In this edition of Clean Everything—day three of our organizing challenge—our experts talk through how to restore order in your messy, high-traffic spaces. Plus a “genius” bathroom-organizing hack and a truly beautiful brush set.
Some of the places most prone to disorganization are, unsurprisingly, those you visit the most—we’re talking your fridge, pantry, and medicine cabinet.
In these places, establishing a system that prioritizes convenience is paramount. Yes, everything should have a designated and discrete home—but the things you reach for frequently should also be very easy to find, take out, and most important, put back.
Today your organizing challenge is to pick one high-traffic space and reorganize it. Make the things you use most often easier to access. You’ll be more likely to actually put things back where they belong, instead of cluttering your countertops or floors.
Here are five ways our journalists have applied this basic strategy:
- A “genius” bathroom-organizing hack: Senior staff writer Rose Maura Lorre keeps her everyday bathroom essentials hanging on a magnetic knife rack (yes, the kind that goes in kitchens). It’s on the inside of her medicine cabinet doors, so it’s out of sight. But it keeps many daily essentials, like bobby pins and tweezers, in an easily accessible place.
- File your food storage container lids: If you find yourself sorting through a mismatched avalanche of lids for the containers you use everyday, consider using this $20 slotted organizer to file them standing up. That way, the lids are easy to see at a glance, take out, and file back in.
- Organize your pantry into themed zones: Instead of placing, say, all 14-ounce cans or 18-ounce jars together, group your pantry items into themed categories: snacks, baking supplies, condiments and spreads—almost like grocery store aisles. Keep the most-used “aisles” at eye level. Clear storage containers can help keep everything in your pantry visible, which makes it easier to use up ingredients before buying more.
- Put a lazy Susan in your fridge: Since the fridge is an area that tends to be in flux, a spinning turntable can help keep your essentials within easy reach. Our kitchen experts offer a lot of advice in our full guide to taming a fridge, but a basic principle to follow is to put the things you use often (or want to finish first) front and center, and store ingredients you’ll use only occasionally in corners that are harder to reach.
