Journey Toward an Organized Home

"Keeping House" is a term I always thought was quite old-fashioned.  Certainly not something with which I needed to concern myself.  But as I find myself growing into more of an adult in many areas of my life, I find that my expectations for my home are maturing as well.  I don't want miscellany strewn across every flat surface, collections of never-used utensils crowding the kitchen drawers, or colored pencils mixed in with the markers.

It's not as though I qualify for the show Hoarders.  In the six years we've lived in our three-level townhome, we've done multiple closet cleanouts and trips to Goodwill or one of those funny donation boxes on the side of the road.  But I often feel as if I'm playing Whack-a-Mole:  one pile of clutter gets cleaned and two more pop up. I launched a search for help de-cluttering my home and came across Home Storage Solutions 101's 52 Weeks to an Organized Home Challenge, which instantly appealed to my competitive nature.  Fifty-two weeks? Pshaw!  I could probably complete the challenge in 52 days!  Or maybe even less!

And with that, the challenge began.  Week One was certainly a success.  According to the challenge, my focus this week (day) was to be on de-cluttering the kitchen counters and sink.  I didn't take "before" pictures for this one, but will for the coming projects.  The most helpful advice from the challenge website was to broaden my definition of "clutter," specifically to remove all appliances, etc. from the counters that aren't used at least on a weekly basis.  That suggestion helped me justify moving the food processor to our shelving unit.  I also pulled out all duplicate and never/rarely-used utensils and appliances and put them all in a box to freecycle.  These two simple moves created enough space on the counters for the cutting boards to lay directly under the knives (why hadn't I thought of that before?!) and for a few "pretty" touches that make me feel so peaceful and happy whenever I walk into the kitchen now.  I used a china pot for our basil and some porcelain wedding gift bowls to hold our fruit, garlic, and onions.

The other finishing touch that I love is the hook and dishrag hanging next to the sink.  We don't have a dishrack, so drying pots and pans are often all over the counter.  Now, I just lay the dishtowel on the counter while I wash, dry the dishes immediately, and put them away.  It's such a simple change, but it keeps the kitchen clutter-free.