Summer is winding down, and it's time to head back to school. For a smoother transition, our real estate agents suggest some home organization tips to get rid of clutter and keep your home neat and tidy.

Organize Your Kitchen

Going back to school means school lunches and snacks that you can prepare in a hurry. Organizing your kitchen drawers, cabinets and pantry will make packing the kids' lunch boxes a breeze. Start by clearing your countertops of clutter, then focus on storage:

• Add drawer dividers for utensils

• Use jars and bins for snacks

• Use clear bins in the fridge for fruits and juice boxes

• Use stackable racks in the pantry for canned sodas

• Create storage space on the inside of cabinet doors

• Label everything

Create a Kid-Friendly Closet

Choose a hall closet or kitchen cabinet to create a kid-friendly space for backpacks, lunch boxes, coats and jackets, hats, rain boots and umbrellas. Keeping everyday school items together in one place makes it easier to get everyone out of the house in the morning. At the end of the day, the kids will always know where to put those items, so it's a win for everyone.

Set Up a Filing Station

School comes with homework assignments, activities and special occasions that you need to keep track of throughout the year. To keep things organized, create a filing station with a small desk or cabinet, labeled storage boxes and file folders, paper trays and a yearly calendar. Keeping important papers and memos in one place will keep you from missing important dates.

Install Hooks and Floating Shelves

Wall hooks and floating shelves provide a simple, inexpensive solution for storage and display space when you don't have room for cabinets. Wall hooks can be used to hang backpacks, purses, hats, umbrellas and jewelry. Floating shelves can be used to store cookware and dishes or display books, accessories and paintings.

Make a Place for Art

If your kids love to color and create unique things, encourage them to participate in school art projects. To prevent clutter when they bring artwork home, create a place in their room to display school projects. By purchasing a shelving unit, you can create an organized place for art supplies and a place to display framed artwork.

Color Coordinate Closets

Whether you have small kids or teenagers, you likely spend a lot of time picking up clothes and cleaning their room. To help them get dressed for school every day, create a closet where clothes are grouped by colors so they are easier to find. Color-coordinated closets are not only visually appealing in Richmond homes for sale, they create a neater bedroom for your kids.

Separate Seasonal Clothes

To create more closet space and keep closets organized, you should pack away seasonal clothes twice a year when the weather starts to change. If you don't have room in your closets, consider under-the-bed storage or storage in the garage. To prevent damage to clothes from moths, insects, or mold and mildew, use plastic storage bags or containers with air-tight zippers.

Organize the Bathroom

Whether you have one, two, or three bathrooms, they probably get messy rather quickly if you have kids. To keep bathrooms neat and organized, buy a laundry hamper for dirty clothes and towels, install a shelf over the toilet for hair products, deodorants, cosmetics and toiletries, and keep personal items in clear storage containers in the bathroom cabinet.

If you're considering a move to the Richmond area, contact us to see available properties that fit your lifestyle and financial goals.