De-clutter and rearrange: Organizer shares spring cleaning tips

Now that spring has sprung, it might finally be time to muster up the motivation and tackle that closet packed full of the “I’ll wear this when I lose 20 pounds” clothes. Though it might be easier to grab the dog leash and enjoy the great weather instead, up-and-coming professional organizer Georgina Elkin said jumping into the clutter will help more than just your closet.

“Organizing and de-cluttering can be a cathartic experience,” said Elkin, who lives in the Greystone area of U.S. Highway 280. “In my experience, people always have a reason for not doing it. You need to commit to doing it in order to get it done.”

Those reasons, she said, can vary from emotional attachments to being overwhelmed by the magnitude of a project. 

“If your stuff can’t breathe,” said Elkin, “how can you?”

Elkin said she’s always been of fan of organization and tidiness. Growing up as the daughter of a contractor, one who was always in the middle of one project or another, made Elkin want to keep her personal spaces, at least, as tidy as she could. Her love for organization only grew as she got older, she said, and when she learned that that people would pay for organization advice, Elkin began taking classes with the National Association of Professional Organizers. Elkin said she aims to become an official NAPO Certified Professional Organizer®, one who has completed 1,500 hours of paid client work during a three-year period, this year. 

Elkin has organized everything from her own kitchen pantry to the closets, bedrooms and toy rooms of friends and customers. 

For those who are simply overwhelmed with where to start, Elkin recommends starting small.

“Start with a drawer,” she said. “You’d be surprised just how organized you can make a small space.”

Elkin recommends using separating bins, small boxes and even designating a drawer to house specific things — like only candles — to help in the organizing process. 

Crucial to the process, whether big or small, she said, is to not only to reorganize a space, but to also remove items that simply do not belong anymore. When it comes to clothes, for example, Elkin said its best to keep two sizes up from your current size and two sizes down—nothing more. 

“You need to be a realistic when it comes to your closet,” she said with a laugh. “When a woman or a man reaches a certain age, it’s probably best to stay away from old college clothes.”

Sometimes it helps, she said, to think about what good that clothes might do for someone else.

“I like to say that if you don’t take your clothes out to have a good time anymore, you should give them up so they can go have fun with someone else,” said Elkin. 

Donating clothes to shelters, collection sites and even churches can help accomplish that. There are also online boutique shops that will take designer clothes — sometimes for a profit — she said. 

When it comes to toys, Elkin recommends a similar mentality.

“Talk to your kids about why it’s time to give away some toys rather than just take them away,” she said. “Explain to them that rather than sit in a corner, old toys can help make other kids happy.”

In her own home, Elkin said she makes purging toys a regular occurrence. Her son, a second-grader at Highlands School in Mountain Brook and a Cub Scout there, knows to expect it. 

“Before Christmas, he knows it will be time to sit down with me and go through the toys he no longer plays with,” said Elkin. “I also take him with me when I donate the toys so that he will understand what will happen to what maybe once was his favorite toy.”

Elkin is also a believer of the “in one toy, out one toy,” practice, where her son must choose a toy to donate each time he receives a new one.  

In the kitchen, Elkin said it’s all about maximizing efficiency. 

“Put things where they make sense,” she said. “You want your pots, pans and spoons to stir, near the stove. You want things you use on a daily basis, like cups and plates, within arm’s reach.”

Seldom-used items, like large standing mixers or ice cream machines, said Elkin, should be stored high-up. 

“Don’t be afraid to go ‘up’ in tight spaces,” she said. “When there isn’t room around you or on floor-level, you can always install shelves to maximize the space available. Just be sure to keep a step-stool handy.”

Creating an enviable pantry doesn’t have to cost a fortune, said Elkin. Well-established professional organizers charge approximately $100 an hour, and beginners, like her, will charge around $50 an hour, she said. For those do-it-yourselfers confident enough to do it on their own, Elkin recommends a high-low mix.

“There are so many resources out there,” said Elkin. “I’ll go to Big Lots to pick up things like bins and boxes and splurge a little more on sturdy storage shelves and water-proof bins for priceless possessions like photographs.”

Elkin said that in a bedroom for example, a good splurge would be on something like a bed, mixed in with online consignment finds — like a headboard — that can be repurposed to your style.  

“A good starting point,” she said, “is to start with what you have and add from there. I’m a big fan of the clearance rack at just about any store. Pottery Barn, for example, always has a clearance rack at the back of the store.”

Organization is important, she said, in a 900-square-foot apartment the same way it is in a large, multilevel house.

“Just because you have the space,” she said, “doesn’t mean you need to keep it.”

For more tips and information from Elkin, visit noworganizethis.com. To contact Elkin, email her at gelkin@noworganizethis.com.