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Storage experts tell us that if we can get organized, we can change our lives. But that can be difficult when our space is tight, we live with pack rats, there are children at home or we buy in bulk to save money.

Paring back on our stuff is one of the best ways we can help ourselves get organized, but even once we've done that, most of us still need a storage system to improve our home storage capacity and to control clutter from piling back up! Get answers here to frequently asked storage and organization questions, along with some get-organized now tips!

How can I stop losing the car keys?

There's a simple rule about organization: We lose what there's no home for. Most things we own have a home. We know where the socks, shirts, laundry detergent and dishes go. But other items always fall victim to being misplaced, and they're the ones we use the most... keys, purses, remote controls, reading glasses, cell phones, bills. When there's no one designated place to put things, things get put anywhere.

STORAGE SOLUTION: create a permanent home for everything that's used a lot. Choose one place for your keys... hang them on a key hook, put them in a shallow drawer or in a small tray in the foyer, or in a very specific pocket in your handbag. Keep your remote control in a pocket on the edge of a sofa, inside a coffee table drawer or in a shallow tray on the table, or a storage bin below it. Hang your purse on a wall hook, and put your reading glasses in the same pocket of your handbag every time. Keep your cell phone in a recharging area. Allocate every item to one place and one place alone.

Does looking organized count?

Looking organized can be a first step to being organized. It can also motivate us. Poor organization is less the result of inadequate storage space or a missing organization chip in our heads than a missing storage system. The good news is that when it comes to organization, we can fake-it-until-we-make-it. In other words, if we can make ourselves look more organized, we'll become more organized.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Create visual prompts to remind yourself (and everyone else) what goes where... labels are a great way to do this; so are open shelves with storage bins and clear glass doors on cabinets. Use attractive storage bins or storage shelves that inspire you to get organized and stay that way.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Create easy, quick and obvious places to store things – wall hooks are one of the greatest inventions ever. So are small rather than large drawers where you can allocate specific things rather than many things. If you don't have smaller drawers, section off space inside a bigger drawer and designate specific things to each section.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Use geometry to your advantage. A straight line of pictures on a wall (rather than a staggered one) makes us feel in control. A repeating pattern inspires us to get organized. In fact, one of the reasons modern rooms look s clean and efficient is that they thrive on repeating squares, circles and simple geometry. Choose structured, geometric cubby holes and grid-like bookcases to feel and get organized more quickly.

How can I increase my storage capacity without adding space?

If space is tight, why not turn storage into display? Displaying things that are both attractive and useful adds texture or color to a room, shows off our personality, or draws attention to a lifetime of collecting. Since our walls are often the least used real estate in our homes, use them to store everything from scarves, ties and hats to knives, jars, plates and pots and photographs.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Use your wall space to store items that look good together. Keep knives together on a long strip magnet under your kitchen cabinets. Hang, pots and pans from a wall or ceiling rack. Rally spices together on a narrow shelf rack. Hang scarves or ties on a row of wall hooks. Coral your books into a tall bookcase to create a cozy library corner.

What's separation anxiety, and am I suffering from it?

We're all guilty of separating things that belong together. Separation anxiety happens when we expend too much time and energy running from room to room or within a room to get something done. Stamps and envelopes may live separated lives, calculators may be nowhere near checkbooks, cleaning supplies may be scattered about, and sheet sets dismembered. Blow dryers may be near an outlet, but nowhere near hair accessories and makeup.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Create activity zones. Little will save as much time, frustration and footsteps as keeping things that are used together in one place, or zone. A zone can be a shelf, a drawer, a piece of furniture or the corner of a room that contains everything needed for a particular activity. The amount of zones in a room can be limitless, but each should be based on performing a specific task such as cutting vegetables, paying bills, grooming, assembling party supplies, working, etc.

How can I create a storage system that I'll maintain?

A storage system will only work if it's quick, easy to maintain and works for you. Developing your own methods to get organized means understanding how you live and where you like to do things. If you pay bills in bed or work on the sofa, create a way to stay organized while you do. Putting things back where they belong must be just as easy as getting them out (or easier), or it isn't going to happen. It also helps to notice which items you use most often... keep them close and easily accessible.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Create a one-in, one-out rule. For every new item you bring in the house, decide what you'll remove. It's not practical to do this every time you add something, but roughly track how many new things you add to your home (not counting food) every month, then cull through your closets a few times a year to balance the scale.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Keep similar things together. Create categories of supplies and keep them together... keepsakes, party supplies, holiday decorations, beach supplies, hair supplies, sports equipment. Use portable storage bins for items that are used frequently or need to be used in different locations. Label the contents of each bin or area where things are kept. Plastic storage containers are ideal because you can see what's inside and contents stay dry.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Buy a label maker. Create categories for items and label the shelves, cubbies, bins and drawers and hooks that store them. When everyone knows where things go, no one will have excuses for not putting them back!

STORAGE SOLUTION: Create a clutter box. Think of this as a toy box for adults.– a portable, temporary storage bin, or holding place for things that are in active use and not ready to be stored or thrown away for good. Make sure your clutter box is attractive and big enough to hold magazines and books. You may prefer a storage bin without a lid – it makes clean-up faster. Clutter boxes are great where stuff accumulates – bedrooms, living rooms, cars. At the end of the day, stuff it full of all the extra clutter and shove it under the coffee table or beside your sofa or bed.

STORAGE SOLUTION: Create a portable mail and bill-paying station. Few things can create as much clutter as mail, magazines and paper. Fill a shallow four-sided stationary tray with your checkbook, calculator, envelopes and stamps and a pen. You can carry it to wherever you pay the bills – in front of the TV, on the kitchen table or in your bedroom.

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