Give, keep or store

Storage seems to be a perennial problem. No matter how much space you have and regardless how well a system you have under hand, things have a way of piling up as the months roll by. Most of us assume we are wise shoppers–we don’t buy or acquire just anything; it has to either be something we really need or badly want. So we claim. But before we realize it we again have too much of practically the same thing. Add to that the fact that under certain circumstances, there will be times when things are not returned to their proper places consequently sending you into an unwelcome game of hide-and-seek.

Personally, I think there’s no better month than January to jumpstart a systematic way of home keeping. You start the year on a clean slate (or at least try to), and if you just conscientiously adhere to the system you think works best for you, your home will be free of eyesores. The past Christmas season has seen our home in a persistent state of mess, albeit happily so. The condition has improved considerably, with the holidays out of the way, but I have yet to take down the tree and all the Christmas trimmings. Before I do that though, I have resolved to organize the whole upper floor of our home where every odd and end just seem to pile up. Until I do, I will not even attempt to "attack" the first floor and the basement and for every area I finish, I reward myself with the pleasure of opening one Christmas present under the tree. (Yes, most of them are still unopened.)

Through the years I have come to realize that the busiest places of our home, namely the bedroom and the kitchen, requires the most time when it comes to organization. I am not even halfway through the former yet but here are a few tips I would want to share with you:

1. Clothes – Go through your closet and sort out your things in three piles; those to either give, keep, or store. Clothes that you haven’t worn in ages or those that you bought on impulse but never got to wear anyway–just pass them on. "Investment clothes" or classic pieces that you don’t really feel like wearing anymore but want to keep all the same you can store in those polyboxes and large, white plastic containers that are available in Dimensione, S&R, and Make Room. Be sure to check for loose or missing buttons and have clothes properly cleaned before storage. It would do well to wrap each piece (especially gowns and other delicate finery) individually in acid-free paper or plastic bags to preserve the quality. Try to throw in some packets of silica gel in lieu of mothballs to avoid that stuffy smell.

When my sister and I, together with our cousins, were in college we were able to raid our mothers’ clothes-chests for stuff that they themselves wore when they were single. The excellent condition of the pieces we donned only reaffirmed that when things are taken care of properly, they last a long, long time.

Once you’ve sorted out stuff, give your closet a good cleaning inside out and make sure it’s completely dry before putting the items back in. Fresh herbs are better fresheners than you would ever think – try hanging in your closet fresh sprigs of rosemary tucked in a porous sachet – smells refreshing.

It also makes sense to store similar items together. Designate areas in your closet for pants, another one for tops, a separate one for dresses, skirts, etc. To make it look even neater, you may consider using uniform hangers in addition to "color-coding" the pieces (i.e. all black and gray pants stay together, followed by those in shades of camel and beige...)

I’m very particular about using hangers that have smooth and even surfaces because a rough one might succeed in snagging the clothing material. A few years back at Dimensione I was able to get my hands on dozens of metal hangers that was open on one end with a bottom covered in smooth rubber. These were a bit more pricey than the usual but were very well worth every centavo. I used them solely for pants and I loved how the rubber held each piece in place. That way I didn’t have to worry about the material sliding around or slipping off the hanger. A lot of others were probably taken with that hanger as well because each time I went back for more, it was always out of stock. The sales staff would always explain that those were literally flying off the shelves.

Shortly after that "discovery," my dad came home from Rustan’s with a similar hanger – only, it wasn’t open on one end and had a provision for a second pair of pants to hang. It worked just as well.

2. Accessories – Accessories are a big thing and with all that’s available on the market I’m sure you’ve acquired more than your fair share of doodads. Do not throw them away even when you think they have gone out of style. I remember when I was about seven years old my mom had on her dresser table a huge box of accessories that she allowed us to tinker with. I swear, they looked just like the ones that are so in now. By all means keep them because after several years, they will again be back in a big way (not that it’s out already). To prevent them from entangling with each other, you can either store them individually in those Zip-Lock bags (they come in all sizes) before stuffing them in one container.

Wonder of wonders though, guess where I was able to find the perfect container for these borloloys? In a fishing store of all places! China Merchandising in Binondo ( call Paul Tie at 0917-9752837) carries these shallow white polyboxes with compartments in them. It’s wonderful for every little odd and end and you can stock them one on top the other. I use these for my daughter’s hair accessories too. They also come without compartments and those might work well with delicate beaded belts and obis that you can’t hang together with your leather ones.

3. Shoes – Invest in good pairs (good doesn’t necessarily mean over-the-top expensive). It’s always better to have a few dozen good ones than hundreds of bad ones with a life span of only one year max.

Shoes that are properly taken care of can last a long, long time. After each use, make sure that the whole outer surface including the sole is wiped clean. Of course, the sole will never be completely clean but at least mud and other particles won’t be unnecessarily left there. Those that need shoe trees should have shoe trees stuffed in them or you can improvise and just fill it up with paper to keep its shape.

As much as possible store them in their boxes or fabric shoe bags so they don’t gather dust and lay them out neatly in rows. The nice thing with boxes is that you can store them on top of each other. With fabric bags you will have lesser space to work with since you really can’t layer them atop the other.

But instead of buying ready-made shoe bags you can just go to a fabric store, buy cheesecloth or whatever other sturdy fabric you find and have someone custom make some for you. Another plus factor would be that they will all look neat and uniform.

It would also help a lot if you could take a photo of each pair and paste it on the visible part of the shoebox. That way, you save yourself the trouble of opening each and every box. To attach these photos to the fabric bag, you can laminate it, punch a hole on one side and tie it to the drawstring. (To be concluded next week)