Clean Sweep

It’s that time of year again. Winter snow has melted (hopefully) and we have the urge to purge to lighten up for spring and summer. Piles of papers need to go…but where? And entryway systems need retooling for the warmer months. It’s time to get organized, and there’s no better place to start than in the spaces in our homes that serve as various components of our own command central.

BY DESTINY ALFONSO

ENTRYWAY

In busy households like mine, the entryway serves as the on- and off-ramp of our home, and it’s the most prized real estate in the house! I like to maximize every inch of space, and do it with style. Try a catch-all console table with space below to house and conceal sports gear. Dress it up with a bouquet of fresh blooms and a pretty tray for keys and loose change.

Design Ideas Pietra Console Table, $320 | Zak Designs MeeMe Small Serving Tray, $16 | Kikkerland Umbrella Samurai, $38 | Honey-Can-Do Tea-Stained Woven Baskets, Coastal Collection, set of 3, $60 | Paddywax Dwell Candle, Violet + Vanilla, $29; Wild Fig + Cedar, $29

JUNK DRAWER

Everyone has a junk drawer. Your junk drawer might look different from mine, but it probably resembles the cover of one of those I Spy books, and it might include quarters, bolts, pins, random papers, old spoons, measuring tape, the household hammer, and maybe even the keys to your diary you kept in middle school. While we hate to admit it, we need that junk drawer! What we don’t need is the mess that screams “chaos.” The best way to manage your junk drawer is to treat it like “emotional junk.” First, recognize the problem, and then address it. Sort, separate, purge, repeat (at least once every three months). Dividers can work wonders to organize all these disparate items and get your junk drawer working for you.

madesmart Classic Clear Bins $4–$8

DRESSER DRAWERS An organized dresser drawer makes your life easier. Wake up, get dressed, and start your day without the hassle of searching for your favorite t-shirt. If your dresser drawer is a hot mess, your day could start off with a whirlwind of disorder, and nobody likes to start their day like that. We can’t all be organizing guru Marie Kondo, but we can be somewhere in between rolled up shirts in perfect order and a pile of clothes dumped haphazardly into a drawer. Get your dresser drawer in order by first separating everything into categories: shirts, socks, bras, underwear, workout clothes, etc. Then assign a spot for each one. Use separators and small bins to help keep everything contained. Personally, I find shallow drawers to be ideal—no more than five inches deep—so that my favorite shirt doesn’t get hidden beneath five other shirts. And, if you keep your jewelry in your dresser drawer, use a tray that was made with jewelry in mind! This way you can easily keep like-pieces together and find what you are looking for in a jiffy.

Vault Trays with Lids and Inserts,$83–$97 | OXO Good Grips Expandable Drawer Dividers, $20

KITCHEN CABINETS

For me, these cabinets are the easiest to organize. Plates stay with plates and glassware sticks together. For my glassware, I like to put the tallest in back and work forward from there so that I can see everything. I’m also a fan of stackable glassware, which maximizes space. If you have tall spaces in your cabinets, consider buying risers so that you create extra shelf space. These are best used in spaces where you keep baking and serving dishes, which are often awkward shapes and sizes.

Yamazaki Home Tosca Kitchen Rack, $40 | YouCopia BottleStand Travel Mug and Water Bottle Organizer, $15 | Prepworks Baker’s Storage 6pc set, $60 | Yamazaki Home Tosca Tool Box, $30

DESK

The desktop and desk drawers are likely the workhorse spaces in your life, whether it’s used for your job or to keep important documents and bills organized and tended to. So, it’s essential to keep these spaces organized in a way that’s intuitive and accessible. Your desktop should house only what you deem essential—perhaps a computer charging cord, a pen/pencil holder with a few of each, and a notepad. I also like to have a small filing system with slots for action items (papers that need prompt attention) and outgoing mail.

Desk drawers should then be filled with items by order of importance. For example, the top drawer, or center drawer, should house all other items you need frequently. Paper clips, Post-it notes, and index cards are some items I keep in this drawer. I also like to keep an extra set of car keys in my top drawer. If you are lucky enough to have more than one drawer, work down from there, keeping the least used items in the bottom drawer, and, ideally, setting up one drawer as a vertical file cabinet.

Bigso Birger 2-Drawer File Box, $23; LENA Desktop Organizer, $13; Hakan Letter Tray, set of 2, $18.00 | Three by Three Up-Rise Monitor Riser, $120; Jotblock Bullet Pad, $10 | Gingko Brick White Click Clock, $72 | ESPRO Travel Press, $35 | Paddywax Dwell Candle, Wild Fig + Cedar, $29