Office

Anyway, whatever area of the house that you use to store your computer should be kept very clean since dust can damage electronic equipment. Also, since I do financial paperwork in this area, I think it's important to keep the area clutter free.

Cleaning:

• Dust all surfaces at least once a week. Computer screens can be delicate; never use paper towels on a monitor since they contain wood fiber which can scratch the surface. Also, don't rub a dry cloth over a screen since that will only spread dust around. Additionally, don't spray cleaning solutions directly onto the screen; always dampen the cloth first.
• Every few months, vacuum the hard drive casing inside and out. A small hand held vacuum is best for this.
• Try not to eat at the computer, or at least, keep food away from the keyboard and mouse so you don't get food in/on them. Don't forget to periodically wipe off your keyboard and mouse; they are breeding grounds for germs.
• Vacuum the floor every week along with your regular vacuuming.
• Keep a small trash can under the desk; don't forget to empty it as needed.

Organization:

• To keep your desk clutter free, develop a filing system. I use manila folders, one for each type of bill—dental, automotive, veterinary, etc. I also keep a manila envelope for receipts until they reach the return-by date.
• I don't have a filing cabinet; I have neither the cash nor the space. Instead, I stack my manila folders alphabetically in one drawer in a plastic set of drawers that also contains my office supplies.
• The plastic drawer set has six drawers. I keep the most used items in the easiest-to-reach drawers. They are organized as follows:
  1. Glue, scissors, tape, rubber bands, ruler, ear plugs, batteries
  2. Pens (black and red), pencils, erasers, highlighters, stapler, pocket calculator, "paid" stamp for bills, nail clippers, nail file, lip balm
  3. Columnar pad, envelopes, return address labels, spare tape for printing calculator
  4. Printing calculator
  5. Manila folders
  6. Colored pencils, crayons, iPod storage boxes, miscellaneous small equipment
• Every month, I reconcile my bank account. I have an expanding file I keep on the floor behind the plastic drawers with one pocket for each month. I keep every month's pay stubs and bank receipts in its pocket, and at the end of the month, I staple them to the bank statement, which I in turn staple to a sheet off a columnar pad where I do my reconciling.
• I bought a printing calculator to help me with my bank statements. It has been a boon.
• On the desk itself, from left to right, is my UPS, printer, iPods, laptop, and mouse. I have a small desk lamp behind the mouse pad.
• I keep the wires for the various electronic items neatly coiled and tucked as far behind the computer as possible. You can purchase Velcro ties for bundling the wires together at computer stores.
• I store knitting and other art/craft supplies in this room too. In the corner I have a stack of three metal shelves. The bottom shelf holds my fire safe, cash box, and folders for old tax returns. The middle shelf contains my knitting books and sewing kit. The top shelf is for my electric typewriter, which I use for filling out index cards.
• I use a total of twelve wire baskets to house my yarn stash. The baskets are arranged as drawers in a shitty metal thing from IKEA, or rather two shitty metal things with six baskets/drawers each. I keep a vase of knitting needles and an ammo box full of all other knitting supplies on top of the baskets. Inevitably, the top of the baskets also winds up housing a couple of books, knitting on the needles, etc. (And yes, these pictures are stolen from Bad Knitting.)
  
  
  

  To tell at a glance what I have and where, I color coded the yarn with black in one basket, red in another, etc. To make it even easier, I fade the colors evenly into one another.