simple shui | 5 easy ways to stay organized this summer

in my house, summer is often a blend of fun spontaneity and idle lounging. and with that recipe, our school year orderliness slips. since i don’t want the lovelies to remember me as their drill sergeant, i’ve manicured our summer routine to include a few easy tips to keep our house and energy picked up:

1. hooks. i have them everywhere. they are a great storage alternative. a hook keeps things we use regularly within reach. and most importantly, something on a hook means it’s not on the floor. instead of drilling a hook into the door, try 3M’s double stick tape. works like a charm!

2. oh, the constancy of papers + artwork + notes. i use this frame to showcase artwork and store other gallery-worthy pieces behind it. i like anything that pulls double duty, and these frames do exactly that. everything else paper-related goes into a 3-ring binder. once the binder is full, i prioritize what is up for keeps. i limit myself to one binder to two lovelies every year. and i keep a 3-hole punch nearby so things are added to the collection effortlessly instead of piling up.

3. with laundry coming at me overtime, it is not uncommon to run out of detergent smack dab in the middle of a laundry day. i display laundry powder in our washer/dryer room because i love the simplicity of its presence; however, this powder also serves 2 other functions: (1) it is my backup supply if i run out of detergent unexpectedly, and (2) it is biz which is my hands-down-go-to when a stubborn stain is presented to me. the stuff is magic.

as for bathrooms, the tp + shampoo/conditioner + lotion + toothpaste + yada yada yada. . .  it all goes so quickly, yes? if you have a guest bathroom, keep full supplies of it all in there. and when you run out somewhere else, you have a backup supply. my rule of thumb, though, is replace it on your next grocery trip. otherwise, this tip isn’t as effective.

4. groceries. when the lovelies were little, a trip to the grocery store without them was reprieve. now, i can easily call myself an expert grocery shopper as i’m quite certain i’ve spent more than 10,000 waking hours in them. when this company was in its infancy, i came across these pads. i’ve been using them now over a decade, and they make my shopping entirely efficient. again, when you run out of something, mark it on the list then so you don’t have to brainstorm a list later.

5. my favorite tip? the bottom of the stairs basket. since the lovelies’ things have a migratory pattern of flocking downstairs, i instituted the basket. anything left out by them (and usually forgotten about) that i come across gets tossed in here. and when i am asked have you seen my…, my reply is check the basket. easy as 1-2-3. my hard rule here is once the basket is full, it all needs to be put away. a full basket left unattended too many days runs the risk of being emptied into the trash. (there’s the drill sergeant in me showing up.)

6. and, finally, i put our home to bed every night. i walk around and make sure things are put away (or in the basket!), folded, rinsed, whatever it might be. . . so that the very next morning, our house rises to greet us.

xo