‘Back to school’ time affects the entire home. Whilst your first thoughts might be to concentrate on creating harmony and space in the kids rooms and play areas, the reality is that from the moment you wake up and rush to get out the door, until pick up, homework, dinner, bath and bed… it’s a full house exercise. Exhausting right?!
So hit the ground running with these 10 tips that will help you start off the school year as you mean to go on…
- The kitchen.
On school days your kitchen is the very heart of hurried breakfasts, half drank cuppas and homework central. Look closely at your fridge/pantry situation – could you separate shelves for packed lunch items? Could you dedicate a specific pantry shelf to ‘help-yourself’ after school snacks?
- The Living area
Ideally your living area should be clutter free and a neutral space dedicated to enjoying conversation, television and general hanging out. By creating a storage system for books, magazines, video games and DVD’s you are allowing the family to be together at the right times.
- The entire house!
Any room that you and your kids waste time looking for items needs to be organized!
- The point of entry
How quickly you and your team can get out of the house of a morning really depends on how quickly you can find your essentials. You need a specific somewhere for bags, jackets, hats, wallets, keys and phone chargers… so that it is there when you need it.
- Go easy on yourself – start off small
Declutter areas that hold last year’s homework and art works and make way for new masterpieces. If you have time scan in the good stuff – because there is so much more to come!!
- The Laundry Room
The laundry really does see the worst of us. Back to school means activities galore and the playground dirt and grime to match. Invest in some quality tubs, one for each member of your family and get the older kids to pitch in with folding and sorting.
- The Kids’ Closets
Best to tackle this one without the kids. If it’s old, out of season or too small, it no longer has a place in this closet and should go to someone who needs it more.
- Kids study and play area
Kids need somewhere quiet to be productive. If possible, keep media and TV in a separate spot so that distractions are limited but creativity is encouraged.
- The Bathroom
Did you know that the bathroom is actually the busiest room in the house? To keep the household moving try organizing toiletries in marked buckets or baskets. Remember to utilise hanging space behind the door. Howard’s Storage World has some excellent ‘over door’ hangers if you don’t want to install permanent hooks.
- Sit back and enjoy
It’s hard to go back to school. An organized home will make it that bit easier though. If you can find everything you need you are naturally more relaxed and you’ll have more time to enjoy your kids and your family.
And of course, if you need some professional advice on organising your home for 2018 do not hesitate to get in touch on 9108 5700. We would love to help.