It's here! Renew 2022... my week-long home organization and purging series! It feels so good to get rid of old items I'm no longer using, purge the junk, and create organized spaces in my home!
Each day this week, I'll be sharing a small area of my home where I'm purging, donating, trashing, organizing....something! I have always loved decluttering and now that we've been in our home for about 3 months, I've gotten rid of the major things, but areas like our kitchen junk drawer and under the sink were starting to pile up! I knew that it was time to spend a few minutes on the often overlooked areas of the house. It's the small things like "looking for a pen that works" that can really add simplicity and ease to your life.
MONDAY: KITCHEN JUNK DRAWER
I have to go big on the first day, right?! I knew it was time to tackle this drawer when it got jammed last week and I had to ask my husband to come save the day and get it open again.
In reality, I spent maybe 30 minutes on this drawer. It's so easy to do if you grab a drawer organizer of some kind - I opted for this acrylic multi-size tray pack and loved it. Since it comes with so many trays, I was able to use them in another utensil drawer, my desk drawers, and some bathroom drawers. Love the value!
After you organize something, it never fails: you have leftovers! What are you supposed to do with this random padlock? Balloon arch accessories? Keys? Well, if those items have a designated spot in the house, you put everything back where it belongs OR you make a spot for them. But after that, you throw it away (or donate, if possible/useful). I *love* throwing things away or taking them to a donation drop spot if they are items that are in good condition and can benefit someone, but for the most part....this stuff is TRASH!!!
I asked my husband to look through the leftovers just to make sure there was nothing he wanted to keep (just in case!) and he barely glanced at it...maybe like .2 seconds. Trash trash trash!
Here is the Kitchen Drawer before/after video of the that I shared on Instagram. I still probably have too many dry erase markers (not sue why!) but wow - what an improvement!! I can't tell you it has already made me to have fresh pens and post-it notes handy! :) It's the small things, right?!
Organization items (and gold scissors!) linked below!
tuesday: CLOSET PURGE
The closet challenge is all about purging old items! You really will have a hard time organizing anything until you get rid of the excess. In the case of my master closet, I plan to do a renovation and make it more functional later this year, so I focused on removing any unnecessary items in the meantime.
Here are some idea starters to break it down. You could really spend a week just purging your wardrobe, but baby steps make it all happen.
- get rid of 10 socks (easiest place to start!)
- throw out any underwear and bras that you don't feel great in
- say goodbye to sloppy pajamas and loungewear. (I know you've gotten new ones!)
- donate your old jeans (tip: trade them in at Madewell and get $20 off a new pair!)
- don't forget: jewelry and hair accessories
- sweat in style and get rid of any old workout clothes (my drawers were STUFFED!)
WEDNESDAY: OFFICE/BOOKSHELF
This one doesn't seem like a big deal, but I promise it was much-needed! I definitely want to decorate my office space, but for now I'm using furniture from our old house, including these gold bookshelves. I don't love them in the space, but they are functional and they're going to stick around for a while! I had let them get a little junk from just adding random knick-knacks and books to them, so they were definitely due for a refresh!
Nothing too drastic here, but the big challenge is:
- get rid of 10 books!
You might be thinking "10? that's it?" Yep! I promise even "just 10" will make a difference! After I cleared out my unwanted books, I refreshed each shelf and got rid of a few knick-knacks. Like I said, these shelves are functional, so I still have to use them as storage, but I tried to balance form and function.
I ended up getting rid of 12-15 books and took them to Half Price Books...they paid me $10.11 for them! I call that a win! ;) Sometimes selling your old items is a huge hassle so I don't bother, but this was an easy process and I'm happy with my "new" office!
THURSDAY: BEAUTY/MAKEUP BAG
Oh. My. Goodness.
I'm horrified at the outcome of today's makeup/beauty cleanout! Yuck! I went through my makeup bag and had quite a few items that were wayyyy expired! Not to mention, my makeup bag was disgusting and covered in makeup powder and grime. Ugh so gross.
Today's Reels video was my favorite!
Start with a makeup clean-out, then treat yourself to a new makeup bag. I grabbed this makeup bag from Amazon and it's small so it's perfect for travel and to keep me from adding junk to it!
I also added a few organization items to make my bathroom space function a little better for my beauty routine: these cotton pad/swab jars, and these stackable acrylic drawers!
FRIDAY: UNDER THE SINK
The kitchen sink. Where cleaning products go to die. ;)
Ok since I do love to organize, my sink wasn't horrible, but also...given that I love to organize, my sink was HORRIBLE. Ya know? Why did I have multiple glass cleaners? Only one rubber glove? Hmmm.
I threw out old cleaning products and was left with my essentials. I didn't do too much, but added some organizers that fit with the plumbing under the sink.
Here's my Reels video showing the before and after.
By far, the most asked about item was the acrylic drawer that I have my dishwasher pods in, and let me tell you...one week in and I don't know why I didn't do this sooner! It's so much easier to get a pod out! Here's a photo of it in action.
I hope some of these small projects have inspired you to declutter and renew your space for 2022! I loved getting messages throughout the week from friends, family, and followers saying that they had been inspired to throw things out or make a donation run to Goodwill. Love it!