Top-To-Bottom Home Organizing- A Complete Guide To Organizing Every Room In The Home

by Caralyn Kempner

Top-To-Bottom Home Organizing is a complete, one-of-a-kind reference book designed to bring order to any living space in your home.

This must-have home-organizing guide will prove to be an invaluable resource that you can use over and over again. Innovative storage arrangements for your household belongings are featured in the many illustrations.

The detailed guidance allows you to approach any home-organizing project with confidence. A great deal of direction is given to help you select the right home organizers for your needs. Home storage plans are broken down to cover all budget types, such as economical, average, and high-end.

Genres: Nonfiction

649 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2019

About the author

Caralyn Kempner is a professional home organizer and an active member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). Nothing is more rewarding for Caralyn than less stressed clients after she's helped them manage their home clutter with customized storage arrangements that fit their lifestyles and personalities. Top-To-Bottom Home Organizing is her first book. Please feel free to view some sample chapters of the book on her website.

Caralyn lives in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook with her husband, three children, and two small dogs. Before becoming a professional home organizer, Caralyn was the president of a successful telecommunications business, but now she is the happiest doing what comes naturally: planning and organizing home storage space.

Contact Caralyn via e-mail at caralyn@organizinginteriors.com. Visit Caralyn's blog at www.organizinginteriors.blog for unfolding details and even more home organizing advice and photos of her projects.

Reviews

[Gloria Zak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed the book. There were certain things that were particularly useful: layout of book in categories/rooms: I don't have children or need for nursery and was able to bypass these chapters, illustrations at end of each chapter - picture is worth a thousand words, it was wonderful to see exactly what the author was describing for storage.
I particularly liked suggestions like storing sheets inside pillow cases and dryer sheets in bedding.
I hadn't realized there were so many different types of cheese knives - hate to say I am limited to one. I appreciated all of the information on the proper storage of food: fruits, veggies, spices, leftovers. So very helpful.
As far as clutter, in order to finally rid my house of clutter, I would need a new husband. I have given him basket for certain clutter: keys, wallet, hand sanitizer, change - it is filled up with other stuff, never emptied and the pile of clutter is right beside it! I love him but he does drive me crazy on clutter

One other idea for clothes closets that I will share that I find very helpful. I clean out my closets once a year and arrange for donations. All hanging stuff comes out of the closet, inspected and then what is returned as a keeper stays on the hanger, but the hanger is turned outward, When an item is worn and returned to closet it is turned the other way. Next year, whatever is still hanging toward me, those items get looked at first - if I haven't worn it in a year, it is probably ready for the donation bag.

Wonderful book on organizing. Am sure I will return to it again and again.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for access to this book through the Goodreads giveaway program.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good practical advice. A well-organized guide to organizing a home. I wish there had been more pictures or diagrams for ideas. I can’t say the info was new or revolutionary but I do feel it will be helpful.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads Giveaways. Thank you!

Handy, easy-to-read resource. Loved the illustrations!

[Steve Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped motivate me to start organizing my closet it had lots of tips and good ideas

[Jessica Campoverde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book for organizing your home! Many great ideas, and numerous illustrations. I tried copying some of these illustrations in my house and they turned out good! The book has so much to offer. I like how organized the chapters are and the amount of topics the author covers. Love it!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This really isn't a useful book. If the reader were to own as many things as the author assumes, it seems likely that the reader could instead hire the services of an organization professional. We have one small-standard coat-closet -sized closet for the whole of downstairs; the chapters on hall, entryway, office, and more downstairs spaces all assume their own closet and separate areas. Our master bedroom is so small that I can't walk between the wall and my side of the bed, and on the other side of the bed we cannot completely open the dresser drawers; the closet is less than six feet wide and has a door that only opens to half of it. Instructions to buy cute rolly organizers and maybe not own 4 different pairs of black boots are about as useful as telling a Millennial to forego that weekly avocado toast in order to pay down student loan debt.

There are some sketch illustrations, useful if you have a similar amount of space, but these are hand-lettered in a cutesy font that is very difficult for me to read-- not dyslexic-friendly at all.

Probably useful if you have a lot of stuff and also a ton of closets and just don't know how to get started on organizing. If you already have ruthlessly downsized your possessions to try to fit into a very small space, you're not likely to find any useful take-aways.

[Jill Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the most disorganized person on the planet. I had gone to see the author, Caralyn Kempner, speak at my library over a year ago, and I absolutely gained so much information from her lecture on home organization. She stayed after her presentation and helped attendees with questions. Caralyn was the kindness and most helpful person I have ever met. She did not have her book for sale at the library event, so I purchased it online.

I live in a townhouse, and have limited storage. The book Top-Bottom-Home Organizing had so much helpful advice on how to help me find storage outside traditional places, such as closets. The book is for anyone because it covers everything. I could not believe how big the book was when it arrived. It seemed a bit intimidating at first, but the author writes in such a pleasant way, that the book because warm and inviting.

I could never figure out how to start a home organizing project, and this book was my savior. I recommend this book to anyone, no matter how big or small your home organizing project. Also, it is easy to understand the author, as she explains organizers, and concepts with detail so you are able to get an exact picture in your head as to what she is conveying.

I am a hug fan of this style read. The book is a book with words. It is not a pretty book filled with photographs and no information. If you are an avid reader, you will appreciate this book.

[Terri Sander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top-To-Bottom Home Organizing book was a refreshing change from the other run-of-the-mill organizing books that I read recently. First, I was expecting photography, but instead the book offered whimsical sketches of well-designed spaces. There was a section on organizing every part of the home except living rooms or dens which is not a big deal. I felt the author was knowledgeable as she is a professional home organizer, and I adore her Instagram account.

The book is well-written because the words flow and chapters are not repetitive like so many other organizing books. I enjoy the unique style the author has in her writing style, as well as her approach to the home organizing process.

I bought this book on Ebay, and I received a great price given the amount of information contained in the book. I am a person who doesn't know how to arrange drawers, shelves, or closets. Caralyn Kempner's book is mostly designed to help with that part of the organizing process.

[Kristen Carsello · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Top-To-Bottom Home Organizing guide is my new go to for ALL areas of my home. The author, Caralyn Kempner, understands that everyone lives differently and that when we are overwhelmed by our space, to just start small. One room or drawer at a time, small steps make big changes. I read her acknowledgement in the back of book, it was an inspirational story of how she grew her love of organization to help others feel good in the space they live in and it really shows in her words throughout the book. I love the layout, it's easy to read and covers every inch of your home in a clear and concise manner. The illustrations are helpful as well and very creatively done. I look forward to having this book become my new go to bible for home organization for years to come, as I will always need a bit of guidance to help me continue to love the space I live in. Well done Mrs. Kempner.

[Talia Berstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book because I cannot afford to hire a professional home organizer. The book only cost 10 dollars! I found loads of information that you could not gather if you read home organizing blogs for months. I love how the book was organized into sections of the home. The author's writing style is very friendly and relaxed. The type of feel I need from a book when I am learning about a subject that makes me stressed and anxious.

I live in a small home, and I can never seen to think of ways to get the clutter off the counter and into an organizer. The author offers so many different organizers and ideas to compartmentalize your things.

The book was a bargain, given all the vast amount of organizational knowledge contained in this book. I am going to use this book as a gift for friends that are moving!

[Karlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Top-To-Bottom Home Organizing! Especially now that I'm spending more time at home, getting my space in order is more top of mind than ever. This book features practical tips for getting your home in order and each section is divided by room, making it easy to jump around based on which area of your home you're in the mood to tackle. I especially loved Kempner's section on downsizing toiletries, including product life spans for cosmetics and other products. This made it easy to toss items I'd been holding onto for way too long. This is a great resource to keep on your shelf and revisit whenever you're feeling inspired to organize!

[Gina Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a reference book and used only when you need to use it for a project. I like that kind of approach to handle this type of learning. I loved the chapter on how long foods keep in fridge once opened. I never knew the difference between “best By date “ or “expiration” and the author does a great job with this topic. There is so much information in this book. I was impressed. The author is easy to understand and she explains things so well. I like the tone of this book and it was well written. No typos and no grammatical errors. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Melinda M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top-To-Bottom Home Organizing- A Complete Guide To Organizing Every Room In The Home
by Caralyn Kempner is very organized and easy to understand. the chapters are named for what you are organizing and helpful that you can read what you need and skip what you do not at the time. It is a book that you will keep handy and refer to. The best part of the book is the illustrations at the end of the chapter so you can see what was discussed.

I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
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[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me declutter my home and had amazing organizing tips that I never would’ve thought of before! I will definitely be referencing this book often and I am so happy I purchased it☺️☺️ LOVE all of the illustrations. This book was very easy to read and I didn’t find myself stressed or confused when reading it..overall this is a very helpful book and I would highly reccomend checking it out!!

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the author.

What a great book to have in any household! This is literally a big textbook on how to keep your home neat and organized. It’s filled with step by step instructions on how to declutter, clean and organize and gets very specific in terms of the items talked about. It would make a perfect bridal shower or housewarming present.

[Al Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book vary informative and easy to use and a true reference guide for anyone who needs to tackle a home organizing project. The illustrations in the book were also very help.

[Desiree Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caralyn Kempner does a great job on this reference manual for home organizing. I have many books on the subject of home organizing but none matches the extensive amount of research put into this read. I am so glad that this author bothered adding information such as product shelf life on toiletries as well as perishable foods. The work Caralyn Kempner put into this manual was incredible. I love how the author presents. The illustrations are detailed and well thought out. So helpful. I am also impressed with the author's easy tone throughout the book. She is a fabulous writer and knows how to convey difficult home organizing topics so they are easy to understand.

[Marc Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a big book!!! so much information. At first, I was intimidated by size but I found the content easy and the author’s tone is authoritative but calm. Smart information and the chapters are well organized. It is really a true manual read. I like that it is a book of substance and not a picture book with captions. I would love to see this author write more about basements and downsizing - she would be good at these topics. It was worth the money and my partner wants it when I am done with organizing the kitchen.