Kim Minchin Dunn © BROODMAGAZINE
KIM MINCHIN DUNN ON HOME ORGANISATION
After a hectic Summer and a house of chaos, finally we are back into some sort of routine, the kids are back to school and it’s time we got the house in shipshape ready for winter.
There’s no better feeling than having an organised house. Making life just generally easier on the whole with an organised system,
so, here’s my top tips on how to make the house tidy and organised.
1. Be realistic; this needs to fit around your family and lifestyle. Don’t start buying matching colour foods or multiples of things you don’t actually eat or use just because social media made you do it or it looks aesthetically please. Fit it around things you use all the time or regularly. One thing I’ve learnt is trying to make it look like Pinterest isn’t realistic because you end up buying foods/products that look aesthetically pleasing that you don’t actually use and is a waste of money, time and space.
2. Firstly, start each room the same. I.E kitchen – check for out of date food. Kids room- toys that haven’t been touched in months, wardrobe – clothes you haven’t worn in the last year. You may have to be a little ruthless here but take them to the local charity shop or donate them as they will no doubt bring joy to someone else’s life like you once had from them. Any expensive items can be added to Facebook Marketplace or Depop and you can reinvest this cash into your new storage solutions.
3. Measure your space. Before buying any storage items measure your shelves and space so you know they fit. Buy Clear storage boxes or ‘bins’ as the lovely ladies in the US from “home edit” call them, these are the way forward. Don’t be distracted by other boxes, my rule is – think clear, buy clear. Clear boxes mean you can see everything and grab what you need quickly on the go. For the lounge, toys or things you want to hide I find baskets are perfect for this. Drape over a lovely throw to hide the contents. I love the John Lewis home edit range, Amazon, b and m bargains or Homesense for all these items.
4. Labels. Goes without saying, its just joyful for your OCD but they also help the rest of the household to find things quickly which in turn makes your life easier. I also find that it helps with your shopping list as you can quickly check what’s looking kind of Empty and fill it up. Get yourself a DYMO, you’ll be labelling everything in sight, even your husband.
5. Remember…Things won’t stay perfect forever so this is something you need to do every few weeks to keep on top of it, but now you have a system that is super quick and easy to do you’ll be able to keep on top of it much easier.
6. Most importantly…enjoy the process 🤍
One key thing to remember is it’s not going to look like the Pinterest image you’ve saved, it may for an hour or so but get it out of your head now.
You must also remember most of these Pinterest images are in America, where they are blessed with large pantries and the container store on tap. However, we can certainly try our best and bring some Home Edit joy to our lives 🤍
Kim Minchin Dunn © BROOD MAGAZINE
Written by Kim Dunn
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