organization – Cooper Realty Associates

Feel Better About Yourself: Organize Your Junk Drawer

There is one home project that everybody can do relatively quickly and easily that will immediately make you feel better about yourself… organizing your junk drawer! Nearly everyone has one, and although we say it’s filled with “junk” it is more likely filled with plenty of things you would actually use if you could find it when you needed it! If you want to feel productive and feel better about yourself in an hour or so then start by dumping everything on a table, counter, or floor so you can spread it out and see it. Once you can see it, sort it into piles… one pile for things to be thrown away, another for recycling, and another pile for things you need (or want) to keep. Don’t save everything just because you feel you have to. You don’t really need to keep the business cards of everyone you’ve ever met… chances are the important numbers are in your phone anyway. If something broken has been sitting there for months (or years!) waiting to be fixed, toss it. If you haven’t missed it enough to fix it already chances are you never will. Test all your pens/markers, etc. if they don’t write, toss them. (This is an excellent way to get children involved if they’re bugging you!) After you’ve purged, look at everything in your “keep” pile and decide where it’s permanent home should be. For example, receipts, old bills, appliance manuals, etc. should be filed away. Loose change should be put in your wallet or a piggy bank, paper clips/rubber bands/thumb tacks/etc. should be moved to your office, and so on. Once you’ve decluttered, take everything that is left and organize it. Ice cube trays make excellent organizers for small items, and empty margarine tubs or Tupperware containers are great for everything else. Silverware drawer inserts are also a great way to organize without spending too much. Finally, keep it all organized by adding a quick cleaning of the junk drawer to your monthly to-do list.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-856-6434.

Great Ideas for Garage Storage

If your garage is in need of some organization, consider some of these storage ideas, specifically intended for the garage:

An Overhead Storage Rack: These racks come in many styles and sizes and are ideal for maximizing unused space to store off-season items that are used infrequently.

Metal Pegboard: Metal pegboards are several times stronger than conventional pegboards and can be customized with pegs, hooks and brackets to fit whatever organizational needs you have.

Utility Shelving: Utility shelving can be made in any configuration to fit a variety of spaces, sizes and needs. You can include shelves, baskets, drawers, hooks, etc. to create the ideal shelving for your situation.

Commercial Bins: A commercially designed bin rack can organize tools and much more.

Bike Hoist: A bike hoist can raise and store your bike with a simple pulley system to free up floor space and take advantage of underutilized vertical storage space. Bike hoists don’t have to be used exclusively for bikes, you can also use them for your kayak, ladders, or other bulky items as well.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you — 302-644-2266.

5 Ways To Utilize Wasted Space Under Your Stairs

The space under stairs is often underutilized, if not wasted. Here are five ideas for creating practical storage in this space.

1. Shelves. Building custom shelves into this space is a relatively simple, but practical way to create storage without much effort.

2. Drawers. Creating custom stairs where each step is also a drawer can add a significant amount of storage to your home.

3. Pull out shelves. This idea is a combination of the first two, but creating shelves that pull out give you both decorative storage and hidden storage.

4. Closet. You can turn the space under your stairs into closet space by adding a door in the back for a deep storage space, or doors on the side for a long storage space, depending on what is more practical for your situation.

5. Office space. By opening up the space under your stairs, you can build an office directly into this space and create it in such a way to flow into the rest of your room.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-856-6434.

3 Ways To Organize Your Bedroom This Weekend

If you’re looking for ways to organize your bedroom, check out some of these ideas:

1. Organize Wall Hangings. Clear clutter by hanging taking what’s important to you, framing it or mounting it, and creating a wall display.

2. Use Your Corners. Installing corner shelving or a corner table can add usefulness to underutilized parts of your bedroom.

3. Float Your Shelves. Installing floating shelves offers abundant storage without the bulkiness of large storage units.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

Make The Most Of Your Entryway

The entryway of a home is often either abused or underutilized. At its best an entryway should welcome people into your home and be an organized spot that makes your life easier! Here are three tips for organizing your entryway to allow for both beauty and function.

Limit clutter – Don’t drop everything you’re holding in the entryway as soon as you enter. Mail, keys, bags, shoes, coats etc. can clutter an area faster than you can blink, so make sure everything has a designated spot and put it away as soon as you walk in!
Utilize multifunctional pieces – Multifunctional pieces that offer storage and fit your space are the key to having a welcoming, organized entryway. For example, a chest can offer both seating and storage, a coat rack/bench combo has many uses, and a basket rack gives you a place to hang your coat as well as out of site storage for keys, mail, pet leashes, or anything else you might need to stash on your way in or out of the house.
Have a key rack – Be sure to have a designated spot to put your keys as soon as you walk in the door. Having your keys on hand will save you time and energy later when you need to run a quick errand or make it to an appointment on time!

Of course, once you put the time and energy into making sure your entryway is organized and inviting be sure to keep it that way by making new habits and maintaining them every time you walk through the door!

Are you looking to buy or sell a home in Southern Delaware? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

Three Garage Update Ideas

If you have a garage that is tired and in desperate need of an update. Try one of these ideas:

1. Cover the floor. Paint an epoxy garage floor covering over dirty, old concrete floors.

2. More Storage. Add an overhead storage system to add a lot of usefulness to space that would otherwise remain empty.

3. Keep things handy. Utilize pegboard for covering at least one full wall so that well-loved tools and equipment can be easily reached and well organized.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

Organize Your Junk Drawer

January is not yet over, which means that plenty of people are probably still working on their New Year’s Resolutions to get more organized. I know one project you can tackle today that will make you feel a whole lot better… your junk drawer! Nearly everyone has one, and although we say it’s filled with “junk” it is more likely filled with plenty of things we actually use if we could find it when we needed it! If you want to have that great feeling of productivity then start cleaning out your junk drawer by dumping everything on a table, counter, or floor so you can spread it out and see it. Once you can see it, sort it into piles… one pile for things to be thrown away, another for recycling, and another pile for things you need (or want) to keep. Don’t save everything just because you feel you have to. You don’t really need to keep the business cards of everyone you’ve ever met… chances are the important numbers are in your phone anyway. If something broken has been sitting there for months (or years!) waiting to be fixed, toss it. If you haven’t missed it enough to fix it already chances are you never will. Test all your pens/markers, etc. if they don’t write, toss them. (This is an excellent way to get children involved if they’re bugging you!) After you’ve purged, look at everything in your “keep” pile and decide where it’s permanent home should be. For example, receipts, old bills, appliance manuals, etc. should be filed away. Loose change should be put in your wallet or a piggy bank, paper clips/rubber bands/thumb tacks/etc. should be moved to your office, and so on. Once you’ve decluttered take everything that is left and organize it. Ice cube trays make excellent organizers for small items, and empty margarine tubs or Tupperware containers are great for everything else. Silverware drawer inserts are also a great way to organize without spending too much. Finally, keep it all organized by adding a quick cleaning of the junk drawer to your monthly to-do list.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-856-6434.

Five Ways to Get Organized This Weekend

If you feel like your home is too cluttered, try a few of these tricks to get organized. Best of all, none of them should take very long at all!

In the entryway. Prime and paint an old bookshelf, adjust shelves and add buckets or baskets to match your décor. For even more organization, personalize buckets or baskets, one for each member of the family and charge everyone with taking charge of their own clutter!

If you feel like your home is too cluttered, try a few of these tricks to get organized. Best of all, none of them should take very long at all!

In the entryway. Prime and paint an old bookshelf, adjust shelves and add buckets or baskets to match your décor. For even more organization, personalize buckets or baskets, one for each member of the family and charge everyone with taking charge of their own clutter!

In the kitchen. Purchase an over-the-door shoe organizer with clear pockets. Label each pocket, hang the organizer over the pantry door, and use it as a catchall for kitchen utensils and supplies. These pockets are perfect for measuring cups & spoons, pens/pencils, spices, seasoning packets (taco, gravy, etc.), wooden spoons, boxes of jello, and much more!

In the bedroom. Organize your jewelry by creating a piece of artwork. All you have to do is find a beautiful picture frame and paint it to match your décor. Frame a radiator cover or wire screen, or run ribbon back and forth across the frame and back it with a piece of fabric. Then hook earrings through the grid and add hooks for necklaces and bracelets.

In the office. Hide cluttered bookshelves with bookcase shades. Measure openings and sew shades out of canvas or another weighted material. Use tension rods to hang the shades over shelves. Be sure to leave some shelves unshaded and display artwork and accessories to create an elegant look.

Anywhere. Corral electronics and their cords by creating a charging station. Decorate a shadow box with paint and/or fabric, replace one side with a power strip. Cover the power strip by adding decorative paper to a piece of foam board and fitting it into the box. Plug cords in, feed the wires under the foam board (chipping a notch in the bottom of the foam if necessary), plug in your electronics and store them on the shelf you have created.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266!

Garage Organization Tips

Tired of barely having enough room in your garage for your car? Check out some of these tips for organizing. With a little organization, you might find yourself hanging out in your garage, “just for fun!”

Two Words: Adjustable Shelving
Hang several layers of shelving around the perimeter of your garage and stow away off season equipment, boots, buckets, etc. By getting as possible off the ground and onto shelves, you eliminate clutter and gain a more organized space.

Peg Boards
Hang a few pegboards and use a variety of hooks instead of just one type and you’ll open up all kinds of storage opportunities! Pegboards are great for hanging most tools and a whole lot more.

Garbage Cans
If you store large quantities of dog food, salt, sand, birdseed or other items that come in heavy bags, dump them in a garbage can (or put the whole bag inside), put the lid on, and label it. Your storage will look much neater than if you have open, half-used bags lying around. Throw a scoop inside and everything you need will be at your fingertips when you need it!

Canisters
Small kitchen-type canisters are useful for storing nuts, bolts, screws, nails, and more. You can even get magnetic canisters and secure a magnetic strip to the wall for out of the way storage.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Let us help! Give Cooper Realty Associates a call today – 302-629-6693.

Thursday Three: 3 Tips for Organizing your Entryway

At its best an entryway should welcome people into your home and be an organized spot that makes your life easier! Here are three tips for organizing your entryway to allow for both beauty and function…

Limit clutter – Don’t drop everything you’re holding in the entryway as soon as you enter. Mail, keys, bags, shoes, coats etc. can clutter an area faster than you can blink, so make sure everything has a designated spot and put it away as soon as you walk in!
Utilize multifunctional pieces – Multifunctional pieces that offer storage and fit your space are the key to having a welcoming, organized entryway. For example, a chest can offer both seating and storage, a coat rack/bench combo has many uses, and a basket rack gives you a place to hang your coat as well as out of site storage for keys, mail, pet leashes, or anything else you might need to stash on your way in or out of the house.
Have a key rack – Be sure to have a designated spot to put your keys as soon as you walk in the door. Having your keys on hand will save you time and energy later when you need to run a quick errand or make it to an appointment on time!

Are you looking to buy or sell a home in Southern Delaware? Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.