Wordless Wednesday: Everything in it's place

Tired of your family members asking you where things are? The solution: Putting your family's "general information" into a easy-to-use binder. Keeping this wealth of information accessible (in your home office or kitchen) makes it easy for the whole family to access telephone numbers, birthdays, take-out menus, schedules and more.

Materials: 1" Binder, Avery sheet protectors and a little creativity :)

Images ©Christine Bonnivier Photography

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Are you Allergic to your Clutter?

Clutter can be much more than just piles of unmade decisions, it can also be a breeding ground for allergy irritants in your home. In fact you might be surprised to find out about all of the unwelcome germs and    irritating guests in each room of your home.  We are going to focus on the two most common today:  Dust Mites and Mold.

Dust Mites:  Dust mites are nasty little bugs that thrive on what else... our dust.  Despite their microscopic size... they can cause big time misery for those that are allergic to them.  Irritating nasal passages and leading to sneezing, runny nose, and constant congestion.  How can you banish them from your home?

1. Dust regularly with an electrostatic duster on all flat surfaces.  (Move the piles and stacks to get under them.... better yet... declutter and remove the piles and stacks for good.)
2. Vacuum on a regular basis! (In our home my oldest son was very allergic to dust mites so we tore old carpet out and put down hardwood floors.)
3. Wrap your mattresses and pillows in a allergy resistant cover that will protect from Dust Mites.  
4. Plan to regularly clean items in kids room like stuffed animals that are a haven for dust mites.  To kill them put all the stuffed animals in a large garbage sack, tie it closed, and then put it in the freezer for a few hours.  
5. We spend 1/3 of our lives in bed... so change sheets regularly. 
6. When organizing be careful of wicker... it can collect hard to clean dust and become a hot spot for dust mites.  Instead use furniture, cabinets, or plastic that closes. 
7. Be aware of hard to clean fabrics that collect dust mites like curtains, blinds, upholstery covers, upholstered head boards, etc... find a way to replace them or clean them regularly. 

Mold: Responses to exposure to mold can mimic hay fever, asthma, and allergy like reactions in your home. Here are some steps to take to rid your home of the mold:

1. Remember that bleach is your friend!  Use a chlorine bleach solution that is 1 oz of bleach per 1 qt of water to clean bathroom surfaces each week.  Make sure to clean mold prone areas like:  bathtub corners, shower curtains, and baseboards.
2. Remove carpeting from your bathrooms... even rugs are a BREEDING ground for mold.  Replace flooring with tile, laminate, or similar products.  Decorative rugs should be replaced with washable bathmats... that are washed ONCE a week.
3. Repair water leaks in your home ASAP.  Dripping water and leaking faucets can lead to mold and mildew quickly. 
4. Wallpaper can hold moisture in the bathroom... consider removing it and going with a mold resistant paint instead. 
5. Leave your shower curtain open or your shower door open after you shower to allow that area to dry out quicker. 
6. Houseplants can be a fertile ground for mold... take plants outside.
7. Make sure that you are wiping kitchen counters down OFTEN with a strong disinfectant that is designed to get rid of mildew.
8. Get Rid of the Kitchen sponge!  It is a BREEDING ground for Mold... instead use paper towels or wash clothes that are washed daily. 
9. The drip pan under your fridge can breed mold... clean it out often.  
10. Be sure that damp basements are well ventilated.  If you use a space like this to store things, be sure the items are not in cardboard!  Use plastic containers that seal shut and resist mold and mildew. 

Some of these things may seem simple enough... but if these tasks are complicated by clutter being in the way... it allows these allergy irritants to build up in your home and make you and your family sick.   So ask yourself... are you allergic to your clutter or is your clutter covering up unwanted guests in your home???  If so... it is time to make a change!

Finding an Accountability Partner In Organizing

Getting organized is a lot like losing weight- there are many similarities that can be drawn between the two. Both require you to change long held habits and routines and they both work better when you have an accountability partner to help you through the hardest parts of the process.

In losing weight those hard parts are when you don't want to get up early to work out in the cold or you really want a second piece of dessert or a late night snack.... trust me I know. I have been addressing my own personal weight issue and since January have gone down twenty pounds. I realized early that I needed a person to ask me how I am doing and ask me often, a person that I could call when I was feeling particularly tempted to dive into my kid's Easter baskets and pick out the Snickers. I also was able to tell that this person was not only crucial to my success but they had to be a neutral third party... it could not be my husband. No matter how good his intentions were it just did not mean the same thing when he said, "Are you sure you REALLY want to eat THAT?" or "Don't give up Babe... you will get back in those jeans eventually." My girlfriend could say the same thing to me and I would not be offended but when it came from my husband... I was mad.

The same principal is true with organizing... you need a person to ask you questions like:

• Did you sort through a box of stuff this week?

• Did you take a box of donations out of your house this week?

• Remember you are trying to not add more stuff until you take more stuff out... are you sure that is a wise purchase?

Much like my experience with my husband... this person needs to be a neutral third party. When a well meaning spouse or family member asks the same questions it often comes across as condescending and confrontational. A Professional Organizer is skilled at holding clients accountable on these type of issues so I encourage you to either find one in your area to work with or contact us through our website and sign up for a coaching session and accountability program.

No matter what direction you choose to go to find your accountability person to help you get more organized... having that person to hold your hand along the way will make your organization efforts more successful!

A new defination of C.L.U.T.T.E.R?

I am a visual person so I always like to find new ways to visually illistrate for clients the importnace of getting organized and staying that way.  Another product of prolonged bed rest this week was time to think and brainstorm... which led to this little nugget.

A New Defination of Clutter

C:  Can't

L:   Let

U:  Unused

T:  Things

T:  Take

E: Essential

R:  Room

So the next time you are looking around your home trying to decide what is clutter and what is not... ask yourself this simple question... Are these unused items that are taking up essential room?  If the answer is yes then is C.L.U.T.T.E.R and needs to be either organized or cleared out of the space. 

The Knots tell a Story

Recently I treated myself to a VERY rare treat... I had a one hour massage and it was heavenly! I have been working hard to conquer my weight goals this year and this was my reward to myself for my first ten pounds that I had worked off the old fashioned way.

I often joke with my husband that God left something out when he made me... an off switch for my brain. I can be in the most relaxing of situations (case in point this amazing massage) and while my body may be relaxed... my brain is still flying at 100 MPH. I was laying there thinking about clients, and speaking appearances I needed to prep for- along with fifty other random thoughts. Until my mind settled on this thought I wanted to share with you...

As I lay there and this woman was trying to work out the numerous knots that I had amassed in my shoulders from working out on top of my "not so stressful" daily life it was a little painful. There were moments of genuine pain that made me question for a moment if this treat was really a treat at all or a torture session disguised with scented candles, soft music, and warm sheets. As I lay there biting my tongue in pain I could not help but think of how this experience for me is like the experience that so many of my clients have with their clutter. ( I know I can make an organizing analogy out of anything.)

So many people spend great lengths of time accumulating things and turning a blind eye to things that it becomes a glaring blind spot in their life. Just like the knots in my shoulders... I knew they were there but I had gotten used to living with them so on a daily basis it did not bother me too much. It was not until that woman began pressing on my blind spots that I noticed them and had to face them. With many people who struggle with chronic disorganization there comes a point where someone or something begins to apply pressure to that blind spot, making the person realize it is finally time to deal with the issue.

Facing clutter and making choices to change your habits is not easy, in some cases it can be painful. As I lay on that table in pain while my knots were being worked out it would have been easy to say stop or don't do it so hard... but then I would not have gotten to experience the most amazing, relaxing feeling I have had in a long time... the fact that when she was done I felt like a new woman. I felt lighter and my body (including my shoulders) felt like I could run for days!

Such is the reward of finally tackling your blind spots in your home and your life... it may be a painful process that hurts to go through - but the rewards are great and the feeling when you are done is amazing!!! It is well worth applying the pressure now to get rid of the knots in your life so you can experience knot free living at it's finest... a home and a life that you can relax and enjoy.

Use your Hangers to help you Purge your Closet

As Al Roker would say, "Here in My Neck of the Woods" the weather is finally warming up and staying warm.  I am planning to spend the upcoming weekend changing the closets in my house from Winter to Spring clothing.

I always encourage clients to purge clothing out as they do this task. If something no longer fits properly, is no longer in style, or you simply know you will not wear it again this season... PURGE it out of your closet and make room for clothes that you will wear.

Here is a little trick to use after your purging to make sure that you are only keeping the clothes that you are going to be wearing...

The Hanger Trick

When you hang your spring clothes up- make sure that all of your hangers face the same direction.  As you wear an item and re-hang it in your closet--flip the hanger around the opposite direction.  Within a few weeks it will be obvious what items you are wearing most of the time.  This also gives you a great perspective to go through and do a second purging of items whose hangers are still facing the right way.

Gut Check

Okay here is a question that I encourage you to spend some time thinking about in the next few days... How do you feel when you walk into your home?

Do you feel relaxed, calm, and peaceful? Is your home your sanctuary or your "happy place"?

If not... have you stopped to consider why not?

If you walk into your home or a room in your home and you are immediately bombarded with the sight of clutter it can have a SEVERE impact on how you feel about your home. It can also lead to stress, health issues, marriage issues, and other problems.

I have seen people that spend large amounts of time and money just to avoid having to come home and face the clutter that lurks behind the front door... if you can relate to this feeling then I challenge you this week to make a different choice this week.

Choose to spend the time and money ON your home... conquering the clutter so that you can once again enjoy your home as the peaceful place it should be instead of running from it. The time for change is now... remember the longest journey begins with a single step... make that step be one that takes you through the door instead of away from it.

 

Are you ready for Spring Cleaning?

You have no idea how happy I am to see the month of April!!! 

I am so excited to see butterflies, birds, and blooms returning to my yard in place of the bleak, brown that has dominated all winter.

April is also when I begin to do my Spring Checklist for my home.  Did you know that there are tasks that you should do each year to ensure that your home remains in good shape?  We have created an easy to refrence sheet that lists all of these tasks by season and I encourage you to download it today from our website.  During the month of April this sheet will be only 50 cents... so fly on over today by clicking on this link

Purchase our Yearly Household Checklist

Regular maintenance on your home will keep your house in the best shape and help save you time and money down the road.