Ozark Christian Living
Family Life & Homemaker's Guide
Organize Dining Room
She looketh well to the ways of her
household and eateth not the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27
Life gets busy so it is easy to end up with a cluttered home and a cluttered mind. But...1 step at a time...1 day at a time...1 room at a time we can win the war against clutter without feeling overwhelmed in the process. We don't normally have an abundance of time to tackle big projects. Therefore, we are breaking this down to little tasks that can be accomplished each day. If you don't get through this list during the week, do not be discouraged. Start where you left off the next time you are concentrating on the Dining Room.
Monday: Identifying items that belong in your Dining room and remove items that don't belong in this room at all.
- Take a few minutes to think about how your family functions in the Dining room. This will help you to start thinking about where to best place things as we work through the Dining Room this week.
- You will need 3 bags or containers for this task.
- One: "give away" for shoes that have not been worn in the last year. If there are shoes that no longer fit or have not been worn for some time, now is a good time to let them go. If you still have too much, consider matching to your favorite clothing for each season and donating the rest. Pick your favorite purses and belts that match your favorite outfits and donate the rest.
- Two: "throw away" for items that are expired, damaged, not of functional use.
- Three: "keep but not in this room". Don't get sidetracked by thinking about what room these items should go in or even taking the time to decide that at this point. The task today is to just get these items out of the Dining room. Ask yourself... do these related to the function of this room? For example: a toaster relates better to the function of a kitchen that the Dining Room.
Tuesday: Organize china cabinet.
- Organize items on your shelves that go with the theme you have picked for this quarter.
- Organize items in drawers, using silverware trays and storage caddies to store items by function.
- Organize table settings. Fold table coverings and napkins. If the drawer is overstuffed, consider giving the extras away and keeping on set for each season or special occasion.
- Silverware and utensil drawers. Organize in trays by type.
- Polish silver.
- Separate into complete sets. Consider getting rid of the incomplete sets.
- Keep your favorites, one per season and special occasion.
- Donate: Clean table linens and give-away those that you have decided to get rid of to homeless shelters, goodwill, or animal shelters.
- Fold linens neatly and store rings in organizer trays.
- Think about your overall theme and color for the Dining Room. Match floral and wall hangings with the table settings for the season. Store in labeled totes in a designated home storage area (not in the Dining Room).
Home Remedies
Read about the simple home remedies our family and friends use for pampering ourselves a-little.
This Week
Dining Room Hot Spot Cleaning List