IF you've seen the "before" and "after" scenes on HGTV's Mission: Organization television program, you know that even the most hopeless-looking, chaotic spaces can become clean and organized. The transformations you see in half an hour on the television show can take professional organizers days – or even weeks – to accomplish. So bear in mind, the initial process of organizing your home may be time-consuming. However, the results will be well worth the effort. Each of the projects you'll see on the show follows a fool-proof, three-step process:

1. Sort things through
   Before you can organize your belongings, you need to know exactly what you have, and what's worth keeping.
2. Store your stuff
   After you sift and sort your belongings, you'll need to store what you keep. Storage containers can be both beautiful and efficient, allowing you to find whatever you need when you need it.
3. Stay organized
   Once your home is clutter-free, you may be tempted to sit back, put your feet up, and resume life as usual. By learning how to set up systems that suit the way you think and the way you live, you'll learn how to stem the tide of clutter before it enters your home.

A room-by-room guide to cutting the clutter

This section gives you tips and strategies to sort and store the contents of your kitchen, living room, bedroom, and more.

Mission: Organize your kitchen

Sort it

• Get rid of any cookbook, gadget, or ingredient you haven't used in the past year. If you haven't found a need for it in that time, you probably never will.
• Do you clip recipes from magazines? Toss the ones you haven't used in a year, and put your favorites in divided photo album pages that slip into a binder. (Separate recipes into categories, and use tabs to label.)
• Breaking up is smart to do! Many kitchen supplies and utensils are sold as sets. Retain only the items you actually use and donate the rest.
• Time to sort your containers! If they are stained, wash them with a specialty cleaning product; if this doesn't work, throw them away. If your containers are damaged, toss them. Finally, pair every container with a matching lid. Get rid of all lids and containers that don't have a partner.
• Scrutinize your dishes, glasses, and serving pieces. If you have pieces that don't coordinate, get rid of them. Sort and edit plastic cups and other throwaways.

Store it

• Group frequently used items together – mixing bowls near measuring cups and the pasta pot near the strainer. Store near the appropriate appliance.
• Invest in a wall- or ceiling-hung pot rack.
• Adjust shelf heights to better accommodate dishes, glasses, and canned goods. Incorporating free-standing metal or plastic shelf units can double the amount of space.
• Attach a metal or plastic grid to the wall and hang items on "S" hooks. Use a wall-hung magnetic strip to keep cutting implements sharp and at hand. (Ensure that sharp objects are placed where children cannot reach them.)
• Stepped shelf expanders let you see what's behind the front row of food in your cupboard.
• Built-in banquettes and freestanding benches that have hinged tops offer excellent storage for infrequently used items, such as party platters and specialty linens.
• If your kitchen also serves as a home office, create a work zone as far from your food prep and cooking areas as possible. Also keep some distance between your work space and your eating.
• Freestanding islands and carts offer storage space and a work surface. To decide whether you have room for one, cut a piece of Kraft paper to the same dimensions as the unit you plan to buy, then put the template on the floor and observe how you and your family maneuver around it.

Stay organized

• Avoid buying costly specialty cooking or baking equipment that will eat up cabinet and drawer space.
• Download recipes off the Web sites of your favorite magazines. Clip and store your favorites and toss the rest.
  Label leftovers with the contents and date; do the same with bulk purchases. Store cereals, flour, and other bulk items.
• If you're cooking something that re-quires an exotic or rarely used ingredient, make extra batches to use it up. Freeze the meals in clearly labeled containers and reheat for dinners on the run.

Mission: Organize your bathroom

Sort it

• How many shampoos, styling products, and shower gels do you really need? Pitch those you don't intend to use. If you have several bottles of the same product, combine them, or transfer the contents to small plastic bottles and use them for travel.
• Get rid of expired medicines. Call your pharmacy for tips on proper disposal of both liquids and tablets to keep pets, children, and the environment safe.
• Toss or donate any items you no longer use.
• Lipstick, powder, mascara, and other common products typically have a shelf life of only six months, so throw away anything older than that.
• Toss out old towels or cut them and use them as rags for washing the car or the floor. Or donate them to a local animal shelter.

Store it

• Always keep safety in mind when storing bathroom-related products. Ensure they are stored or contained away from curious children or pets.
• If your bath doesn't have a medicine cabinet, look for slim cabinets that easily install above the toilet.
• If your bath is large enough, consider a storage bench. Cover the top with terry cloth; under the lid, store extra towels, toilet tissue, or other bulky items.
• To bring visual order to the space, purchase inexpensive matching glass or plastic bottles and fill them with your favorite shampoos, lotions, and soaps. Use a label that coordinates with your décor.
• Use inexpensive draw dividers, such as silverware trays, to separate makeup, hair accessories, and medical supplies.
• Look for shower curtains that have pockets for bottles, toys, and other bath-related items, and consider baskets and bins with suction cups that attach to the shower wall.
• Install hooks or rods to hang towels, pajamas, and robes with ease.
• Clear the countertops. Keep a few daily use items, such as toothbrushes and facial lotion; store the rest. Keep all countertop supplies in attractive containers.
• Consider adding a fabric skirt if you have a pedestal sink.

Stay organized

• Select bath and hygiene related items that you and your mate can share to reduce excess bottles, containers, and cans.
• Keep free samples that you want and either give the others to family or throw them away. Better yet, leave the samples at the store for someone else to enjoy.
• Donate unwanted bath products and candles to non-profit shelters. Then, unless you actually need more, discourage gift-givers from purchasing such items for you.

Mission: Organize your bedroom

Sort it

• Keep only the clothes that suit your current lifestyle.
• Toss clothing that's uncomfortable.
• Empty all your drawers and throw away orphaned socks, hosiery that's stretched out or has snags and runs, and ill- fitting undergarments.
• Sort clothes you are keeping by season. Only in-season clothes need to be at hand; store the rest at the back of the closet or under the bed.

Store it

• If space is tight, install coat hooks on the back wall of your closet; hang out of season clothes flat against the wall.
• Prevent knits from stretching by folding and storing them on shelves, or fold them in half and hang them over a padded hanger.
• If your closet has sliding doors, replace them with bifold doors or full-length curtains that will allow you to see your entire wardrobe at a glance and choose an outfit with ease.
• Consider splurging on a wall mounted TV to make the room look less cluttered.
• Blanket chests can be used to store other things, such as out-of-season clothing, towels, or videos, and CDs.
• Build or purchase a headboard with shelves or compartments.
  Consider using a low bookcase as a nightstand.

Stay organized

• Choose your outfit for the next day at night before you turn in to avoid last-minute wardrobe crises.
• When you buy something, get rid of something.
• Resist the urge to buy sale items unless you really need and love them.
• Keep things visible: use clear shoe bags instead of patterned ones.
• Purchase a laundry basket for each family member. Sort the laundry into the baskets.

Mission: Organize your kids' rooms/playrooms

Sort it

• Weed out clothes that are too small; donate, or give to friends or family. Hold onto gently worn clothing for a younger sibling.
• Check that all toys have their pieces. Set aside those that don't and give yourself two weeks to find the missing pieces. Toss the toy in the trash if you still can't find the pieces.
  Ask your child which of his/her art projects are the most important. Frame those and turn the rest into gift wrap or cards. Laminate larger paintings to make place mats and give as gifts.

Store it

• Once you've narrowed your storage choices to a few options, give your kids the final choice. Feeling involved in the process will help motivate them to keep things organized.
• Arrange storage containers so kids can reach them and easily lift them if necessary. Install coat hooks and cubbies.
• Choose smaller individual boxes for toy storage rather than a giant toy chest. Clear containers are best.
• Utilize the space between hung clothing in closets. Consider building cubbies for sweaters and pants. Or install a bar at lower-than-standard height, so your child can reach it; then install shelves above for out-of-season clothing.
• Clear vinyl storage bags are great organizers for the inside of closet doors.

Stay organized

• Once you have organized the room, take "after" pictures that show where everything belongs. Post the photos where your child can see them.
• Choose outfits the night before. Put clean laundry into drawers by outfit, so your child can see what clothes go well together.
• Create a homework zone in your child's room and discourage the use of the kitchen table.
• Resist the urge to buy more videos, books, or toys; instead, organize a swap with families who have children the same age.

Mission: Organize your living room

Sort it

• If you have CDs or videos you haven't listened to or watched in over a year, get rid of them.
• Change displays of photo- graphs periodically and place in coordinating frames to avoid a haphazard look.
• Showcase just a few knickknacks at a time; change the display regularly to keep your space looking fresh.

Store it

• Consider a media armoire, a convenient way to contain equipment and wire.
• Look for a coffee table with a spacious drawer to hold multiple remotes, a TV viewing guide, and the magazine you're reading. Or use a trunk or a storage ottoman as a coffee table.
• Buy an attractive basket to hold magazines and newspapers.
• Empty it every recycling day. If you have a large collection of art books, put a neat stack next to your sofa or favorite reading chair.
• Look low for storage opportunities: If your sofa or chair is tall enough, and has a skirt to conceal what's underneath, consider using the space to stow flat boxes and other slim items.

Stay organized

• Borrow CDs and videos from the library instead of buying them.
• Remove holiday and birthday cards from the living room two weeks after the event.
• Provide your child with a designated "relocate" bin in the living room so toys and books can easily be taken back to a bedroom or playroom.
• Hide your home office behind a folding screen.

This article was excerpted from the book Mission: Organization, Strategies and Solutions to Clear Your Clutter, edited by Amy Tincher-Durik, Meredith Books. The book, based on the popular HGTV series, offers a simple, three-step plan anyone can use to sift through their belongings, store what's worth keeping, and stay organized in the future. It offers invaluable tips and techniques for restoring order when chaos rears its ugly head, and highlights the dramatic transformation of 12 real-life rooms, including garages, basements, bedrooms, and more.