Linen Storage Ideas

Tidy bundle of sheets. After laundry, fold the flat, fitted and one pillow case and place in the other pillowcase for storing.

No fold sheets. Put the sheets back on the bed immediately after drying to eliminate folding entirely.

Quilt and blanket storage. Bulky quilts and blankets take up a lot of valuable space in closets and linen storage areas. Buy a few pillow shams that match your décor and store the out of season quilts right in the sham. Arrange the shams, which now look exactly like pillows, on the beds.

Need Extra Living Room Storage?

Look for an attractive trunk (which can double as an ottoman or coffee table) to store board games, puzzles, extra bedding and pillows.

The "Key" to Keeping Up with Your Keys

Have a central location for keys. Have one place to store keys and make a habit of putting yours there when coming home. Some suggestions for key storage:

• Designate a small kitchen drawer as the key drawer
• Hang a decorative key board near the door you enter
• Have a decorative storage box on the entryway table to drop your keys into
  

Laundry Tips

Laundry Tips:

Have a wastebasket next to the clothes dryer for discarding lint balls and used dryer sheets

Hang a towel rack in the laundry area for hanging wet things that can’t be dried.

Establish a regular routine for laundry. For example, do one load each morning or each evening, depending on your schedule.

Finish. Think finish when doing the laundry. Get the clothes into the dryer. Set a timer so you get the clothes out of the dryer the moment the time dings. You are not finished until the laundry is folded and put away.

Folding and putting away a load of laundry actually takes no more than five minutes, so just do it.

Find Your Organizing Style

There are many different ways to be organized. Do what works for you. Some people like their papers filed out of sight, others need to have certain papers visible. Some like color-coding, others find it too much of a bother. Some people like to keep their calendar on a computer, some prefer a paper planner.

What to Do with the Winter Blankets

Bulky quilts and blankets take up a lot of valuable space in closets and linen storage areas. Buy a few pillow shams that match your décor and store the out of season quilts right in the sham. Arrange the shams, which now look exactly like pillows, on the beds.

My sister is doing a major re-organizing of her house. I wish I lived close by so I could help, but she is doing great on her own! She is blogging about her progress. I was posting a comment about her progress and giving "just a few little suggestions" so I thought I better stop and do it here on MY blog!

Here is what I wrote to her:

The kitchen is always the slowest to organize. One reason is because we accumlate so many things in the kitchen we really don't need. (Remember Steve's FIVE whisks?) My sister knew this story, but of course you don't... When my husband and I got married, he had five whisks in his kitchen. He hardly, if ever, cooks! Why in the world did he need five whisks?

Another reason is because it is the heart of our homes...it get used a lot for lots of reasons so it tends to get accumulate lots of clutter. Make the kitchen about cooking and preparing meals. Move your paperwork, your desk, your business (yes, I know someone that keeps their business inventory in the kitchen) to another part of the house, if at all possible.

One way to think about the kitchen when organizing it is to create boundaries by making the stuff fit the kitchen storage space instead of trying to make the storage space fit the stuff. For example, if you only have room in your utensil drawer for two spatulas, get rid of the other 10 instead of trying to cram them in the space.

Use drawer dividers and storage containers to create a "home" for the items in your kitchen. Look back at one of the earliest posts on this blog and you'll see some pictures of what I mean.

Organizing Clothing and Shoes

Get rid of the item if it does not:

• Fit you now (not whenever you hope to lose weight)
• Make you look good
• Make you feel good

Get rid of the item if;

• It is beyond repair
• It has not been worn in the last year
• it is difficult to maintain (expensive to dry clean, must be hand washed or laid flat to dry)
• it does not reflect your current style
• it (accessories and shoes) does not coordinate with at least two outfits

The Children Whine "I'm Bored!"

Solution: Create an “I’m bored” activity box.

Fill a container with craft items and projects that your kids can dig into anytime you hear “I’m bored” or “I don’t have anything to do.” Here are some supplies to get started. The idea is to let their imaginations run wild!

Empty jars
Paper-towel rolls
Popsicle sticks
Index cards
Duplicates of family photos
Paper cups
Straws
Buttons
Thread spools
Marbles
Shells
Scissors
Glue
Tape
Paper
Cardboard
Markers
Cotton balls
Bean seeds

"Home" Office

“Home” office. Every home needs a place to do paperwork that pertains to the home. “Home” work includes paying bills, signing permission slips, reading mail, writing correspondence and filing important paperwork. Having a dedicated room for your “home” office would be ideal, but here are some suggestions for creating a consistent area to handle paperwork:

Use a lap desk and store a filing cabinet in the living room. Cover the filing cabinet with a pretty cloth when not using and it doubles as an end table.
Use the kitchen table and store office supplies and a portable file box in a kitchen cabinet.
Make an office in a closet.
Attach a work surface to a wall with hinges. Flip it up when using and flip it down for storing in between work sessions.
Put up a folding screen in a corner of the family room and hide the desk and filing cabinet behind the decorative screen.

Laundry Tips

Have a wastebasket next to the clothes dryer for discarding lint balls and used dryer sheets

Hang a towel rack in the laundry area for hanging wet things that can’t be dried.

Establish a regular routine for laundry. For example, do one load each morning or each evening, depending on your schedule.

Finish. Think finish when doing the laundry. Get the clothes into the dryer. Set a timer so you get the clothes out of the dryer the moment the time dings. You are not finished until the laundry is folded and put away.

Folding and putting away a load of laundry actually takes no more than five minutes, so just do it.

January White Sales

January is a great month for buying towels and bed linens. Before you take off on a spending spree, take a few minutes and clean out your linen storage area.

1. Check for any bed or bath linens that are too worn to use. Recycle what you can. Old washcloths make great rags. Your husband might like the old towels for drying down the car, the motorcycle, the boat, or just to use in his workshop.

2. Remember the one out, one in organizing rule. If you toss or recycle only two towels, the purchase only two towels.

Kitchen Organization

As a professional organizer, a question people ask me frequently is "Where do I start organizing?" My reply is the kitchen. We all have to eat and in most families, the kitchen is the family gathering spot.

• First, define your goals for the kitchen. Do you want to have family meals around the table? Are you trying to cut food expenses? Do you want to eat healthy? As with any goal...write them down.
• Look for ways the kitchen can support your goals. Does the fridge need to be cleaned out to make room for healthy food choices? Does the kitchen or dining room table need to be cleared of clutter so you can sit down together as a family? Does the cabinets need to be cleaned and arranged to use the oldest food so as not to waste?
• Clear the counter tops. Food prep is so much easier when you have the room to do the preparation. You will save money and time by clearing the counters.
• Tools? If your knives are dull, have them professionally sharpened or replaced. Having too many gadgets clutters a kitchen. How many spatulas, wooden spoons, can openers or whisks do you really need? Do you use the egg slicer, the cheese slicer, the garlic press, the blender, the juicer and the crockpot that the liner isn't removable? If the answer is no, then purge your kitchen of unnecessary items.
• Get rid of chipped mugs and dishes and those plastic containers that are stained, have writing on them (like old Cool Whip containers) and no longer have lids.

12 Things You Can Do While Talking on the Phone at Home

1. Polish your toes

2. Wrap a gift

3. Organize a shelf or cabinet

4. Set the table

5. Clear the table

6. Fold laundry

7. Clean our the fridge

8. Load the dishwasher

9. Empty the dishwasher

10. Clean out the junk drawer

11. Feed the dog

12. Organize coupons

Organizing the Coat Closet

1. Donate any coats and jackets that no longer fit or you no longer like wearing.

2. Separate each person's small items, like gloves, hats and scarves in a storage container for each. Label with the person's name. For small children that cannot yet read their name, place their picture on their bin.

3. Purchase a shoe rack to contain all the shoes and boots strewn on the closet floor.

4. Add a few extra hangers to the closet for hanging your guests' coats.

How to Create a Gift Wrapping Station

1. Find a gift wrapping storage container that you like. Here are some terrific ones that can be bought at http://www.containerstore.com/.

I like and use the hanging one.

2. Stock your wrapping station.

• Gift tags


• Wrapping paper


• Gift bags


• Gift boxes


• Ribbon


• Bows


• Pens


• Markers


• Scissors


• Tape


• Tissue paper
  

3. If you have out of town packages to ship, also include:

• Shipping boxes


• Shipping tape


• Stamps


• Mailing labels


• Packing materials, such as packing peanuts

Now! You have all your wrapping stuff in one place. No searching for the tape or scissors. Your gift wrapping time will be reduced by taking the time to organize your gift wrapping supplies first.

Thankful and Organized for Thanksgiving

When I was single and living in Austin, Texas, my family was far away in North Carolina. I had a lot to be thankful for and having a lonely pity party was not on my Thanksgiving to-do list. So I found other ways to enjoy Thanksgiving.

I love to cook. I found a service agency that paired me up with a family that needed a helping hand for Thanksgiving. I was given the family’s name, their situation, how many to cook for and directions where to drop off the Thanksgiving dinner. That first Thanksgiving I was paired with the Johnsons, a family of five, the youngest being about two years old.

I cooked the traditional turkey, dressing and veggies and had picked up a couple of pies at the store. (As much as I like to cook, I don’t bake.) Almost as an afterthought, I picked up ice cream, some fall flowers, and some inexpensive candles and candleholders.

I made my delivery that afternoon. When I knocked on the door, Mr. Johnson and his oldest son came out to help me carry in the boxes of food. Mr. Johnson was quick to tell me that his family didn’t usually take hand-outs, but that he had been injured on the job. I told him he was doing me a favor…giving me somebody to cook for because my family was far away and that was all that talk we were going to have.

Inside the house, I was helping Mrs. Johnson unpack the boxes and the little two-year old spotted the ice cream. Her eyes got huge and she said, “Mommy, look! I-queem!” About the same time, Mrs. Johnson was unpacking the candles and candleholders and we both got emotional. We cried and hugged and the Johnsons’ insisted that I stay and eat with them. I wasn’t supposed to. I was supposed to just deliver the food and leave, but how could I refuse such a gracious family?

I signed up to do this for the five years I lived in Texas and it was some of the best Thanksgiving holidays I ever had. Now I have a wonderful husband to share Thanksgiving with. No matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday can be less stressful if you use some of the following tips:

- Make a plan: Decide what you are going to do for the holiday now.

- Start a tradition where each guest or family member shares one thing they are thankful for.

- Get the house cleaning out of way early in the week. Book now if you plan to have a professional clean for you.

- Prepare side dishes and desserts ahead of time and freeze.

- Plan a menu. Decide what you are going to serve, write it down and stick to it.

- Frozen turkeys take 3-4 days to thaw in the refrigerator. Don’t forget to take your bird out of the freezer in time to allow for the thawing.

- Consider inviting a single friend or neighbor to join your family.

- Have some games on hand for the children to enjoy so the adults can watch ballgames, converse or nap after dinner.

- Make a grocery list and shop for non-perishables early.

- Have some disposable containers on hand so everyone can have a “to go” snack.

- Get out your serving dishes several days ahead of time. Label them with sticky notes. Others can help you dish up just by putting the stuffing in the bowl marked stuffing and so forth.

- Set the table the day before or at least early Thanksgiving morning.

- Mashed potatoes or other vegetables can be made ahead and kept warm in the crockpot.

- Cut up vegetables the day before and store in the fridge in zip bags.

- Consider just fixing the turkey and make the rest of the meal potluck.

- If you are terribly busy, most grocery stores sell ready made holiday meals. If you decide to use this option, keep in mind you still have to put in your order several days to a week ahead of time.

- Start yet another new Thanksgiving tradition by taking a walk after the meal.

Fall Organizing Projects

Fall is a time of new beginnings…the beginning of the school year, the beginning of the fourth business quarter and changing weather. Fall can be a good time to start new organizing projects, too.

Here are some suggestions for projects to help you get organized this fall season:

Change out your wardrobe. Go through last year’s fall and winter clothes. See what you want to keep and what you want to donate. Put the clothes to donate in a box or bag and take immediately to the car to be dropped off. Don’t clutter your closet with the donations. Do it now instead of later. Once you have determined what clothes you have left, then you can see what pieces you need to make your fall wardrobe complete.

Wash outside windows. Fall is a great time to wash the dust of summer off your windows. You want them to be as sparkling clean as possible to bring in the fall and winter light.

Sort toys: Sort through children’s toys before the holiday season. Have your children help you put the ones they no longer play with in a large box to be donated. Explain to them how they are blessing other children that won’t be getting new toys for the holidays. Praise them for being kind and giving.

Landscaping: Fall is the time to prune back perennials, plant bulbs and mulch flower beds to be ready for next spring.

Hose it. Drag out bikes, lawn mowers, plastic garbage bins and any other items that can be washed into your driveway on a sunny fall day. Hose them down, let them dry and then store back in the garage.

Sweep it. While the stuff from your garage is drying in the driveway is a great time to sweep out the garage.

Holiday shopping: Do your holiday shopping now so you can enjoy the holiday season in November and December with your family instead of rushing to the crowded stores.

Do You Hate Doing Laundry?

Most people hate doing laundry. Here are the main reasons that laundry is such a pain:

1. The drawers are too full. You dread doing laundry because putting the clothes away is hard. The drawers and closets are already too full and you are trying to add to them.

2. Too many clothes. The reason the drawers and closets are too full is you have too many clothes. In the past, you may have bought more and more clothes to keep from having to do laundry as often. The laundry piles just get bigger and bigger.

1. Dreading doing it. If the laundry piles up, the rest of the house seems piled up, too. Laundry is one of those chores that is never going to go away so just do it.

How to do laundry painlessly (well, as painlessly as possible):

1. Clean out the drawers and closets. Start with one drawer. One drawer will only take you 10 or 15 minutes. You can do this!

2. Do one load of laundry a day to stay caught up. You most likely have a washer and dryer, which does most of the work for you. Folding and putting away a load of clothes only takes 5 minutes. If you don't believe me, time it!

3. Stop dreading the laundry and just do it. Laundry is never going to go away. Just start a routine and stick to it. It is not so bad. Just do it, get it over with and GO PLAY!