One of the most effective clutter control solutions we recommend in many of the homes we work in is the ‘landing zone/launch pad’. For many, this area is in the laundry room, or mudroom. Why does it work? This area is used to   store everything that families take into and out of the house every day. Better yet, most often everything is kept right by the door, so things like backpacks, mobile phones and purses don’t have a chance to sneak into the rest of the house and become clutter.

To create your own landing zone/launch pad, make a list of the items you and your family members take into and out of your home on a regular basis. Your list might include backpacks, a purse or briefcase, smartphone(s), car keys, glasses, sunglasses, jackets, gloves, hats and scarves (you’ll need these before we know it!), umbrellas, raincoats, sports gear and library books.

Next, take a look at the areas surrounding the door you use most often. Your goal is to seek out space where storage can be added, or items can be subtracted from existing storage to create space for your everyday gear. You could add hooks, shelves or a bench with storage to open wall space. Or consider repurposing existing storage. To create a landing zone in her laundry room, one of our clients moved all of our cleaning supplies including the mop and vacuum cleaner to a less convenient area in our home…. Most of these items are used weekly, so it made sense to move them to make room for the stuff we use daily and to prevent clutter.

It may take some creative thinking and some reorganizing in other areas of your home to create a landing spot. But this is one project that will pay back great dividends in terms of clutter-free surfaces for the upcoming new school year ! Remember, organized spaces must make sense to you and the way your family lives…