ShopSmart Magazine’s Easy Path to Organization

YONKERS, NY – Is your home filled with storage containers yet your drawers and closets are still a mess? According to a report featured in the March 2008 issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, shopping for certain organizing tools isn’t only a waste of time and money, but they can actually add to the clutter in your home. To help consumers stay afloat in a sea of clutter, ShopSmart experts detail easy strategies to get a head-start on spring cleaning.

“The first thing so many of us do in our attempts to get organized, is run out and purchase all of those pretty organizers but, the truth is, shopping for cute containers should be the last step in the organizing process,” said Lisa Lee Freeman,  editor-in-chief, ShopSmart. “Following our guide will not only give you a clutter free environment but will also save you big on time and money.”

When it comes time to purchase those organizing tools, there are some that only add to the clutter. Be sure to avoid accordion files that become catchalls for paper clutter, space bags that often pop open, containers with rims that waste space and cardboard boxes that weaken or damage easily.

ShopSmart's Seven Tips to Avoiding Clutter Traps: The Mistakes and the Solutions

• Too Many Keepsakes: If you find that you have too many keepsakes, the trick is to save the best part. For example, take one teacup from grandma’s chipped set and turn it into a pen holder.
• Not Enough Time To Stay Organized: Build in 10 to 15 minutes of transition time between activities. That should be enough to clean up without making you late.
• Heirlooms You Have No Use For: Pass them on to someone else in the family who would really appreciate them.
• Unwanted Gifts: Give yourself permission to let them go.
• Kid’s Art Projects: Keep only the best. Have your child pick the keepers and then take snapshots of them with the other items.
• “I’ll Need It Someday” Thinking: Whether you’re keeping out-of-date clothes or triplicate utensils, think about why. If they don’t have a purpose now or in the very near future, chuck them now.
• Piles Everywhere: Think of stacks of unopened mail, basement junk and other clutter as postponed decisions. The faster you decide what to do with things as they come up, the less clutter will pile up.

About ShopSmart magazine:
Launched in Fall 2006 by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, ShopSmart draws upon Consumer Reports' celebrated tradition of accepting no advertisements and providing unbiased product reviews. The magazine features product reviews, shopping tips on how to get the most out of products and “best of the best” lists. ShopSmart is ideal for busy shoppers who place a premium on time. ShopSmart has a newsstand price of $4.99 and is available nationwide at major retailers including Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Borders, Kroger, Safeway and Publix. Subscriptions are now available at www.ShopSmartmag.org.