An easy-to-follow, inexpensive way to keep your home tidy.
Ever dreamt of walking into your kitchen (or any room for that matter) and knowing exactly where everything is? You’re not the only one. But when everything’s a disorganised mess, it’s probably hard to know where to even begin.
But don’t worry – simply follow these 3 easy-to-follow steps to elevate your home from messy to spick-and-span in no time:
Step 1: Declutter
Admit it – you have some things you don’t actually need. Well, as hard as it is to hear, decluttering is perhaps the most basic step to take for a tidier home, since storing or throwing these items will free up more space at home.
To do this, throw out items in poor condition, and donate or sell items that are unneeded, but still in good shape. Additionally, take this time to return any stray items back where they belong.
As simple as this sounds, it does take a while, so take your time and do so one room at a time to avoid tiring yourself out!
Step 2: Group similar things together
Now that you’ve gotten rid of everything you don’t need, it’s time for the second step: grouping similar things together.
By doing this, it’ll help you find what you need quickly instead of spending time searching for things you’ve stored in different places. So for example, you can group items like condiments, dairy products, and fruits in the fridge, while you can do the same for things like figurines, plushies, and board games when you’re tidying up your kid’s room.
Step 3: Label everything
Labelling may sound like something you’d only do in primary school, but it’s actually useful for home organisation! It can tell you what each storage unit contains, saving you the hassle of opening each one until you find what you need.
And the labels aren’t just limited to names. In fact, it can be used to provide other useful information as well, like expiry dates!
Here are some ways you can use labels:
In the kitchen:
- Spice and condiment jars: to avoid mixing them up (e.g. mistaking sugar for salt)
- Expiration dates: know what needs replacing, and when
- Snack containers: particularly if anyone at home has ingredient allergies
In the bathroom:
- Shampoo, body wash and hand wash: if you pour refill packs into similar looking containers
- Toothbrushes: who the owner of each toothbrush is
In the kid’s room:
- Toys: separate by category (e.g. board games, figurines etc.) or by owner if you have multiple kids
- School supplies/stationery: separate by category (e.g. erasers, colouring materials, art and craft supplies)
Miscellaneous:
- Switches: what each switch is for (e.g. hallway lights, ceiling fan)
- Medicine: group according to medical needs (e.g. fever/headaches, stomach, allergies)
- Gardening supplies: particularly if you want to keep them separate from your other things
For more ideas, see how else you can use labels in your daily life!
Organisation hack: the Brother Label Printer
For easy organisation, you’ll need a label printer like the Brother Label Printer. This sleek, portable device prints labels in an instant, and lets you customise your labels with their preset templates, fonts, and designs.
To begin printing, you’ll need the Brother Design & Print 2 app (available on the iOS and Android app store). The app also lets you connect the label printer to your family’s smart devices via Bluetooth, making it easy for them to play their part in keeping things organised at home.
Watch this video to see how easy it is to design your labels!
And don’t worry about the quality of the tape used. The laminated Brother P-touch TZe tape is resistant to pretty much everything – water, chemicals, heat, abrasion, sunlight, you name it. Plus, these tapes come in a variety of designs, ranging from ribbons to decorative patterns – perfect for gifts and simple decorations.
Head over to Brother's website to find out more, or pre-order now at Brother’s official LazMall store!
