38 / matters magazine / spring 2018 I t’s spring, and a good time to attend to some cleaning and organizing that may have taken a back seat to other matters. Where to start? The Matters staff offers some tips to get your home in shape. 1Purge realistically: Focus on one room or area (one box, shelve, drawer, bin, cabinet) at a time and don’t stop until you’re finished. When you find items that don’t belong in that area, simply put them in a box and deal with them later. 2Set small goals and stay focused: If you are feeling overwhelmed with a spring organiz- ing project, break it down into 10 - 15 minute sessions. Avoid distractions and stay focused on that one project until it is complete. 3Evaluate each item. When trying to declut- ter ask yourself: Do I use it? Do I need it? Do I love it? If the answer is no to any of those questions, get rid of it. (Joanne DiPasquale) 4Box it up: If you can’t part with some items, put them in a box with a date on it. Review the con- tents in six months and if you haven’t needed them, give them away or toss. (Joanne DiPasquale) 5Flip your hangers: As you wear items and hang them up, turn those hangers forward. After six months or a year, evaluate the clothes on the hangers still facing backwards and give them away. (Joanne Di- Pasquale) 6Identify your clutter hot- spots: Determine where clutter collects and set up attractive ways to organize it. Place a decorative tray on the counter for keys, or a nice basket by the front or back door for shoes. Have a place to sort and contain mail where it collects. Hang hooks or get a rack for coats and scarves. (Rene Conlon) 7Don’t overstuff: Keep your closets, cabinets and drawers less than 80 percent full, so you can see and access everything easily. To keep clutter at bay, live by the rule: one item in, one item out. 8Organize the kitchen: Put like items together and have designated places for everything. This may even include non-kitchen items for activities that regularly take place Tips to Make Your Home Sparkle in that space, such as homework, art projects, etc. If you find supplies in your kitchen you don’t use including things that are expired, broken or no longer needed, get rid of them. 9Swap out seasonal cloth- ing and involve the children: At our house, my kids get so excited to see a favorite sundress or beloved swimsuit again. Often they will have outgrown it but still try it on for gig- gles and to show how much they have grown. Then, sometimes begrudging- ly, they’ll hand it down to the next sib- ling or if there isn’t a taker, will choose a few favorite items to give to their cousins and the rest to donate. (Adri- enne MacWhannell) 10Thin out the kids’ toys and books: Each spring I have the kids go through the items that they haven’t played with re- cently in order to donate, give away or sell. This makes us all appreciate the things we have and feel thankful when a well-loved item moves on to someone who will love it too. (Sara Knutsen) 11File your papers:If you don’t have a filing system, brainstorm the categories and make corresponding folders such as tax documents, bills to pay, important papers (like birth certificates, marriage license, etc.), and more. I also have a special area for items that I’ll need in the next few weeks like tickets (reser- vations, plays, concerts). It helps me to know that there’s only one place where I keep these papers when I’m about to run out the door. (Ellen Donker) 12Tackle your junk drawer:You probably open your junk drawer several times each day so why not make it look good. Figure out what like items you can group to- gether and then fit small boxes or plastic bins in the drawer for them. 13M a k e your bed — every day: You will have accomplished your first task of the day and people who study habits say it kickstarts a chain of other good decisions. Plus, it just looks good and makes you feel bet- ter when it’s time to plop yourself down at night. (Leslie Gilman) 14Fold your clothes within a day of wash- ing: Life is much more orderly when you know where your clothes are and they’re not in a heap. Just grab the bas- ket, sit in front of the TV and fold. Bonus points if you give your kids the job. (Ellen Donker) 15Keep your bathroom in shape between deep cleanings: Stock disinfecting wipes or multi-purpose spray in the bathroom to surface-clean your sink, mirror, toilet and floor as needed. (Joanne DiPasquale) 16Choose cleaning sup- plies that you actually like using: Maybe a multi-purpose spray with a natural scent will make cleaning that much more pleasant, or a dish brush with detergent in the handle, or rubber gloves will keep the ick factor at bay. (Ellen Donker) The MacWhannells make an event out of swapping seasonal clothing, often pass- ing items on to each other or cousins. Charlie Knutsen mans his table, selling toys that he's outgrown.