About Linda M. DePaz Expertise I can answer questions about decluttering, organizing, and managing your:
* Home (all rooms - hobby, kitchen, bath, home office, filing systems, photographs, projects, parties, storage solutions, moving to a new location)
* Office (filing cabinets, desk - inside and out, establishing a filing system, storage solutions, moving to a new office)
* Time (establishing routines, scheduling appointments, planning your day, using a day planner)
* Life (goals, motivation, and priorities)
Experience
My Qualifications
I am a professional organizer.
I am member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.
I am a member of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization.
I am a published author about the topic of organizing.
Question My mother in-law has at least 20-25 baskets of all shapes and sizes. They have a sentimental value to her but unfortunately they hold up too much space and clutter every space we put them in because of the heights,widths, and shapes of them all. Do you have any tips on how to organize them??
Answer Hi Katherine,
I am a firm believer in decluttering when something starts to overrun a home or office. I used to collect pig figurines - and they all had sentimental value because all of my friends kept giving me these cute little pigs. But then it was time to let go - especially when I couldn't remember who gave me which pig and the situation behind the gift.
Ok, why am I telling you about my pigs? Because sometimes, although there IS sentimental value attached to something, all it actually is, is a symbol of a feeling. These baskets may make your MIL happy and she may feel attached to them for one reason or another. But she really needs to decide if having all of these baskets around that make her happy is worth all of the mental and visual clutter they cause.
Just a note about getting rid of things. I like to suggest to people to take a picture of the things that are being discarded for a memento's sake. She would be able to look at her basket - but a picture takes up less space than an entire basket.
If a basket has a particular mark or 'flaw' that she particularly liked, then she could take more than one or two pictures - so she could get the right 'angle' of the basket - to remind her of what made that basket unique.
If she just CAN'T part with her baskets - even just a few of them, then putting them in storage is my next suggestion. At least they will be out of the way - but she can take them out when she wants to look at them. Store as many baskets into a rubber container and then label the container.
