Cupboard Talk

All women dream about having a closet like the character Chér in the movie Clueless or like the one Carrie gets spoiled with in Sex in the City. But the reality is that we do not live in Hollywood or the movie world and here in South Africa we seldom have enough storage space in our homes. An average family of four can barely manage with the storage space they have available in a normal three to four bedroom house. The only way to get maximum usage of the storage space you have available, is to get organised and free your cupboards from unnecessary clutter that takes up valuable space.
Here is a plan of action (in no specific order) that is guaranteed to get you well ORGANISED in order to save space!

Organise loose items so they do not take up as much space. Hangers can be used to store ties and belts, so they don’t end up just lying in a cupboard or drawer. Use a jewellery box or hanger to keep your jewellery together, put utensils in the kitchen in one container, rather put pens and pencils in a holder instead of just sticking them into a drawer where you can never find it.

Rubbish should be thrown away. Be ruthless when you decide to clean out your cupboards and drawers. Write telephone numbers you have written on pieces of paper in your Address book and throw the pieces of paper away. Get rid of things that are broken – because if you haven’t had the time to fix it, you will most likely not do it at all. If you have two half filled containers with the same content, empty one in the other and get rid of the extra container. It is better to be practical when it comes to organising your cupboards.

Go with your instinct because your way is the best way for you. Yes there are thousands of tips on how other people think you should go about organising your cupboards. But you have to choose a system that will work for you and your lifestyle. It really doesn’t help if you put stuff you use regularly in a place that is hard to reach, whilst items you never use is well in your reach.

Arrange items logically in your cupboards. You will only mess it up anyway if you have to dig to find something. Also think about yourself. Lifting heavy things like pots and pans into a top cupboard is unnecessary extra work and it will hurt if you drop heavy appliances and other items when you reach overhead to retrieve it. Larger, heavier items fit better in lower cabinets. Keep pots and pans near the stove where you will be cooking, glasses close to the fridge or water cooler where they will be used most of the time. Keep winter's clothes close during winter time and move them to the spare cupboard when it is summer. Put items that belong together in the same cupboard to ensure that you will be able to use them effectively – what use is a mixer to you if you can’t find the blades?

New arrangements are often the best idea, because you will find that old methods might not be as effective as you once thought. If a certain arrangement did not work for you, make a note to arrange these items in a manner that would suit you well and will work for you. If you found that keeping your medicine in the bathroom cupboard creates too much of a logistic problem get a new (out of the reach of children) place to keep it that is more accessible to you.

Install organisation tools in your home. Hooks are a simple and effective tool to add to your kitchen, bathroom and bedroom as well as extra wooden shelves against the wall. Hooks can be used for bags, umbrellas, caps, and purses to keep them readily available and visible.

Storage solutions

• The Clearbox Company has a range of hatboxes, shoe boxes etc. that comes in different shapes and sizes. This is the ideal way to ensure that your shoes are well organised. The great thing about this product is that you are able to see through the box, thus knowing what is inside each box.
• Vacuum storage bags, like those from Space Bag and Storage Tech, are specially designed to help you save space. You can store anything in your unique space saving bag by simply placing it in the back and retracting the air around it. You can even fit extra clothes in your bag, without wrinkling it, when you go on holiday.
• Roco kitchen fittings have a wide variety of different solutions available to make your cupboards more space efficient.
• For kitchen drawers there are a wide variety of dividers and organisers available to ensure that your cutlery and utensils are not an unorganised mess.

Empty your cupboards and start packing your cupboards from scratch! This way it will be easier for you to see what each cupboard or drawer contain, what you need and what not and also what goes where. It is so easy to just stick something in a drawer and forget about it. If you drawers and cupboards are well organized you will always know where to find everything. With your cabinets and cupboards empty, also take the opportunity to wipe down the inside of the cabinets to prepare them for the new arrangement.

Dispose of clutter and unwanted items. You can not keep everything you’ve had since childhood and feel sentimental about in your cupboard. Putting these items in boxes and storing them in the garage or outside room will help save a lot of space in your cupboards. Get rid of old kitchen appliances and utensils that you don’t use anymore or that are broken. Do not keep clothes that no longer fit you in the hope that it will one day fit you again. Don’t leave empty bottles of perfume, medicine or empty food containers in your cupboard as it takes up space and makes you think that there is still something left inside.