CTR Organizing Team

HINT: Organize just about any area of your home with this same, easy process.

TIP: Purge – Figure out the amount of clothing you are actually keeping, before you invest in a brand new storage system. Begin the purge process with 4 bags or bins. Bag 1 Stained/Damaged items. Bag 2 Donation items. Bag 3 Consignment Shop items. Bag 4 Undecided items. If you decide to repair or clean clothing in your Stained/Damaged bin, do so within a week of your sorting process. If you don’t, those items will make it back into your closet, contributing to the clutter. Take Bag 4, label it “Get rid of by ____” and date it one year from the day you sorted it and put it in your storage area. Need an item? You know where it is, can locate and use it. If you find that you’ve used none of the clothing in that bag for a year, go ahead and either donate, cosign or toss it. Since you haven’t worn it in a year, you most likely do not need it!

TIP: Sort & Design – First put all like items together. Make separate piles of all of your sweaters, pants, button-ups, purses, belts, and so on. Seeing everything, you will know what you have so you can get a closet system that will accommodate your items. I recommend getting a built-in system that maximizes your space and makes all of your items visible and easy to access. The Container Store has a great line of closet systems called Elfa. They are both durable and adjustable. Ikea and California Closets are also great choices.

TIP: Get Functional Hangers – To make a big difference in your wardrobe, try the velvety hangers. Not only are they space saving (very slim design), clothing clings to the special fabric. None of your clothes will end up on the closet floor. Their special design prevents “shoulder bumps” and even sweaters and light weight knit tops hang nicely, ready for wear.

TIP: Can You Stay Organized? – Near your closet, or on the floor of your closet, put an empty bin or box. If you purchase a new item of clothing to go in the closet, an old item must come out and go into the box. Look to donate or consign the items in the box once it fills up. Continuous organization will help keep your closet looking perfect.

Make it Easy Put the closets in your home on a monthly cleaning schedule. Once you take care of each of them the first time, each consecutive month will be much, much easier.

Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple e-Magazine and a professional organizer in Minneapolis and creator of the Fast-Filing Method home office filing system. For more info, free tips, and to receive her FREE Report: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit ClearSimpleLiving.com.

categories: Closet organization,organized closet space,Clothing organization,Home organization,organize the home

Do you ever find yourself running around your home stuffing items into closets and drawers because people are on their way over and you are less than satisfied with the condition of your home? Here is a simple 4-step plan for you.

SOLUTION – Start by De-Cluttering Your Home. This makes cleaning significantly easier and your home will seem clean and tidy. Every item in your home should either be something useful or that you love or (at the present time).

15-Minutes to a Clutter Free Home: First 5 minutes – Walk through your houses with a bin or garbage bag and fill it with items that can be thrown away, such as, empty soda bottles, worn-out shoes and old newspapers, magazines and those sorts of things. Next 5 minutes – Fill a second bin or garbage bag with items to be donated, old toys, books, clothing, etc. Last 5 minutes – Set up a designated spot for items to be sold, such as, furniture, collectables, electronics, etc. Repeat this exercise once per week until you have a clutter free home and some extra cash. The NBC Today Show reported that the average American family has $2,500 worth of goods that they don’t like and don’t need or want.

Craigslist is a great way to sell your items. Ebay’s another option or you could hire someone to sell them for you, they will simply keep a portion of the profits, usually about 50%. Many Professional Organizers offer this service or you can go to Ebay.com and find a PowerSeller in your area.

To keep your home free of clutter I recommend that you get rid of an item every time you bring a new item into your home. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a DVD for a DVD, just an item for an item. Set up a box or bin for items to donate or sell. Without this rule you will eventually fill up your house again.

TIP – Create a Place for Everything. It is virtually impossible to keep your home clean if you have items that do not have a specific place where they are kept. Every single item in your home from paperclips to hair spray to receipts, needs a specific place to reside. At the end of everyday, spend 5 minutes walking through your home and put away all items that were left out. This should only take 5 minutes if there is a specific place for every item and if you do it everyday.

TIP – Set Expectations for Yourself and Others in your Household Set an expectation that each member of your household (including yourself) puts away every item they take out as soon as they are done using it. In addition, set an expectation that every member of your household contributes to keeping your home tidy. Divide up chores such as laundry, dishes, vacuuming & dusting.

TIP – Set a Cleaning Routine Even if you have a professional cleaning service that cleans your home, having a daily “maintenance” routine will keep your home company ready at all times.

Example Morning Routine 3-Minutes in the Bathroom – Keep a bucket of cleaning supplies including some micro fiber cloths under the sink. Wipe down the counter, faucets and floor. 2-Minutes in the Bedroom – Make your bed and put away your PJ’s, at least just fold them and place them at the end of your bed.

Possible Evening Routine 5-Minutes – Walk through your home and put away items that were left out and empty the garbage’s, if needed. 2-Minutes – Put away your clothes before going to bed.

Have a no-dirty-dishes left out policy and enforce it. After every meal, clean counter tops and table; and wash dishes. If you have toddlers, you will probably need to wipe up the floor as well.

Your home also needs a thorough cleaning at least once every other week. Once option is to hire a professional housekeeper and another option is to divide up the cleaning among all of the capable family members that live in your home. Hold everyone accountable including yourself. This will make keeping a company-ready clean house a reality!

Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple E-zine and a productivity coach & professional organizer in Minneapolis specializing in home organization. Heidi energizes her readers’ by simplifying their homes & schedules. For more info, free tips, and to receive your FREE Report: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit ClearSimpleLiving.com today.

Most children hate cleaning their room and have closets that are a disaster. The closet becomes a place to throw clothes for these kids, rather than a place to store things. Any parent who wants to teach their children about taking care of things and keeping their room neat has a big challenge ahead of them.

One way to help teach your child about being neat is to come up with some fun closet ideas. Most kids love movies and sports and they idolize some of those stars. If you were to make a themed closet around your kids favorite sports team or player, they would suddenly take more of an interest in the closet and keeping it tidy. By turning your childs closet into a fun place that they take pride in, they will learn to respect their toys and clothes more.

You might also try some colorful lighting in your childs closet. Children love lights and the right kind of lights can enhance any room as well as any closet. If you take a look at all the trendy restaurants and nightclubs, you will see that much of the atmosphere that is created is done through lighting. Putting in some interesting lights in your childs closet will get their attention and make them want to open it. The right kind of fun lights will help your child become interested in their closet.

If your child is in a room with a walk in closet you have more options to make a fun space for them to store their things. If you have the money you could splurge for a custom closet that is build by a professional company. The custom closet business is big now and there are many companies that will come to your home and design something just for you. Having them design and install something fun for your child might be a bit expensive but it could be worth it to teach your kid about being neat and respecting their things.

Some children will never be neat no matter how hard you try. Other kids are naturally neat and put away things on their own without their parents prompting. For all the kids in between those two extremes, constructing some sort of fun closet that will get their attention and feel part of their room is the best way to start training your child about being neat, clean, and taking care of the things they own.

Please take a look at my website Closet Design Ideas where you will find many more ideas including some master bedroom closet ideas.

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