Spring Organizing with Great Day Connecticut
We were thrilled to spend every Monday in March on Great Day Connecticut (WFSB-TV) for our Spring Organizing series.
It was such a special experience taking you through these much-loved living spaces, giving you insight into our process and how we approach each project while providing our best tips, tricks, products and advice for getting these spaces organized. See below to watch the entire series week-by-week, get our top tips for each space covered, and get links to all of the products used.
Pantry: Week 1 (Aired 3/3/25)
In Week One, we’re organizing our clients’ pantry using simple but effective methods using just three types of materials throughout the space.
Pantry Organization
The first step is to remove all your dry goods from your space, then sort and categorize them before tossing anything expired. Most pantries have the following categories: Snacks, breakfast, wellness, cooking, dinner and baking/sweets.
Next, measure your shelves, devise your layout by space planning and purchase any necessary pantry organization containers. In general, we like to set up a pantry that coincides with the progression of the day; for instance, we typically place breakfast towards the bottom, and placing dinner towards the top. Deciding exactly which of those pantry storage solutions you need, will be determined by the size of your space and the types of food you typically store.
TIP: If one of your goals is to encourage independence with your children, designate the snack and breakfast drawer as low and accessible as possible.
If your pantry is a cabinet: One of the trickiest types of pantries to organize is located in the small upper cabinets of a kitchen. A kitchen pantry storage cabinet is typically shallow, which can make it difficult to find the best pantry storage containers for the space. Utilize small baskets, turntables, and canisters to maximize space.
If your pantry is a reach-in: Small closet pantry organization can be mastered with the use of a few standard pantry storage solutions. Start with baskets to contain your most commonly used categories, then add a riser at eye level for any canned goods or bottled items. Low on space? Utilize the back of your door by adding a kitchen closet organizer. Don't forget the floor. Oversized baskets are one of the best pantry organization containers for corralling non-food items at ground level.
If your pantry is a walk-in: The hardest task when implementing pantry organization in a large space, is planning the layout of your pantry storage containers. Decide on your focal point - canisters are a great one - and place it at eye level. Ground your pantry storage with one or two rows of baskets and use turntables for oils and vinegars to make use of awkward corners. Don't forget to add labels! They are key to keeping everyone in your home on the same page and ensuring your pantry organization system will last.
TIP: When you're out grocery shopping, keep in mind how much space you have in your pantry. If the snack bin is full, eat what you have before buying more. Organized living means always asking yourself if you have room to store what you're about to buy. It might take practice, but once you start adopting this mindset, you'll be much more likely to stay organized.
Shop the Pantry Products
Kitchen: Week 2 (Aired 3/10/25)
In Week Two, we’re taking you through the process of how we plan and create organizational designs and systems in the kitchen, as well as some versatile hero products that work well in nearly every kitchen.
Kitchen Organization
A well-organized kitchen is the key to a more efficient and stress-free daily experience in your space. When every item has a designated place in your kitchen, morning routines become easier, meal prep becomes effortless, and maintaining order becomes simple.
When designing and planning an organizing project, we always start with space planning to determine our layout— a crucial first step. To space plan in the kitchen, we take the existing placement of large appliances (like the range, oven, refrigerator, sink and dishwasher), the layout of the existing cabinetry, and all of the kitchen supplies & their categories (with the context of volume in those categories) to design a layout that makes sense for that specific kitchen by creating “zones”.
For instance, in this kitchen, the Cooking & Prep Zone is set up around the range and oven, and the surrounding drawers and cabinets store supplies/categories like: Pots and Pans, Cutting Boards, Prep & Cooking Utensils, Prep & Measuring Bowls, Strainers, Sheet Pans, Casserole Dishes, etc. We also discussed the Plating Zone, Clean-Up Zone, and Morning Routine Zone.
Once the space planning is done and the layout is determined, we can then move on to the materials that create and support the organizing systems. The materials used in this kitchen are specific to the space, but are useful and applicable in most. We used versatile materials like turntables, drawer dividers, and other various inserts that provide containment and categorization.
Shop the Kitchen Products
Playroom: Week 3 (aired 3/17/25)
In Week Three, we’re taking you through the kids’ playroom to talk about our philosophy on these heavily used (and often messy) spaces, a good place to start and prevent overwhelm, how to get your kids involved in the process without sacrificing your goals, and tips on containment and labeling, plus how to avoid the “clutter creep”.
Playroom Organization
Getting your playroom organized is not about perfection. We always remind clients that regardless of whether or not your child’s space is organized, it will get messy. In fact, messes and the ability to explore and play in an uninhibited way are an important part of a child’s development, and so organization is not meant to be in contrast to that. Rather, it’s meant to provide containment and categorization that brings order back into the space when that play is done, and also so that things can be continuously found and used again with ease. With strategic space planning and straightforward systems, simple organization can be really impactful in these spaces. Here are our top tips:
Start Small
If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of getting your playroom under control, start by decluttering & editing just one category— whether that’s stuffed animals, cars, or dolls. Begin by discarding aside any toys in the designated category that are broken or have missing pieces, then move on to removing things that are no longer age-appropriate or things that are no longer played with to be donated.
Get Kids Involved
We think it’s important to get your children involved in the process. You’re giving them the opportunity to maintain ownership of the process while still being able to get the results you’re looking for. Naturally most children are glorified hoarders, but don’t get discouraged if there’s initial pushback. We have found that providing them with clear boundaries can help guide the process. For example, “You have 13 stuffed animals, pick out your favorite 10.” Also, sharing where their items will be going (i.e. those three stuffed animals are going to someone who doesn’t have any stuffed animals) and not simply thrown in the trash may bring some encouragement. We never recommend throwing away something secretly, or forcing your child to get rid of something.
Containment and Labeling
Our go-to solution for storing playroom supplies is a cubby system or open bookshelf that can accommodate a variety of containment. Categorized and labeled bins will make a huge difference, but kids will struggle to find and put things away if bins are out-of-reach or overstuffed, so keep bins low and loosely filled. For general toys, we like to use fabric or other natural material baskets; something soft and light with an open top. For arts and craft supplies, we love using canisters and small plastic bins for functionality and durability. Labels will help direct your child, and broad categories are key. We suggest using labels like “wheels” (instead of “trucks” and “cars”) and “friends” (instead of “animals” and “people”). Early readers may benefit from images next to the label. This not only helps them identify where each toy belongs, but they’ll learn the words too.
Continuous Editing
Once you’re organized, remember to edit regularly to prevent the clutter from building back up and becoming overwhelming. No system can combat excess toys, so make an effort to pare down kids’ items. We suggest editing before/after birthdays and major holidays that you celebrate where you experience an influx of toys.
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Mudroom: Week 4 (aired 3/24/25)
In Week Four, we’re taking a tour through this functional, beautiful mudroom project. We discuss drop-zone/command centers as well as typical mudroom contents, including systems and solutions that work well in these spaces (no matter what yours looks like!)
Mudroom Organization
The mudroom is arguably one of the most used spaces in a home. It’s typically located near your most common entrance, and it corrals shoes, bags, coats, and other everyday items. Because of this, it can also be the most chaotic. The mudroom has a huge impact on our daily routines - it's the last place we stop before heading out the door and the first place we see at the end of the day. So, a disorganized mudroom means frantic mornings searching for essentials and stressful evenings with nowhere to unload. But with the right system, your daily experience in this space can be seamless.
Drop-Zone or Command Center
The Drop-Zone or Command Center is the grab-and-go area of your mudroom. This area can be setup in a drawer, cabinet, or even by taking advantage of counter space (using a desktop organizer) or a wall-mounted system. Supplies that are typically found in this space include:
Car keys
Sunglasses
Some tech things like a charger or headphones
A few personal products like gum, mints and chapstick
Incoming and outgoing mail
Some bill pay and mail supplies like a checkbook, envelopes, and stamps
Some pens and paper
Important school and life documents that you need to reference
Family calendar
Key systems and materials include:
In-Drawer Organizers will corral the small categories like car keys, sunglasses, tech stuff, cords and personal products. An alternative to the in-drawer system shown in this segment could be a tray or bowl on your counter.
A system for billpay- We like to keep a checkbook, some stamps, writing utensils and scratch paper in a drop-zone for those times in the morning when you’re heading out the door and you realize bookfair money is due.
A system for mail- We love using upright sorters keep envelopes, outgoing mail, and incoming mail sorted and contained. The key with incoming mail is to take care of the mail immediately; we know it’s not always top priority, but if you take just a minute or so each day to discarding or shredding the junk, filing what needs to be filed, and then putting aside that mail that needs requires action and keeping it in a place where you’ll take action, it will prevent the mail clutter from compounding.
Paper Trays/Sorters- The same type of system and priority for mail goes for important school and children’s papers. We love using stackable trays (one for each child preferably) so that finding and referencing documents is easy
A family calendar- This family has an amazing wall-mounted digital calendar, but a whiteboard or physical calendar is also just as effective. The key here is having it visible, available, and updated so that everyone’s on the same page. Another option if the members in your household all have devices is creating a family calendar with everyone’s synchronized schedules on it.
TIP: Remember to edit this area regularly. When it starts to feel a little full and things seem out of place, it’s time to re-home the items that don’t belong. Take out the crumpled up receipts, random safety pins and paper clips.
Mudroom
When mudrooms are properly organized, we experience things like mornings without the mad dash to find essentials, afternoons where kids know exactly where to put their backpacks, and evenings when you can unload your day without creating piles of clutter. A well-organized mudroom doesn't just look better - it actually streamlines your entire routine. While every home’s mudroom looks different. For some, it’s a wall; for some, it’s a closet; and for some, it’s a really functional dedicated room with built-ins or lockers, but no matter what yours looks like, they all revolve around the same organizing principles.
Coats and Bags
Bags and in-season coats are stored often on hooks. Hook placement should be strategic, meaning you want your hooks at a height where different family members can access them, so If there are young children in your home, consider placing a few hooks their level. If your mudroom is a closet, jackets and coats can be placed on hangers with rows or columns of hooks on the interior side of the doors or interior walls.
Accessories
For accessories like hats, gloves, scarves and other items, the name of the game here is containment. Whether you’re storing your accessories in a drawer like this or on a shelf, these types of supplies are best organized in bins or baskets. Opaque bins work best because they can hide the visual clutter while still keeping things organized.
In the mudroom shown in the segment, each type of accessory has its own dedicated bin for every member of the family, but a few other options based on the size of your mudroom is one bin for each member of your household, or one bin per type of accessories (all hats in one, all gloves in another, etc). The bins or baskets create and provide a physical boundary, and keep your supplies in check.
If you’re tight on space, you can try seasonal rotations of your accessories, placing only in-season accessories in the mudroom, and storing away out-of-season ones.
Labels
Just like every space we organize, labels really do make all the difference. When everyone knows exactly where their items belong, keeping things organized becomes a habit. This small detail is often what turns an organized space into one that actually stays that way.
Shoes
This family’s everyday shoes are mostly stored between the garage and a nearby closet, but other options include using a boot tray, baskets, or cubbies to keep footwear under control. We also suggest limiting the amount of shoes per household member kept in this area, and really just your typical everyday shoes that you’re reaching for on a regular basis. This keeps things from getting crowded and helps the system work better. If you have the available space, try giving each person their own shoe bin.
Grab-and-Go
Like all families, getting out the door with your family is a mad dash most days. So if you have the space, you can use a bin or basket to store daily and/or seasonal essentials like a hairbrush and detangler spray or sunblock and bug spray to prevent additional trips upstairs. Group similar items together, and don’t shy away from storing categories that are niche to your family. The main thing here is having these items ready when you need them, so you're not scrambling at the last minute.
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Laundry Room: Week 5 (aired 3/31/25)
In Week Five, we’re taking you through the anatomy of an organized laundry room and how we approach these often multi-functional spaces.
Laundry Room Organization
Laundry might not be everyone’s favorite task (ourselves included), but with the right setup, storage and systems, you might just enjoy the task a little bit more. Whether your laundry room is on a wall or in a closet or an entire room, the main features of every laundry space we organize includes:
Accessible Shelving
A laundry space's primary purpose is to do laundry, so make sure essential detergents and any other important supplies are placed within reach.
In some cases this may mean adding (or adjusting) shelving to make them easier to access.
If you don’t have room for shelves, adding a behind-the-door rack can corral everything you need.
Durable Bins
Laundry and cleaning products can get messy. In a laundry space, it's best to opt for bins or baskets that are easy to wipe clean should something spill.
We love to keep everything looking cohesive by choosing one or two bin types and repeating them throughout. This will provide a clean visual (even if the contents of each bin aren't perfectly neat inside).
Canisters
Translucent canisters are a great option for storing laundry pods, detergent powder, and dryer balls & sheets. You can add essentials to the canister and place them on a surface within arms reach.
This makes it easy to quickly grab what you need for an effortless laundry experience every time. Refill canisters with backstock as needed.
Labels
We encourage labeling in every space, but because a laundry room can be a hodgepodge of household essentials like cleaning products, household supplies, product backstock and more, it's extra important to label each bin or basket.
This takes the guesswork out of determining where something can be found or where it belongs for every family member.
TIP: The best storage solution is one that works with your home, space and habits, so get custom with it. Start with these ideas, then adjust to fit your home and habits. The goal isn't perfection, it's creating a system that makes cleaning just a little bit easier. And we could all use that in our lives.
Multi-Functional Spaces
Sometimes your laundry room isn't just for detergent and dryer sheets. Sometimes, like in this laundry room, this space can also have various cleaning products and household supplies stored, making it a multi-functional space. Sometime those supplies can include extra bathroom products, extra towels and bedding, batteries and other household supplies, utility supplies and also cleaning products.
Be sure to corral like-items together. For example, if space allows, group together all the floor cleaning supplies in one bin and all surface cleaners in another. Make sure to add wall hooks for brooms and mops.
Here are some alternative Solutions for cleaning product storage:
A Simple Caddy
A portable solution
Store your most-used supplies here: all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, microfiber cloths, gloves, etc.
You can tuck it away in any closet or cabinet, then grab and go when it's time to clean
Under the Sink
The space under your kitchen sink is prime real estate for cleaning supplies, but it can get cluttered really quickly.
Take really precise measurements and implement products that take advantage of every square inch.
Drawing out the space and recording measurements on both sides of the plumbing.
If space is limited, stack bins or modular drawers to maximize vertical space.
The Cleaning Supply Closet
If you have a spare closet, it can be the perfect spot for a cleaning supply hub.
Organize cleaners by type and arrange based on frequency of use: daily cleaners at eye level, specialty products above, and bulky items like vacuum attachments below.
Behind a Closet Door
If you’re tight on space, a sturdy over the door solution is one of our favorite ways to add storage for cleaning supplies.
You can customize the attachments with baskets and hooks to corral everything from solutions to dusters.
It works on any swinging door and tucks clutter out of site while providing easy access to essentials.
TIP: Don’t bother making space for products you no longer use or want. If you feel guilty about disposing of them, give your unused products to a friend, family member or neighbor. You can also post them in your community’s “Buy Nothing” site or group.
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When we talk about getting organized, what we’re really talking about is creating mental freedom. A well-organized space doesn’t just look good in photos, it feels amazing to live in. It gives your brain permission to focus on the stuff that actually matters instead of the visual chaos surrounding you.
We like to think of organization as self-care. By investing in creating order in your physical space, you’re actually creating more mental space for all the good things. Knowing where your stuff is feels great, but what’s even better is that profound sense of peace when your surroundings support you instead of drain you. Organization exists to make your life better and easier, and we all deserve that.
Thank you to everyone who watched and supported, to my gracious clients who helped make this entire series possible, and to the incredible Great Day Connecticut team including Becky McCabe, Marcy Jones, Nicole Nalepa, Scot Haney, Caitlin Francis, Photographers Hunter, Jeff and Alex, and the entire team.