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Organizing the Home

Buy organization tools before or after moving?

11 years ago

I am moving in about six weeks. One of my major goals is to improve my kitchen organization. I am declutting right now to help. I am wondering if it is better to buy canisters, drawer organizers, etc. before or after moving? On the one hand I don't want more stuff to move, on the other I like the idea of having everything handy to be organized as I unpack.

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Comments (7)

lazy_gardens
11 years ago
Do you know how big the drawers and cupboards are?

If you do a major de-cluttering, and if you are certain what you need, before makes sense so you can install the organizes, then unpack.

But if you don't have drawer and shelf info, wait until you get there, take measurements and make one shopping trip for the organizers.
camlan
11 years ago
Having moved a lot, my suggestion would be to wait until you are in the new house before buying anything.

Before you move, declutter everything you can.

What I've found is that I end up with a new organizational system in every single kitchen that I've had. Drawers are different sizes, cabinets are in different places, counter space is configured completely differently. Stuff I had in drawers in one kitchen ends up in baskets in a cabinet in the next, and out on the counter in another.

In one big, huge, old kitchen, the cabinets were so far apart I ended up buying two measuring cups and two sets of measuring spoons, to save having to walk across the kitchen so much. One set in the baking area, the other set stayed near the sink. The next kitchen was so tiny, I could cross in three steps, and I got rid of all the duplicates because I no longer needed them.

Unless you have free access to your new kitchen and can spend some time in there, pretending to bake a cake and make a casserole and wash dishes and chop vegetables. Then you can get an idea of what you need stored by the stove and near the sink. Then you could measure the interior of cabinets and drawers and buy some organizers.

But I'd really recommend living with the new kitchen for a few weeks and then buying new organizers, because you might end up with a completely different idea of where you want things stored.
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jannie
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Think of moving as two steps: Step one, as you pack, declutter rurhlessly. Throw out anything old, not used much, beat up, duplicate,etc. And Step Two-once you are there moved in, move in slowly and find the "perfect" place for each and every item. As you put things away, you'll determine what organizing tools, systems,etc you need. Example, hmm, I have a broom, a mop,a dustpan, I'd like to hang them near that closet over there, so I'll go to the hardware store today and buy a rack for hanging these things. And so on.
talley_sue_nyc
11 years ago
As far as what to get--there are *some* things that are useful to have on hand.

Command hooks, for example.
The expandable three-tier shelf organizers.
A Brother P-touch labeler.
Shelf liner.

Maybe you already know that you want your flour on the counter in a canister.

Otherwise, I agree that you might wait until you're at a point that you can measure shelves, drawer interiors, etc.

And until then, declutter like a maniac.

And, research your options.
(do a little looking in the stores near you, or online w/ your favorite sources. Check out the sizes of shelf tiers; the "shelves that slide" options, etc.)
Then when you're ready to pull the trigger, you'll know what tools will be available and where to find them.
melody-s
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the advice. I do have a bit of a shopping bug after saving so long for the house :)

I did get a bit of Tupperware which I have used and liked in the past. I also bought a label maker. Command hooks and shelf liner make sense, but I will hold off on the rest. The point is to get rid of clutter, not create more of it :)
talley_sue_nyc
11 years ago
Use up your "shopping bug" by researching stuff!

Here are some neat sites:

StacksAndStacks.com

ContainerStore.com
BedBathAndBeyond.com
Organize.com
OrganizeIt.com
HoldNDtorage.com/
www.shopgetorganized.com/
talley_sue_nyc
11 years ago
And here are some extra-neat products. More involved, but the punch can be really strong:

ShelvesThatSlide.com -- custom-sized pullouts that you install yourself.

They'll help you maximize the space toward the back. I want to install 3 of them in one cabinet, maybe 4 (one for a tall space on the bottom shelf, and the others closely spaced above it to hold canned goods lying on their sides).

I have this basket/shelf combo under my kitchen sink, and it's GREAT!
I can put smaller stuff in the basket, and it lets me use the deep back of the cabinet. But I can set stuff on TOP of those small items, because of the shelf! It truly doubles the capacity down there.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12307632&RN=1011&;

I like tray dividers like these; my advice: space them closely, not wide--so that items don't lean, but instead stand up straight. (depends what you put in there, of course--if you were storing 3 cookies sheets, that space in the picture is too narrow.)
http://www.organize.com/tray-dividers.html

(not sure those are my favorites--I have ones w/ stronger clips. Rev-a-Shelf, i think.)

Oooh, here are cool! Would let you closely space the shelves in the UPPER cabinets (which would be good for me, bcs I'm short enough that if I left them spaced widely, I wouldn't be able to reach the 2nd shelf)

http://www.organize.com/linus-spice-organizers.html
I have something like these that i like. I can pull the whole box of spices down if I need it without knocking them over etc.

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