Bye Bye Clutter

This weekend, I decided to immerse myself in the cluttered hole we call a den. Since we don't use the room often, it has become a catch-all for everything in the house. Don't need it right now? Put it in the den. Doesn't have a place to be returned to? Throw it on the shelves.

There was a little bit of everything out there, from toys and books, to papers and craft supplies, plus a little of everything else. As you can see, nothing really had a proper place. I really wonder the need for the party supplies and snorkel.

Before:

I took everything down, went through bins, and categorized everything. Even within the bins, craft supplies are organized in small bags by types. Papers are sorted by importance and need. And anything that didn't belong or wasn't needed was packed away. Bye bye snorkel.

After:

The next step will be to go through other rooms and take things that truly belong out there. But that project is being saved for a day when a 4-year-old is not rooting through my boxes and trying to sneak away with old toys.