The Richmond region is home to several organizing businesses, accredited by the National Association of Professional Organizers. Some of those entrepreneurs shared tricks of the trade for specific problem areas in the home and assured us that anyone can minimize mess and maximize space.

A Child’s Room

Kathy Jenkins of Come to Order

Space planner Kathy Jenkins employs many of her organizing methods with her own boys, Alex, 7, and Noah, 4. “In general boys are pilers instead of hanging things,” says Jenkins. “I think boys are very linear thinkers. They don’t think a lot of steps ahead like girls, who will typically think beyond that. Their attention span is a lot less than girls. They move from thing to thing, and piling things is easier.”

Because girls tend to have more items — purses, jewelry and hair ornaments — Jenkins suggests outfitting the insides of closets with hooks. Hooks provide a use for a normally unused space, and they help gather smaller items that tend to get pushed under beds or lost behind drawers.

Children who are taught organizational skills at a young age will naturally incorporate them into their lives and will be less likely to look at organizing as a chore, she says. “If they can walk and pull the toy out, they can put it away,” says Jenkins. “There’s a place for everything and everything in its place.”

Tips of the Trade

1.    Camera

Even though your child’s completed art projects may have sentimental value, they can add clutter to a room. The solution: Whip out the camera. “Always have a camera loaded with film and take pictures of those art projects; then you can toss the project.” Jenkins says it not only captures the age of the child at the time they created the artwork, but it also trims down the amount of artwork that needs to be stored.

2.    IKEA Trofast System

“It’s a wooden system with bins that slide into grooves, like a shelving unit but it’s open in the back,” explains Jenkins. “Buy two large, two medium and two small bins, and as your children rotate their toys, you can rotate the bins. Cycle out the toys as need be.” Jenkins also recommends labeling the bins with words and photos. This will help the child learn how to spell as well as aid them when they’re trying to decide where to store certain items.

3.    Dream Drawer Organizer

Jenkins is a fan of using a drawer divider equipped with a spring so that drawers can be sectioned off into three compartments. “The spring is in it to make the drawer space as short or as long as it has to be,” says Jenkins. The organizers are perfect for underwear and sock drawers because they easily compartmentalize items for children. Dividers can be found on Jenkins’ Web site, www.cometoorderva.com. For more information, call 550-9428.

Kitchen

Mindy Godding of Space Matters

The kitchen is often the most disorganized room in the house, Mindy Godding notes, because it’s a central meeting point where people and things tend to congregate. “Most people try to do too much in their kitchen space,” she says. “The most common pitfall is that they’re trying to manage the household from the kitchen space. Paperwork, incoming mail, schoolwork, permission slips — it all starts to conflict with the main mission of the kitchen.”

Tips of the Trade

1. Shelf Stackers

This graduated stacking concept helps avoid “negative” space. “It’s a simple rack that allows us to make use of wasted vertical space,” explains Godding. “It’s very inexpensive; great for splitting up tall stacks of dishes.” A word of caution about expandable stackers: Make sure they are sturdy. Opt for a style that includes an added bar for security.

2. Glide-Out Shelving

Turn your shelves into pullout drawers with these custom-installed products. “They allow you full accessibility to the back of shelves,” says Godding. Local manufacturer Shelf Conversions in Ashland is using high-grade Baltic Birch plywood to produce quality items that help you pack more items in, in the same amount of space.

3. Back-of-Door Storage

“The back of the pantry door is often unused space,” says Godding. She suggests mounting baskets on the back of the door or hanging a clear vinyl pocket storage system [usually used for shoes, but even better for baggies, spices or sauce packets]. “I like to put the kids’ items in the lower pockets for self-serve snacking and lunch-making,” says Godding. You can also use the top, out-of-reach pockets for medicines and the lower pockets for crayons or pencils. For more information, call 355-7330.

Bathroom

Debbie Bowie of Simply Organzied

Debbie Bowie acknowledges that the bathroom isn’t the most exciting place to organize, but it’s essential for aesthetics and safety. “Put things away after you use them because they accumulate on the top of the counter. Put them back where they belong; don’t just hide it behind a drawer or cabinet,” Bowie says.

Tips of the Trade

1. Drawer Organizer

Use small gift boxes or pencil containers as storage boxes in individual drawers. Apply feng shui by adding colors that reflect the energy in the room. Let each family member pick out a style and color of contact paper to line individual drawers.

2. Linen Cabinet

Add a linen cabinet — an attractive French Country-style cabinet can be found at www.homedecorators.com — and fill it with rolled towels; folding a towel in half and rolling it takes up less space and is more decorative than a square-folded towel. Bowie recommends using every bit of space available in a bathroom linen cabinet or closet. Take a pillowcase and fill it with its corresponding pillowcase along with the fitted and flat sheets that go with the set.

3. Over-the-Commode Shelf

“The shelf and cabinet above the toilet can be used to house toilet paper, towels and more hand towels,” Bowie says. Check out the handcrafted bamboo and rattan bathroom space saver from Bed, Bath & Beyond. For more information, call 730-4991.

Bedroom

Cara Kinning of Organized for Life

“An organized bedroom can truly make it much easier to prepare for your day and can provide a peaceful, relaxing environment for rest and romance,” Cara Kinning says. Because bedrooms are heavily trafficked, Kinning suggests employing a few simple tips. “Throwing clothes on the closet floor is the worst thing to do,” says Kinning. “When you change your clothes, put what you’re taking off in its proper place, whatever it is — the hamper, or if it needs dry cleaning, put it in a specific place for dry cleaning.”

Tips of the Trade

1. Custom Closet

Have a custom-closet system designed and installed by Closet Factory, www.closetfactory.com, or customize the closet yourself with California Closet shelves, cubbies, and drawers from Target stores or Closetmaid “Completions” components from Lowe’s or Home Depot. “For a simple, inexpensive solution, I like Closetmaid Stackers,” Kinning says. “I also recommend racks or hooks for scarves, belts, and ties, hanging organizers for handbags and shoes, and huggable hangers in ivory from www.improvementscatalog.com.”

2. Dresser-Top Valet

Use drawer organizers from www.containerstore.com to store pens, notepads, scissors, clothing tags, receipts and other small items that tend to gather on the dresser top. A dresser-top valet is a great solution for holding men’s items that are used daily such as wallet and keys, watch and cufflinks, sunglasses and coins. “I like the leather-lined cherry roll-top dresser valet from www.organizes-it.com,” Kinning says, “or the sleek curved design of the dark walnut dresser top valet from www.thestoragestore.com.”

3. Wall-Mounted Jewelry Cabinet  

If you have too much jewelry for a jewelry box and don’t have the floor space for a jewelry armoire, order the wall-mounted mirrored jewelry cabinet from www.improvementscatalog.com or use velour-lined jewelry stacks organizer trays in a dresser drawer from www.organize-everything.com. For more information, call 330-0997 or visit www.organizedforlifeonline.com.

Home Office

Susie Hayman of In Your Business

Susie Hayman spends her days in and out of offices, but she’s not an office worker. She organizes home workspaces. Dens all over the region have been transformed into hubs for telecommuters and for after-hours work. She practices what she preaches in the home office she shares with her husband, Chris. “People have too much stuff going on in their home office; they’re running businesses and they’re doing personal things,” Hayman says. She suggests people separate their personal and business lives. “Have it so it’s just an office, not a craft center, not a den for kids,” she says.

Tips of the Trade

1. Stair-Step Sorter

“These are good for to-do or action files,” says Hayman. “You can also use them for projects you are working on.” Hayman suggests using files of different colors for easy identification and access. Also, check out the StationMate on www.ultoffice.com. The five-compartment, cascading design offers a clear view of all of your files.

2. Magazine Holders

Don’t let magazines pile up into an unsightly heap. Store them in partially open magazine holders, making them easy to identify and access. “A lot of people who have trouble organizing are very visual people,” says Hayman. “If it’s out of sight, they forget about it.”

3. Clarity from Clearing

“Clear the desk as much as possible,” says Hayman. “You don’t need three pairs of scissors sitting on your desk. You don’t need 10 rulers. The clearer your space is the more you’ll be able to focus on your work.” Store excess items in woven storage boxes from Pottery Barn. For more information, call 360-8337.