Comments on: Letting a corner of clutter slide

By: Noreen

Noreen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:21:19 +0000

I knot my paired socks – anyone else do that?
My mum folds one sock into the other (pair, fold in half, go to roll one sock over the other but roll it over completely so it makes a neat little nearly-rectangular package) – but I can’t be bothered. My partner occasionally rolls the top of one sock over the other, but mostly he tends to throw all his socks into one big jumble in his drawer, holey ones and orphan ones and all, and pulls out two at random. He says it doesn’t matter because he’s mostly got the same kind of socks although he doesn’t really I couldn’t live with it but he’s happy that way, and I’m happy with my knotted ones. I fold all my underwear because I colour coordinate pants, bras and socks with the rest of what I’m wearing so I want to spot the ones I want very easily. I know, I know – but it makes me happy

Anyway, ramble about socks aside, I have a glass on my desk where little bits get put in. A tiny eraser, a penny, a safety pin, a ball bearing, a screw, a feather, a couple of pebbles, a hair scrunchie, etc. I like looking at it sometimes when I’m thinking/looking for inspiration!

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:17:14 +0000

I, too, have only two types of socks: dress and athletic. Dress socks are black (nylon or something), athletic are white cotton. No orphan socks in my collection! If a sock wears out, toss it. A mate will turn up for it soon enough.

I do fold and stack my socks so they all get used in approximate rotation, but now I think I could stuff unfolded just washed ones behind the others and thus save sock folding. Hurrah! Another chore eliminated.

By: Krys Slovacek

Krys Slovacek — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:28:10 +0000

I would LOVE to see a picture of how to pin socks together so that when they get washed, the pin doesn’t pop open, the socks don’t get shredded or disfigured, and so that harmony is restored in my husband’s sock drawer.

He HATES pairing socks, but he also HATES how I pair socks (I roll one sock over the other, which can stretch out the opening). I’ve often heard about people pinning their socks together, but haven’t tried it, because it seems to me that the pin would pull or get caught on something in the wash.

A picture would be SO helpful!!

By: Taylor at Household Management 101

Taylor at Household Management 101 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:40:55 +0000

You make a really good point. You should not have organization for organization’s sake. If you have a problem that can be fixed with a bit more organization, then do it. If you are experiencing no problems you don’t need new organizing tips and tricks for that area of your life. Of course, you could already be organized in that area of your life, such as you with your sock drawer. It may not be visually pleasing to those who want rigid order, but if you find everything just fine it is organized enough for you.

My motto: No organizing for organizing’s sake, just organize for my own or other’s sanity!

By: Sue

Sue — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:58:35 +0000

My sock drawer is neat thanks to the little grids that separate them, as is my underwear drawer. The place where I love to be messy & not organize anything is my pyjama drawer-they are my comfy clothes & I just throw them all in there, clean but definitely not even folded. We all gotta have our little island of imperfection, lol!

By: Katharine

Katharine — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:55:33 +0000

Not folding the underwear has been a huge timesaver. With two young kids and a husband, I can just throw them into one basket when I’m sorting the laundry from the dryer. Then, at the end, one quick sort and jam them into a big drawer in each person’s dresser. One little way to make family life simpler!

By: Faith

Faith — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:51:07 +0000

i have a shoebox on my nightstand that is wrapped in pretty paper coordinated with my decor, and lined with matching tissue paper.inside i have my good glasses case(my crappy one goes in bookbag or purse)lotion,cell phone holder,ipod holder,chapstick,jewelry i take off at night,spare change.it is somewhat divided,but i can just throw whatever it is in there,and put the lid on and it looks great!as for the socks,i just throw mine in there.when i think about it i empty it out,and the outgrown(outgrown is always in there no matter how hard i try to give them to my sisters who are small and have stopped growing)get put in their room,or if their loners, i use them to dust.

By: Esther Griffin

Esther Griffin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:26:40 +0000

Someone taught me how to make my bed while I am still in it! You just pull the sheets, blanket and spread up neatly and straight. Then fold one corner back, and carefully crawl out, and put the corner back in place. (They also showed me that when changing sheets, you can make one side up almost completely before going to the other side without racing back and forth a couple times.) An old lady once told me, “If your beds are made and your dishes done, the place looks neat!”

By: Miss Lisa

Miss Lisa — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:42:42 +0000

Ha! I just went through my sock drawer today. I’m tossing out a bunch of old/mis-matched socks. They’re all sitting on top of my dresser in a messy heap. When they’re gone, the drawer will be just as messy, just roomier. Yes, as a matter of fact, I DO want a medal…

By: Pennie

Pennie — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:39:52 +0000

I’m like others who mention a box for ’stuff’. My ex housemate dubbed it my ‘crappin box’ because all of the ‘crap’ that goes in it when I can’t be bothered finding a home for it just yet. I’m supposed to empty it out every week, but that doesn’t always happen.

On a different note, I have some items which could be called clutter which are quite organised. I got teased when I moved in for having good quality storage boxes labled ‘magazines from teen years’ and ‘old clothing #2′. Yet at every place I live in, there’s always a spot which can’t be used for everyday storage. In this place it’s my cupboard, which has two very high shelves. I’m fairly short so only rarely used stuff can go there. I’ve put my sentimental keepsakes, which because they are never used, are by definition, clutter. Yet they’re very organised because they’re sorted into labeled boxes, and I have an itemised inventory list, they’re very organised. I justify it by saying that the shelves would otherwise be empty, so I may as well keep those belongings.

By: el

el — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:31:56 +0000

My underwear drawer and my sock drawer are not organized at all. I toss them in and I live just fine. However, it wasn’t until I dumped out my drawer to weed through everything that I realized that I had way too much: 19 bras and 58 bottoms. Can you excess? I’ve weeded it down since I read one of the articles.

I only mention it because someone else brought it up, but I NEVER make my bed. Well, only when my comforter gets lost in the duvet cover.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:33:19 +0000

Prepare to cringe:

http://www.designboom.com/webl.....IC_PK=2376

By: Janine Adams

Janine Adams — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:33:15 +0000

I love this post! I’m a professional organizer and, like many other organizers, I urge my clients to “organized enough.” Heaven knows I live that maxim. I have not one but two jumbled junk drawers in the kitchen and I underwear drawer is a fright. But it doesn’t matter. I find what I need swiftly and at least those drawers stay closed. I will say that my loose change is divided into separate jars on a window sill, but that’s only because I find that visually appealing and it’s very easy to maintain.

By: CHE

CHE — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:24:13 +0000

That’s supposed to be a messy sock drawer? The socks are folded together! Yikes.

By: verily

verily — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:36:15 +0000

My sock drawer is usually pretty decent. I also abide by the one brand of sock rule – all in white. There are a few other colors, but that’s caused by a well-meaning mother giving me socks for Xmas.

It’s the other lingerie drawers (underwear and bras) that are a mess. Jumble of panties. Truly a frightening thing to behold.

Otherwise, my clutter spot is my desk, which is where I am at most of the time. Mail, books, CDs, etc all hang out on the surface until I give it a good onceover every few weeks….

By: Kerry

Kerry — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:45:10 +0000

My sock drawer is HORRIBLE. There are lots of sock orphans in there, just waiting to be matched with their mate. If I”m going to confess all of my horrible hidden messes, look no further than my kitchen junk drawer (naturally), my linen closet, under the bathroom storage and my filing drawer. GASP *wheeze*

There you go.

By: Jack Cheng

Jack Cheng — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:31:10 +0000

I saw a bit on Esquire today about folding/rolling socks, ties and sweaters to make them last a bit longer under normal wear:

http://www.esquire.com/style/how-to-fold-0208

By: Luis Fernando

Luis Fernando — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:47:00 +0000

Now, really, how hard is it to fold the pair once and put them away in a drawer? No need to overkill (dividers ??), agreed, but seems like just about everyone is trying to find them socks with the lights out.

By: twosandalz

twosandalz — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:13:28 +0000

In my spare room I have an “in transition” spot. I consider it my organization pressure release valve. Currently it houses the pie plate that I’ll return to my mother sometime. I’ve got a half-finished care package next to that. And a blouse which needs mending has been there for a month. When the disorder gets to me I’ll finish the half-done things to clean it off. Otherwise, its a nice catch area for things don’t have the inclination to deal with my stuff right away. No pressure.

By: Hayden Tompkins

Hayden Tompkins — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:43:57 +0000

I also buy all the same color socks (white and black) and that way I don’t even need to pair them! They just go in the drawer; no muss, no fuss.