Say goodbye to Stray Stuff

Sometimes things just disappear.  Socks, power adapters, an earring…at one point or another we have misplaced the mate to a pair.  I always encourage clients to have a spot to temporarily store things that have lost their friend.  Bins in the laundry room or utility area usually serve nicely.  But just like every other area in the house, these spaces need to be weeded every once in a while.

I once organized with a client who had two kitchen garbage bags full, and I mean FULL, of mismatched socks.  She had been stashing these wandering travelers away for two years.  She and I came to the conclusion that they were not worth the space they were taking up or the money she was supposedly saving by not buying new socks. 

If you are going to create a “Lost and Found” area in your home, weed through it on a regular basis.  Set a rule, that if after 6 months or a year the item has not been re-united with its counterpart, it goes out the door.  As much as we want to we cannot always wait indefinitely for the other half to appear. 

Here are a couple products that we have found useful in preventing separation:

Sock Clips

Sock Clips

Cable Tags

How to Enjoy Memories

As we go through life we acquire things that are precious to us for various reasons.  Unfortunately due to space constraints we often store our keepsakes away in a safe place but don’t ever look at them or enjoy them.  If we are going to make room in our hearts for items to keep for memories sake then we need to make room in our spaces.  A great way to do that is to display our prized items a part of our décor.

A friend of mine is very gifted with crafts but also loves keeping mementos from trips, concerts and other experiences.  Recently she created coasters out of ticket stubs to her favorite movies and stage shows.  Another friend of mine was given a beautiful framed shadow box with her wedding bouquet pressed and dried, framed by wedding invitations.  Yet another person I know had her wedding dress made into a baby blanket for her first born.  I personally use one of my wedding centerpieces as a candle holder on my dining room table.

There are many DIY websites out there and countless resources for ideas, not to mention services to complete tasks you don’t have time for.  If you are going to keep something research ways to make it a part of your everyday life instead of stowing it away to gather dust and not be enjoyed.  This creates clutter and defeats the purpose of holding onto a precious item.  You cannot enjoy memories if they are stored in a box!

Better utilization of garage ceiling space

Often in a garage I encourage clients to use the walls as storage for utility space.  This works very well for items that need to be accessed frequently, but can be near impossible if the garage is narrow and barely allows enough space for a vehicle to park.  In a case like this I like to recommend using the ceiling space in the garage if the height is tall enough.  This approach is ideal for long term storage and seasonal storage. 

Racks can be installed on the ceiling of a garage to hold bins and other large objects.  Typically ceiling storage is associated with skis and excess lumber, but it can also be an ideal spot for bulky items if basement or attic space is lacking or inaccessible. 

Here is an example:

Quick tips to an organized trunk

An organized trunk makes many tasks and unexpected events easier to handle.  It is wonderful to have a clear space to put groceries and know exactly where your jumper cables are.  If your trunk is a mish-mosh of items and needs a little TLC use the simple steps below.

1) Place a tarp on the ground and empty the contents of the trunk on the tarp.  Immediately remove and throw away trash, anything that is broken, ripped or dried up.  If you have not used an item in the last year get rid of it (this does not apply to seasonal emergency items like a blanket or small snow shovel).

2) Sort the remaining contents into categories based upon use.  You can try categories like emergency, car maintenance, seasonal tools etc.  Think about how and when you would use something, then place all items with a similar function or use together.

3) Once you have everything sorted give the piles one more look to make sure you did not miss anything that can be discarded or donated.  

4) Next you need to decide how you want to store these items.  If you want a low cost solution utilizing open cardboard boxes are best.  However, it is always a good idea to invest in quality containers that will last and are easy to move.  Anything in your trunk will take a beating so make sure the storage is sturdy.  Here are a few ideas:

Folding trunk organizer

Cases with handles

Sweater boxes

Smart store totes

Frosted totes

Solutions for storing spices

Here are a few of my favorite solutions for a spice cabinet.  Most people who love to cook also like to have their spices easily accessible.  Try one of these products to help make food preparation easier and more pleasant.

A two-tier turntable is helpful for tall cabinets and eliminates wasted vertical space:

The Swivel Store gives you the option to keep spices in a narrow opening:

Purchase a Swivel Store

This expandable shelf organizer provides tiers to store spices and make them more visible:

Purchase the expandable shelf organizer

Stacks and Stacks offers this drawer system to stack spices on their sides:

Purchase the Stacks and Stacks Drawer Spice Organizer

When all else fails you can always improvise with baskets or mop/broom holders!

Less is More

Because I am an organizer many people think I hate stuff, that I despise things and belongings.  When working with a client one-on-one I am able to dismiss this assumption pretty fast.  I don’t hate stuff and I do not disregard other people’s precious items.  What I try to help people see is that relationships and quality of life are so much more important than anything we own.  Organizing is often not about the physical stuff so much as it is about our perception of those things. 

If disorganization, clutter or a lack of systems negatively affects you and those around you, you are being held captive by what you own and allowing it to control you.  This will cause stress in your life and ultimately your relationships.  Sometimes people have simply acquired more than their space can comfortably contain, but the belongings are relatively current.  Other times clients are drowning in an avalanche of memorabilia or things associated with memories.  This habit will hold you in the past, keep your present from being enjoyable and even your future from moving forward. 

It is essential to visualize what is most important to us, and also those around us.  When we can clarify and then agree on what that vision is we become more able to live and exist with less.  Remember less is truly more!

Does your space need a tune-up?

I suppose even a professional organizer can become stuck in a rut J.  A couple months ago I tried to stuff some unruly plastic bags back inside themselves under a deep kitchen cabinet.  Suddenly, I asked myself why on earth I had not purchased a plastic bag sleeve.  Then I asked myself why this imaginary bag sleeve was not hanging on the inside of my kitchen cabinet. 

This solution, while so simple and intuitive, seems to have evaded me for the first year I have lived in my apartment.  The irony is that in a client’s house I would have seen the same issue a while ago and made the proper storage suggestion.  Why did it take so long?  Even organizers can get stuck in a rut.  We all do it.  We are used to using our space a particular way.  We are accustomed to viewing it a certain way.  This means that every space, even one belonging to an organizer, needs a tune-up every once in a while. 

Spaces that could benefit from a tune-up are highly used, high traffic areas such as an entryway, kitchen cabinets, a closet or an office drawer.  I like to open up a cabinet, step back and ask myself:

Does this set-up work well for me?  What don’t I like about it?  What would I change?

What can I do to suit my daily needs more effectively?

Is there a product that would make this space more efficient?

I would encourage you to perform a tune-up every six months unless the need arises earlier.  Remember that any well-organized space at some point needs a little reassessment to ensure it is working well and to its fullest potential.

A quick guide for proper closet heights

Many people struggle with a closet that does not have the appropriate space between hanging bars.  Even worse, some individuals have invested a lot of money in a new closet system only to see their shirts overlapping their pants below.  Don’t make the same mistake!  I found this great little guide to help remind us of the distances needed to have ample space between clothes.  It may seem like a lot but do not forget that you need to account for the length of the clothing as well as the hanger it sits on!

What to do when organizing another person's things

Sometimes we are forced to organize the space or possessions of another person.  You may think that is an obvious statement given my work with clients and their stuff.  However, I am talking more about working with someone close to you, or working with someone who cannot be there and do the work themselves.

My husband works very hard and also goes to school part time for his master’s degree.  His time is very precious and he has not had much of it over the last year and a half to go through old papers or make his desk a productive work-space.  As I have taken on these tasks myself I have learned a few best practices to add to my repertoire, specifically how to work with someone close to you, all the while preserving his final say and respecting his space and belongings. I hope you can use these strategies to perhaps help your children or spouse.

1. I usually let him know that I am attempting to organize something or some space and tell him up front that I won’t be throwing things away unless they are obvious trash.  This alleviates any fear he may have that I am just looking for an opportunity to get rid of his stuff.
2. I try to sort into categories I think make the most sense to him and not me.
3. I try to put the categories in storage places I think will be most intuitive for him and not me.
4. I label everything, including files, drawers and bins so he does not have to guess where things are.  This is crucial if someone needs to learn a new system of storage but did not create it.
5. I ask for five minutes of his time to show him where everything is and get his feedback on the placement.  If he wants something moved, it gets moved.
6. I wait until another time to ask him to look through the “trash” with me.  If there is a lot I break it into several little “sessions” so he does not feel overwhelmed.  We are more likely to sit down and do it together if it does not seem like a task that will take all afternoon.
7. I try to be patient of he asks me where something is instead of showing exasperation as he learns the new storage arrangement.  Remember that person was not there when you put everything away and they may need some grace and assistance.  

Family Meal Planning Made Easy

I grew up in a busy household of five children.  As you can imagine this fact made dinner no small matter at my house!  Over the years I learned some strategies to make the process of shopping and meal planning easier. 

Create a printable list: Writing a shopping list for the entire week can be a daunting task as you try to figure out what meals you wish to make, not to mention remembering the staples you need to re-stock your pantry!  We came up with a printable list in Word (Excel is fine too) of all the foods we typically buy, with extra space to write in amounts or exotic foods.  This may take a couple edits to truly be all encompassing.  Foods were arranged in categories (not alphabetically) so we were not walking back and forth through the store wasting time.  This list was printed off the computer and hung up every week.  During the week if we ran out of something or were getting low my siblings and I would circle the food item.  By the time shopping came around almost all the work was done.  My mom simply circled the foods that we needed to buy for meals. 

 Create a menu of your favorite foods: There are so many different ways to customize this step so it works for your family!  At my house we designed a categorized list of all the meals and sides we enjoyed.  The list was divided into pasta, soup, meat dishes, vegetables and starches.  My mom could easily make meal combinations without wracking her brain.  She then wrote out the meals for the week on the family wall calendar. 

For people who are more visual you can create your own magnetic calendar for meals.  Below is one of my favorite examples but the possibilities are endless:

Use the same ingredients several times: If you are on a budget it will take a bit more creativity to make meal planning work.  I have found choosing meals that have similar ingredients in succession prevents waste and uses up the leftovers that would normally sit around in your fridge.  If you need to buy herbs try to make several meals in a row to use up the fresh greens before they spoil.  Or if you are making chicken use the leftovers to make soup the next day.