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Forum -> Household Management -> Organizing
Tips and advice from ladies who live in small apartments.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:18 am
Calling all ladies who live in small apartments to give any tips and advice.
How do u stay on top of the organization? Where do u store clothes that r not for this season?
What about all the endless amounts of tiny things? Example - we don't have a coat closet so where do coats, gloves, hats, scarves etc go during the summer? What about cords and batteries? Old cell phones + chargers? Small electronics that r not in use now like a baby monitor or sound machine?
Our storage space consists of closets in each bedroom for the occupants of each room and 1 extra closet full of random things with no extra space...
Aaarrrggghhhh I hate extra things with no where to put it!
Any advice for me?
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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:20 am
Plastic organizer bins (I took apart two of them and stacked them back together as one piece so it took up less space). Also, hanging bins for your closet(s).
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:22 am
Cords and batteries go in jumbo ziplock bags which go on a top shelf in my closet same with any other electronic that does not get used often. I buy clear plastic shoe box style boxes at the container store that are great for this purpose.

Clothing that is no longer in season is in ziplock storage bags in my kids closet. I keep the tee shirts in the drawers to wear under a sweatshirt so its just shorts or out grown clothing. I do purge clothing regularly. Not all of it is really worth saving for another kid.

I have basement storage for large items.
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challahchallah




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:27 am
Ooh, I can't wait to hear some more tips. We have a super tiny place.

The first key to me is being really brutal about what you actually need to keep. This means assigning a certain category of things a designated space and only keeping however many of those things fit in that space (I.e. This small drawer is for tee shirts, so any tee shirts that don't fit in the drawer need to go).

In terms of where to squeeze out extra storage, are you maximizing the usefulness of your underbed storage? Do you have a small balcony or patio? If so, you can buy an outdoor storage bin from somewhere like Home Depot. That's where we keep extra paper towels, tissues and some other bulky but not valuable items.
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amother
Vermilion


 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:27 am
Purge purge purge. I used to save a lot of clothing and then found I didn't end up using a lot of it so I learned to save a few good pieces and pass on the rest. I've found that hand me downs only get good use when they're used right away so better for me to give it to someone a season or 2 after use (I do often save some the next season for emergencies before giving away the but truthfully I don't end up using them).
Whatever does need to be saved should be sorted and labeled very carefully by size and season and placed in vacuum seal bags that squeeze out all extra air and stack in underbed containers. Go through all storage container every few months otherwise you don't even know what you have and valuable storage space is being wasted.
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SixOfWands




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:30 am
All out of season clothes, or clothes waiting to be passed down, are stored in ziploc space bags on the highest closet shelf.
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LovesHashem




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:56 am
Under the bed, you can get shallow long and wide containers for out of season clothing, blankets, etc.
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rivkam




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:58 am
Agree with the other posters who said to be ruthless and get rid of things. If you have a friend/family member who has storage space, you could ask to put things by them for example winter things in the summer or pesach things.
Also teach your children to not be hoarders with their clothes and toys. It's a great lesson for life!
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 9:49 am
Lots of purging.

You seem to have built-in closets? The very tops are for storage, since you can't reach them for regular access anyway.

I store some larger items at a relative who has a better storage space - e.g. winter coats during the summer. infant gear not in use between children. Though I lot I just lent out or gave away figuring it will come back around the same way if I needed them again.

Lots of those shoebox-sized containers for things like extra cellphones, baby monitors, things like that. Stacked up on a high closet shelf. What type of extra cords are you talking about? Most of them you can probably just get rid of. Only keep what is the most up to date and useful. How many old cellphones do you have that they are on your mind for storage? Throw them away. If you're not using the sound machine, give it away. These things are only useful if you use them, no point in using storage space for a sound machine.

Clothes that are soon to be grown into or extras of the same size (e.g. sweatshirts that only one needs to be out on the hook but you do need an extra for when it gets dirty) go in large bins under the bed.

Basically what everyone else already said Smile

Also, I find that appearance makes as much of a difference to me as actually having the space for things. Whatever I've done to make my home *look* more spacious has been worthwhile. I replaced dressers with floor-to-ceiling units that hold much more and also make the room look less cluttered because there's no big piece of furniture sitting there in middle of your visual space collecting clutter on top of it. If you have end tables by your couch or anything of that nature, get rid of it. See how you can use your lighting strategically to brighten up the right spaces. Hang up a large, airy piece of art that gives the feeling of "I don't feel crowded, why would you?"

Rotate toys/games so you don't have a look of toy clutter. Keep half of them up high in the storage closets you don't have Wink That way the ones that are out won't be as crowded.
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nw11




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 11:10 am
My kids hang their coats on hooks that we fixed onto the side of the closet. You can get over the door shoe organisers and strong sticky plastic hooks that can be affixed onto the insides of closet doors or on the kitchen wall for bits and pieces. They are then very easily accessible. If you have a gap between closet and wall you can stick some nails in and hang DIY tools etc without it being an eyesore. If your ceilings are not too low you might be able to affix a shelf above the entrance. This is especially relevant for bathrooms where you can store sprays and cleaning materials.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 1:36 pm
Thanks everyone for the great ideas. The bottom line - get rid of as much as possible. Which brings me to the next question... how does everyone have time to constantly declutter and stay on top of all these things? Everyone says so simply- 'out of season stuff r stored in zip lock bags blah blah', but when does that happen?? (Also hard to stay on top of all that because k'h there r kids close in age in similar sizes so it gets confusing...) Please don't suggest fly lady.
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challahchallah




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 1:59 pm
I don't move out of season clothing to another space so I can't help with that part (all clothes need to fit in the dresser or the closet, no matter the season for us). In terms of staying on top of purging things, it really is a constant battle. Whenever I get something new, I do try to get rid of one or two items from the same storage location. But also, in reality, at some point a particular drawer or bin or whatever will just get too full and I'll try to go through it and get rid of whatever I don't really need.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 2:03 pm
Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! I feel like throwing out my entire household and starting over again with only the bare minimum.

On a happier note... I think I'm gona buy a ton of storage bins in all sizes. I think that will keep my closets and storage areas much neater.

Thanks guys. Keep it all coming.
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amother
Vermilion


 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 2:56 pm
amother wrote:
Thanks everyone for the great ideas. The bottom line - get rid of as much as possible. Which brings me to the next question... how does everyone have time to constantly declutter and stay on top of all these things? Everyone says so simply- 'out of season stuff r stored in zip lock bags blah blah', but when does that happen?? (Also hard to stay on top of all that because k'h there r kids close in age in similar sizes so it gets confusing...) Please don't suggest fly lady.

15 minutes a night. One drawer/shelf/bin at a time. Never stop. By the time you get through everything it's time to start again with that first drawer. Just 15 minutes.
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Raw




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 3:21 pm
Once a week I walk around with a garbage bag and throw things out. It might be toys that are just wasting space, ruined clothes, old school projects, newspapers etc.

It feels better than going for a mani/pedi!
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 3:52 pm
Before wasting good cash on organizing containers you may not need, see what you can do with containers you already have or can collect free. Every type of container from old eye shadow pots to refrigerator cartons is fair game.Think outside the box (hyuk hyuk) to plastic canisters from Hershey’s cocoa and Osem soups, deep box lids turned upside down, jars, baskets, bags, mailing tubes, dishpans, your imagination is the limit.

Use your collected containers—remember you can trim many to size—to customize your spaces. Live with the configuration for a while till you see if it works well for you. Then, and only then, and then only if you still want to—buy commercially sold organizing devices. Be sure to measure everything before you buy so much as a box for rubber bands.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 3:54 pm
Almost forgot: purge first, organize second. Pointless to organize stuff you’re gonna end up tossing.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 4:25 pm
amother wrote:
Thanks everyone for the great ideas. The bottom line - get rid of as much as possible. Which brings me to the next question... how does everyone have time to constantly declutter and stay on top of all these things? Everyone says so simply- 'out of season stuff r stored in zip lock bags blah blah', but when does that happen?? (Also hard to stay on top of all that because k'h there r kids close in age in similar sizes so it gets confusing...) Please don't suggest fly lady.

Yes, changing over seasons is one of my least favorite times - like right now, the weather is still up and down so we have both lighter and warmer things out. And before every yom tov there's a disarray of pulling out storage bins to see what fits whom and emptying the wardrobes to do the same. But it's a couple of days of craziness per season and then done.

Decluttering is a little constant but after your first couple of big purges, you barely notice it. It's just a habit of getting rid of something when you notice that you don't really need it.
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dorala




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 13 2017, 5:48 pm
Do yourself the biggest favor and hire a professional organizer.
I live in an apartment with only 3 closets
a coat closet. clothing closet and an EVERYTHING closet
hired an organizer and all of a sudden I had extra space in my overflowing closet that holds my whole life.. literarly from linen to school work to dishes to my vaucam cleaner
best decision I ever made!
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 14 2017, 12:53 am
Look UP. Close to the ceiling should be lots of extra space. Add shelves, or high book cases.

Keep all of your storage containers uniform, if they are going to be visible. Having everything the same color or style brings the look together and makes the room look less cluttered.

I'm a big fan of the Ikea "Expedit" series, and the cloth bins that you can buy to go into the cubicles. There is tons of space to use there!

Google "small spaces living" or check same on Pinterest. You'll find lots of inspiration there.
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