Extra Tips: Katie McCarthy

Extra rooms seem to easily invite clutter. Here are a few tips for utilizing your extra space efficiently:

• Make use of vertical space. Use high shelves in a closet to store things you do not need on a regular basis. Add shelves to an empty wall to create additional storage.

• Magazines and newspapers often create excess clutter because we often save them when we find an article or idea that captures our attention. Don't hold on to the whole magazine just to retain the information. Instead, cut out the article and place it in a plastic sleeve. Create a binder for all these articles. This will free up the space that was once overloaded with periodicals.

• When you create a home for something, be sure to label it so the system stays in place.

• Designate clear bins for seasonal items, memorabilia, etc. so you can retrieve from or add to them effortlessly. Again, don't forget to label!

• Evaluate your space on a regular basis to determine what you use and what you need. Anything else should be donated or let go of completely.

• Closets in extra rooms often hold out-of-date clothes. We succumb to the "what if" theory--what if I need these old tennis shoes with holes in them when I weed the garden? Face it, if you haven't used them yet, you probably aren't going to. The space they are taking up is possibly more valuable then the item itself.