Organizing Tips to Live By

1. Have a home for everything

• No halfway houses. If you have a home for your keys, shoes, etc. then you won’t spend valuable time searching for lost items.

2. One life – One calendar

• Keep one calendar for the family. This eliminates double booking or missing appointments. Keep it somewhere visible so everyone can see it. Review with the whole family every Sunday.

3. 70-80% of all paper should be read and tossed immediately

• This includes mail, flyers, newspapers and other paper items. When you open the mail, make a decision immediately to keep it or throw it away. If it is an invitation or mailing for an important date, mark it on the calendar and put it in a home near the calendar

4. Clean as soon as you clutter

• Put items away after each use. Customized storage systems give you a home for every item to put away.

5. Use clear plastic bins for storage

• Plastic makes it easier to identify items. It also saves your items from weather damage such as water or humidity.

6. Keep an inventory of what you have in storage

• This will save you from buying duplicate items. Especially seasonal items such as decorations or outdoor items

7. Limit incoming information via e-mail

• Unsubscribe from any e-mail lists that you don’t look at regularly. Unsubscribe from getting junk mail at www.dma.consumer.org. Also, make sure you are on the do not call list to avoid unwanted phone solicitors.

8. Use on-line bill payment

• Most on-line bill payments are free and will save you time from writing out bills, save you money from stamps and helps avoid paying bills late. The banks are secure to avoid abuse or hackers.

9. Keep like categories together

• When organizing your closet, put all your shoes in the same section, all pants in one section, etc. In the pantry, put all cereal boxes together, cans together, etc. This allows you to see all choices at once.

10. Have a launch pad

• Make a space in your home near the front door for items that you need to take in the morning. Set the items out the night before when you are less rushed.

 

For more information or to get additional tips on organizing:

Arranged By Erin

Erin Kelly

 

www.arrangedbyerin.com

Contemporary Flare!

I love this new contemporary look! A customer asked if we could replicate a high end European cabinet that she saw at the merchandise mart except she wanted it in blue. It was so fun to be able to take her ideas and make them a reality. She used to have a small table in this space where all her papers, mail and entertaining stuff ended up. Now she has a beautiful entertaining area where everything is organized and behind doors.

Summer is here! Now Lets Enjoy it!

Summer is a time for rest and relaxation. Having an organized home makes one feel more relaxed throughout the day. We have to put together a few tips to help you get and stay organized so you can enjoy the summer!

Tips for Designing a Laundry Room

Laundry rooms are typically a home organizer's nightmare. They are those little messy rooms that just keep getting cluttered no matter how hard you try to organize them. Here are a few simple and bright ideas to help you make your laundry room a better and more inviting place:

1. Good Lighting - Lighting up the laundry area can bring up a dramatic difference in the space. Also having windows through which light and air can flow in would be a good boost to the whole washing experience.


2. Orderly Arrangement - Like any other room, unnecessary clutter can give the space a dirty look. Having a closed basket for dumping soiled clothes rather than heaping them on the floor or inside the cabinet would give a more organized look.


3. Having overhead closed cabinet spaces gives more space and scope for artistic and creative ideas to flow. The cabinets can be painted in creative designs and colors to bring life to the area.


4. Keeping detergents, sewing kit, laundry shampoos, start and other such items needed in the laundry room within cabinets gives it easier access and avoids using up other storing spaces in the house.


5. The wall attached ironing board is an ideal option for laundry areas with less space. Having the iron box in the laundry room ensures that clothes leave the laundry room in wearable form.


6. Like any other area of your house, you can add to the ambience of the laundry room or area with potted plants, different color patterns.

Bring out your music system to your laundry area, let the music play or get that book you always wanted to read and enjoy it while your clothes spin. Laundry time would never be a chore again!!

Source: Homedesigning.com

Spring is the Perfect Time to Simplify and Reorganize

How Do We Cut Through the Clutter?

We comb through each room and choose 5 things to either sell on Craigslist, donate to the local Salvation Army or to a friend. We choose things that are either broken, we don't love or are no longer useful. Maybe we've outgrown a throw pillow, or can accept that we're never going to fix that lamp or that the side table is really unnecessary. When we get proactive abut what we want to keep, it makes us feel empowered to get rid of what's dragging us down. When we choose 5 things (start small if you need to) it feels so good that it motivates us to keep going, making space, lightening the load.

Here are some of the things that have made it out the door over the years:

• Frames we were saving "just in case"
• Clothes that have holes or we've outgrown (no we don't hang onto them for when we lose weight)
• Chipped dishes or dishes we don't love
• Side table that ws too bulky in the living room
• Books! We keep the ones we love, not the ones to impress guests
• Old Towels (we donate them to shelters)
• Miscellaneous stuff in the bathroom

Laura Joliet

Spring has sprung and so has the clutter

As the warm weather descends upon us, the clutter in the house starts to become more apparent. The following areas in the home are the most obvious places were the clutter starts to accumulate and grow:
Entryway/Mudrooms - This is where everything is thrown upon arrival to the home. The shoes are left in the middle of the floor, the coats thrown in a pile, the umbrellas opened in the corner and bags stacked on any empty space. This is the perfect area to have custom built cabinetry or lockers put in. This gives everyone in the household a space to place their stuff and eliminates time running around looking for lost items. Custom organizational systems or built in lockers also add a great amount of storage area to the home since this area is an open space with no purpose except to collect stuff.

Home Offices - Home offices are a great place for clutter to linger. Paper work in piles, kids toys, DVDs, bills, etc. It all seems to find a place in the office. This is an opportunity to build a custom system designed around the family. Pull out baskets behind cabinets are a great space for odd shaped toys. File drawers keep the paperwork organized and doors on cabinets offer a safe hiding place for DVDs, computer programs and any other odd items that tend to accumulate on desks.

Bathrooms - Most households feel there is never enough storage in bathrooms. As a designer, I can identify dead space that can be used to build a cabinet, linen closet or some other storage area that looks beautiful and at the same time is functional. The bathroom is one room in the house that could use more creativity in the storage area that will make life easier in the morning when getting ready for work, play or to start the day.

Garages - What a perfect time of the year to declutter the garage. This is the time of year that I get really busy finding ways to organize and design organizational systems for garages. This is also one of the most crucial places where the systems are needed (besides closets) to organize and gain some sanity in the home. A couple strategic cabinets, hooks, benches, etc. and the garage goes from a clutter dump to a beautiful functional room.

Now is the time to reevaluate your home and find areas where you can maximize the space. All About Closets offers a free quote with detailed drawings of your personalized organizational systems. Even if you don't feel that now is the time to invest into your home, it is worth having a designer come out and give you more ideas on how to tackle the clutter with custom systems. You can do one area at a time or all at once, but once you start you will be amazed how it transforms your family's life.

Welcome Spring with an organized home!

Start one room at a time and make it a family event. A good place to start is the garage, which stores most of your gardening tools and outdoor toys. Begin by making different piles of items to keep, donate and throw away. Sorth through these at least twice and then decide what organization style works best for your family-by name, activity, similar items or a combination of things. Better yet, call All About Closets (http://www.mydreamclosets/) for a free consultation. We’ll design a system that fits your lifestyle and maximizes your space.

Dress up your home

We came across these helpful tips from Tara Gruber, Interior Designer, that will guide you in putting the spot light on your home. We specifically like her ideas under "Details" on the importance of utilizing your spaces to their fullest potential. Pantries, utility rooms and mudrooms are ideal spaces to have custom organizational units.


If you had the opportunity to attend the Emmy’s or the Oscars, what would you wear? Wouldn’t you love to be pampered and dressed by a professional stylist? This is when all the details matter…the stilettos, the clutch handbag, the chandelier earrings, and the fake eyelashes! When selling your home, the same rules apply. You have to present your home fully dressed and accessorized. Forget about your daily mundane responsibilities like laundry, cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc. It is all about presenting the fantasy. A well staged home presents a vision for potential buyers and photographs well for online buyers. They want to visualize living in your home!!

Why does staging provide a faster sell with a higher profit?

Staging is an important marketing tool to emphasize your homes strongest assets while minimizing the weaknesses.
Real Estate is a very competitive market and continues to produce better return rates than the stock market.
Buyers will notice all the flaws…bad paint, cracks on walls, missing light fixtures, etc.
How can I dress up my home in anticipation to sell it faster and maximize profits?

De-clutter: Open your home up as much as possible. Potential buyers need to visualize where they are going to place their things. It doesn’t mean throwing away all your precious memories, but store them. Space sells!! Avoid distracting your buyer with your personal clutter and amaze them with the details!!

Drama: Give a home personality and create a memory point. Buyers may view many homes in a given day. How is your house going to stand out? Focus on the 5 senses. Captivate them with freshly baked cookies in the kitchen.

Details: Showcase your most utilized rooms as the most efficient rooms. People lead busy lives and they require quick and easy solutions. Kitchens, pantries, utility rooms, mudrooms, and bathrooms are great selling opportunities to offer generous & tidy storage options. Consider custom cabinetry to feature organized spaces. Or add architectural interest to a room with custom molding.

You can contact Tara at or 630-773-3990 or visit her website at www.tgiinteriors.com

Help me unclutter my world

Have you ever walked into your house, room, office and felt that stuff has taken over your life? Don't feel bad, you are not alone. There are so many great things available to us it is difficult to resist that urge to bring it home and how could you possibly throw anything away? It all comes with a memory and a need that was to be met at the time. Plus, you spent how much on it? You can't possibly throw it away or even give it away. What is the solution?

You first have to start by prioritizing what is important in your life and then looking at each item and ask yourself when is the last time you actually used it? Moving it from one cluttered spot to another in your house does not count. If you start with your closet, ask yourself when was the last time you actually wore that item. If it has been over a year, that is your first item to donate to charity or sell at a garage sale. No, that piece of clothing won't come back in style and no, you won't lose that extra 25 pounds any time soon so you can wear it again. Trust me if you lose that weight, you will want to buy new clothes for yourself!

Once you have gone through the process of uncluttering, now you are ready to find a home for what remains. If you get stuck in the uncluttering process or find you can't part with any items, I recommend calling in a professional organizer to help you out. Throwing everything behind closed doors is not considered a home for your stuff. You need to continue the organizing by getting racks, bins or building custom shelves that will provide a spot for your stuff. If you get stuck at this step, I recommend calling in a custom shelving company such as a closet company that understand spacial organization.

Once you start the process, you will see the changes almost immediately. Starting can be a challenge sometimes so call a friend or family member over to get you started. Plus, someone else does not have that same emotional bond to your stuff so they will be more practical in helping you part with your items.

Have fun!

Unique solutions to sloped ceilings

Sloped ceilings can be a homeowners worst fear when we are talking about a closet space. Most customers feel that this eats away space and the single shelf and pole running around the closet does not maximize the space. There is no need to fear. This can actually turn into a great space with a little creative design and quality installers.

In most situations, the best solution is to build a custom system right off of the sloped wall. If done correctly the lowest point of the slope can be used for extra storage for those bulky items like blankets, luggage, etc. It depends on the width of the space but there are many solutions that include additional hanging space, shelving and drawers. It is also important to look at the space and find ways to utilize every corner, such as with purse or hat hangers, belt racks, tie racks, etc.

Organize or bust!

A customer called today wondering where to start in her quest to be organized. Her goal was to get started this weekend and she was not coming out of the house until something was started. She felt overwhelmed with "stuff" that was slowly creeping into her personal living space. My suggestion is to start with a personal organizer. They can make sense of the "stuff" and give you the permission to get rid of items that you don't use or donate it to a charity. Once the "stuff" is sorted through that is where the custom closet companies come in and decide how to best utilize the space with built in systems. That is when it gets really fun because you can add all kinds of accessories that make your life easier.

There are some great professional organizers that are linked to the custom closet companies. All About Closets - chicago (mydreamclosets.com) has some links that can get your started on your quest to simplify and organize your home.

Where do I start

People often ask me where to start when they need their life organized? The easiest way is to pick a room and get started! The initial first step is the hardest, but once you get going you will see what progress you will make quickly. First, you need to assess the situation. What are you dealing with? Do you need to discard some items or move items to different rooms that are more functional. For example, put the staple in the office not the kitchen. Do you need help? Is it time to call in your friends who owe you a favor or your family to support you through this cleansing?