Streamlining your stuff

If your idea of home organization is “stuff it in the garage,” the authors of this self-help book would like to remind you that garages are for cars. According to the introduction, “American women spend 55.2 minutes a day looking for things”: Car keys, that “Vegas Volt” lipstick, one pair of shoes in a pile of 50. If the good Lord can create order out of chaos, you can too, they promise.

(Apparently, men don’t need to be taught how to organize their homes: “Shove it under the bed/couch” has always worked well for them.)

The book breaks down the organizing process room by room, then into smaller steps consisting of basics (no wire hangers), “simple” solutions (unwaxed dental floss to neatly cut goat cheese) and streamlining systems (hang kitchen tools on a metal grid) before concluding with a shopping guide.

Much advice is obvious (yes, wooden spoons are fabulous, and drawers are convenient for jewelry), and many suggestions only add to the clutter. Do I really need a bench, a handy basket and a wall-mounted storage unit in my foyer? Many tips involve adding more shelves, containers, dividers, bins and boxes.

Perhaps you should make it real, real simple: Save the $27.95 and just throw out your excess stuff.

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-- Samantha Bonar