Spring Forward with a plan to get organized!

For most people, it's easiest to take it one room at a time. But prior to concentrating your efforts on a specific room, consider jump-starting your spring-cleaning by sweeping through your entire house (pardon the pun!) and getting rid of things that are doing nothing more than taking up space and collecting dust. Geralin Thomas, owner of Metropolitan Organizing, has compiled a very handy list of "Things To Get Rid Of-With NO Regrets." Examples from her list include: dried up cans of paint; expired coupons; sweaters with fuzz balls; dishes you never use; florists' vases; shoes that hurt your feet; schedules and invitations to past events; instructions to items you no longer own; recipes that are too difficult, time-consuming or expensive to prepare; and paperback books you will never reread. The sense of satisfaction you're sure to feel when you complete this once-over of your home should provide you with the motivation you need to tackle each room in more detail-and even if it doesn't, look what you've already accomplished! As you proceed, be prepared to discover lots more items that can be sold, trashed or donated to charity.

Living Room/ Family Room/ Den

If you used Thomas' list as a starting point, you'll see your efforts paying off immediately when you start work on the den. Remember the paperbacks that filled an entire shelf beside the fireplace? They're gone now, aren't they? And the kids' out-dated soccer schedules should have already been removed from the coffee table. Now you're free to concentrate on another clutter culprit commonly at work in this room: over-accessorizing. Look around and take note of how many knickknacks (pictures, vases, candles and figurines) are sitting on shelves and tables. Decide which pieces are your favorites and imagine how much more they would stand out if they weren't so crowded. Remove excess accessories and either get rid of them altogether or store them so they can be traded out with your favorites when you're in the mood for a change of indoor scenery.

Kitchen

A common sense approach to storage is the key to an organized kitchen. Pots and pans need a home near the stove. Plates, glasses and bowls are best kept in a cabinet convenient to unloading the dishwasher. It makes sense to keep appliances you often use (perhaps the coffee maker, toaster, or can opener) within easy reach on the counter or mounted beneath a cabinet, while those used less often (maybe the blender or mixer) should be stored in a cabinet. And appliances that are rarely used (be honest, when was the last time you fired up the waffle maker?) are good candidates for the discard pile.

Bathroom

Rubbing alcohol, bandages, heating pad, cotton swabs-they're probably cluttering various cabinets and drawers in the different bathrooms in your home. If so, now is the perfect time to round up these and any other items that belong in a first aid kit and assemble such a kit for your family. "The kit can be a recycled backpack or tote bag, a plastic dishpan, or a wooden wine crate. … Look around your home; chances are, you will have a container that can be repurposed," advises Metropolitan Organizing's Geralin Thomas. Among the items Thomas recommends for the kit are some that may not have occurred to you, like index cards containing information such as your home address, family members' mobile phone numbers, and the birthdates of any children living in the home (in other words, information that might be needed by a sitter). Once the kit is assembled, Thomas recommends storing it in an "easy-to-find, yet out-of-reach place."

Bedrooms

Many bedrooms suffer from a serious case of closet clutter. One reason for this, says Paul Latz, owner of Closet Creations in Research Triangle Park, is that people tend to fill their closets with lots of things other than shoes and clothing. (How many photo albums, file boxes and old laptops are taking up space in your closet?) Our weight-conscious society is also partially to blame, he says, noting that "people don't want to throw away their fat clothes or their skinny clothes." His company can help you regain control of your closet by installing an organization system custom designed to meet your needs. Latz offers a variety of closet systems ranging from "nice and basic to as fancy as you want," he says. Closets by Design, located in North Raleigh, a full service in home custom organization including closets, garages, pantries, home offices and more, offers a similar service, helping people maximize closet space by adding shelving and additional rods (for double-hanging). The company's owner, Chantale Persinger, says that people with small closets benefit the most from her service, explaining, "We can usually double their space." If you're a do-it-yourselfer, you have the option of purchasing a closet organization system from a home improvement store and installing it yourself, but Latz warns that those systems, because they aren't customized for a particular closet, do not maximize the space the way a custom-built system does. And, Persinger points out that these projects sometimes turn out to be more challenging than people anticipate, so they end up having to hire someone to complete the job, thus driving up the cost.

Garage

Has it been a while since you've been able to park in your garage? Well, you're not alone. This is often the most cluttered "room" in the house! Glenn Seitchek, owner of GarageWorks Solutions in Apex, says Triangle-area garages are becoming increasingly cluttered as more and more people move here from up north, where they had basements that provided plenty of storage space. Ideally, Seitchek would love to see the garage organization equipment sold by his company already in place when people move in so they can get organized from day one, but he's also able to help those in the too-late-it's-already-cluttered category. He sells a variety of cabinets, shelves and accessories from Whirlpool Corporation's Gladiator GarageWorks line that can help you properly arrange sports equipment, gardening tools, car-washing supplies and anything else you want to keep in the garage. Most people arrive at GarageWorks with a pretty good idea of the equipment and accessories they need, but, Seitchek says, "John Tucker, our operations manager, does an excellent job of refining it." Based on experience, Tucker is able to advise homeowners about the best location, within the garage, for each type of cabinetry or storage accessory.

Yard

With spring comes the desire to spruce up not just our homes, but also our yards. "When people are cooped up all winter, they decide they really want to spend more time outside, and they see ways to use the landscape more," says Daniel John, landscape designer with Farmer Brown's Outdoor Services, a full-service tree and landscaping company, owned by John Brown in Raleigh. While spring isn't the optimum time to plant most trees and shrubs (remember, you'll have to be diligent about watering all summer long), it is ideal for making other outdoor improvements, such as installing hardscapes, like patios, retaining walls, and driveways. Many large-scale landscaping projects are too complicated for all but the most daring of do-it-yourselfers, so this is an area where you'll likely benefit from seeking the services of a professional. For more information on landscaping, see page 40.

Once your home and yard are in tiptop shape, you can relax and enjoy the beauty of spring!

Kathy Grant Westbrook is a Freelance Writer