Jen Martin is the founder of Reset Your Nest, a professional home organization company based in Utah. She developed a method for creating beautifully curated systems and has now taught her method to her incredible team of organizers. She and her team have organized over 500 homes and Jen loves to share all that she has learned about how to create beautiful and functional spaces on Instagram and on her blog.
How did you start Reset Your Nest? Have you always been interested in organization?
I have been an organizer since birth. It is in my blood and a little over four years ago I knew it was time to share my passion with others, so I went for it. I have always had a love for design as well and my hope with creating Reset Your Nest was to find the perfect balance of aesthetic and function.
What are your top five organization tips?
1. Start small (little successes are the best motivators).
2. Declutter first (less stuff makes any space easier to organize).
3. Create systems to solve YOUR pain points.
4. Buy organization product intentionally (measure your space first).
5. Label, label, label!
Can you give us some quick tips for organizing nurseries? Kids bedrooms? Playrooms?
Nurseries can be lovely and functional. Make sure the things you use the most are super accessible. Diapers, wipes and a changing pad can be placed in a super cute basket near where you need them. Find a cute hamper that can be placed right by the changing table. Have bins labeled: to grow into, to donate, off season, too small, or whatever makes the most sense for your family so that when an item needs to be rotated in or out, it is easy to place it in its next home.
Use a hanging shoe organizer in kids' bedrooms to plan outfits for the week ahead of time. A great system is to help children pick out their outfits for the following week and place them in the shoe organizer when they are folding and putting away their laundry for the week. Creating a space that kids love and that they feel reflects their interests and personality helps kids be more invested in keeping their spaces looking nice.
With playrooms, less is more. Keeping categories clearly separated and labeled in durable bins makes cleanup a breeze. If there are a lot of toys in a space, rotating through different toys can help to minimize the possibility of multiple bins getting dumped out at once. Establish ground rules with kids of only getting out one type of toy at a time. Likewise, if there are toys or games with lots of small pieces or where cleanup tends to be problematic, placing those items up higher or in an opaque bin can help keep them out of mind.
What are your favorite organizing/cleaning products, specifically for these rooms?
I love soft rope and woven baskets in nurseries, and durable, easy to clean bins in all kid spaces.
How do you recommend teaching children to help with staying clean/organized?
Keep them involved. I do quarterly resets of each child's room. We make sure that laundry is getting folded and put where the label says, that socks are paired, that they have clothing that works for the season, and that anything that is grown out of is put in the donation basket.
Let them have autonomy in creating systems and design choices. Decide what labels should be, TOGETHER. Decide what items should go where, TOGETHER. Allow space for treasures and collections for children who love their treasures. Create space for crafting, coloring, reading, music, or whatever interests them the most.
Reward them for caring for their space with things that will help them love (and care for) their rooms even more. My daughter earned a chair swing in her room when she was struggling to make her bed every day and got better for 2 consistent months, my son got a bean bag after 2 months of putting his laundry away the day he cleaned it. Those fun rewards have helped my kids stay motivated to maintain systems.