How did a pin-hole leak in a main water supply line change my schedule last Sunday? As I was pressing a couple of shirts in the laundry room I heard a hissing sound. When I followed the sound to our water treatment system, I saw a puddle that led me to three boxes and a large basket of soaked items.
As my husband, John, made his list for the hardware store, I started sorting through the soaked treasures. What I found brought back a flood of memories. From the tulle left over from making my daughter, Kristen’s wedding veil, to the three shirts from my late father’s closet that I plan to make into pillows, I didn’t want to take a break for lunch. Two boxes full of denim jeans I have collected for “some day” projects and scraps of fabric leftover from quilts I have made through the years rounded out the treasures I found.
Sorting through the items that had gotten wet felt great. That thought is where I am going with this week’s news column. A publication written several years ago titled, “Cut the Clutter and Get Organized” has some great tips we can all learn from. The fact sheet suggests using the box approach to sort clutter. Sort items into boxes labeled Keep, Store, Give Away/Sell, Throw Away and, if you are indecisive, you can use a fifth box labeled Maybe. The items you intend to keep need to be returned to their proper places. Items you no longer use or no longer fit could be the beginning of your next yard sale or donation to Goodwill.
The publication goes on to provide tips for maintaining a clutter-free home. Involve family members to help keep items picked up and put away. Remember, tasks need to be appropriate for family members’ ages and abilities. And you may need to share your ideas and expectations of what is acceptable.
Feel free to give me a call or drop by either of the offices in the Cottonwood Extension District for your copy of Cut the Clutter and Get Organized. It is also available on the KSRE website if you search for publication number MF2879.
Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. Contact her at 620-793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu.
