Thanks to Cindy Bernstein of Aim4Order for this episode of Tips from the Pros with some easy organizing jobs around the house.

You don’t have to do these quick organizing jobs all at once. Break things down into smaller tasks that are easier. Here is a list of some of the jobs that will take about a half hour or less to get you started.

Organize the kitchen junk drawer

We all have a drawer where we put things that don’t logically go anywhere else. The drawer can become overstuffed and that makes it difficult to find anything. Donate or trash things you never use or don’t really need. You’ll have more space for the things you want to keep.

Downsize your DVDs/CDs

Do you still use DVDs and CDs? Or do you watch everything on Netflix and listen to streaming music services these days? If you don’t watch the DVDs or listen to the CDs, you can give them away. If you do, organize what you have alphabetically and get rid of anything you don’t want.

Shred old papers

How many years’ worth of tax receipts do you have? In most cases, you only need to hold onto paperwork from the last seven years. Check with your accountant if you are not sure. Shred before you recycle anything that has your personal information on it.

Pet owners, get out the lint roller

I’ll bet your jackets have pet hair on them. If not, congratulations! You get to skip this one. If you do have pet hair, it seems to stick to certain things like wool, more than others. Go over them with the lint roller, especially if you are going to pack winter coats away for the summer.

Microwave

When was the last time you cleaned the inside of the microwave? Every now and then you might have an explosion of food in there so you need to stay on top of cleaning the microwave. The longer food bits stay in there, the harder they are to remove.

Remotes and house phones

Use disinfectant wipes and go over the buttons of your house phones and remote control devices. Our hands are germ magnets and we handle those remotes constantly. You might have remotes for the tv, DVD, ceiling fan – whatever remotes are around, wipe them down. If you have a burglar alarm, those keypads could use a wipe down too. Don’t clean your cell phone with these wipes. You need to use glasses cleaner and a soft cloth to clean them.

Clear out below the sink

You can do this in the kitchen, bathroom or both places. The area below sinks seems to attract all sorts of things. Begin by completely emptying the area. Get rid of old cleaning supplies you never use. Toss old cosmetics. Wipe down the bottom of the area with disinfectant wipes or you can use sudsy warm water. Then put things back in an orderly fashion. Put the things you use the most in the front.

Downsize costume jewelry

If you wear a lot of costume jewelry, you know that it can go out of style after a while. Take everything out of the jewelry box. Donate what you no longer wear and organize what is left. Untangle necklaces. Put like things together like earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces.

Birthday list 

Put birthdays for the rest of the year in your calendar. Facebook has many birthdays of your friends and family members listed so that can get you started. If you use Google calendaror iCal you can import the Facebook birthdays directly to your computer and/or phone calendar.

The tasks on this list don’t require a lot of time, but give you a great feeling of satisfaction when you finish them. I’m sure you can think of some other quick organizing jobs around your home.

Need additional assistance? Contact Cindy to figure out the steps to helping you get organized.

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