Project Recap: Spring Organizing – Kitchen Cabinet Edition

Need: Even organizers need to take time to edit, edit again, re-sort, and change up their organizing solutions.

Solution: Review all content in cabinets, evaluate current organizing systems and make any necessary changes to the products, placement, and cabinet use.

Method:

1. Clear out each cabinet

2. are no longer of use.

3. Review contents – discard expired items, donate both duplicates and items that are no longer of use.

   We are sticklers about expirations dates (Shannon more than Jared) and even we found spices in our cabinet that had expired. It was a horrifying moment for Shannon, but a good lesson that even the expiration police can miss a date!

4. Analyze previous placement and make any necessary changes

   We originally had our baking supplies in mismatched jars, and after a few crazy months of non-stop work and travel, our baking cabinet got a little out of control, with no system whatsoever. We decided to forgo the mismatched jars and put all our flours and sugars in the ProKeeper containers from The Container Store. This line has snap-out levelers, dusting spoons & screens and terracotta disk inserts.

5. Implement new systems and products when needed

   We had an abundance of various teas in a corner of the cabinet. It was hard to identify our inventory and all the labels caused visual overload every time we opened the cabinet. We removed all the teas from the boxes and found a great storage solution. Now the tea nook is super calming… exactly how a tea nook should be.

6. Label!

   We prefer handwritten labels in our kitchen – we like the homey feel. We replaced all our printed labels with handwritten chalkboard stickers and washi tape labels.
   

Tidy Tip:
As mentioned earlier, we’re the expiration police - when you’re swapping out containers, remember to write the expiration date on a piece of washi tape. You can conceal the label by hiding it on the bottom of the jar or container.  We think washi tape works best here. We also like to label the inside cabinet door with the inventory for easy reference (see spice cabinet photo).

Products:

·  The Container Store: ProKeeper Baker’s Storage

·  The Container Store: InterDesign Linus Spice Rack

·  The Container Store: Linus Tea Storage Box

·  Target: Threshold Round Glass Spice Jar With Copper Metal Lid

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10 Tips for a Tidy Spring

Spring is always a great time for home organizing projects. While Tidy Nest has been busy on-site helping our clients get ready for spring, we wanted to share some easy spring tasks that you can tackle on your own!

Here are our Top 10 Tips to get your home ready for Spring:

1. When switching out your winter clothes, use weather-tight bins to ensure your clothing is protected from moisture, dirt and pests.

2. This is a great time to identify the items you didn’t wear this season and donate or give to someone else who will enjoy them.

3. Add cedar & lavender sachets to your closet and storage bins to get rid of any musty odors. These are easy to DIY, or to find at an Arts & Crafts store or from Amazon.

4. Go through your pantry and discard any expired items and donate any non-perishable items you don’t use.

5. Take everything out of your refrigerator, discard any expired items, wipe everything down and add some baskets or see-through containers to corral loose items like kids’ snacks, fruit or that hot sauce collection.

6. Edit your food container collection, recycle anything that doesn’t have a top!

7. Find your sunscreen from last summer and check the expiration date. If it’s expired, you can actually use it as shaving cream, unless it looks and smells funky...then toss it!

8. Wipe down all your winter boots and shoes and store them in shoe containers to avoid dust and mold. Be sure to add one of your cedar & lavender sachets to keep the shoes smelling fresh. You’ll add years on to your shoes’ lifespan!

9. Pull out all your outdoor garden supplies, wipe everything down and take stock of what you have / don’t have so you’re not overbuying on that first trip to the nursery!

10. Clean out your car! Replace the snow brushes for the picnic blanket, throw away all those old receipts and food wrappers, and remove all the contents from your car console.

From your home, to your garden and your car, you’ll find yourself more inspired by the spaces you’ll be frequenting this Spring!

Happy Organizing!

-Tidy Nest Team

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