Time to Declutter: Spring into Action

As I write this story, there are painters and carpet installers literally right above me in my son’s soon-to-be-transformed bedroom.

The room formerly functioned as a guest room, but now that my children are teens, they want their own space, so I’ve been challenged with finding room for all the little tchotchkes, dust collectors, photo albums, the children's art through the years, stationery and collectibles that used to fill shelves and drawers in the guest room. 

I recently asked myself, what to do with everything? Do I really want to move his lacrosse equipment and several pairs of basketball shoes into this fresh, clean-smelling space? Wouldn’t a locker in the home be just the ticket for all this sports paraphernalia?

Here, local design and organization experts, along with a couple of astute homeowners, offer a basketful of ideas and tips to get started on spring cleaning, decluttering and giving your home breathing space. 

Everything in its place

West Bloomfield homeowner Annette Benson installed lockers in her mud room when things got super busy at her family-friendly home.

“We moved our laundry room to the upstairs and turned its old space into a mud room,” said Benson, an attorney who practices family law in Bingham Farms.

Her two children, 11 and 13, now have their own cubby for book bags, swim goggles, books, etc. A corkboard hangs in the room and showcases the children's art, keeping it displayed in one area where they can enjoy it. Benson also turned their basement into a hangout area for their children, which helps to keep clutter out of the main living areas of the home.

“We need a place to check out and relax, and so do they,” Benson said. “My daughter has all of her arts and crafts items in one space instead of all over.”

Dealing with children's art and trash trolls

Interior designer Michelle Mio, co-owner and partner of the 8-year-old Rariden Schumacher Mio & Co. Interiors in Birmingham, said that if you have stacks of children's artwork and you’re not sure what to do with all of it, consider a designated display area, as the Bensons did.

“Find a place where you and your kids can display the work proudly,” Mio said. Parents can also interchange the work from time to time. “Kids might even want to hang their work in their bedroom.”

Besides art and school projects, several other items tend to build up easily in family homes. Because things such as batteries, rubber bands, paper clips, chip clips, staples, erasers, old coins, refrigerator magnets, etc., accumulate (thanks to what Mio calls “little trash trolls”) on an everyday basis, a homeowner should never have more than one junk drawer.

Who out there doesn’t have piles of mail, along with earpieces and cell phone, iPod and Bluetooth chargers and cords cramming kitchen counter space?

Mio suggests designated areas for sorting mail and for all gadgetry.

“You can disguise these areas behind cupboard doors or in private areas of the home, away from a main traffic area,” said Mio, who works with Rosemary Rariden Cotter and Jill Schumacher.

Professional organizer Jodie Rex, who runs Type A Organization and has clients throughout Metro Detroit, advises spring cleaners to grab four large garbage bags before beginning a serious decluttering effort.

“These are for donation items — one for a friend, neighbor, family member, etc., one for recycling, one for selling and one for trash,” Rex said.

“As you’re going through everything, you really need to think about each item,” she added. “If it’s something that you haven’t used in ages or it’s something that your mother or your grandmother gave you and you’re not sure if you’ll ever use it, you’ve got to face it and realize you’re never going to use it.”

Rex said to consider donating such items or selling them on the Internet through eBay or Craigslist.

Declutter into collections

For those items you want to keep, interior designer Amanda Wolfe of Huntington Woods says homeowners can often organize their belongings by categorizing their "stuff" into collections.   

That takes planning and forethought as far as how you’re going to showcase the collections without causing more clutter, said Birmingham resident Lindsay Rubin, who has several awe-inspiring collections, from glass and sculpture to children’s pieces.

Rubin said she told the architects of her home 2 1/2 years ago that she is a collector (as are her children — they love bobbleheads and Madame Alexander dolls) and needed spots for her treasures. With that in mind, the architects created built-ins and unusual shelving areas.

Rubin's pottery collection features pieces by Adler, Tiffin, McCoy, Van Briggle, Roseville, Red Wing and others.  

“We built the home around our collections,” she said.

“You have to know the size of your collection before you build shelving for it,” explained Rubin, a mother of two children. “My daughter’s Madame Alexander dolls are about 8 inches in height, so shelf space has to be, like, 10 inches.”

Rubin said that even if you have small collections, perhaps just four or five pieces (such as her Adler collection in her dining room), when you put them together, they look great.

If you don’t have built-ins or can’t afford to hire a builder to create custom-made cabinets, Rubin suggests looking for unexpected places around your home to showcase a collection — she displays white pottery along a window ledge that adorns her stairway.

Or, added Wolfe, check out nearby stores for shelving units. “Many stores sell really great inexpensive organizational pieces that can fit into most spaces, whether contemporary, transitional or traditional interiors,” Wolfe said.  

Now keep it that way

Keeping a house clutter-free after you’ve completed your spring cleaning is a task in itself. 

“The best way to get organized and stay organized is to utilize bins or baskets, ranging in different sizes, to keep your belongings separate and
in categories,” said Wolfe. “And labels make it simple to keep track of what is inside each basket or bin.”

Keeping items in baskets or bins draws the eye to the attractive elements and important areas of the room, she added. 

“There are so many basket and bin options today, it makes designing and organizing fun and simple.”

Wolfe also recommends dual-purpose storage. “Ottomans with hidden storage are great for hiding extra throws, pillows or stuffed animals to keep your living space clean and uncluttered.”

Cabinets with doors are another way to conceal clutter and keep everything tidy and well-kept, Wolfe said.

Benson agrees. She’s all about closed doors, cubbies and lockers for children's items. “They serve a great purpose,” Benson said, “and everything has a place that way.”