Winter-Friendly Organizing Projects

by Dave Ulacia

You never know when the organizing bug is going to bite. When it does, you could find yourself mucking out the storage shed in November or organizing the game closet in July. So in an effort to alleviate this problem, we thought it would be nice to give you a few things to work on while you wait for the sun to shine again.

Stay Indoors. Those of us living in temperate zones need to remember that it’s cold outside. This is the time to organize the game closet, coat closet, or spice cupboard-not the time to make sense of the tool shed.

The Game Closet
Now that we’re spending more time indoors, we migrate toward the game closet for entertainment. Before long it can be a real mess. Keep it under control with containers for the little things like marbles and dice, bookends to act as dividers on shelves, and larger bags, baskets, or tubs for balls and other items that tend to get out of control. You may even want to hang an organizer on the inside of the door for things like video game controllers, T.V. remotes, or pool cue chalk.

The Coat Closet
This is an area that is in constant disarray this time of year. With skiing and sledding adventures and trips outside to shovel snow or build a snowman, your coat closet runs the risk of getting torn apart several times each week. Use baskets and containers inside the closet for gloves, scarves, and hats so kids can put them back where they belong quickly without stringing them throughout the house. And a few closet dividers can keep your winter coats separated from your spring jackets.

Spice Cupboards and Drawers
The colder months with shorter days leave us with a little more time to kill. That often leads to hot chocolate, spice cake, warm soup, and homemade bread. Now that you’re using more cooking utensils, you’re probably struggling to make room for them in your drawers. Use a tall jar for things like wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, and wire whisks. They look nice on the counter or they can hide away in your pantry. This will leave more room for other items in your drawers.

It also helps to place your most frequently used spices in a tote that you can keep by your stove when you’re cooking and quickly return it to the cupboard when you’re done. This will help eliminate hunting and searching while your food is burning.

What’s your favorite thing to organize during the winter? We’d love to hear about it – just leave us a comment below.

Good luck and happy organizing!