Organization a good New Year’s resolution

KAREN WIGHT

Happy New Year.

I go into my annual cleaning frenzy the week after Christmas. When

the new stuff comes in, the old stuff goes out. I’ve realized that

keeping the house organized is an uphill battle. I have four other

people working against me 24/7, but I refuse to relent -- I need a

little order in our otherwise hectic existence.

There are plenty of resources to help keep organization

interesting. Retail stores like Hold Everything and the Container

Store, and closet companies such as California Closets, Closet World

and Closet Factory help clean up the clutter. There are even

organizing services that come into your home or office to do the

dirty work for you.

Specialty markets abound and you can tidy your pantry, your

bathrooms, your closets and your garage, virtually every space in

your home. As the storage business evolves, so do clever innovations.

If you haven’t seen the latest in storage “upgrades,” then read on.

I’ll share a few with you.

The garage is possibly the last frontier in your home to steal

usable space. Garages are a virtually unlimited source of

possibilities. There are opportunities for overhead storage,

cabinets, workbenches and sports stations. Any sport, no matter how

obscure, seems to have an accessory organizer. Does someone in the

family surf? You can install wall brackets with foam-padded arms to

keep the boards off the ground and easily accessible. Wetsuits can be

stored in vented cupboards with plastic or galvanized steel bottoms.

Skateboards, skim boards, boogie boards, snowboards and skis can

be stored in cabinets with vertical separators. Basketballs,

volleyballs, handballs, soccer balls and footballs all have their own

tricky contraptions.

In the kitchen, you can install pull-out drawers, utensil inserts,

cutlery inserts, roll-out wire baskets for storing potatoes and

onions, slats to separate platters, cereal box pullouts, trash-can

pullouts and ladder pullouts to reach the inaccessible areas.

The sky is the limit for bedroom closets. From laminates to

stained woods, there are closet designs for every budget. Closet

storage companies even offer upscale options for crown molding and

beautiful hardware.

There are lockable, velvet-lined jewelry trays; Lucite drawer

fronts for viewing sweaters; telescoping rods to hang the

dry-cleaning until you have time to put it away; single-hung,

double-hung and triple-hung rod units; shoe cubbies, shoe racks, shoe

tilt outs, shoe slats and shoe shelves.

You can organize your laundry room with fold-out ironing boards,

sorting hampers and gift-wrapping centers. If you have a

front-loading washer and dryer, you can install countertops to

maximize your folding area.

Need a space for the kids’ collectibles when they come home from

school? The mudroom concept is still alive and you can install

storage space that incorporates a bench, drawers to store shoes,

hooks to hang the backpacks and beanies, book cubbies and cupboard

storage.

Now comes the hard part. The biggest secret to being

well-organized is to edit, which means throwing things away. It’s a

tough concept, especially for those who have the dominant pack-rat

gene. If you haven’t used an item for a year or more, think about why

you need to have it around.

Do you have gift-wrap left over from the ‘80s? Do you keep every

shopping bag that comes into the house? It’s time to renew, reuse and

recycle. If you’re not using it, then perhaps someone else can. Or

maybe it simply needs to say good-bye. After all, it’s a fresh new

year.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.