Cleaning up Summer Clutter
As we reach the middle of summer, the hottest time of the year is upon us. In some areas across the country, it can even be too hot to swim in the afternoon. This is the perfect time for a house organization project involving the kids. To do this, all you need are Bankers Boxes and plastic baggies in a variety of sizes. Bankers Boxes can be found in big box or office stores, and they are cardboard with lids that require some assembly. They are not as durable as plastic bins, but are smaller and easier to stack and can be recycled as well. These boxes got their unique name from an entrepreneur who conceived the idea for bank records in 1917. After the income tax law was passed, the company expanded for business and personal record use.
To get started with summer cleaning, begin with your closets: pick the messiest and dive in. Gather your family’s gloves, hats and scarfs and box them away for a wintery day. Come September, do the same with bathing suits. This way, seasonal items won’t take up space in your drawers. Label both the front and back of box on the lines provided.
Still have the end-of-the-year pictures, papers and awards lying around? Label a box for each of your children and put the mementos inside. Put fragile items or projects in a Ziploc bag. These Bankers Boxes should be large enough to hold two to three years of school memories. Next, move on to your children’s toys and collections. Start with the items they don’t play with much but still want to keep. My son has tons of Transformer and Star Wars figures boxed up in the closet ready for when he wants to take them out. You can also store personal items of other family members this way. My husband collects aviation and space books but our shelf space is limited, so I grouped according to category and stacked neatly on the top shelf of our closet.
Shoes are another item that can take up space if not stored efficiently. For me, a girl can never have too many shoes. I use the boxes to store boots and winter shoes in the summer and then exchange it out with sandals and flip flops in the wintertime.
The last area to work on is the kitchen pantry. Store away small appliances that may clutter the countertop, like blenders, choppers, mixers and electric knives. Label and stack them neatly. Do the same for BBQ/smoker equipment and ingredients.
Bankers Boxes are also great for the child heading off to college or leaving the nest. We are moving our daughter three hours away to start a new life in a small apartment. We have lined her room with boxes and labeled them according to their contents. The boxes have handles and are easy to move into the car or moving truck. Once unpacked you can then flattened them out and save them for the next move, or send them to recycling.
Happy organizing!