There are several ways to organize pots, pans, and lids but the first thing I always recommend is to pare down to what you actually use. The stainless steel cookware we have was part of a larger set, with a tiny sauce pan and a tiny pot and I never ever used them. Ok, the one or two times I did, I regretted using them and usually dumped the contents into the larger pot or pan. So I finally parted ways instead of trying to store the whole set, simply because it was part of a set. If you need permission to part with pieces of a set you don’t use: there it is, I give you permission.
When I’m helping people get organized, I like to start small. It’s a hard place to be when you know you want to get organized but are feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. So a small start is usually a drawer, or a small cabinet, something we can tackle in an hour or an afternoon, but can still give someone the confidence that they can organize a space. A spice drawer or cabinet is one such place to start.
I had already altered the floor plan to create a larger entryway with a nice big coat closet for guests (and lets be honest, Bella) so it seemed even more unnecessary. I was just about to have them erase the small closet when I realized that nowhere, in our giant brand new home, had I planned for a place to keep the larger cleaning gadgets. And so, the little coat closet was turned into a broom closet.
In our condo, the laundry “room” was a closet adjacent to the kitchen. When we started building the house, I had been imagining our new Laundry Room as a grand mecca of organization. A space that would not only do the laundry practically by itself, but also hem all the pants I’m hoarding in the event that I actually get around to adjusting them for my midget height.
The newly emptied cabinet is next to the fridge and across from the water cooler. Which makes a lot of sense considering that Bella – whose food is refrigerated – takes most of her medications with mealtimes, and the humans take their medications with water. Once I had the realization that my plan was perfect (as all my plans are), I pulled out all the meds from the pantry as well as the supplements (since those usually go in a glass of water as well) and sorted them on the counter.
And while the closet is a huge pain in my ass, the worst is the bathroom with the tiny walkway where the GIANTLY LARGE BIGLY 8 foot vanity sits. Putting the person using the vanity to say, dry their hair, squarely in front of the closet entrance with no space to pass easily without squishing yourself against the vanity or backing into the er, private potty.
As you can see, we have almost run out of space again. This is after I sorted through all of our medals and pulled out a couple of several years old virtual races that were Christmas themed to make into ornaments for the tree this coming year (an idea I got from Young House Love). And we still have more medals to add this year!
Because of the undefined status of the mudroom, over 3.5 years it became a place holder for everything. Every time we were having people over or the house keepers were coming – into the mud room went all the piles of things that hadn’t been dealt with or didn’t have a home. And there they stayed.
Sarahpedia 