Photo by Tomas Lundahl on Unsplash Boots are beautiful! Boots make you feel beautiful!! But when they are not properly taken care of ... not so much. I often work in closets and I don’t like to see nice or expensive boots, especially leather or suede ones all crumpled up at the bottom of a closet but oftentimes people throw away the original box so they have no place to store them and needless to say... like a drunk.. they don't stand up by themselves ;-) Lately I keep seeing Boot Shapers advertised everywhere, maybe because we are moving into the cooler season. There is no shortage of choices in regard to type, budget, colors; they even have inflatable ones! If that is the route you chose to go I would just stay away from the extra cheap ones especially from sketchy overseas sites, you might not even be able to return them. Personally I have never bought or suggested one. I would keep the box especially for those you use infrequently but it’s your choice. The reason I don’t believe in purchasing these it’s because there is no need to waste your hard earned money and add to our plastic consumption. When you buy boots they come in a box that you can use to store them flat and stack the boxes, especially during warm seasons. Perfect fit! They also have cardboard inserts in the leg portion which is usually folded to fit perfectly to the boot and help it to retain its shape, even if you keep your boots at the bottom of your closet standing up under coats, or clothes by KEEPING the original inserts they will be supported and will not fold sideways. Best thing is they are FREE! Why spend money to replace something you already have? If you have already discarded all that, there are other options that won’t break the bank.
Give it a try, this way you will save money and save the environment from yet MORE plastic!! Let’s talk about flat surfaces. I always advise my clients to keep flat surfaces FREE of clutter as much as possible, since those are NOT for storage but for working or decorating purposes. If you have the need to keep certain items on your flat surfaces it is best if they are corralled on a tray or something similar. It will look neat and decorative. For example to keep a table free of clutter create a centerpiece with a tray, candle and small succulent, etc. This will be the only item allowed on your table. Any other clutter will distort the pretty picture and will signal you to be removed. Similarly you can use the same strategy throughout your home, corral items on your vanity, bathroom counter, kitchen counter etc. Depending on the room decor you might choose a material and look that complement the room. Now let's move on to the bedroom and vanity/dresser surfaces. Very often I encounter top of vanities and dressers loaded with tons of stuff, it’s a very cluttered and noisy look. Even in this situation corralling items will allow you to keep some items visible but in a way that does not create visual noise and does not allow for a cluttered look. I found this cute tiered tray at Marshall’s which can be used for pretty perfume bottles, make up and even your daily beauty regimen, it all depends on how you display it. There are many other styles around to match your room decor, I chose this because it matched the look of client's room. I t could be used on your bathroom counter as well depending on style and color pattern and if space allows. If you have scattered jewelry on your dresser and you wear it often the jewelry organizer on the right is an option to corral those pesky little items, bracelets on the top bar, rings, earrings in the bottom dish. You can also use this for hair accessories, scrunchies on the bar and barrettes in the dish. The purpose is to keep items together and not scattered all over your flat surfaces. It will also be easier to find them when needed. These items are both from Marshall’s but it was some time ago. To keep your kitchen surfaces organized, free of clutter and make it easy when it’s time to cook dinner, keep your most used utensils handy in a stand up style, you can use ceramic, metal, wood jars as long as they are heavy enough to hold your utensils without tipping over. I have 2 on my counter near the stove 1 for wood/metal utensils and one for plastic/rubber utensils. It is much quicker than having to rummage in a drawer. Especially if you have a smaller kitchen with little drawer space. The second picture is a potato canister which can also be used for onions, but potatoes especially since they need a dark and cool place, the air vents allow for air circulation, and it is pretty enough to be displayed in your kitchen, maybe on a shelf or if there is space on the counter. These items are also from Marshall’s. The last 2 items are for your DROPZONE which is commonly as close as possible to your main entry, depending on your home it may be an entryway, a mudroom or a hallway.
In conclusion if you want to keep your surfaces clear of clutter with as little maintenance as possible, keep items together within a tray or other container, and allow the rest of the surface to remain FREE, it will not only look better it will also cut down cleaning time. It is easier to move one item than an array of small lose items, and a clean place is a happier place.
It’s already April so you should be well into your Spring Cleaning and almost done, then it will be time to enjoy the warmer weather knowing that your house is in good shape. With good maintenance you should be able to keep it that way for a while. NOTE – Days are not all numbered by actual date so you may pick and choose based on the amount of time you have on a specific day. Some tasks will take longer than others, so I left some blank days at the end. You may copy/paste this into a blank document and print so you can have it handy and checkmark the tasks already accomplished. Day 1 – Sweaters Maintenance – With the warmer weather approaching your sweaters will go into hibernation until next winter (Finally!) but before you put them away make sure they are clean, stains will attract moths. Read care labels on proper way to launder, some will have to be hand washed. If there is pilling on sweaters or even sweatshirts you can use a de-fuzzer to remove before storing away so they will be like new and ready to use. I have one and it does work, there are plenty options to choose from, here is one, from Target. Day 2 – Taxes – If you still haven’t filed the deadline is approaching. Get your papers together and get it done as soon as possible. Check the January Blog post for more info. Day 3 – AC Maintenance – Depending on where you live the time might differ but in general this is a good time to check if your AC needs maintenance, filter need to be cleaned or changed so it is ready when the warm weather arrives. Day 4 – Winter Gear – This includes coats/jackets as well as hats, scarves, gloves. Again depending on your area climate might differ, but again April seems good to start preparing for change. Go through your winter gear and assess, is it the right size for kids? Is there too much wear and tear? Does it need to be laundered/dry cleaned? Take care of all that before you store it away for next season. Day 5 – Winter boots and shoes – just like for the winter gear check for wear and tear, size and if need to be cleaner before putting away. Ideally put it away in a box, either the original box or other. Label to quickly find it next season. Day 6 – Bedding swap – Some people like to snuggle up in warmer bedding in winter like flannel sheets, and thick blankets or duvets. With warmer season approaching start thinking and locating your lighter bedding, switch to cotton sheets, lighter blankets etc. Before you know it it will get hot!! Day 7 – Outdoor furniture – If you have a patio, balcony, garden chance is you have some kind of outdoor furniture to enjoy those cool evenings before it gets too hot. Take them out of hibernation and thoroughly clean them, check if pillows need replacement and they will be ready to use. Day 8 – Lawn Mower – Time to check your lawn mower for a tune up, and maybe stock up on gas. You will need it soon enough. Day 9 – Rugs Cleaning/steaming – April is when allergy season usually starts, with the warmer weather we also start opening the windows more so pollen will get in. Winter is a dust collecting season so now is a good time to deep clean your rugs or wall to wall carpeting especially if anyone has allergies in your home. If needed schedule a steam cleaning of your wall to wall. Day 10 – Picture Frames – We all have frames on the walls, either it’s art or family pictures, they are often forgotten so go from room to room and dust all your frames. Maybe update some of the family pictures, and if you display them also your kid’s school awards depending on space, remove old ones and display newer ones if space is limited. Day 11 – Kid’s Art – All parent’s tend to hang on to their kid’s art, but we all have a space limit, so go through your kid’s art today and see if some can go, maybe some older pieces will have less of an attachment and newer ones will be better. Find a way to display really good pieces, and maybe give away some to grandparents or other relatives so your kids can see them when they visit. I found a great gadget to display multiple kid’s art pieces, you can see it HERE Day 12 – Fridge – Clean out your fridge and while at it assess the contents, chance is there is something hiding in the back that no one knows how long it has been there, and no one will volunteer to finish up...lol...also as season change so will your menu, try to use up winter foods and stock up on warmer weather foods like veggies for salads etc. Try to organize your fridge by keeping like with like and use bins if it helps. Day 13 – Take out freebies – Every time we order take out it comes with an assortment of Freebies, ketchup and sauces, napkins and plastic utensils, straws etc. In almost every kitchen I organize I find drawers full of these unused items, probably long expired but for some reason people hold on to them. They might be free but they take up valuable space, and unless you are eating in your car you don’t need them, you have forks at home. These items will just add to the land fills once you discard them. So lighten your footprint on the planet and ask for no utensils or sauces when you order out. The planet will thank you and you can figure out what to do with that now empty drawer :-) Same go for menus, if you need to keep them, make it just one place. Day 14 – Hangers – You can improve the overall look of your closet by updating your hangers, if you have mismatched hangers in multiple colors, materials and shape, switch to velvet hangers for lighter clothes and thin wood hangers for heavier items. Just by doing this and keeping similar items together you will create a cohesive look that will make you smile every time you open your closet doors. Thinner hangers will also save space. Day 15 – Garden – I am not a garden person but around April I see people going to Home Depot to get flowers and plants for their gardens. If you do have a garden it’s time to assess your garden tools and supplies, make a shopping list and start planning what and when to plant. If necessary create a to do list with all the major tasks to stay on top of it. Day 16 – Photos Organizing – If like me you have actual paper photos they should all be kept in one location. Some people have photo albums others use shoe boxes, and I have found many just shoved in plastic grocery bags. Ideally they should be stored properly to preserve them, otherwise what is the point in keeping them? Whatever your preferred choice is, go through them and weed out what is not needed, sort by category, date, event and label. An option to keep them organized and presentable even if displayed in open storage is this Photo Box. Day 17 – Wardrobe Decluttering – Season switch – while you put away cold weather clothes and dig out warmer weather ones – is a good time to go through your Summer clothes and try to let go of at least 3 items per family member, chance is you will purchase something for the Summer so it’s good to reduce in advance. Day 18 – Bathroom Vanity – The area under your bathroom sink most of the time is your prime real estate space for storage, to make the most of it keep it organized. If you need to add components there are tons of options depending on size and layout of the pipes. In general is best to group similar items together and keep them containerized. Go through your products and look for ½ empty bottles, expires or old and caked or damaged ones and discard. Go through your brushes and discard doubles especially if old, wash and clean the ones you keep so they will look nice and if need be can be displayed in a nice holder on the counter. The GOAL is to keep only what you use and need. Day 19 – Cards – I always encounter cards in every household, either blank ones for future use, or cards received in the past. The problem is they are spread all over the place rather than in 1 location. Make it your project today to gather all such cards and separate first the blank ones from the others, if you feel like further separate the blank ones by occasion, Xmas, B-day etc. If you have a pretty container/box store them there. Now go through the one you received and weed out as much as you can, keep the cards that are most important (you don’t need the envelope) and sort by sender or event etc and store in container along with blank ones if they fit. You can use the same storage box used for the pictures, I linked it above. Day 20 – Garage/Basement – Make some space by discarding at least 1 box full of stuff that has been residing there and never used. Garages/basements are places where people put things they think they might need later but never touch again. If you find that lot’s of stuff is sitting on the floor, get some study storage shelves from Home Depot or similar and store things in boxes/containers on shelves to free up floor space. Sadly there is no space to park in many garages :-( Day 21 – Pens, Markers etc. – In every households there are pens in multiple places, oftentimes hiding, in abandoned purses and backpacks, various drawers etc. So collect all writing utensils and go through them once and for all, discard what is not working and find a home that makes sense to what you keep. Some in your desk, a couple in the kitchen drawer, some with school supplies. Store away the overflow where easy to retrieve when needed. Day 22 – Earth Day – The Earth Day 2022 Theme is Invest in Our Planet. To find out more here is a LINK to EarthDay.org with events map, what to do lists, and how to volunteer in your community. Day 23 – Purses – Some people switch purses for the warmer weather just like for clothes. Again this is a good time to assess if anything can go, take out your Summer and Beach totes but most of all go through all and EMPTY them. While organizing I always find bags full of belonging, including old candy, old make-up, leaking pens even uncashed checks and expired credit cards that clients could not find. Always empty your purses before putting them away, aside from those you use often, and even then check periodically for lost or forgotten items. Try to put them away in an organized way that allow you to see what you have and makes it easy to find and put away. A bag it is only useful if you can USE IT. Day 24 – Bedroom Dresser – Go through each of the drawers one at a time, take everything out, get rid of old underwear, t-shirts, mismatched sock etc. Fold and return to drawer by category, best if one per drawer, it will make it easier to find things if they are not mixed up. Learn to file fold if possible, it allows you to store more and makes it easier to see what you have. Day 25/26/27/28 – Make Up days. – Catch up on unfinished projects. April 29 – National Arbor Day – Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, on April 10th, 1872 and was founded by J. Sterling Morton and has since been recognized as a day to plant and care for trees. Schools, community organizations and local authorities all over the world celebrate Arbor Day by cleaning up public parks, caring for trees, and planting trees. To find out more, click HERE And for a map of when your state celebrates Arbor Day click HERE: As always I have left some blank dates for you to catch up on those activities that might require more than one day to finish up.
If you have followed all my monthly checklists since January you should be ready to enjoy Summer activities and have fun! Come back to check for future checklists by month and new posts. Happy Organizing When we hear "March" we start to dream about Spring, and Spring equal, well… Spring Cleaning :-) If you have followed my monthly checklist from January on you are already ahead with your Spring Cleaning and this month we will continue with the Organizing and maintenance of your home. NOTE – Days are not all numbered by actual date so you may pick and choose based on the amount of time you have on a specific day. Some tasks will take longer than others, so I left some blank days at the end. You may copy/paste this into a blank document and print so you can have it handy and check mark the tasks already accomplished. Day 1 – Microwave – If you haven’t cleaned it properly in a little while use the boiling water and lemon technique, you can watch videos on YouTube about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdFxcfH-05w Day 2 – Room Clutter – A way to address that clutter is to have 1 place (in each room if necessary) to collect random stuff that needs to be returned to its proper home. If you have multiple floors place a basket at the bottom/top of stairs to collect stuff that belongs to another floor. This is your task for today! Return this clutter to its proper home. Day 3 – Linens/towels – Go through your linens and towels, and get rid of what is old, yellowed, stained, damaged or it is not a full set. You should only keep what looks and feels good, it will improve your mood, it is not a good feeling having to dry your face with an old, stained and rough towel. Pamper yourself, you deserve it. It is better to have less but good quality, than lots of lesser quality. Day 4 – Bed and Mattress – In the old days people used sunlight to sanitize their beds, linens and even rugs. When did you flip your mattress last? It is recommended you do it 1-2 times a year. While you are at it, vacuum under the bed, bed frame, corner and crevices. You will sleep better tonight. Day 5 – Feng Shui – Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art of arranging objects and space in an environment to achieve harmony and balance, one of the rules of Feng Shui is to eliminate clutter. More small tips to create a good energy flow in your home can be found all over the internet, try to apply what you can. Day 6 – Dishwasher – Once in a while your dishwasher needs maintenance as well. Read your manufacturer instructions, there should be a cycle for it, or look up videos online. An alternative is to buy a product made to specifically clean/sanitize your dishwasher, AFFRESH dishwasher cleaner is one example. Day 7 – TO-DO Basket – If you have space close to your door that would be the ideal spot, if not place it where it is easy to see on the way out. This is a basket to collect things you will need to take care of while outside. Packages to return, items for dry cleaning, pharmacy prescription pickup, anything borrowed and in need of return, donation bags, or anything that needs to go OUT, or taken care of while you are OUT. Having to see these things will motivate you to take care of them. If you hide them you will forget. Day 8 – Car Emergency Kit – Every vehicle should have an emergency supply kit. Kits should be checked every 6 months, expired items should be replaced. For a list of what your kit should include check this link to the National Safety Council website. ttps://www.nsc.org/home-safety/safety-topics/emergency-preparedness/car-kit Day 9 – First Aid Kit – You should have one in your car and one at home, in the even of an emergency it will be a quick grab, rather than having to search multiple locations for the items needed. Keep it well stocked and check every 6 months for expired items. Check online for items needed in a Kit. Day 10 – Declutter/Donate – The focus for today is to find items you no longer need but are still useful and Give Back. Find out if there are still Coat drives in your community, maybe Food drives for families in need or Homeless shelters/animal shelter you can donate to. If there’s a DSW nearby donate your gently used unwanted shoes, they will be redirected to Soles4Souls. Here is a link with more info: https://www.dsw.com/en/us/content/soles4souls?cm_xm=philanthropylp-20210402-editoriallist-d-soles4soulslp-dswgivesshoedonation-2 Day 11 – Give Back Box – To continue with our decluttering and donating, here is another option to make an impact and donate to a good cause while making space in your home. Give Back Box is a non profit that allows you to donate gently used items for a good cause with Free shipping and give every carboard box a second life by REUSING them. So you are doing double-Good. If you want to read more here is the link: https://www.givebackbox.com/works Day 12 – Window Treatments – Dust all your blinds thoroughly, if they are light enough take them down and wash them in the tub, especially the kitchen ones, they need more than dusting. I know there are gadgets out there but a simple kitchen tong with a microfiber cloth wrapped around will do the trick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezx_0brpHss If you have curtains, proceed as you usually do to clean them. Day 13 – National check your Batteries Day – this year is March 13th. Celebrate this day by learning about how to maintain and care for your smoke, carbon monoxide, random alarms, remotes and other electronics like baby monitors etc. Remember your smoke alarm should be replaced every 10 yrs. Day 14 – Facebook Clean up Day – Fun and easy activity for today. Your goal is to clean up as much as possible, unfriend people you never interact with, maybe you don’t even know who they are! Leave groups you joined a gazillion years ago and never visit, maybe your interests changed. Streamline and clean your Facebook account by removing anything you no longer need, unfollow pages that make you feel like you are not up to par or make you feel unaccomplished, or those with lots of click bait. Day 15 – Light Fixtures – While it is easier to dust/clean floor and table lamps, ceiling fixtures are often forgotten. The task for today is to take care of those, including fans if you have ceiling ones. If your floor lamps need maintenance try to get that done as well. Day 16 – Spice cabinet – Collect all your spices, wipe clean if needed, consolidate if you have doubles especially if they are both ½ full. Check for signs of aging, since they usually do not have expiration date, but after a while they are no longer fresh and fragrant. Discard what you no longer use. Return the ones you keep in the cabinet in an orderly fashion, either on a lazy Susan, a bin, or however you store them. If you are cooking tomorrow it will be a breeze to find what you need. Day 17 – Saint Patrick’s Day – If you celebrate it dig out all your Grandma recipes. Day 18 – Cooking Utensils – How many spatulas does one need? Some people have way more than they need. Go through your utensils and discard what is old, burnt, stained, melted (yes I found melted spatulas) and keep only what you actually use, for example if you lack space a garlic press is not necessary, you can use a knife. Ideally all your cooking utensils should be in 1 location. Day 19 – Tupperware – If you have lots of them what you need to do first is match containers with lids and discard the rest. If they are plastic check for stains and wear and tear, plastic ones should be replaced after a while. Even better transition to glass ones, they can go in the freezer, over and microwave with no problem. Also remember plastic in not earth friendly :-( Day 20/21/22 – Clean Out your Closet Week! Every year we celebrate National Clean out your Closet Week on the 3rd week of March. You observe this day by taking on 1 closet per day, maybe 2 if they are small, depending on how many you have you may need more than 3 days. The process is the same for all, EMPTY the closet, clean the shelves, vacuum the floor, go through items and discard what needs to go, return items possibly in categories in your closet. Try to be honest and ask yourself when was the last time you used an item, if you didn’t even know it was there, you did not miss it, let it go. Day 23 – Clean out your Social Media – Let’s alternate from physical labor to mental work. How many social media platforms are you on? Chances are at least 3. Time to clean out a bit. Go through the list of friends and unfriend those you don’t even know in person and never interact with, unfollow pages that you lost interest in, leave groups you never visit, by removing what is no longer relevant the focus will be on what you are actually interested in and probably enjoy. Try to keep the focus on what really pertain to you Today not 3 years ago Day 24 – Clean out your phone – Since we addressed Social Media cleanup, we might as well continue with your phone, you use it everyday for multiple reasons, but how often do you perform maintenance on it? Check through your text messages and delete obsolete ones, do the same with emails, clean your spam folders as well, and what about pictures? How many are stored on your phone? Move to alternate storage and keep only those that are important, no need to have multiples of the same 2 people in similar poses, just keep the best. GOAL is to reduce the amount of stuff on your phone. Day 25 – Pots and Pans – Take them all out and check for damage, burned ones have to go, non-stick pans with damaged coating have to go, they are not safe to use, pots with broken handles or without lid can be discarded as well. You can use pans without lids but pots not so much. Try to really think about what you use on a regular basis. Those rarely used can be stored in harder to reach places. The rest of the month is for you to catch up with whatever tasks you left incomplete as some may require more than 1 day. If anything try to get your Clean out your Closets Week done, closets can accumulate huge amounts of clutter and dust! Spring is near and so is allergy season, dust will just make it worse.
Most of all try to have fun with it if you can, play music if it helps!! Happy Organizing. NOTE – Days are not numbered by actual date so you may pick and choose based on the amount of time you have on a specific day. Some tasks will take longer than others, so adjust accordingly, I also left some blank days at the end to complete unfinished tasks. You may also copy/paste this into a blank document and print so you can have it handy and check mark the tasks already accomplished. Day 1 – Keys – Either you have family members that often lose their keys or not, it is a good practice to keep copies of ALL your important keys (whatever they may be). Think about anything else other than the obvious house keys; car, shed, safe, parent’s home etc. Have a ring with all your copies clearly labeled so you don’t have to guess. Should you misplace any key it will save you time. If you use one of the copies remember to make another one and replace it on the ring, immediately. Day 2 – Clean your toaster and toaster oven day. You may need them for V Day breakfast. Make sure you open the crumbs tray and use a brush in corners to get all debris out. Day 3 – Valentine’s Day Prep – Depending on how you celebrate create a checklist with To-Do items like:
Day 4/5 – Master Closet – This will probably require more than 1 day so plan it over a weekend.
Day 6 – Annual Check-up – Set up doctor and dentist annual check-up for your family if you haven’t done so, if not possible at this time mark on your calendar the date when to address it. Day 7 – Check your vacuum filter. When was the last time you did maintenance on your vacuum? Each model is different but they all require maintenance. Read your vacuum manual (or look it up online) for proper maintenance. Some models of Dyson vacuums for example have a filter that requires washing. Day 8 – Organize your kitchen Junk Drawer. Take everything out, assess: does it belong here? If not re-home with like items. We all have junk drawers but it doesn’t mean they have to be messy. Use drawer organizers to keep items with like items, and to prevent mixing with others. Day 9 – Jewelry – Do you have lots of costume jewelry? Seasonal or event jewelry? Are the sets together, are your earrings in pairs or orphans? Gather all your jewelry and organize it however it makes sense to you, summer jewelry, work jewelry, special events etc. Find a place to store it all together and a small dish or box for everyday or often used jewelry to drop off at the end of the day. Day 10 – Couch – When did you last treat your couch to a good vacuuming? Remove all pillows, seats etc. and deep vacuum, surprises always awaits! Vacuum the armrests and back of the couch, move it and vacuum the entire area underneath. Vacuum each pillow and seat and place back. Good Job!! If you like use some fabric freshener for a clean scent. Day 11 – Medicine – If you haven’t tackled your bathroom organization yet, or keep them in the kitchen, go through your medicine and supplements and check for expiration dates, if something need to be refilled call your doc/pharmacy and get it refilled right away. Day 12 – Old magazines/newspapers/books – We all have things we mean to read “eventually” accumulating in various corners. Time to weed them out. Go through those piles and be honest with yourself, how long have you been saving them? Can you find a similar read online? Recycle as much as possible. And how about that book ½ read and never finished? Can you donate it? If you ever decide to read it one day just grab it from the library. Make sure to place what you keep near an area where you read. Day 13 – Descale your Coffee Maker. Did you know your coffee machine can grow mold, bacteria and accumulate mineral build up. Depending on the type you use follow instructions on it’s manual or find online. Maintaining your coffee maker will not only give you better tasting coffee but extend its life. What a great way to start your Valentine's day tomorrow! Day 14 – Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is also National Clean out your computer day. As the title suggest it implies weeding out what you no longer need. If you tend to save too many photos on your pc try to move them to an external drive, flash drive or cloud storage. Go through your files and clean out what is outdated, a duplicate or can be accessed on the web without need to store. You goal is to delete at least 20 files. You may postpone this task to the end and use one of your free days if you are celebrating V Day. :-) Day 15 – Car Maintenance – Time to declutter and vacuum the inside of your car, change your air freshener if you use one. Remove all junk and organize what you keep in your car by giving it a “home” to reside. Make sure you have your "car and registration" as well ;-) Day 16 – If you have time clean the outside of your car or schedule time for a car wash and oil change? Does your car need a tune up as well? Day 17 – Today is National Random Act of Kindness Day it may not have anything to do with organizing but you may take a break today and do something to brighten up someone’s day. Help an elderly neighbor, call a lonely relative, send a card to someone who doesn’t expect it, or just buy a warm meal for a homeless person. Today it is not about you. ADD PHOTO! Day 18 – Old Files/statements – Discard 1 year worth of old credit card statements or bills. You don’t need to keep them if they are paid and there is nothing related to tax returns. Shred what contains sensitive information. Day 19 – Kids Backpacks – Go through your child backpack and remove clutter, damaged, dirty items and replace with new, check if you need to replenish supplies, and check folders for forgotten permission slips or other important papers. Return items in an organized fashion. Repeat for other children. Day 20 – School Supplies – While replenishing your kids backpacks take notice if any supplies are low, there is still almost ½ year worth of school so make a list and replenish any supplies as needed. Day 21 – Washer/Dryer Maintenance. If you have never done maintenance on your washer/dryer now it would be a good time. Some people limit that to removing the lint from the filter in their dryers. More detailed maintenance will prolong the life of your appliances and save you money on repairs. There are plenty videos online that show you how to perform maintenance depending on your appliance. The maker of your appliance may have instructions as well. Lastly there are also products you can purchase. Day 22 – February 22 is National walking the Dog Day so take the time to enjoy a leisurely walk with your four legged friend. Exercise and fresh air will do both of you good. While we are on the dog subject before you go out find some time to Organize your doggie supplies. Do you have a home for them? If not think of one.
Day 23 – Make a Vision Board – Sometimes visual help is a great motivator. If there is a home related project that will take multiple steps, for example organizing your living room, having a Vision board with examples, pictures and motivating quotes will help you achieve your goal. I will give you the rest of the month OFF so you can try and finish off anything that may be incomplete. Do your best to finish it all off so you can move on to next month Tasks with no extra baggage :-) Come back for March Checklist! Did you know there was such a thing? Apparently there is, and this year January 10 is National Clear Off Your Desk day, but you will have time until April 26 this year since that is National Get Organized Day. So are you ready to tackle them? From January to April there should be enough time to get everything in order and celebrate National Get Organized Day in style. If you have it in your budget you can hire a professional organizer to help you, even a virtual one if you are able to do the manual work yourself with guidance. Or you can go the DIY route and go at it on your own, if that is the case continue reading for tips on how to get a little done everyday and still meet the deadline :-) January is a good month to get organized, it’s a new year, new beginnings, time for resolutions, what better time to break bad habits, create new and better ones, and improve your life in general? Getting organized will give you a feeling of being in control and having accomplished something, I hear that all the time from my clients. But now here are a few tips to get you started, once you get moving it will get easier. Try not to put too much on your plate all at once, do a little everyday and you will get there. The Holidays are over, time to get your house back to normal. You can choose a slower pace and tackle one action per day or if you feel brave tackle multiple in one day and move faster. Day 1 – If you haven’t already, take down your Christmas tree and indoor decorations. Check for anything damaged. Organize by type, wrap fragile items, and store in appropriate containers, shoe boxed, Tupperware, whatever you have. Make sure you label everything for easy retrieval next year. Day 2 – Take down all Outdoor decorations if you have any, organize like with like, find suitable containers, boxes, label and store in suitable place. Day 3 – Gather all the wrapping/packaging materials, gift bags, bows etc. and organize for next year, separate kids themed from adults, and check for reusable items and discard damaged ones. While putting them away organize all your gift wrapping supplies by occasion if you have them. Day 4 – FOOD - If you shopped in bulk for Holidays related ingredients that you won’t use again until next year, check the expiration date. If it expires before the next Holiday season and you won’t use it until then, try to donate it to someone who will. Day 5 – Leftovers – If your fridge is still packed with leftovers, or treats you received from family and friends, try to use it, freeze it for future use, or donate it to someone who will enjoy it if you don’t. Don’t keep it “for later” that is just code for Never. Day 6 – Unwanted GIFTS – It happens to all of us, people mean well but sometimes they just read you wrong and you end up with a bunch of gifts you really don’t like, want, or need. Think about your options, re-gift to someone you know will want it, sell it, donate it to a needy person, good cause. Do not store unwanted gifts, they will be forgotten and when you move 10 years from now you will unearth it and it will be obsolete and useless to anyone. Give it away now while still worth it. Day 7 – GIFTS What about that mountain of gifts you do like and want to keep? These are all new things that will need a home. Your task today is to find them a HOME, and that should be with similar items. While at it if there are older versions, try to downsize, remove what is old and keep the new. Day 8 – Gift Cards and Digital cards are gifts that are often forgotten and/or lost, I find them everywhere, some have expiration dates so find a Home for these! If they have expiration dates mark them on your calendar to be reminded! If they are digital create a folder on your phone or PC so you can be reminded and access them all in one place. Day 9 – Did you get a 2022 Calendar? If not, get one and if yes, prep it. I keep an old fashioned paper calendar in my kitchen and use it all the time. Make sure you add all known and important Birthdays, Anniversaries, dates important to your family, and all known and/or recurring appointments you may have. Double check with your digital calendars and add any important dates. Day 10 – Taxes - Start gathering all your papers, documents, and statements related to 2021 Taxes and place in a folder so when April 15th comes around you have everything in one place and ready to go. Day 11 – Paper - This would be a good time to sort through any piles of mail/papers in any area of your home, you might discover a document needed for your tax folder. Go through as many piles as you can today or break it down into multiple days. Discard junk mail, file inactive papers and have a place to keep ACTIVE papers, those that require an action. Day 12 – Home Care – Check your fire and carbon monoxide alarms and replace batteries if needed. Press and hold the test button on the smoke detector. If the sound is weak or non existent, replace your batteries. Change any light bulbs in your house that have burned out. Day 13 – Go through all your family winter gear, hats, scarves, gloves etc, check for damage, wear and tear, mismatched gloves, and what is now too small or old. If anything is still in decent condition donate, what is too worn you can place in those clothing donation bins, most just shred and reuse the fabric so it’s not wasted. Day 14 – Time to let go. The Goal for today is to go through your home and room by room find 3 items in each room to donate or trash, if you can find more all the better! Make a donation bag, and keep adding in the future until full. Day 15 – Linen Closet – Empty your linen closet, wipe the shelves, assess the contents. Are there items that do not belong? Re-home with similar items. Go through your linens/towels and identify worn, stained or damaged items to throw out. You might be able to donate to animal shelters, old pillows, blankets and sheets. If you have multiple sets and sizes of sheets, place the whole set neatly folded inside one of the pillowcases so it stays together. Day 16 – 17 - Tackle your bathroom. May need 1 or 2 days depending on size. On Day 1 empty and wipe your medicine cabinet, check for expired medicine, vitamins and even makeup. Get rid of products that look old, discolored or smells funny or have only a few drops of product. Wipe the containers if soiled, group like with like and return to the cabinet in organized clusters. If you feel maxed out come back next day or if you have energy continue on with your under the sink storage, (drawers or shelf) in the same manner as with the medicine cabinet. If the space is large try to find containers that stack to organize your supplies. Lastly remove as much as possible from counter/sink and store away. Day 18 – 20 - Kitchen - (multiple days required for kitchen, vary depending on size) following the same steps as for the bathroom tackle one cupboard at a time, or multiples if you can. Maybe do all your drawers one day, upper cabinets next day, and lower cabinets last day. Empty the area, wipe clean, assess contents, check for expiration dates, wipe containers if soiled, decant if packages are leaking like sugar, if you have multiples of any product see if you can relocate excess items in pantry. Keep often used items in easily accessible areas, and less often used up high, down low or in the back. Day 22 – Cables and cords – In every household I visit I encounter piles of tangled electronics cords, in multiple rooms, if that is your case gather them ALL and make it your goal for today to sort it all out. Grab some ziploc bags and one plastic bin and sort through your tangle, group I-phone/Mac cords, Android cords and chargers, PC and laptop/printer cables, appliances and other cords, have a ziploc bag for each type and label all bags, including earbuds/headphones. Discard what is obsolete and keep handy only those cords you actively use often. Possibly keep them near your charging station.
Day 23 – Emails – Your goal for today is to clear your Inbox, if you have multiple email addresses tackle one per day or as much as you can in one day. Your goal should be to delete at least 20 Emails in each, and you can repeat this as often as needed until your clean it out. Set aside ½ hour per day, play some music and clean it out! Day 24 – Flat surfaces – This includes counters, tables, desks, and even chairs. Flat surfaces accumulate clutter especially if items have no set home to be returned to. If the piles are large tackle one per day, if it’s doable do more. Clear out the surface entirely, sort through the clutter, discard what is not needed, re-home what does not belong and put back only what is used at that location. If it’s a dinnner table it should only have a centerpiece, if it’s a chair it should have nothing on it. Day 25 - Orphaned Socks – If like many people you have piles of unmatched socks in multiple locations, or bags full of them, gather everything and maybe get your kids involved and make it a game, who matches the most socks win! Or be creative and make mismatched funny pairs of socks. The goal is to go through all the mismatched socks, discard what has no hope of finding a match, or create a funny match. It’s also some time spent with kids if they are small it will be fun. These will be your tasks for January, come back in February and I will have another month worth of small tasks to get you on track. Happy Organizing!! New York City is not famous for spacious kitchens, after all we have tons of restaurants and take out places so lots of people don’t cook, but for those who do it is a big headache. I have never had a client that was happy with the size of their kitchen, there is never enough space, or the layout is not optimal, it's lacking drawers, and 90% of the time the top shelves are too high, thus a small stepping stool is a requirement in most kitchens. Here are a few tips for kitchen organization and further down for the rest of your home, these are all items I have used with clients. I am sure there are many more options out there.
There are so many other options and solution but I can't possibly list them all, so I will move on to other areas in a home to make it a little more inclusive. After all you may have a small apartment altogether.
For the kids
For working from home
For bedroom storage
For the entrance or hallway
There is a lot more to say about home organization and the tools that might assist you in that quest, but if you have ever visited IKEA you know it would take me months to go through all the useful items I could write about, so I stuck to what I have used at least for one client. I love visiting IKEA, it is always a source of inspiration, it feels like fireworks in my brain!!!
I hope I have at least inspired you somehow to work on your organization so get ready for the New Year, may it be an Organized one! HOW ORGANIZED IS YOUR PURSE? We are all familiar with the countless jokes about the contents of a woman's purse, husbands often joke about their wives' purses and purse's weight with their pals. While some may adopted the minimalist lifestyle, there are still women who totes heavy purses with them on a daily basis. Okay some items might be useful, and necessary but as a Professional Organizer I often see client's purses full of long forgotten stuff, due to disorganization, lack of time and bad habits, sometimes a sum of all three. Other times it's a matter of being prepared for any situation, and I know you are out there....lol... I am speaking to those of you who have items in your purse "just in case", and the bigger the purse the more you can fit, so be mindful of the size of your purse as well. If DISORGANIZATION is causing stress in your life chance is your purse is not a source of joy either....lol... so the first step would be to clean out and ORGANIZE that purse (when was the last time you did that?), then create NEW habits to keep it that way and finally apply that method to all your purses, so you will never grab a purse and find it full of old gum wrappers, old pens that leaked ink and stained the bottom, expired gift cards, old receipts and more. A survey by Pilot Pen Australia found just how long we spend rummaging in our handbags. If you are in the habit of changing your purse often depending on the occasion, you might want to invest in a purse organizer that fit most of your bags, so all you have to do is take this insert with all its contents and swap bag. All you need is there. Here is an example I found on Amazon but there are many variations, in pattern, colors, sizes and prices. Just find the one that fits your needs. In our case we did not purchase anything, just used what was on hand. For privacy reasons the client's wallet and keys are not displayed in photo, but she carries them in her purse. We also removed all debris like torn paper, food wrappers, loose coins, pens caps etc for tidier pictures. This client spent precious time everyday looking for things in her purse, unable to find them, at times panicking that she had lost them, (sometimes they were left in a previously used bag) so we addressed this problem to save her sanity...lol... Here you see the BEFORE shot. The first step is to empty and clean your purse, like we did. We removed all debris and sorted and categorized the rest, the next step was for her to identify what she really needed in her purse. These are the items we found and they were separated by similarity. What is used together or should be stored together. We also tried to identify multiples, like 2 pairs of sunglasses, or multiple pens, lip glosses etc. Here is the AFTER shot, all the make up is in the red pouch, smaller items are in the side pockets where it is easier to access them and return after use, there is a little red coin purse for loose change, tic tac, gum, floss are all in the same area, sunglasses, sunscreen, brush, ear buds, charging cable etc are in the black pouch and there is even space for a shopping bag, since after the plastic bags ban lots of people forget to take one with them. This client was complaining of always forgetting so we compact folded one and stored in a ziploc bag to keep it nice and tight and ready to use. No more bags coming home and cluttering her newly organized space. We left some space on the right side since that is where her wallet will go. Everything else has found a home. This is a Fun Article about the Struggles of Women who carry big purses... it is full of humor but somewhat true, has this happened to you? Now the only thing left to do is MAINTAIN the organization, like anything else it requires maintenance, so take your time every night to assess if anything needs to be removed or added to your bag depending on the next day activities. I do this every night as soon as I come home, so my bag is ready for the next day. If you plan on changing your bag just take your pouches and transfer them, quicker than piece by piece. The bottom line is there should be no loose items floating around your purse, everything should be in a pocket or pouch or small container, and should be returned to its proper home after use, so you can find it next time you need it. If you have one of those "Neverfull" type of totes I suggest getting one of the purse organizers I talked about above. Good Housekeeping has an interesting test about the contents of you bag :-) "What the inside of your purse says about you". Are you a Minimalist, a hopeless Hoarder or Prepared for Anything? take the test if you want to find out. So.... How organized is your bag?? Leave a comment and let me know.
1 - PUT THINGS AWAY
2 - CREATE ROUTINES Linking to first tip, establishing routines and implementing them is one of the Pillars of an organized home. Once you get used to it you will follow them without a thought nor effort. NOTE: It will take about 20 consecutive days for a routine (repeated task) to take root. 3 - PERMANENT HOMES Everything you own should have a "set place" where it belongs, according to your living space, and where it makes sense to YOU! It must fit your way of thinking, and your lifestyle. Make a home for things where YOU would logically think you will find it. Where you use them if possible. Example: would you look for your cooking pots in the bedroom? No? why? Logically they don't belong there, since you don't use them there. Use these parameters for your other belongings as well. 4 - FLAT SURFACES Flat surfaces are NOT storage areas, they are WORKING ones. It is extremely important to understand this concept early in your organizing efforts, DO NOT use tables, counters, bedside tables etc. to store things ON, use them for their intended purpose like eating, cooking, working. Use storage options to store your belongings. 5 - DECORATION To keep flat surfaces clutter free and pretty use 1 decorative item as a centerpiece, like this one from Crate and Barrel , other options could be, candles, pretty soaps, flowers, bowl of fruit or a family picture. Tell yourself that this is the ONLY item "allowed" to live on that surface, anything else that you may occasionally find there has to be re-homed. 6 - 5 MINUTES RULE Use this rule when you get home everyday, DO NOT POSTPONE putting away what you are carrying with you. Coat, hat, umbrella, phone, keys, groceries, mail, take out, Take 5 minutes and put them all away where they belong, NOW. Don't allow yourself to leave for later, clean your slate now and when you are done you will be able to fully relax with nothing to do on your list. An added bonus, you will be able to find everything tomorrow :-) 7 - FAMILY MEMBERS Teach whoever lives with you to follow the rules and routines as well, after all it has to be a team effort if it needs to work. They should participate as much as possible. If it's a child a small reward might help, positive encouragement might work better than punishment. It might work for adults as well ;-) 8 - PROCRASTINATION Don't procrastinate, it might seem hard at first but it will only grow bigger every time you postpone it, and it will not magically become any easier. If the task seems too much for you to handle HIRE an organizer to get it in motion, work with her until you feel comfortable to continue on your own or until it's all done. All you will have to do after is maintain it. 9 - SMALL STEPS Plan in small increments, 15 minutes a day if you have to. You can clear a small area or pile in that amount of time, like that pile of mail on your desk, that is hiding your electric bill which is past due but you can't find. Fifteen minutes might be enough to clear your junk drawer, or under your bathroom sink. Whatever you can do in small doses, try it every day. Put it on your calendar if you have to. You can listen to music while working or take care of that phone call to grandma if you can multitask. 10 - SALES, BARGAINS, FREEBIES Avoid them, they are your worst enemy. If you want to STOP CLUTTER from entering your home, stay away from thrift stores, garage sales, freebies and bargains. They are an endless source of clutter others DO NOT WANT. Shop only when you actually NEED something, not out of boredom. If you are replacing something, get rid of the old one. If it is still in working condition donate, otherwise toss it. Do not keep just in case, if it was something you wanted you would not have purchased a NEW one. 11 - ONLINE SHOPPING Research has shown that most online shopping is due to impulse and enticement not a real need. So if you are shopping online and get tempted, place items in your virtual cart and allow yourself time to think. Give it a day or two and ask yourself: DO I HAVE A PLACE TO STORE IT? DO I NEED IT? WILL I USE IT? WHY DO I WANT IT? If you can find a valid reason why you should buy it, then make place for it by discarding something else. Often times if you allow yourself to ponder you will realize you don't really want it. 12 - ORGANIZERS In drawers or shelves use organizers, bins, or anything on hand that will help you keep items separated and together at the same time. Loose stuff is hard to keep organized, while if you create compartments and categories it will help to keep them together. Group similar things and find ways to keep them together, you can use ziplock bags, small tupperware, phones boxes, or purchase organizers like this one from Container Store . On shelves you can use bins, if they are stackable it will help you use vertical space optimally. 13 - SENTIMENTAL ITEMS These are the ones that are hard to let go. If it's just the memory your are preserving, try taking pictures and save them online in an album, such as "Memory Lane", but discard the items. You can jog memories by looking at the pictures as much as the item itself. If you are keeping items because they belonged to a dear one, try to repurpose them, there are businesses using grampa favorite shirt or ties to make new items like pillows, quilts etc. things you can enjoy, rather than keeping the items hidden in a trunk in the attic. Lots of people keep card as mementos, and these can become quite large collections, photograph them and save them as pictures including the message part. For other special items that can't be photographed or repurposed, have a box or container to store and allow only as many as there is space. As you collect NEW items you may be ready to part with older ones. Revisit occasionally. 14 - PAPERS Lots of people are going paperless but if you are not there yet, get started on reducing those piles of papers you know are hiding somewhere in your home. Papers are one of the categories people avoid the most, I have never encountered a client eager to start that task, on the contrary, they try to run from it as much as possible. BAD NEWS is, it will just grow and grow. Enlist the help of a Professional Organizer to attack the bulk, make some sense of it, and organize it. Once it's done all you have to do is follow the system in place, and set 1 day a week to go through whatever papers have accumulated, do It WEEKLY. Decide on one spot where you will save all the incoming paper and will go through on the designated day and time. It may be a basket in the kitchen or a drawer in your desk, wherever it works for you as long as it is 1 location and you will check it weekly. 15 - CLOTHES The majority of people have an overflow of clothes, even children. While it is true that we use 20% of our clothes 80% of the time, we are still buying new ones. One way to keep your closet free of clutter is to EDIT your wardrobe every change of Season. Remove what is stained, damaged, faded/discolored, or out of shape. Focus and keep what you feel comfortable in, what you love and wear often, what makes you feel confident and happy. If you have clothing that you haven't worn in a long time chance is none of the above statements apply to this garment. When you buy NEW clothes chose high quality ones that will last for a while, try to create a basic wardrobe of classic pieces you can use multiple ways in combination with accent pieces. Stay away from "fast fashion" items, these are low-quality clothing designed and made specifically for short-term ownership and premature disposal.Our landfills will be thankful. |
AuthorHello, my name is Vicky and I am a Professional Organizer in NYC. I am passionate about anything related to organizing and most of all I fully believe in the benefits of it. Archives
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