Archive for the ‘Organizing’ Category

De-Clutter Your Home And De-Stress

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Is your home stressing you out? You may to surprised to find out that a cluttered can actually increase your stress levels. So whether you are planning to sell your house or simply want to reorganize your current space, you could benefit from de-cluttering your space. Bid farewell to all the extra stuff that has been weighing you down and get ready for a new beginning.

If you are like most North Americans, you are being pulled in many directions with very little time left over for yourself. When you add to this the stress of a cluttered home, you may feel a tad overwhelmed. Sure, you have been meaning to get organized and you may have even attempted to tackle a few rooms. But let’s face it: unless you are willing to purge, you are only moving stuff around. So go ahead, get rid of the surplus stuff!

Here is how to can begin the process. Get a few boxes or bins and label them either garbage, recycling, donation, or storage. you can start your sort with clothes you have not worn in at least a year and broken items that you have meant to fix for a while.

We surround ourselves with things and they often have emotional ties. However, something that made you feel good when you first acquired it could be making you feel overwhelmed today if it contributing to the clutter in your life. For the items that you cannot bear to give away, such as an old college sweatshirt or your grandma’s lamp, you can store them in a box that you would label “memories”. Go back to that both in a year’s time. You may choose to keep it in the garage or attic and while longer or you may realize that you don’t really miss these things and be willing to get rid of them. Another option would be to take pictures of the items that you no longer have a need for but can’t seem to let go. The pictures will allow you to keep a souvenir of the item without cluttering your home.

Once you have gone though all your things and gotten rid of the clutter, get into the habit of sorting on a regular basis. It could be every six months or as often as every month. If you don’t get into the habit of sorting your things often, you will find that clutter has a sneaky way to creeping back in your life. The last thing you want is to be back where you started a year later and have to go through a major sort and de-cluttering again. Make a point of putting things away and start filing your papers on a weekly basis. Do not give in to the temptation to put things away later. It’s a slippery slope and you know where that got you in the past! Schedule some time every week to tidy up and organize your things. By doing it in small bits regularly, the clutter will not become overwhelming.

A good way to motivate you to tidy and de-clutter is to give yourself rewards every once in a while. Just be careful not to reward yourself with useless stuff that will later become clutter. Instead of buying yourself “something”, treat yourself to an activity or services. Perhaps you can indulge in a monthly massage, schedule time for a manicure or treat yourself to a movie. You will feel better without adding more clutter to your home.

Taking the first step is the most difficult part of the de-cluttering process. But once you start, you will find that there are many things that you didn’t even know you had. So take the time to go through your things on a regular basis and watch yourself become calmer and happier.

Stefan Hyross writes on topics that include real estate in the Greater Toronto Area and Oakville townhouses. For more information about the Toronto area, related real estate articles or to search for a Mississauga Townhouse, please feel free to visit the website.

Are Unorganized Cleaning Supplies Driving You Crazy

Monday, April 6th, 2009

The cleaning supplies are the most reliable items we can count on when keeping our house organize.

However, we do not want them out in the open when we are not using them. Although they keep the house clean and organized, they are eyesores when not stored properly.

You need to consider several factors when storing your cleaning supplies. One is for ease of use. You need to store them to make it easier for you to locate them. This will allow you to take them out easily when you need them. They have to be safely stored as well. Cleaning supplies include different types of chemicals that can be harmful to human beings. In addition, store them properly so that they will last longer.

Ease of use

When I organize my cleaning supplies, I see to it that they are properly arranged so that I can see everything. I also group them together base on where I use them as well. For example, all items I use when cleaning the bathroom is in one case. Those I use to clean the carpet and furniture are next to each other. On the other hand, those I use for general cleaning are in a cleaning supply cupboard. This makes it easier for me to find everything I need when cleaning.

If your cleaning supplies are arranged accordingly, it will be faster for you to clean. You do not have to look for the brush, rags, disinfectant and the rest of your bathroom cleaning materials because they are in one container.

Safety Storage

Most cleaning materials have substances that are harmful for human beings and pets. See to it that these supplies are away from the reach of your kids or pets. Read the precautionary measures as well. Most chemicals are flammable and they have specific storage requirement because of the possibility of ignition. See to it that you follow the storage guidelines closely.

These materials should be away from your food storage as well. Remember, you use them for cleaning and they can carry different forms of germs and bacteria. Aside from the cleaning materials, there are also chemicals that are not safe for human consumption. This can be a threat to your family’s wellness if taken for granted.

Store for long use

You would not want to buy new cleaning supplies every time you want to clean your house, would you? To ensure that your supplies last long, store it in a clean, dry place, without extreme temperature conditions. Moisture can damage some cleaning tools while temperature conditions can alter the composition of some cleaning substances.

The meaning of cleaning supplies is materials used to achieve cleanliness in a particular area. They will not be able to do their duties well if you do not take care of them properly.

For more great cleaning tips to keep your home clean and organized fast, visit http://www.speedcleaningstrategy.com/cleaning-supplies.html and receive your free 10 day mini eCourse just for visiting our website.

Copyright 2009

Clutter Control without Chaos

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

We all deal with different forms of clutter. Some just need a little organizing, while other need a clutter consultant. According to experts, there are underlying personal issues why a person tends to lose control over his things.

One reason can be due to a loss of a loved one. However, there are also cases when homeowners just gave up on their current condition.

However, you do not have to live in a filthy situation. You owe it to yourself to enjoy a peaceful environment every time you come home. You can achieve this by preventing clutter from building up at your place.

Don’t let the clutter take over your life, take control of what is going on in your house. Have a meeting your family and talk about what needs to be done. It is important that they are involved in the process so that they will appreciate keeping the house clean.

There are various ways to control it. Here are some of them:

Dispose of the things that you will no longer use

Surely, there are items at home that you will no longer use. Clear the space of it. You can either give it away or throw it permanently. Start with the obvious. Remove the items lying on your couch and on the floor. Check out the bed as well. After that, look for the things that could be hiding under the furniture.

Deal with the mess right away

Deal with the clutter as soon as you see it. If you see a pile dishes in the sink, wash them right away. If there are photos scattered on the table, pick them up and organize them. If you see your kids’ shoes on the kitchen floor, instruct them to remove it. Do not wait for small group of mess to get out of hand. Deal with it while you still can. Keep in mind that once upon a time, your house was clutter free. Dispose of the garbage, clean the mess, and organize your stuff.

Learn to keep your things in order

Keeping your things in order is not as difficult as you might think. This will become easier if you have an area that will hold specific items. Let us take the clothes for example. Provide a laundry basket in each of your child’s room. Direct them to put their laundries in the basket instead of leaving them on the floor. Do the same for their books and art projects. They should have shelves and drawers where they can keep their school materials properly.

Teach other members of the family to arrange their things

Fighting the clutter should be a family effort. You should assign tasks like organizing photos before they become clutter family photos. Other members of the family should keep all of their items. They should also be responsible for dealing with their mess. Check the kids’ rooms occasionally and see to it that they keep things in order. It will take a while before they can fully follow your instructions but constant monitoring will help remind them of their responsibilities.

Do not shop for items you do not need

Stop buying items that you do not need. Before you buy something, think about it very carefully. Are you really going to use it in the house? If not, put it back in the display rack.

A cluttered home is distressing. However, you have the power change it. You can stop it from building up and you can eliminate the problem.

For more great cleaning tips to keep your home clean and organized fast, visit http://www.SpeedCleaningStrategy.com and receive your free 10 day mini eCourse just for visiting the website.

Copyright 2009

How to Speed Clean your Bathroom in Five Steps

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Whether you are sharing your bathroom with someone else or using it alone, you have to make sure that you keep it clean and organized. It is tough to keep the area in order because of the many items you have there. You have the toiletries and other bathroom supplies. You also have towels and bathrobes in the cabinets. Plus, we have the toothbrushes and other personal items on the countertop.

It is important to organize our bathroom because it is where we tidy up ourselves. The toothbrush is an example. We place it directly in our mouth. Who knows how many times it fell on the floor? Simple rinsing will not remove the bacteria that could be lurking there. To prevent this, we have to be certain that the different holders in our bathroom are able to secure our stuff.

Below are some of the other simple tips that will help keep your bathroom organized:

1. Remove the things from the countertop that you do not frequently use. The different items you place there make it look cluttered. You have bottles of shampoo, glasses, lotions, oils, perfumes, make up, and the like. Remove those that you do not use all the time, you can leave two of your favorite perfumes, one bottle of lotion and a shampoo. Removing some of the items will also make your bathroom look more inviting. You will appreciate your bathroom wall mirrors better because you got rid of the distractions.

2. If you are sharing the bathroom with someone else, use color-coded containers. This makes sure that you will not be interchanging items with your sibling or with whom anyone you are sharing the bathroom with. This will also make organization easier. It is like giving the other person a separate space.

3. Provide storage for the bathroom cleaning supply. It would be great if there were an area in the bathroom that could hold your cleaning supplies. This will make cleaning fast and easier. If you want to wipe the mirror, you can easily reach for the rag. If you noticed that the bowl needs some cleaning, you can easily grab the cleaning tools. Just make sure that it is out of your kids reach.

4. Check the drawers regularly and segregate the contents. The drawers are very useful storage but often neglected. Use it instead of leaving all your things on the countertop. Segregate the items you are going to place there as well. You can place your combs and brushes in one drawer, and your make up kits and powder in another.

5. Throw away empty containers right away. Do not place them on the bathroom wall paneling either. This will prevent clutter from building up. Throwing empty ones will make room for new bottles.
Having an organized bathroom will make your daily trip there easier. Cleaning becomes a breeze and you do not have to scout through your things everyday because you know exactly where your things are.

For more great cleaning tips to keep your home clean and organized fast, visit http://www.speedcleaningstrategy.com/bathroom-cleaning.html and receive your free 10 day mini eCourse just for visiting our website.

Copyright 2009

How To Easily Organize Your Backyard Shed

Saturday, February 14th, 2009

Your backyard shed is a handy place to store extra things when you don’t have enough room in your home. However, if your shed becomes unorganized, it can actually be a hazard instead of a help. Luckily, there are great solutions for keeping your storage shed organized. You can easily and inexpensively customize the interior of your backyard shed with organizational tools like shelves, hangers, hooks, pegboards, cabinets, and more. The following tips show you how to make organization simple by taking full advantage of the storage space in your shed.

Make A Plan First

To make a plan, stand inside your backyard shed and look around. Visualize where you can best place shelves, hangers, hooks, pegboards, cabinets, and other organizational helpers. Keep traffic flow, the need for large item storage space, and the location of doors and windows in mind. Don’t place organizational helpers, like shelves, too close to the door of your storage shed. By keeping the area around the doorway clear, you will not have trouble navigating in and out of your shed. Small items, such as hand tools, store great on hooks and wall-mounted pegboard. Consider boxes on shelves for medium sized items. Large items, like lawn mowers, are usually best kept on the floor in a corner or out of the way of traffic flow. Corner cabinets and shelves are perfect for taking full advantage of storage space in awkward corners.

Install A Workbench With Drawers

If you have the space in your backyard shed, install a workbench with drawers. This makes working on projects simple and the drawers maximize the amount of storage space you have much better than a plain countertop. Organize the drawers of your workbench with drawer organizers so you can separate tiny items like fasteners, screws, and nails. The wall space in front of your workbench is the perfect place to hang pegboard and hooks to make hand tools easily accessible.

Categorize The Items You Store

Separate the items you will store by category and keep alike things together in marked cardboard boxes or plastic bins. If certain items will not be needed regularly, consider placing them in a cardboard box and taping it shut. Keep items you will access frequently in plastic bins with easily removable lids. Keep similar storage items together, like Christmas decorations, but separate storage items that should not be stored together. For instance, flea repellent spray and dog food may both be for your dog, but they should not be stored in the same box. In addition, consider temperature when choosing what to store in your backyard shed because some things may not be able to tolerate extreme high or low temperatures.

The Order Of Importance Is Important

One often overlooked aspect of organizing a backyard shed is to store less used items in less convenient spaces and to keep often used items where they are most easily accessed. This is also true for when you stack boxes. Place the boxes you will be getting into most often at the top, not at the bottom of the stack. In addition, consider ease of access when choosing the entry for your storage shed. A wider door makes moving in and out easier and a ramp makes moving lawn mowers and other large items simpler than steps.

Use Your Vertical Space

If the ceiling height of your backyard shed is high enough, consider using the available vertical space for storage. Build a small loft or install ceiling hooks. Store tall items wherever space allows and store other appropriate items up and away.

Locks For Your Backyard Shed

While you are organizing your backyard shed, it is a good time to think about installing locks. If the door to your storage shed does not have a door lock, install one immediately. In addition, consider installing locks on cabinets to secure chemicals, sharp tools, dangerous items, and valuables. Locks will provide you with security when you are away from home and will give you peace of mind if you have small children or pets who might like to get into some of the things stored in your shed that they shouldn’t.

You can easily organize your backyard shed with some simple organizational accessories and planning. Just remember - if it is easy to access and replace an item back into your storage shed, you will.

Stephanie Quinn is an author for Build A Shed Plans. If you want more tips for organizing your backyard shed, check out their free resources and learn about storage sheds, tool sheds, and more.