FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Home for the holidays

Home for the holidays

Take advantage of the upcoming Songkran to clear out those cupboards

IF YOU prefer to stay away from water gun-wielding warriors over the long Songkran holiday, you can perhaps use some of that all-too-rare free time to declutter your home. 
The key concept in organising your home begins with a honest appraisal of your habits and routines and then planning your storage in a way that works well for you and your lifestyle. Ikea, the home furnishings and decorative items retailer from Sweden, offers tips on five steps to getting organised. 

Home for the holidays

Sort your things: Group your possessions into categories that make sense to you. You can group items together by type, activity, frequency of use, and physical characteristics, or even by the owner in homes where people live together. Don’t go overboard with too many categories, however.
Reduce the amount: Give away, sell, or discard items that are broken, worn out, unwanted, or never used.
Assign a place: Give each category a specific storage location. Store items close to where you will use and need them. Place a name tag on the items to make categorisation and search that much easier.
Count and measure: Count and measure the items in your categories. Determine the amount and type of space required.
Choose a storage solution: Select storage solutions that match the physical requirements of your items, the space available, and your organisational preferences.

Home for the holidays

Easy storage ideas for each part of your home 
Wardrobe 
Sorting and storing clothes and shoes is a priority for most of us. You can start by separating what to hang from what to fold. This will help determine how much space and what type of storage you need. Then, sort by type (trousers, shirts, skirts) and use (work, leisure, sport) and create the categories that work for you. If you prefer, also sort by colour, material, and season. Choose a wardrobe with rails for hanging long clothes and drawers for the folded items. Keep items that are seldom used on the top shelf in your wardrobe.

Home for the holidays

Bathroom 
The bathroom is shared by all family members but it’s also the most private room. Organise your bathroom by sorting items according to the owner and by creating solutions that work for everyone. A shallow wall-mounted cabinet above the wash basin is a good place to store small items that you use often, like toothbrushes, razors and make-up. Mirror doors are useful and save wall space. Drawers can keep the personal items of each family member while small containers, trays, and dividers can also keep things organised. Shelves are great for towels.

Home for the holidays

Work station 
Nowadays, many of us work at home. While finding a place for the computer and printer can be a challenge, filing cabinets or shelves are a must and remain one of the best ways to organise and file papers and documents. Tall, narrow filing cabinets work well in corners, low ones make use of space under windows, while a small filing cabinet on castors can be ideally placed under a desk.
The hectic pace of modern life sometimes makes it difficult for family members to stay in touch with each other. A tidy spot in the home where all family members can leave and pick up messages, mail, and bills can bring about some much-needed organisation. A noticeboard gives everyone the opportunity to receive and post messages. Clocks and calendars help you keep track of appointments. Wall-mounted magazine holders can help sort and store incoming mail. Key cabinets help keep track of keys which the whole family needs to use, including those for the house and car, making things better organised and saving you time.

Home for the holidays

To achieve your storage solution goals, just keep the following in mind:
-Make the time to make the change.
-You don’t have to do everything at once. 
-Even a small change makes a big difference.

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