What You Need To Organize Your Home, From Garbage Bags to Storage Boxes

Organizing your home can feel like a real hassle, especially if you have a lot of stuff. Whether you genuinely need all the things you own — and you simply need a lot — or you're a hoarder and need barely a third of it, the first thing you need to do before you organize anything is sort through all your belongings. Make sure you have lots of garbage bags and boxes handy — you're going to need them.

First of all, make sure you have three different colors of garbage bags. Designate one for trash, one for things that you aren't going to throw out, but donate or give to friends, and the third for things to put into storage. You should also try to have two types of boxes — one for things to be donated and one for things to be stored. This will help ensure you don't accidentally throw away a bunch of stuff you wanted to store, or donate a bag of garbage to the needy.

Once you have all your garbage bags and boxes, go room by room and appraise your belongings. Figure out what you really need and/or really want to keep, and set it aside to one corner of the room. Next, go through what remains and decide whether it's trash or should be donated or given away. Any clothes can go into garbage bags and brought to your local Salvation Army or Goodwill shop; any non-clothing items to be donated can go in boxes. Be sure to keep the right mentality throughout all this. Don't convince yourself that the only reason you're not wearing that sundress is because it's winter. You didn't wear it last summer, or the summer before that — you're not going to wear it this summer.

Likewise with the pair of snowboots your in-laws gave you last Christmas. If the snow has fallen and they still have the tags on them, donate them so someone in need can wear them. Don't think three sets of dishware is going to come in handy any time. Two is okay — it's always smart to have an extra set — but any more is just pushing it. Apply this thought process as you move through each room in your home. You don't necessarily need to toss your childhood teddy bear into the bottom of a trash bag, but if you find him crammed into the corner of your closet, give him the ol' heave ho. If he's still in good condition, donate him so a new child can enjoy his company.

Once you've gone through and found everything you don't absolutely need or want to keep, it's time to haul all those garbage bags and boxes away. After you've thrown away the trash and dropped off your donations, the fun can begin! Actually organizing your belongings can be a great time — you can even incorporate your organizing scheme into your decor. Just make sure you remember where you put everything!


------

http://www.mightybags.com is your number one source for black garbage bags and clear garbage bags for your recyclables.