Organizing the Forgotten Corners

Here’s an interesting observation – the less time you spend interacting with a space, the more likely it is to become cluttered. In places like the linen closet and the recesses of your silverware drawer, you get in, find what you’re looking for, and get out. Because they’re not on display to the world, it’s tempting to save time by throwing things in and letting them fall where they may. However, even if you only access them once a week, keeping these locations organized can save you loads of time – say, when you need superglue or fresh bed sheets.

So to make these spaces effective, they need intuitive organization. They need a system where after you open the drawer to put something away, your mind zips right to the spot where it goes and your hand follows suit. Here are some ideas to streamline the forgotten corners of your living space:

Kitchen Utensils – Has it been a while since you’ve seen your ice cream scoop? All too often, our kitchen drawers just aren’t up to the task of holding all the various utensils we put in there, especially with the rise of specialty cookware. Santoku knives, micro graters, infomercial knives that can cut through your shoe; none of these fit into the old plastic silverware dividers with the spoon silhouettes. They often end up in the space to the side of the organizer in a jumbled mess.

The first step to sorting out your drawer is to make more places to sort with. Not all drawer organizers are created equal, after all. Flatware organizers have smaller slots than dedicated utensil organizers, and they offer more spaces for sorting smaller utensils. You’ll also want to look for organizers with expandable sides, so that you can use all the space in your drawer without smaller utensils sliding under the organizer and getting lost.

And if you still find yourself with no room for utensils, it might be time for a shakeup. You could turn one of your drawers into a spice rack and use the former spice cupboard space to store your egg separator. 

Fitted Sheets – Maybe there’s some hidden trick for folding fitted sheets into a standard flat package, but generally, folding fitted sheets can be such a pain. Trying to match up the rounded corners while keeping the elastic part on the inside makes them lumpy and unwieldy.

So, when you’re folding your bed linens, try making a rolled package. Fold your top sheets and pillowcases into long rectangles, and then lay them out on your fitted sheet. Fold the fitted sheet over as best you can, and then roll the whole package up as tightly as you can, tucking in the ends. Without any more folding, you now have an easy-to-stack roll. The next time you change your sheets, you won’t be searching for pillowcases under mounds of floppy fitted sheets.

Nobody likes sitting in the corner. Spending some upfront time organizing them will make it that much easier to do what’s needed and get on with life.

What are some of the forgotten corners you’ve had to deal with in your quest for organization?