington Post survey of 1,000 U.S. adults. In it, 81% of men and 87% of women expressed some level of anxiety over how organized their home was. “Worrying my home isn’t clean or organized enough” came fifth on their list of the most common stress triggers in their lives.

When you live in a cluttered home, there’s a constant feeling of guilt (even if you’re not fully aware of it) over the disorganized state of your space.

Our brains are always telling us there’s still plenty of work to be done, which makes it harder to relax.

Four ways to transform your cluttered home and lower your stress

Taking the appropriate measures and using some home clutter solutions will help lower your stress level by making your living space more pleasant to inhabit. Consider these four suggestions:

  1. Buy less. Really evaluate the necessity of your purchases and weigh the pros and cons of how much they’ll enrich your life. We often buy things with the best of intentions of using them, but ask yourself if you’ll realistically be using something you’re considering purchasing a year from now.
  2. Eliminate your non-essential belongings. Even if the trendy minimalist lifestyle isn’t for you, it isn’t difficult to live with fewer things. Just about all of us own many things that get little to no use. Purge them from your life and home clutter will be more manageable. Get the rest of your family involved and don’t be overwhelmed at the prospect of cleaning out your home clutter – it doesn’t have to be accomplished overnight.
  3. Use smart home storage solutions. Naturally, investing in smart ways to improve your storage and organization efficiency in the home isn’t included in the “buying less” category because of the long-term benefits they’ll provide on a daily basis. Smart home storage solutions give you the ability to tidy up your space and keep it clutter-free. And these solutions are not only functional, their stylish designs will also enhance your home’s decor.
  4. Maintain your clean space. Custom home storage solutions do make it easier to keep your house or apartment clean and organized, but your family still needs to put forth their best efforts in maintaining their clean space. Put things away once you’re done with them in the dedicated homes that home storage solutions provide.

Now that you’re aware of the stressful effects of living in a cluttered home, what steps will you take to combat this problem?

Lowering your home’s stress levels by creating a more calming, clutter-free environment that will do your mind and body good is easier than you might think.

To get started, schedule your free in-home consultation with one of our designers today.

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Kids Bedroom Storage: 7 Tips to Help Your Children Stay Organized

It wasn’t until the 1800s that kids bedrooms are known to have begun to be used. Even then, they weren’t very common until the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 1900s.

There is one thing you can count on – for as long as kids bedrooms have existed, there have been constant squabbles between parents and their offspring over the messiness of these rooms.

Instilling good organization habits in your kids early on will serve them well for a lifetime. If you’re finding it a challenge to have your children or young teens maintain a clean bedroom, there are some ways to remedy this frustrating situation.

Follow these kids bedroom storage tips to get their private home space looking and functioning much better.

1. The first step in increasing kids bedroom storage space: declutter

A productive way to increase the amount of kids bedroom storage space available is to first declutter. Out-of-season clothing can be moved to a more spacious storage area of the house.

Kids grow quickly and clothes that no longer fit them are likely occupying valuable closet and dresser drawer storage space. Assess the wearability of their wardrobe and donate their outgrown clothing to charity or pass them on to friends and family.

No-longer-used toys are another item that tends to accumulate and contribute to household clutter when kids outgrow them. Decide on which toys are still valued by your kids and add the rest to your donation pile.

Bring your kids with you when you drop the donations off at the charity. They’ll get firsthand experience of how donating their old items will end up helping the less fortunate.

open shelves closet

2. Closet organizers aren’t just for adults

Good storage solutions shouldn’t be restricted to just the bedrooms of adults. One of the best ways to help with kids bedroom storage and organization is a closet organizer.

Our modular SmartLine closet organizer system is ideal for children and older kids. Designed to allow for excellent flexibility, you can adjust the heights of shelving and the closet’s hanging bar as your kids grow. The organizer’s layout can also be easily reconfigured, depending on the wardrobe storage needs of your kids.

Keeping your children’s bedrooms clean and well-maintained becomes much easier when they have an efficient storage and organization system in place. A closet organizer with kid-friendly heights provides such a solution. Add child-sized hangers and accessories like hooks to make organizing even easier for them.

3. Open shelving for easy access

If your kids are new to organization, open shelving is a great way to keep their belongings easily accessible. Closets with open shelves can be used for shoes, books, backpacks, clothes, and other items.

Stress the importance of putting items back where they’re taken from and not just tossing them anywhere. This will make it a lot easier for your kids to maintain their space’s cleanliness.

4. Use storage bins for toys and other belongings

Even with some proper kids bedroom and storage solutions, you might still be looking for additional storage options for what your kids’ closets and shelves can’t hold, such as toys.

Organized Interiors has storage bins that can be used for these items. It’s a good idea to use labels on them to easily find things.

5. Maximize storage space in small or shared bedrooms

The importance of having good kids bedroom storage solutions is highlighted when your children have a small bedroom and have less storage space to work with.

Siblings sharing a bedroom can also make storage and organization a challenge, both in terms of available space and issues with boundaries. Maximizing your storage space helps.

6. Reward the cleanup efforts of your kids

While a clean bedroom is its own reward, it certainly doesn’t hurt to reward your kids once in a while for a job well done with their cleanup efforts.

Along with verbal praise, occasionally reward them with treats after a well-done bedroom cleanup or if they’ve maintained a clean bedroom for a few weeks.

7. Set a good example

Kids emulate the behaviours and tendencies of their parents, so lead by example. If your bedroom is a catastrophe, how can you reasonably expect high cleanliness standards from your kids?

Keeping your bedroom organized and clutter-free sets a good example for your kids. It also makes your day-to-day routine run smoother.

Whether it’s your messy bedroom or your kids’ bedroom that’s sorely in need of some storage and organization solutions, Organized Interiors can help. We provide complimentary in-home design consultations, so book yours today.

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Front Entryway Organization: 9 Helpful Tips for Reducing Clutter

As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”.

That expression can be applied to your home and how it’s perceived by others. When you invite someone into your house, apartment, or condo and are in your front entryway, what’s their initial impression of your home and how you maintain it?

Is it clean and organized or dirty, cluttered, and not very welcoming to guests?

While making a good impression to others is important, that shouldn’t be your most important reason for having a well-maintained front entryway.

Getting this frequently used area of your home organized pays dividends on a daily basis to you and your entire family. Make your daily routine easier with these nine front entryway organization tips for reducing clutter.

1. Use a handy table for front entryway organization

A small table for the front entryway becomes a handy place to temporarily place items you’re carrying after entering your home (just remember to move them once you’re settled so you’re not accumulating clutter).

A table here will be the centrepiece of your front entryway area, so don’t compromise on quality.

2. Organize your mail with a letter holder

Leaving your mail scattered on your front entryway table isn’t practical. A letter holder can be both a stylish accessory in the entryway and a smart storage solution.

If space allows, you might also consider placing a recycling bin in this area for your junk mail.

3. Transform your entryway closet space with a custom closet solution

Closets near the front door are considered “high clutter areas” in most homes. One of our custom closet solutions can help you get the most out of your entryway closet space and be tailored to your exact needs.

entryway-closet space-custom-closet

Maximize your closet space with accessories like an extra hanging rod, shoe racks, and decorative hooks for hanging bags and hats. It’s a good idea to free up closet space by moving off-season clothing items elsewhere.

Winter clothing, especially, takes up lots of space because there’s more of it (with all those scarves, gloves, earmuffs, toques, etc.) and it’s bulkier. Ask us about out garment racks, which are great for storing off-season clothing.

4. Keep your floors dry with an umbrella holder

Add a convenient umbrella holder to your front entryway corner. Umbrella holders provide another dedicated home that makes finding this item easy when you really need it.

They also don’t take up much space and will keep your floors dry after coming in from soggy weather.

5. Consider a multi-purpose storage bench

Storage benches provide a helpful sitting area for putting on or removing shoes and boots. You can also store items inside the bench, making this a multi-purpose asset to your front entryway area.

Multi-purpse storage bench from Organized Interiors.

6. Front entryway shoe storage solutions

Shoes and boots are one of the main sources for clutter at entryways. Whether you add a shoe storage organizer to your entryway closet or just inside your front door, you’ll be adding a smart solution for managing your footwear.

Shoe racks, hanging shoe organizers, cubbies, and boot trays will keep your front entryway area organized and clean.

7. Storage boxes and baskets for minimizing clutter

Another useful front entryway organization idea is to use storage boxes and baskets. For smaller items that get mixed up easily and are hard to find, storage boxes and baskets in your closet or entryway help to keep them organized.
Organized Interiors felt storage box

8. Have a home for your keys

Keys are small and easy to misplace. That’s why a home for them on the wall in your front entryway makes so much sense. Some of the advantages of key racks (also known as key holders) include:

  • keeps keys in one place, making them harder to lose
  • they take up little space
  • are inexpensive
  • makes all household keys accessible in case vehicles have to be moved
  • keeps your front entryway table surface clear

A key rack is a front entry organization solution that will save you from future panicked hunts throughout your entire home searching for your lost car keys. You’ll quickly get in the habit of hanging your keys on your key rack when you enter your home.

Now when you’re ready to leave, you can do so without even giving a second thought to where your keys might be.

9. Change your household’s “dump and forget” mindset

Now that you have some practical front entryway organization and storage systems in place, try to change the rest of your family’s mindset of just “dumping and forgetting” their belongings in the front entryway area when they come home.

Stress the importance of taking advantage of these organization solutions. Remember, having the means and tools to accomplish something isn’t all that’s required. Motivation and effort is even more important to get any job done properly. Regularly maintaining the front entryway area is additionally critical.

Apply these tips to your front entryway organization problems and this area will be clutter-free, more functional, and more inviting in no time.

Request a free in-home consultation with an Organized Interiors expert now to get your front entryway transformation started.

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5 Easy Ways to Remedy Closet Sharing Problems With Your Spouse

Fitting an entire wardrobe into a bedroom closet is tricky enough for one person.

When it comes to closet sharing with your husband or wife, things can become downright unmanageable and acrimonious.

Even if the two of you are able to fit both of your wardrobes into one closet, chances are they’re not getting stored in an orderly fashion.

This makes it difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for. Consider how much time is wasted as the result of poor closet organization.

There doesn’t need to be harmonic discord between spouses when it comes to closet sharing.

Follow these five easy ways to remedy the issues you and your significant other might be dealing with when it comes to closet sharing.

1. You’ll get better results by organizing your closet together

Before reworking your closet’s setup, make sure to communicate with your partner about your closet sharing ideas and your vision for its layout, going forward. Have an open mind when they share their ideas as well.

Reach a consensus in terms of how the closet will be configured and the allotted amount of storage space for each of you.

Strong communication throughout this closet reorganizing process fosters unity and a smooth day-to-day process in the future for both of you.

white bedroom closet

2. Empty your closet and assess what’s worth keeping

The easiest way to free up closet space is to de-clutter. Empty everything out of the closet and sort through it to determine what’s worth keeping.

You both need to be honest with yourselves about what qualifies as a keeper and what items won’t be missed.

Be sure to donate anything that someone else might be able to get more use out of. Move off-season clothing items to another area of your home with available storage space.

Once you’ve purged your non-essential belongings, give your closet a good cleaning before moving things back in. The opportunity for a thorough cleaning in an empty closet doesn’t present itself very often, so take advantage of it.

3. Establish separate closet zones. Respect each other’s boundaries.

Divide the space in your closet into “his and hers” areas, with consideration given to whoever has more belongings. Respect each other’s set boundaries.

By doing so, you’ll maintain an efficient organizational structure that makes finding desired items of clothing much easier.

Do your best to manage clutter by carefully going through your closet at least once a year and removing unnecessary items.

4. Closet sharing succeeds with a little help

Improve your ability to get the utmost efficiency out of your space when sharing a closet. Consider these practical closet storage solutions:

  • closet organizers are the most effective way to maximize your closet’s storage space
  • if your closet is tall enough, add a second hanging rod to double your hanging storage space
  • retractable valet rods take up very little space and provide a helpful extra hanging space
  • other closet accessories like tie holders, scarf holders, shelf dividers, shoe racks, and belt racks give your belongings dedicated homes and help maintain organization

Wardrobe

5. Go one step further by adding a custom wardrobe

Even with the aforementioned storage solutions and tips, it’s possible your single bedroom closet simply isn’t big enough to comfortably hold what you both would like it to. This is when you have to turn to another bedroom storage option.

Consider the benefits of a custom-fitted wardrobe closet when it comes to expanding your traditional closet storage space.

A wardrobe closet from Organized Interiors offers numerous design options and is built exactly to the dimensions of the space it’ll occupy in your bedroom.

Enjoy the improved closet storage flexibility you’ll have with this stylish addition to your home’s decor.

It only takes a motivated effort and practical thinking to make closet sharing in the bedroom work in an efficient, mutually beneficial way for you and your partner.

Book a free in-home consultation with us to get started on creating your own unique closet sharing solution.

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