Table of Contents
Using This Book 1
Step I Cure Clutter One Room at a Time 3
Places Everyone Sees 8
Entryway 13
Weekend Project #1: Operation Drop Zone 18
Living Room 21
Double-Duty Furniture
Weekend Project #2: Cable Cure 28
Kitchen 31
Twelve Things You Already Have in Your Kitchen That You Can Use to Clean Your Kitchen 37
Weekend Project #3: Extreme Refrigerator Makeover 41
Bathroom 45
When to Break Up with Your Makeup 49
Weekend Project #4: Bathroom Supplies Showdown 52
Dining Room 55
Quiz: Does Your Dining Room Reveal Your Organizing Style? 59
Spaces Outside Your Home 65
Banish the Mess and Restore Order in Almost Every Room Right Now 69
Places Only You See 72
Master Bedroom 75
Weekend Project #5: Stealing Ideas from Hotels 79
Clothes Closet 83
Quiz- How to Organize Your Closet 87
Weekend Project #6: Fashion Forward 90
Nursery and Young Children's Bedrooms 95
Teaching Children Organizing, Uncluttering, and Cleaning Skills 98
Preteens' and Teenagers' Bedrooms 101
Home Office 107
Weekend Project #7: Create Your Ideal Home Office 112
Can an App Do That? 114
Pantry and Food 117
Meal Planning and the Family Meal 120
Knife Skills and Mise en Place 123
Hobby Workspace 127
Wrap It Up! 130
Weekend Project #8: Stash Busting 132
Places You Might Not Want to See 134
Laundry Room 137
Ten Tips to Make Laundry Easier 141
Weekend Project #9: Laundry Bankruptcy 143
Storing Tools and Hardware 147
What to Buy in Bulk 151
Hallways and Stairs 155
Weekend Project #10: The Table of No Return 159
Garage and Automobiles 163
Weekend Project #11: A Gratifying Garage 167
Guest Bedroom 171
Weekend Project #12: Create a Guest Retreat 175
Pet Places 179
Stuff in Any or Many Rooms 182
Books and Entertainment 185
Weekend Project #13: Digitize Your Bookshelf 189
Papers, Bills, and Subscriptions 193
Keep It, Scan It, or Shred It? 198
Digital Data and Security 205
Weekend Project #14: Secure Your Data 210
Memorabilia and Collections 213
Is It a Collection or Clutter? 219
Safety and Emergency 223
Weekend Project #15: Create a Medications and First-Aid Kit 227
Step II Unclutter Your Routines for a Simpler Life 229
Methods for Developing and Maintaining Effective and Efficient Routines 233
Sample Morning Routines 237
Sample Coming-Home Routine 238
Sample Before-Bed Routine 239
Step III Surprise Situations That Call for Uncluttering 241
Surprise! Guests Are on Their Way 245
TV Is Calling My Name but I Have Stuff to Do 249
The Family Is Hungry and I'm Out of Ideas 253
Weekend Plans Fell Through 257
Glossary of Clutter-Related Terms 261
Acknowledgments 265
Index 267
About the Author 273