closet organization
if you find it hard letting go of clothing even when you never wear it, the reverse hanger trick is a game changer! it works like this – place all of your garments on hangers and put them in the closet backward, so that the open end of each hanger faces you. set a calendar reminder for six months, then go back to your regular routine. every time you wear a piece, place it back in your closet the normal way with the opening facing away from you.
after six months, reexamine your closet to determine what you haven’t touched – donate or sell all of those items on backward hangers. the reality is, if you haven’t worn it in the past six months, its time to let it go!!
spice drawer organization
i love cooking and often use a variety of spices to season food – you can easily find over 50 different spices in my kitchen. recently, we were hired to organize a kitchen and were tasked with organizing our client’s numerous spices. finding a place to store spices is always fun because there are so many options, depending on space. while some people prefer to store their spices in a kitchen drawer, others use Lazy Susan’s, spice racks, tiered shelving, and even pull-out vertical drawers. we determined the best use of our client’s space was to create a spice drawer located in the food prep area. in order to accomplish this, we needed to first free up space elsewhere so we could use the drawer without issue.
there are many different types, shapes and sizes of spice jars to choose from, but we love using these spice jars from Amazon. each glass jar has a metal screw-on top that fits securely over the removable plastic sprinkle sifter, which can be easily popped off if using measuring spoons. these jars come with a variety of round pre-printed black labels for the tops of each jar, as well as a classic white label to affix to the fronts.
before starting this project, we purged the spices that were either expired or that our client no longer used. we then placed a label on the top and front of each jar, and carefully transferred the spices into the labeled jars. in addition to the jars, we also purchased a nifty white spice shelf to neatly organize the spices inside the drawer, resulting in a space that was not only aesthetically pleasing, but also convenient and functional. another happy tag&stash client!
a love for lazy susan’s
did you know that lazy susan’s were created in the 18th century? lazy susan’s may seem old-fashioned but they are so versatile and can be used in so many places in the home. a few notable places that we like to use them are close to the stove so that salt, pepper, olive oil, and oil sprays have a place to be stored in proximity to where the cooking is taking place. another place we love to use lazy susan’s is in the pantry. we love to put taller bottled items such as varieties of vinegar, oils, and specialty sauces on them. lazy susan’s makes items reachable and easily in view. they can also be used in bathrooms for organizing personal care products. this keeps all the personal items contained and appears much tidier.
we especially love bamboo lazy susan’s like this one for the kitchen and pantry. they look more upscale and modern than white plastic ones. we usually find that a 10-12 inch lazy susan works best in most homes. for bathrooms, we typically recommend hard acrylic ones that have dividers. we also love the look of tiered acrylic ones which can hold even more items than single ones. they really are one of the most versatile organizing products that can be used almost anywhere.