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! If you are looking for great tips on how to get your closet in order before the Holidays, and your family comes to visit, follow this link to the REDFIN Blog. There you will find useful tips and organizing solutions to get a great looking closet that will impress even the most difficult mom!! ;-)
Let's not forget it will start your New Year on the right path, an organized place is a place of positive energy, clutter charges energy negatively, and chaotic energy is one of the causes that prevent restful sleep. So if you want to start somewhere start in your bedroom to enjoy a sense of peace and restful sleep. To know more you can read articles about Feng Shui, they often talk about the effects of clutter and negative energy. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a great start of your New Year! 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.
DIY ZIPLOC HOLDERS As we juggle life with kids' snacks, school lunches, meal prepping and more there’s a constant need to access our multitude of ziploc bags in a variety of sizes. I personally use them to portion and freeze some food items, and to keep small items around the house (like batteries) organized within a larger container. Some of us have transitioned to reusable and washable ziploc bags, but lots of us are still using the regular ones, and here comes the dilemma, where to store ziplocs bags so that they are visible and easy to access and most of all not too cumbersome to put away or they will be left on the counter. A lot of my clients have this problem, for some we have found ideal spaces, in drawers or organizers that can be purchased but some people don’t necessarily want to invest funds if they think other family members won’t use them, so here is a quick way you can create a DIY ziploc organizing system that is quick and inexpensive. I have used this same method with clients for tea boxes, either inside cabinets or on the door, where space was tight. It helped to keep the boxes in place and allow them to just get the bag out, when not labeled. All you will need are some small Command hooks, (the ones we used are from the $ Tree) a marker and a scissor.
1 - Attach the hooks to the inside of your cabinet door, (read above notes first ) spaced to fit your box size. These are for a small size so only 2 are needed. If the box is really long you may need 3 to fully support. 2 - Mark the back of your box to correspond to the distance of the hooks you just attached. The marks we did here were too close to the edge of the box so it did not allow the box to sit flush to the door. :-( See below how close to the edge it was? Not the way to go...lol... 3 - We had to make new markings on the other end, this time a little further away from the edge of the box. The red arrow points to the not so ideal holes we cut, the white arrow points to the new markings which worked great, so keep that in mind :-) With the new holes we cut we were able to situate the box on the door and it sat flush against it, unlike our previous failed attempt... lol... So as you see it takes no time and very little effort, but see how easy it is to see and grab the exact size you need, while leaving the box untouched so no need to put away, basically Grab and Go!!
You can add larger sizes underneath and if you don't have space on a cabinet door you can attach on the wall, on the fridge, on the side of a cabinet or wherever you have available space, so you can free up drawer or shelf space for either items as well. Now just try it and enjoy!! Spring is a time of renewal, a good time to freshen up and clean your home. According to Feng Shui clutter and dust trap negative energy and we don’t want any of that! Decluttering your home will give it a fresh, put together look and facilitate cleaning it afterwards, thus making that chore also much quicker afterwards. You will be more successful if you focus on one room at a time and complete it before starting the next. And don't forget to open the windows and let some fresh air in (good energy will flow) and some sun light (it is a natural sanitizer). Before you start gather 5 containers/bags you will use to categorize items. It could be laundry bins, cardboard boxes, trash bags, whatever you have on hand. The 5 categories will be: PUT AWAY RECYCLE TRASH REPAIR/CLEAN/MEND DONATE As you go from room to room pick up all stray items first in that room and deposit in related category, or where they belong in that particular room. Secondly open cabinets, closets, drawers or any other storage unit, empty it completely, wipe it clean if needed, check if any type of maintenance is needed (small repairs/new liners etc). Go through all the items you have taken out, check for expiration dates, damages, stains, age of item, current shape, and ask yourself if you use it and/or like it?? Depending on your assessment you will place items in 1 of the 5 categories above, or return it to its previous location if that is where it resides and you decided to keep it. Sometimes items stray away from the room in which they are used and belong, as you go from room to room try to identify if the items you find really belong there, are there empty plastic bottles, food leftovers, old receipts, items that need to be returned, etc, In your bedroom? Clearly they don’t belong, so sort them out accordingly. PUT AWAY Here you will place items that have strayed from their home and need to be returned to other rooms. As you travel from room to room pick up what does not belong and return what does. This is something you can do on a weekly basis to keep it from accumulating. I call it the Lost and Found basket :-) So if you find a pair of socks in the living room, return them to either the laundry room or wherever you keep your socks. TRASH You can use a trash bag for this category as it will be discarded in the end. This category is for items that cannot be salvaged, and are obvious trash. Broken, badly stained, food leftovers and wrappers and other obvious garbage. RECYCLE Also part of trash in a way but if it can be recycled it should! Any plastic/paper (old mail/magazines/school papers) items you find and that are no longer needed/wanted will go into this category to be recycled. DONATE These are also items you no longer want/need but they still have life left in them, someone else could use them and by donating them you will do your part in keeping our planet a little cleaner. Depending on your area there are multiple options for donations, or you can try posting online in Free for Pickup groups. REPAIR/CLEAN/MEND/RETURN This is a wide category but they are all items going out so make sense to group them together. It is helpful if you can keep them close to the door to make it easy to pick them up on your way out, and as a visual reminder. What goes in this categories are items you purchased online, and need to be returned but for some reason you keep delaying, shoes that need repairs, clothes that need alterations, garments that need to be dry cleaned, or even that garden shears you need to return to your neighbor but you could not find...lol.. In short all those little tasks you have delayed forever for a reason or another. Get them out and be done with it. :-) What you will be left with is a home where everything is where it belongs and there are no stray items laying around, or uncompleted tasks in the back of your mind… even if they are in the further recesses of it...lol... And if you find the process too much for you, you can always call on a Professional Organizer that will assist you. If you are in NYC feel free to reach out and I will be there by your side, if you are somewhere other than New York City and want some support during this process in virtual form please reach out and we can discuss. Happy Spring Cleaning!! This is not something I wrote or came up with…. I wish! I am not talented in the writing department but I have very good logic and spacial skills, I am good at organizing and clutter comes with the territory. A large majority of my clients have organization challenges and issues for different reasons, but most often one of them is CLUTTER. What can be considered clutter is different in every home, and many people have a hard time recognizing it and letting it go. I found this documentary intriguing and revealing, and I believe it is helpful in understanding some truths about clutter. This documentary (3 parts) series by a group of archeologists and anthropologists at UCLA University is a study of people’s habits, consumerism and overabundance in the U.S. which along with other factors contributes to a large majority of U.S. households to live with clutter, the way it affects families, and stress levels. It analyzes how clutter accumulates over time and why it is so hard to reverse the process. It is a condensed version, there is also a book titled: “Life at Home in the 21st Century: 32 families open their doors” by Jeanne E. Arnold, it is available online at multiple stores or look if it’s available at your local library. Here you can read a blurb about the book: https://ioa.ucla.edu/press/life-at-home "U.S. households have more possessions per household then any society in global history and hyper consumerism is evident in many spaces." by lead author Jeanne E. ArnoldSTUFF - A cluttered life part 1 FOOD - A cluttered life part 2 SPACE - A cluttered life part 3 " The U.S. has 3.1% of the world children but consumes 40% of the world's toys" lead author Jeanne E. ArnoldThis study was not done to shame anyone rather to shine a light on how consuming affects us, the planet and the future of our children. It is a good watch and makes for a good read not only for those dealing with the problem of CLUTTER but for those that are curious to understand how this comes to happen and where to start to address it.
Before you delve into the piece let me state that I am not a blogger, or a writer, neither am I a fashion stylist. I am a Professional Organizer and in this capacity I help my clients navigate most of the topics you will find in this blog. With the rise in popularity of the “Minimalism Trend” other topics are being introduced and talked about in blogs, articles and various medias. Topics like the concept of living with less, consumption reduction, or environmentally unfriendly fast fashion and in general the move toward simpler living. Minimalism also introduced the term “Capsule Wardrobe”, but what is it? BACKGROUND NOTES The term “Capsule Wardrobe” was coined by by Susie Faux, a boutique owner in West End, London back in the 70’s and referred to a collection of basic and classic clothes that would not go out of style and could be paired with seasonal items for multiple seasons and accessorized for various occasions, without having to buy lots of clothing. The concept was further popularized by Donna Karan in 1985 with her “7 easy pieces collection” although her aim was to create a stylish and practical wardrobe for the working woman, with interchangeable pieces that would aid in creating outfits with minimal spending. Nowadays is it routinely featured in blogs, magazines, and even on TV shows, with the rise in expenses, especially in urban areas where space is limited, people are looking for ways to live in a smaller space and a condensed wardrobe is ideal. This is what will be covered about Capsule Wardrobe: WHAT IS A CAPSULE WARDROBE? WHY CHOOSE A CAPSULE WARDROBE? THE BENEFITS THE RULES WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED WHAT IS INCLUDED HOW TO START ONE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF MY CLOTHES? THE CATEGORIES BASIC PIECES So read further below to find out what is a Capsule Wardrobe and how to start one. WHAT IS A CAPSULE WARDROBE? A capsule wardrobe is a limited, curated collection of articles of clothing, shoes and accessories used as your wardrobe for a certain amount of time, usually 3 months (1 season). Normally it consists of 25-50 pieces of clothing, including shoes and purses, per season. There are rules to adhere to but they are a bit flexible, and not everyone follow the same ones. WHY CHOOSE A CAPSULE WARDROBE?
These are the struggles you face when there is a lack of simplicity and streamlining in your wardrobe, these in turn create a lack or order and organization which leads to the above mentioned struggles. It is a vicious cycle. A capsule wardrobe can help you address those struggles and improve your quality of life. THE BENEFITS OF A CAPSULE WARDROBE They might not be limited to the ones I mention below, but these are the ones I feel affects most people.
THE RULES OF CAPSULE WARDROBE I have visited multiple blogs and sites and there are not RULES set in stone, everyone seems to follow a slightly modified version of rules that works for them, depending on their lifestyle and fashion sense. In my opinion it is best to have and follow Rules in order to keep you from straying, rules give you parameters, so find and apply what works for you. You can modify and create stricter rules as you move forward, get used to the concept and progress on your minimalist journey. With time it will get easier to identify what works for you. With this said here are some basic rules for a “CAPSULE WARDROBE”
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED These items are not included in your Capsule Wardrobe:
I think this is helpful at the beginning of your journey, as you progress and get better at it you might chose to incorporate some of the above into your capsule wardrobe. Some people already do. The idea is to adjust and reduce as you go. WHAT IS INCLUDED
Again this is up to you and flexible, the idea is to do with less and simplify your closet and life, so go with what is comfortable for you but try to include as much as possible. If you notice items from the excluded categories are being used with your daily pieces you must then include them as well. Leggings are a good example, people use them for exercise but on a daily basis as well. HOW TO START A CAPSULE WARDROBE
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF MY LOVE/KEEP PILES? Obviously you will have left over garments after picking your 50 allowed pieces. So what do you do with them? A lot of people mistakenly assume they have to discard them all but it’s not the case. What is left over is stored away. At times you may need to switch items if you identify something does not work for you, especially toward the beginning when you are still adjusting, or you may need to replace an item that got damaged or stained. So your leftover items are where you can shop for new items as long as you keep it below 50. You will also store your out of season clothes, you will need them to assemble your CAPSULE for the other remaining seasons. If you have a large closet you may assign a certain area for your CURRENT CAPSULE and the rest of the closet for storage. It all depends on your space configuration and size. THE CATEGORIES The categories for your Capsule Wardrobe in general are:
BASIC PIECES FOR CAPSULE WARDROBE Blog posts and fashion articles list different versions of the Basic pieces of a Capsule Wardrobe and you may not even need all of these, but here I compiled a list of what is commonly accepted as basics:
Footwear depends on the season but you should have at least one of each:
What a lot of people misunderstand is that the 50 items limit applies to 1 capsule per Season, which means you will have a max of 200 items in your wardrobe in total, plus there are those categories not included like pajamas, underwear, work wear, all in all not a small wardrobe, and although you should try to adhere to the rules there is always room for flexibility. Ready to give it a try? Let me know in comments if you did, and what do you think about this concept? 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. WIRE HANGERS These are the first thing I discard when organizing closets along with the plastic wraps. Wire hangers are too flimsy and usually lose their shape causing clothes to wrinkle and bunch up and they leave sharp creases. They tangle easily and it is really frustrating to handle them especially when your closet is full. Their sharp ends cause stretch marks on the garments shoulders and it is hard to use them with slippery items. Many Dry Cleaners will take in your wire hangers for recycling, so drop them off next time you bring your clothes in for cleaning. WOOD HANGERS I usually recommend wood hangers for the gentlemen’s closets as their garments tend to be a bit heavier, or for coats and jackets on the heavy side. Good quality wood hangers will support heavy loads, even without those super wide shoulders that will take up too much space in your closet, especially the curved ones.I try to remove as many of those as possible and replace with thinner ones especially when space is at premium. The curve in each hanger steals inches of space that can be put to better use with an equally supportive but straight wood hanger. There are various styles, the ones in the pictures will accommodate pants and light blazers, and have notches for garments with straps. CURVED HANGERS Unless I am working in a large walk in closet or for a family with multiple large closets I don't keep or use many of these, as you can see in the picture they require more space than straight hangers. So use these sparingly. VELVET HANGERS I love velvet hangers for multiple reasons, the main one is that they are very thin and take up very little space, secondly it make is so much easier to hang silks, and nylon garments without them slipping off over and over.In every closet I worked there were items on the floor for this reason. Tops with wider than normal neckline can be hung on velvet hangers as well without fear of them slipping off. Lastly, it is visually pleasing to see uniformity. The only downside is that they should not be used for heavy garments, these hangers were made for delicate and slippery clothes. PLASTIC HANGERS Plastic hangers are not my favorites but if you stick with one color and a neutral one like black or white it will still create a pleasant and uniform look. Your closet will look more stylish and peaceful. I have heard it many times from clients and I never get tired of it. It makes a difference. The ones in the picture are non-slip with little indents for straps. I mostly use them for t-shirts and tops as they are a bit slippery for pants but they can work if you use this particular style. Some of these have notches or little hooks that make them useful for garments with straps. They work fine with tops that are not too slippery or with wide necks. Depending on their thickness they will bend and lose shape if you use them with heavy garments. It is possible to find thicker ones if you need them for heavier items. BELOW you can see the change, from chaotic to organized and peaceful. This was done just by streamlining the hangers and rearranging the garments. Uniformity is very important.
SUITS HANGERS These type of hangers combine jackets and pants, or blazers and skirts on one hanger thus saving “hanging space” and making use of vertical space rather than horizontal space. Considering that some of these have wide shoulders you kinda make up for it by combining 2 pieces and saving space. SKIRTS/PANTS HANGERS These are great if you want to hang your pants vertically without a fold, as we know the other option is to hang pants folded in ½ which leaves a crease if you don’t wear them often. They are optimal for skirts as well, if you can’t fold them, because they are very long, of slippery material or a delicate garment. You can usually fit more than one on each hanger, I usually double it up to save space. I prefer the type without the clips because if the item is unworn for long the clips will leave marks. This style is a bit more gentle. SPECIALTY HANGERS During the course of my organizing I have handled many, many closets and sometimes the only way to save space is to purchase those hangers that have a special purpose. If you don’t have drawers available for ties and belts for example, these hangers are the best. I often see belts bunched up on one hanger creating a bulk that wastes space in a tight closet, and make it very difficult to untangle a single belt when needed, switching to a specialty hanger spreads the bulk creating more space, making it easier to retrieve and put back the items, and easier to find at a quick glance. The one in the picture is an example, I have used similar ones for belts with great results. TIES HANGER I have used similar hangers to the one in the picture to organize ties, there are different styles but I found this easier to work with for these 2 features. It rotates 360 degrees and it has little clips to keep the ties from falling. Consider this when purchasing ties organizers. PURSE HANGERS A few words about Purse hangers. Most people just store bags and purses on a shelf, sometimes I find them hanging from hooks or doorknobs but if so inclined and you have the space there are a couple of options to hang your purses, totes, and bags. If you have space in your closet they can hang with your clothes but if you don't, make use of the back of the closet door. The ones in the picture are just one option I found online at Miles Kimball these rotates and can accommodate 2 purses, keep in mind they are plastic so best suited for light weight purses, for heavier ones there are similar styles in metal. OVER THE DOOR PURSE HANGER If you opt to make use of the space on the back of your closet or other door, this is one option that will allow you to store multiple purses and keep them both accessible and visible. This is best for purses that you use often and need to grab quickly. It also makes it easy to put them away. For fancier and more pricey purses, it is best to store on a shelf in their dust bag. To protect not only from moisture and dust but to prevent the leather to stretch. In conclusion choosing the right type of hanger is very important if you want to make the best of your storage space, increase the life of your garments, make them accessible and easy to see. It will save you both time an space. With a little research you can find options for every budget. I found all of them on Amazon. I purposely did not add links as I don't want to advertise or push a particular item just give you options and ideas.
For more Hangers options CHECK OUT the PRODUCTS tab on this website. I hope you found it useful and if you think I left something out please let me know. |
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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