When we think of Neat Features the first things that come to mind are rooms or large objects.  We think of Neat Features as being that unique fireplace or the amazing view from the master bedroom.  But Neat Features can be something small too.  Something as simple as how you’ve organized your kitchen cupboards.  

• Inventory – before you can do anything you need to know what you have.  So take some time to figure out what’s there.  You can do this the old fashioned way (paper and pencil) or you can get creative and use a bar code scanner.  A scanner will take longer up front, but if you manage the system well, you’ll always know exactly what you have and where it is. 

• Eliminate – Now that you know what you have it’s time to eliminate the stuff you don’t use anymore.  Don’t use that waffle iron Aunt Gertrude gave you for your birthday 10 years ago?  Get rid of it.  Not a fan of canned beets (and who is?) get rid of it.  Throw away the things that are spoiled, old, or just a hazard.  For the rest of the things take it to your local salvation army, church, or food bank.  There’s lots of places that would love your no longer wanted things.  Plus now you won’t have any guilt over throwing away “perfectly good” things.

• Reorganize – This might be the hardest part of the whole process.  Things got out of hand because we haven’t been organizing.  And for some of us, organization just doesn’t come easily.  That’s okay, there are lots of ways to get help here.  If you live near Ikea, they offer great storage solutions at reasonable prices.  Just make sure you have a place for everything.  Consider hanging pots and cooking utensils on hooks.  Save the cupboard space for the canned or baking goods.  You can also use drawer organizers to really keep track of silverware, spices, and all kinds of things. 

• Replenish – Now that you’ve eliminated the extra stuff, and reorganized the remaining things, it’s time to replenish.  Get the products that you know you’ll use.  But as you replenish, make sure to put everything where it belongs.  You’ve just spent time organizing your kitchen cupboards, let’s not mess that up so soon!

• Use – Actually use the products you buy.  I know that seems like it shouldn’t be advice, but we often end up buying things we neither want nor need.  I used to do it all the time when I went to the grocery store.  I would think, “I don’t really like green beans, but they are healthy, and that’s a good price, so I guess I should buy them.”  Into the cart they’d go, only to sit in the freezer until I finally threw them away.  If you don’t use what you buy, all the organizational power in the universe won’t help you!

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own?  Consider submitting it, and we may post it. 

I really do.  I hate washing dishes.  Which is what I found myself doing this weekend.  Instead of enjoying a nice weekend off, I was stuck doing the dishes.  “Not fair!” I thought.  “We’re in the 21^st century.  Shouldn’t we have a technology capable of washing our dishes for us?!”  Of course most people have this new fangled device known as a dishwasher.  I have one as well.  But th

e machine is only (and I am not making this up) wide enough to fit about 5 plates.  On top of its incredibly small size it also has the added feature of not working very well.  So even when I wash the dishes in there, I need to re-wash them because they came out dirty. 

Somewhere there is a sp0nge laughing at me. 

Normally I can man up and just get through it.  But I had let all the pots and pans gather.  Before you judge me, I know that you leave the pots and pans until last too!  Who doesn’t?  No one likes washing those by hand.  They are always the dirtiest, stickiest, and grossest of the dishes. 

That’s when I started thinking about this website, and the post on What Makes a Room Great? 

What I really needed was something to keep my attention.  Not to be stuck in a small room with only fluorescent light to keep me company.  That’s why I love this kitchen so much.  It has personality (it’s got a great view of the outside) and it’s worth living in.  While I’ll never enjoy doing the dishes, at least this way I could look at something interesting.

Of course I live in an apartment and having a window above my sink wouldn’t work.  Especially because it would just open up a view into the bathroom.  But some day I would love a window to the outside world.  Or at least a dishwasher that works.