Category: Green Organizing

Give Wonderful Gifts, Not Clutter!

1 Comment

Some years, I struggle with gift-giving, mainly because I don’t want to add to someone’s clutter!  So here are some ideas to keep your gift-giving personal and awesome and Clutter Free!

  1. Give an activity, as my friend and fellow organizer Emily Smith suggested last week.  Offer experiences, not stuff.  And actually schedule the experience, so your loved-one is more apt to follow up (checking their calendar first, of course).  We bought my dad concert tickets last year, for a specific event.  A few years ago, my hubby bought me a spa gift certificate for Mother’s Day.  He checked my calendar, booked the appointment, then took that day off of work so I wouldn’t have to rush home for parent duties.  Awesome.
  2. Don’t underestimate simple, personal gifts.  I have a tray of rocks.  Yes, rocks. They’re garden variety rocks, with words written on them in a gold sharpie.  Basic and not terribly exciting on the surface, right.  But they came from a good friend, with an explanation, based on the book the 12 Ways of Christmas, and are one of my personally prized Christmas decorations.  They are in a pretty tray on my dresser.
  3. Give a tradition.  Last Christmas, I received a special occasion place setting from TP, a friend / client.  In TP’s family, you receive a special occasion table setting when you are old enough to appreciate it, and you can use it when you choose.  For yourself, or for a loved one on their special occasion like Mother’s Day or birthdays or graduations.  TP had told me about her family’s tradition when we worked together in her home, so I was moved and blessed when she gave me my own.  It came protected in a pretty hat box, and she told me why she chose the pattern and colors for me.  So wonderful.  And I think about starting the tradition in my family, too.
  4. Give something personal, with a note.  I help many people downsize.  Sometimes the client sets aside an item to give to a loved one later or upon their passing.  I always encourage my client to write a note to the recipient, explaining why the item is important, a little about the history of the item, and why the giver chose to leave it to the recipient.  Let your gift recipient know why they and the gift are special.
  5. Give the gift of Organization:  Gift giving is about the receiver, not the giver.  And using gift-giving as an opportunity to fix a perceived flaw in someone is rather rude.  “Here, honey, I got you some workout DVDs because you should exercise more” is totally about your opinion, not your loved one.
    All of that being said, sometimes our loved ones would like to be more organized, or could use inspiration from us to use their space and stuff better and live a more streamlined life.  So, here are a few ideas to pair beautiful function with good intentions.
    • Just read about this, Stick N Find (found on Smead Organomics) – you can use GPS and blue tooth technology to attach trackers to often-lost-things, to help you find them again
    • An “Ish” Hook: Find a unique and beautiful hook to mount on a wall or over a closet door.  The gift recipient can use it to hang up tomorrow’s clothes, or as a hook to hang up their ‘clean-“ish”’ clothes for another day.
    • A counter top charging station
    • A decorative and perhaps non-breakable (like wood or leather or acrylic) bowl for your loved one to place near the door for their cell phone, car keys, lip gloss, wallet, and whatever else goes in and out of their pockets when they go through the door.

Hope this provides some un-cluttered last minute gift ideas!  Merry Christmas!

A Tuesday Morning Bedtime Story

2 Comments

Today’s blog was named by Leslie and inspired by Bridget.  Thanks ladies!

I was pondering today’s “productivity” blog while I organized our bedding… then Ping!  Light Bulb!  How about I share the bedding ideas with you instead?

Last week, I realized the bedding drawer in the guest space was a lot fuller than our bedding chest on the main floor.  Today’s project was to review what we have, purge unnecessary sheets and pillow cases, and re-allocate the ones we’re keeping.

Also, while working with a client recently, she asked “Don’t you have dozens of mystery sheets that are never used and match nothing?” Um, No, I don’t, but I was motivated to complete this project!

Here’s how it went:

  1. I finished all the laundry and then collected all our sheets together in one place.  We have 5 people living here, with 3 twin beds and one queen bed.  In our basement we have guest lodgings of two more twin beds and a queen size Aerobed.
  2. I sorted the sheets into piles for twin and queen size, then matched up the flats and fitted with the cases.
  3. I folded the sets together, with the folded flat sheets wrapped around the folded fitted sheets and cases.  I put one set of queen sheets and 2 sets of twin back in the basement guest space and stored the rest in the bedding chest in my room.
  4. The “donate”  pile held three random sheets that match nothing, an old set of queen sheets and some Buzz Lightyear twin sheets that have been through 3 boys and are ready for retirement.   I answered a Facebook request from a mom looking for twin size bed sheets for her little boy’s bed, and offered her our Buzz Lightyear sheets.  I am glad they will be loved anew by another little boy! I bundled the rest of the “donate” pile together and will drop it off at the animal shelter this week with some old t-shirts.

A few tips I have picked up along the way:

  1. For years, I purchased only white sheets so that I could bleach them all and keep them cleaner.  Since it is difficult to determine sheet size at a glance, I noted a T or a Q on a discreet corner.  If you use all the same color, you could also separate the sizes of sheets by storing them on a different shelf or in each room.
  2. I grew tired of white bedding, though it did have its advantages.  I am slowly making the switch to color and patterns in our bedding:  any new twin size sheets I purchase are striped, and any queen size sheets  will be a solid color.
  3. I have also heard the suggestion of storing the two sheets and the extra pillow      case if there is one folded together in the matching pillow case.  That works for some, but not for me.
  4. We store our guest bedding in a dresser drawer in our guest space, and everyone else’s bedding in the chest at the foot of our bed, so extremely tidy edges are not necessary.
  5. We don’t keep a lot of extras.  Two sheet sets for each of our beds (and one is on the bed), and one set each for the guest beds.  Fewer items mean less clutter.
  6. Once and for all, Here is how one person can fold a fitted sheet to lay flat while keeping it off the ground (I learned from a pro – Literally!  I used to help out at my dad’s Laundromat in high school, and the tiny and efficient Shirley showed me the trick):
    1. Grab two adjacent corners and bring them together, and do the same for the other end.
    2. Fold the flat size in half, so all the fitted corners fit together.
    3. Grasp one end of the flat side in each hand and pull flat across your chest,       then fold into thirds down your front, rounded elastic side in first, and the flat side in last.
    4. Starting at the bottom (the lumpiest part), fold up in thirds so that you are left with straight sides and edges.

So, collect the bedding that you have; sort it into sizes and sets; determine what needs to go away either because it is old or ill fitting or scratchy; and choose a storage place close at hand for the items you intend to keep.  Another quick project that will make your life easier!

Three Little Projects That Will Make You Smile!

Organizing projects don’t have to be big or expensive to make a big impact on your life!  Here are three examples of 30-minute projects that will make you smile every time you look in the medicine cabinet, watch a DVD or open your closet door.

Project #1 The Medicine Cabinet.

Invest 30 minutes in cleaning out your medicine cabinet, and you will help every member of your household every day.

  1. Grab a pen and paper to jot down items needing replacement; a garbage bag and a small bag to collect your recycling.
  2. Clear the counter so you have room to lay stuff out, or lay a towel on the floor.  Take everything out of the cabinet and spread it out.
  3. A quick review of expiration dates make organizing the medicine cabinet easier.  Look at each item in your medicine cabinet and determine if the item has expired….
    1. Based on the manufacturer’s suggestion, like medications, first-aid items, or used make-up; or
    2. Based on your personal or lifestyle preferences:  You can let go of items like styling products that didn’t work as advertised, or items for certain distant times of our lives, like the baby nail clippers or the green nail polish that looked great on my teenage niece but not on me!
  4. Duplicates weigh us down. Don’t store multiples of the same product in the small space.  Keep one on hand, and store the rest elsewhere to free up space.  A basket in our linen closet holds un-opened items.  We keep one of everything in the cabinet, and go to the new un-opened items when we run out of the first.
  5. Group the stuff you use every day onto its own shelf or basket, categorize the rest and corral it in containers.

Project #2 The DVD Collection

Spend 30 minutes organizing your DVD collection, and it presents a great visual image!

  1. Collect all your DVDs and cases from all over your house.
  2. Alphabetize the cases by movie title, then put loose DVDs in their cases.
  3. Review them all and purge the ones that no one watches anymore.  My little niece and our public library receive most of the DVDs my boys have outgrown.
  4. Assign a home for your DVDs.  Leave them in alphabetical order, or group them by category (like action or TV series on DVD) or by viewer (like storing the DVDs my youngest son watches on the lowest, easiest-to-reach shelf).
  5. As we receive new DVDs, we review what we have and purge what can go.

Project # 3 The Gift Wrap / Storage Closet

This one really makes me smile.  I worked on this project last week, and it took closer to an hour, since I had to break down and remove the cardboard, plus $40 and a quick trip to Home Depot.  But it’s worth it!

  1. I have a closet in the basement which holds holiday decorations, gifts, gift bags and wrap, and lots of empty boxes for storage and mailing.  It required attention after the holidays, and when I saw this great idea on Command.com, I made the project a priority for January!
  2. I cleared boxes, keeping 10 small ones for shipping, and collapsed and recycled the rest (a lot!!).
  3. I stored our extra gifts for giving in two boxes on the shelf above, one each for Christmas and every day gifts.
  4. I pulled out the Christmas wrap, ribbons and bags, and stored it all in a separate extra-large Ziploc bag.
  5. I installed Command hooks and hung small dowels across them to hold my ribbon and favorite gift wrap.  Also hanging on the command hooks are clear freezer bags holding my tape, scissors and pens.
  6. I also bought new supports for an old un-used shelf, and installed the supports and shelf in the space as a permanent work space for wrapping small items and staging gifts before giving.  Below are the before and after pictures!  The white laundry basket in both pictures holds our extra gift bags, divided into categories like “baby”, “wedding”, and “birthday”.

before      after       lego wall

The bonus project:  Lego display space (above right).

I have three sons and ridiculous amounts of Lego.  Most are assembled, and storage space is tight.  When inventorying the work room for the closet project, I found these shelf tracks and supports, but no shelves.  On the Home Depot trip to purchase items for the closet project, I also picked up replacement shelves in sizes to match the supports we already have.  10 minutes of installation and $20 for 3 shelves, and we have 9 more linear feet of Lego display space (and a little less clutter on the Lego table!).  Woo hoo!!

So, what areas of your home could use 30 minutes of your time?  Any investment in Organizing will reap big rewards!

Happy New Year! 7 Ways To Clear Clutter This Week

1 Comment

I love the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but I also love the calm and clarity that follow.  Here are 7 ways I’m clearing clutter this week, give one or two or all seven a try!

  1. Return stuff to other people:  Hooray!  My kitchen counter is clean again!  Last week, it held a roasting pan, a pie pan, an instruction book for someone else’s gift, a holiday cookie tin and a few other random items, none of which belonged to me.  The tin was the last to go, but as of yesterday, everything is returned!
  2. Donation / Recycling Clutter:  Drop off donations and recyclables, or at least put the next charitable donation pick-up date on your calendar and plan to have a bag ready.  Then start filling that bag!!  We have a couple of bags already filled with donated Christmas decorations, toys and outgrown kid and adult clothes.
  3. Purge cardboard:  I feel like we’ve been swimming in shipping boxes and toy packaging.  The recycling bin filled up quickly over the holidays, but there’s more room this week!  Collect the boxes, break ’em down and lug ’em out.  You’ll be glad you did!
  4. Plan a Returns Day.  Place a shopping bag by the door.  As you go through your home and routines this week, look for the items you intend to return and place them and their receipt in the bag.  If you can’t find the receipt, spend a little time looking for it, but don’t get hung up on perfectionism.  Even if you can’t find the receipt, a smaller amount of store credit or cash back is better than holding on to an item you know you won’t use just because you can’t find the receipt.  Spend an afternoon, and run those errands to return the items.  Cha-ching, money in your pocket and the clutter goes away!
  5. Clear the Catalogs:  Clean off the coffee table, reading pile and kitchen counter.   Call the 800# on the back of the catalogs or go to www.Catalogchoice.net, and remove yourself from mailing lists.  Subscribe online, if you’d like, and you may get regular promotion notices and coupons.  To avoid email notices, skip the subscription, open your web browser, create a bookmark folder called “shopping”, bookmark the page in your browser, and add it to your shopping folder, then toss the catalog!
  6. Phone clutter:  Ugh!  I am tired of the solicitation calls on our home phone line!  Register all phone numbers (cell, too) with the National Do Not Call Registry at www.DoNotCall.gov, if you haven’t done so.  And this month I will answer all calls on the home line, and request that the caller remove me from their list, which they legally must do if we ask.
  7. E-Mail clutter:  I am happy that a few people un-subscribed last week.  As a blogger and newsletter writer, it should not make me happy, but I was proud of those 4 folks on my mailing list for deciding to let go of something that was not working for them. Good for them.  Of course, now that they have un-subscribed, they will never know that I applauded their efforts.  And remember, I welcome your suggestions and comments for improvement, to keep my content meaningful and useful for you.

Yeah, you!  Look around, you’re feeling lighter and looking better already!  Way to go!

The Day the Decorations Come Down!

It’s that time of year again, When the Christmas decorations come down!  Do yourself a favor for next year, and try these 5 ideas today:

  1. Permanently purge the stuff you did not use this year. We have a pile of items we have not used for a couple of years, and most will go away permanently, via donations or recycling.
  2. Invest in quality storage containers. Stackable, sturdy plastic, bug proof.  A client had pests in her storage area over the summer, and her boxes and favorite decorations were destroyed.  Water and moisture, mice and termites are just some of the threats to your treasures.  We use 18 gal. Rubbermaid or Sterilite containers.  Clear containers are great, too, and allow us to see what is inside, but clear ones can be more expensive than comparably sized containers.  Also available are containers made specifically to store ornaments.
  3. Tag your ornaments.  We received an ornament from a friend tagged with a label listing the date, her name and a wish for us. I love that idea, and will tag a few more this year myself!  Next year and for years to come, we can remember where our favorite ornaments came from and appreciate our friends anew.  This will also help on that day far in the future when I distribute ornaments to my sons as they start their own homes and families.
  4. Last-In First-Out Box.  In a recent blog, I mentioned my Last-In First-Out box, and a few of you asked me about that.  Here is the explanation:  In one well-labeled container, I place all the things that I use for the duration of the Christmas Season.  For example, around December 1, we put up just a few things, like our nativity scene, heirloom advent calendars and table runners.  Those are the first-out decorations, and the extent of our decorations until mid-December.  They are also the last items to go back into storage.  So we keep those few things that we use for all 6 weeks in their own container.  That way, I only have to grab one container to get us started, that same one stays open in the laundry room (the entrance to the crawl space) as we put things away, too,  and is placed on top of the pile until next December.
  5. Make some notes about this year to review next year. Here are a few of mine:
    1. More Christmas cards next years.  I underestimated our numbers, and had to reorder cards and buy more stamps before I could mail my business New Years cards.
    2. I noted our menu for the various meals we hosted, and party ideas that worked or not.
    3. I listed gift giving challenges and successes.
    4. I added “Christmas photos” to my October list, to print them sooner.  I love the collage photo cards now available.  I can use great parts of a number of photos instead of relying / waiting for one perfect (yeah, right) family photo.
    5. I have a spreadsheet, too, for my holiday planning, but I make these Christmas notes in a notebook, and they are personal and reflective, more like a journal to keep from year to year.

So, while your memories are still fresh, take a few minutes now to reflect on and savor your holiday season.  And take a few more to make next year’s holiday season even better!

It Really Is Easy Being Green

4 Comments

This article first ran in the Lenten Organizing Challenge and The Spirituality of Clutter.

The idea is to elevate little eco-friendly changes you can make in your day – to – day life, to make a big and positive impact on our world.

Let me start with the Bottom Line On Top:  Make good choices, even if you just take little steps.  Many little steps in the right direction will still get you where you need to go.

So here is the rest of the article….

We are a (pretty) Green family.  We reduce, we reuse, we recycle, we re-purpose.  We have been Green for a long time, so that the kids know what to do to be Green, and why it is important.

I have four trash receptacles in my kitchen.  Under the sink, we have a garbage can on one side, and glass and plastic recycling on the other.  Under the desk there is a paper bag for paper recycling.  Then there is the Magic Little Basket on the top of my refrigerator.

Ok, so the basket doesn’t actually have magical properties.  It’s rather boring, 10 inches square, lined with a jaunty fabric and it matches the one next to it that holds reusable lunch bags.  But it does make Being Green really easy.

The Magic Little Basket holds 2 recycled plastic canisters, and some freezer bags.  One canister holds used household batteries, and the other holds used prescription medication bottles. One bag holds burnt-out light bulbs, another has small, used (and broken or obsolete) electronics like old cell phones and static-y earphones.   The third baggy has old eyeglasses in it. What do all of these items have in common, other than living together in a basket in my kitchen?   A couple of things, actually.

These are sort of things my clients and I come across in kitchen junk drawers, bathroom medicine cabinets, desk cubbies and workrooms.  One client calls them Detritus.  I call them dregs, or minutiae.  None of these words are very positive.  They all mean approximately “the unwanted particulates that settle to the bottom”.

Why do these things accumulate?  First, they are small and inconsequential.  Second, they had value once, so it is difficult to just toss them away.  Finally, my clients realize they probably shouldn’t just toss them into the trash.  Maybe they have heard that the CFL light bulbs contain mercury, or about the new law making it illegal to through electronic waste in the regular garbage.

The other thing they have in common?  They are all recyclable.

So, make your own Magic Basket (or bag or box or whatever), and make a regular habit of taking care of recycling.

For example, I dropped off the household batteries at the Walgreen’s camera counter.  There is also a drop box at our local library.  The medications go to my local police department, many now have permanent collection sites, to keep prescription pain medication off the streets.  The light bulbs go to Home Depot, or other home goods stores.  The broken electronics can go to my kid’s school, we make money from regular recycling drives.  What can’t go to the school drive can go to our local E-Waste recycling site.  Many towns now have these E-Waste sites available to their residents.   The eyeglasses go to my dad, who works with his local Lion’s Club, and if you don’t happen to know my Dad, the Lion’s Club is a national organization with drop boxes in public places like libraries and pharmacies.

The important thing to realize is that all of these errand stops are right in your neighborhood, and dropping things off regularly won’t take a lot of time. But these little stops can make a really big difference.  These little changes keep mercury, acids and other toxins out of the ground and water table.  Recycling gives money to schools, and sight to people who need glasses. It is the right thing to do, which is what makes my Little Basket so Magic, and it really is Easy Being Green.

Make good choices, even if you just take little steps.  Many little steps in the right direction will still get you where you need to go.

Clear Clutter for National Recycling Week

This week is National Recycling Week.  Make a conscious decision to free your self and home from clutter while benefiting others and the environment.  Clear your house for Fall, for the Holidays or just because!

     Recycling goes way beyond the bags you put out with the trash every week.  It means re-using or re-distributing stuff, and almost everything is recyclable or reusable.  Recycling is the right thing to do.  It cuts consumption of energy and resources, saves money, keeps stuff out of landfills and toxins out of the water supply.  Looking at 5 common clutter challenges, here is how to make Recycling the easy thing to do, too:

Clothes and Donations:  I bet you have bags of donation clothes in the closet, by the door, in the laundry room or in your trunk.  Cast-off clothes and donations are easy clutter elimination and the ultimate recycling.  You may have designated stuff to donate or give to others, but it is still cluttering up your home.  Load up your trunk and drop off those bags of clothes / shoes / books / whatever.  Then come home, take a breath, appreciate the clearer space, then get back to work!

Returns are also a form of recycling since returning items you won’t use keeps stuff in circulation instead of letting it stagnate in your trunk or closet.   Take returns back to their stores, put some money back in your pocket, and revel in the clear space. 

Plastic and Paper Shopping Bags:  Got bags?  Under the kitchen sink, in the laundry room, on a hook by the door?  Working with a client recently in a small storage space we ended with 6 bags of plastic grocery bags to be recycled.  As an organizer, a problem I have with bags in general is that you can’t stack them or see inside, which make them a terrible way to store stuff.

     Keep a dozen plastic bags, and maybe 2 dozen if you happen to have a pet and need the bags for dog walks, etc.  Take the rest back to your local grocery store for recycling.  Re-use plastic bags as packing material or to re-line your messy garbage cans.  They’re also great for organizing projects – write “trash”, “recycle” and “donate” on 3 with a Sharpie, stand them up, and have the kids fill all three on cleaning day.  When they’re full, take action on the stuff in the bags, then fold them up and keep them for the next project!

     Get used to carrying your own shopping bags.  I always carry one small one in my handbag for most of my shopping stops, and for bigger trips, I keep my reusable bags where I need them, bundled in the car.

 Boxes and Cardboard:   Take a peek in your garage, attic, basement or hall closet.  Recycle those empty cardboard boxes and open up some storage space!

     Last week, I cleaned out our basement Holiday closet where we store Halloween and Easter decorations;  Halloween costumes; gift wrap and extra shipping boxes; and purchased gifts.  It was looking neglected, to say the least!  So I put away the Halloween decorations and costumes, purged a dozen extra cardboard boxes, and broke down the keepers to store them flat instead of assembled.   There’s lots of space now!

Electronics:  Many towns have E-waste recycling available now, for old computers, TVs, DVD players, etc. Check with your municipality to see what’s available near you.

Junk Drawer Contents:  As your professional organizer, I will let you have a junk drawer.  JUST one.  So, let me guess what is in your junk drawer… Dead batteries, old eyeglasses, dried up pens, broken crayons, pennies, random photos, household tools and repair items, expired coupons and take-out menus, twist ties and rubber bands, empty toner cartridges, scotch tape, old cell phones, pop tabs.  Sound familiar?

  Dedicate a use for each drawer, like office supplies or couponing or tools and hardware or kid’s crafts, so it is less likely to become a junk drawer.  Label it to make it easier to remember and maintain.  Almost every item I listed above can be Recycled or re-used.  Old batteries to Home Depot or Walgreens.  Eyeglasses to your local Lion’s Club.  See your old apple phone back to Apple for recycling and credit towards your next purchase. Sorting a junk drawer with your kids can be a great teachable moment.  Show them how to sort stuff, toss the trash, and organize what is left. 

      Use National Recycling Week to help your home by clearing clutter, and help the planet by doing it responsibly!

(c) Copyright 2011          M. Colleen Klimcak, CPO

High-tech Your Papers

      Technology exists to make our lives simpler.  Review your current practices,  and ask yourself: Is there something you can do to simplify your paper management?  Use technology or tools to make things better!

     What we are really talking about when we discuss Paper Management is Information Management.   It does not matter how the information came to you, via paper or electronically via your computer.  There are rules that can help.  Here are a few suggestions for Information Management.

1.  Papers often represent tasks to be completed, so carve out time to get things done.

  • Sorting papers into actions only takes things so far.  You also need to act!  I use Taking Care of Business Tuesdays to get my work done (click here to read my blog on TCB Tuesdays!).   Tuesday mornings are dedicated to working my organizing business, and the business of running my family.  Bill paying, data entry into my planner, follow-up phone calls, maintenance, etc.
  • There is no magic in TCB Tuesday, you can pick any day of the week you want.  Just set aside time to complete your action items.   
  • If you can’t set aside time regularly to get things done, try creating a physical in-box to collect your papers.  It can’t be too big or expand too far!  Once the in-box is full, you have to commit some time to Take Care of Business!  The in-box can be a box, a hanging vertical folder, an attractive magazine holder, etc. 

2.  Choose the Right Name for Your Files:

  • Regardless of what type of information you have, be it Paper or electronic, you still need to file data by date or category, to be able to retrieve the information again.
  • Use Naming conventions to name your folders, either paper or electronics.   “2011 September Income and Banking” or “2011 September Paid Bill Receipts”.  
  • Standardize your naming, then your paper systems and your computer drives will work together.   

3.  Knowing what to keep and what to toss is still important.  If you don’t expect to retrieve information, you don’t need to keep it.   Unimportant, unnecessary information is still clutter, whether it is in paper form or memory space. 

4.  Start with current information, and create the habit of regular saving, maintenance and scanning (more on this in a moment!).  Once you are keeping up with new and current information, then start with older papers.  Do not start with old and neglect the new. 

Technology Solutions to Paper Management

  1. Create Less Paper:
    • Request information in electronic form.  From your bank, your professional organizations, your children’s schools.  Anything we can receive in electronic form saves trees and keeps those papers from piling up. 
    • Automate your banking and bill paying, on-line through your bank.
    • “Print” electronic receipts and emails to PDF form instead of on papers.   A PDF is like a photograph of your information.  You can’t manipulate the info, like you could in a Word document, but you can save the information.   We “print” our e-information, then save it to a folder on our computer, using those naming conventions.
    • If you don’t have a PDF writer on your computer already, Google PDF programs.  Three to look at are Primo PDF (free) , Cute PDF Pro (cheap) and Adobe Acrobat (not cheap).  
  2. Manage the Paper and Information You Have:
    • The Fujitsu ScanSnap scans all papers, even double-sided ones, into your computer to let you keep the information while getting rid of the papers.  A great idea!
  3. Above all things, if you choose to scan or electrify your papers, you must have reliable back-up for your data.  Make backing up your data a habit, or subscribe to a service that does if for you.
  4. Suggestions from my techies are external hard drives; NAS (network attached storage); Amazon S3; and Carbonite, with the services more highly recommended for safety.  The services cost money, but will manage technology updates on their own.

So, my challenge to you this week is to use the technology available to clear those papers and get on to more important things! 

On a personal note, I wrote this blog while out-of-town for the holiday, picking the brains of my two favorite techies over lunch.  Guess I was using my technology to get things done, too!  Thanks this week go to my husband and my brother-in-law, for technology advice!  You two rock!

Organize your Garage: Crystal Ball or Snow Globe?

1 Comment

     Look with me into my crystal ball…   I can tell you exactly where you were this past February 2nd.  If you live in the Midwest like me, you were either stuck in your house or shoveling the 2 feet of snow that fell in 18 hours.   

     More importantly, for today’s message, where was your CAR?  Your second biggest investment?  Your necessary transportation tool for work or school?  Was it safe in your garage (if you have one), or was it on the street or in the driveway while your clutter stayed warm and dry?  And where will it be when snow flies again?   Organize Your Garage This Month!    It is a lot easier and more comfortable to do it in August than in December (trust me, I’ve been hired to do both!). 

     Why is organizing your garage different from other parts of your home? 

  1. Everyone uses the space;
  2. The stuff stored there is just bigger; and there is more stuff because the space is bigger.
  3. The Garage becomes a collection of indecision, a waiting room for stuff to come and go from your home. 
  4. We ignore the stuff until we are faced with a crisis or never.  And the stuff just keeps piling up… 

     Why should you organize your Garage?  Garages don’t get the respect they deserve: they are truly multifunctional!  The primary goal for a garage should be vehicle parking.  Organize your garage, protect your car and large investments, and stop paying for off site storage units.

5 Tips to Organize your Garage:

  1. Remove the big things first, like large boxes or appliances, garbage bags of donations or recycling.   
  2. Break down the Cardboard:  you’d be amazed by how many empty boxes are probably cluttering up your garage.
  3. Stop storing things for other people.  You know who you need to call.  And they know who they are, too.  Make the calls, give the “other people” a deadline, have the stuff collected or toss it.  Some tough love now will save you time, money and car care later!
  4. Take Action:  Make some more phone calls, or take some time on-line and set up appointments for pick up of the items you already know need to go away.  Your clutter is treasure to someone else.  Donate big unwanted items:
    1. HOMES, Salvation army for furniture
    2. ComEd for large appliances
    3. PennySaver to place an ad, or list your items on Freecycle.
    4. For a more complete list, check out my Recycling Guide.
  5. Do NOT store treasure in the garage, which can have excessive temperatures, -20 to 120 degrees, pests and moisture.  All can cause damage to photos, books, clothing, or things with glue or wax like seasonal decorations.

 Storage solutions for Garage Storage:

  1. Climb the walls:  With just a little effort, you can use vast expanses of vertical wall space for peg boards for small-item storage, hooks for bikes or bags, racks for yard implements and snow shovels.
  2. Big items need big shelves:  So many things in the garage are REALLY BIG.  Bikes, yard toys, coolers, holiday decorations, sleds, bins of off-season clothing (see photo below).  Standing shelf units are great solutions, and if you use your garage for many purposes, you can invest in rolling shelf units.  Then you can roll out the stuff you need and roll it back away when you are done.
  3. “Roll out the barrel” out of your garage: I cringe when I see huge barrels of yard tools standing in the corner of a garage.  First, as a mom, anything that heavy and full of sharp edges that can fall over makes me nervous.  Second, why does any one need a barrel full of anything?  You can’t move it, access it, or clean it out.   A big barrel just screams to be filled, and so we fill it.  With rakes, brooms, old wood, baseball bats, who knows?  Get rid of the barrel, or outfit it as a rain barrel.  As for the yard tools, hang them on the wall (see Climb the Walls), or try a very low-tech idea, a short board across the space between the studs around 3 feet high and stand yard tools up in the space behind the board.    
  4. Garage rafters are a great place for large and / or off-season items, like ladders, summer deck furniture, sleds, etc. 
  5. Lock it UP: Safe Storage.  Assume that everything is going to fall.  Store heavier items on lower shelves, lighter items on upper shelves.  Mount shelves / attached shelf units to wall.  If children ever use the garage, put away power tools and cords, heat or flame sources and flammable items.  Make sure poisonous house and garden products have child resistant caps, are clearly labeled and are out of reach of children or in a locked cabinet.

Set aside a couple of hours this weekend, and make some space in your garage for your car.   You’ll be so glad that you did!

I must give credit to Julie Morgenstern, Organizing From the Inside Out  and Barry Iszak, Organize Your Garage In No Time.

 

Organize your Medications for Poison Prevention Week

2 Comments

The last full week in March is Poison Prevention Week.  Don’t just take my word for it, check out the Illinois Poison Center at http://illinoispoisoncenter.org/, or the national website http://www.poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/  . You can sign up to receive information, stickers, worksheets – all sorts of great information to keep you safe and informed.

Spend a little time this month organizing your medications and make your home safer for yourself and your family.

Medications and Supplements: 

How to Store them:

  • Bathrooms and kitchens, the most common places in your home to find medications and supplements, are often the worst places to keep them.  Heat and humidity can cause the drugs to deteriorate.
  • Store medications and supplements in a cool, dry and dark place.
  • Keep medications and supplements in their original packaging, or keep the original packaging with warnings, usage information, and serial numbers for future reference.
  • I don’t take medications, but I do use a sorter for my own supplements.  The sorter and all of the supplements are kept on a high shelf, all together, with original packaging.  For the longest time, I thought I am too young to use a pill sorter!  They remind me of my dear grandmother.  But it has really helped me take my vitamin supplements more regularly, handle them all less often but with more focus, and they travel so much easier all doled out in their little compartments instead of in their bottles!
  • A woman at an Organize Your Kitchen classes let out a whoop when I mentioned keeping medicine and supplement bottles in a small bin or basket in her kitchen cabinet.  Now, we have fun in my classes, but folks rarely let out a whoop.  She really loved the idea of having all the little bottles corralled in a basket, for ease of use and storage.

What to discard and how to discard it:

  • Check expiration dates on all products, prescription and OTC, and discard if the date has passed.
  • Discard syrups that have separated, pills that have turned powdery, adhesive tape that has yellowed.
  • Don’t flush: Flushed medicines can end up in the groundwater supply and can cause problems for local wildlife.
  • Don’t throw away medications, they may pose risk to children or animals.
  • Return to pharmacy or research disposal programs. Ask your sanitation department about “household hazardous waste collection.” Or, inquire at pharmacies and hospitals for collection programs.
  • Again, the Illinois Poison Center website is http://illinoispoisoncenter.org/
  • If you must trash them, keep them in original child- proof containers and scratch off any personal information.
  • Add water to pills and flour to liquids to they cannot be reused.
  • Double-bag, and keep separate from food garbage.

Another Potential Danger in the home may be your Cleaning supplies. 

How to Store Them:

  • Designate just one or 2 places for them to be in your home, so it is easier to monitor what you have.
  • In our home, the cleaning supplies are either locked up under the kitchen sink behind child-proof locks, or on a tall closet shelf.
  • They are out of reach of little hands, and are all together in 2 bins – one for every day cleaning supplies, and one for the exceptions, like rug and upholstery cleaner, rubber gloves, etc.

How to get rid of them:

So, here is your call to action, readers.  Preventing Poison tragedies is everyone’s concern and business.  Take 5 minutes or an hour, and make your home, family and our environment safer.   Thanks!