Organizing Boston to Help Another Local Household on Hoarding: Buried Alive

We are excited to announce that we will once again have the opportunity to help a local household on TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive! This will be our third experience filming an episode for the show and helping a local resident in need. Thanks to TV shows like Hoarding: Buried Alive, there is a higher level of awareness about hoarding and chronic disorganization.

It's important to get professional help to not only deal with the mess but also the root cause. If you or someone you know needs help, don't be afraid to reach out. In addition to helping you manage your home and possessions, we can help coordinate or connect you with other services you many need. As always, we treat all of our clients with compassion and respect.

Stay tuned for information about the show's air date!

Friday Finds: Smart Ways to Refresh Your Wardrobe

Today I've got 2 Friday Finds for you! They're both clothing-related but that's about all they have in common :)

The first is a great local event where you can celebrate Earth Day by refreshing your kids' closets the green way! Itsy Bitsy Thrifty is holding it's spring/summer seasonal consignment event for children's clothing this weekend in Woburn, MA. With free admission all day Saturday, this is a great way to get some 'new to you' items for your fast-growing kids. We always think of donation and consignment as great ways to get organized without trashing all your unwanted stuff, but buying used items (as long as you need them) is another great way to keep it green! Thanks to my friend, Kristi for mentioning this great local event!!

On a different note, I've got an interesting Friday read from the NY Times for those of you who might be having trouble clearing out your closet clutter. Turns out that many of us get attached to certain brands and might have a hard time 'breaking up' with them as the style and our lifestyle grows apart, whether we realize it or not. While there was way too much fashion in the article for my non-fashionista brain to digest, the article definitely made me think about how much trouble we all have letting go of clothes, styles and brands that may no longer fit or fit our current lifestyle. Give the article a read and then give yourself permission to let those old clothes and brands go! Thanks to home design guru, Sabrina Soto, for mentioning the article on facebook. She's got a great little spot in the article, having recently undergone her own brand breakup!

Friday Find: Boston Area Earth Day Recycling Events

Earth Day is coming up on April 22! Celebrate by recycling your household clutter at a local recycling event. It turns out that several cities and towns in the greater Boston area are making it really easy for you to donate and/or recycle a variety of household goods and electronics. Here's a list of a few events we found posted on-line. Check out Mass.gov for more events or call your town to find out about recycling opportunities close to home:

NEWTON

City of Newton Electronics Recycling Collection
Friday & Saturday, April 20 & 21, 2012
8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Recycling Depot
115 Rumford Avenue, Newton, MA

Monthly drop-offs for Newton residents, businesses and non-profits for electronic recycling ("anything with a plug"). There is a $12 charge for each TV and computer monitor. All others accepted free of charge. Sponsored by City of Newton Department of Public Works. More information: http://www.newtonrecycles.com or 617-796-1000

BOSTON

19th Annual Earth Day Clothing Drive
Monday, April 23-Friday, May 11, 2012
7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Lobby of 89 South Street, Boston, MA

Donate clothing, shoes and accessories to benefit people in need in our community. Sponsored by Second Chances and The NonProfit Center.
More information:
http://www.secondchances.org/clothingDrives/NonProfitCenterEarthDay2012.htm or info@secondchances.org

MEDFIELD

Medfield Green Day

Saturday, May 5, 2012

9:00 am-12:00

110 Peter Kristof Way, Medfield, MA

Donate or recycle a variety of household items from clothing to baby gear to sports equipment and appliances. Check the website for more information:
http://www.medfieldgreen.org 

ARLINGTON

Community Collection Day
Saturday, May 12, 2012 (Rain or Shine)
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
51 Grove Street, Arlington, MA

Outdoor event to collect materials for reuse and recycling. Residents can drop off a variety of home items to be recycled including CRTs ($10 per unit): bikes, books, old sneakers, confidential papers, old prescriptions, sharps, more. Sponsored by Arlington Public Works and Recycling Committee.
More information: http://www.arlingtonma.gov/Public_Documents/ArlingtonMA_DPW/Recycle/index

Tuesday Tip: Hire a Baby to Help You Get Organized

Ok, so you may think I've lost my marbles with today's tip, but I swear there's also a point. Ever since our 10 month old starting crawling a few weeks ago, she has really helped kick our home organizing into high gear. To put it simply, everything must have a home (one of the cardinal rules of organizing)...even things we used to leave out. If it's out, it's fair game to her, but if it's put away, it's out of sight, out of mind!

Here are some good examples - shoes...in the closet; my bag...up on its hook; remote controls...in the remote caddy up on the TV stand. She has really forced us to make sure every little thing serves a purpose and has a home. If it doesn't meet those criteria, it's a hazard or at least a nuisance and has to go! Besides having a safe home for her, this has really helped streamline our cleaning up routine. I'm also finding that I need to vacuum more frequently with a mobile, food throwing baby, so having a place for everything, and everything in it's place has made it much simpler to whip out the vacuum for a quick cleaning...bonus!

So if you want an organizing boot camp for your space, think like a baby, or even better - borrow a baby! Look around for anything that's just lying around and figure out if and where it belongs to straighten up your space in no time.

Tuesday Tip: Simplify Spring Cleaning

Whether you're preparing for Passover, getting ready for Easter guests or just looking to bring that fresh and clean springtime feel into your home, it's time to get your spring cleaning on. Do yourself a favor this year and clear the clutter before you dive into cleaning. Removing items you don't use and love from your space will save you tons of time when it comes to wiping down surfaces, vacuuming, and cleaning out cupboards and closets. The best part is you can do both tasks together - take everything out of a space, toss or set aside for donation any items you no longer want, and give the space a good cleaning before you put the 'keepers' back in. Keep the clutter at bay and you'll save tons of future cleaning time, which you can spend outside enjoying the weather. So give your home a little springtime TLC, open up those windows, and enjoy the season!

Friday Find: Create Some Closet Space

Today's Friday Find is a great resource for creating some space in your closet...and who doesn't need that?! I realized the benefits of consignment a couple years back, but in December, I vowed to finally consign some of my clothes after employing the good old 'backwards hanger trick' to help me figure out what I actually wear. I'm pleased to say that I'm now on my second round of consigning with a GREAT store (actually multiple stores) in Needham, MA called the Closet Exchange.

As an organizer, I have to give it to them...they sure run an organized operation! From the phone inquiry to the intake process, they are very thorough in explaining what they do and what you can expect as a consigner. One thing to note is that I had to wait a couple months to become a first-time consigner, but it was worth the wait (and you don't have to wait for appointments after you're in the system).

What I love about the Closet Exchange is that they take a wide range of brands. Like most consignment stores, they have high standards in terms of the condition of the items, but they take more brands (from high to not-so-high end) than many other stores. They are also very nice, which I really appreciated! I am not much of a fashionista, do not generally buy designer clothing and have had intimidating experiences before that made me feel like I wasn't cut out for the higher end consignment world. But not here - by simply doing my homework and prepping the items as they ask, I was so pleased to find that they took most of my items each time. They also nicely explained why they didn't take certain items. It has been a very pleasant experience each time, which is more than I can say about my experience elsewhere.

Better yet, I am actually earning money - I earned a little over $70 from my past drop off - yeah! For full disclosure, I did spend it on several new items that I love, but that's allowed when you've created some extra space in your closet :) Speaking of, I took a picture of the wonderful space I created in my closet from dropping off my items today...

My New-Found Closet Space!

Use It or Lose It!

It's been a crazy month in my household, primarily because we're planning to put our condo on the market next week. As you might expect, I've always considered myself and my home to be fairly organized. However, preparing and staging a home for sale takes decluttering to a whole new level. In case inquiring minds want to know, here are the steps we're taking to hopefully showcase our space, not our stuff, for a speedy and top dollar sale.

1. Ruthless Weeding 

As a professional organizer, I'm pretty sure that regular weeding of my stuff is programmed into my DNA. We make routine donation drop-offs throughout the year. But if there's ever a time to step up the weeding, this is it! We forced ourselves to make the decisions that we'd avoided in the past and also to go through every space...big or little...in our condo to thin out the cabinets, closets, and of course surfaces. Not only was it the perfect time to do this (so as not to end up packing and moving things we don't want), but it was also key to making our storage spaces appear spacious and to make room to put away last minute surface items before each showing. One huge bonus is that it is so much easier to clean with less stuff to clean around!

2. Short-Term Storage 

For the first time in my life, we are renting a small storage unit to house items we want to keep but do not need to use in the next few months. This includes off-season clothing, infrequently used kitchen items, personal photos, books, and off-season outdoor gear. I've always been a believer that there is a time and a place for storage units, especially in the short-term...and this is our time and place. We won't keep the storage unit after we have a new home to move everything into. The interesting part of the experiment is that I'm guessing we will not miss many of the items we put in there. That's not to say that we won't be happy to see them, but it will be proof that if we needed to live with less, we certainly could, and happily so. Who knows, maybe we will decide to part with some of what we stored after our brief separation from it. 

3. Use It or Lose It

Last but not least, I have instituted a 'use it or lose it' policy for small items discovered during the ruthless weeding. This includes a basket of food items in the kitchen, some toiletries, desk/office supplies and some reading materials (newsletters, etc.). If they do not get 'consumed' before we start showing our condo, they're gone. It's been a neat experiment and again has shown me what I can and do live without!

Bottom Line: Whether or not you are preparing to sell your home - in which case I recommend you call your favorite professional organizer to help - we can all benefit from taking a 'use it or lose it' view of our space and stuff. What can you live without?

Putting Away the Holidays

Have you put away your holiday decorations yet or are they still sitting in your living room, partially packed or even still in place? If you've still got some work to do, here are some tips and tricks to help make this often not-so-fun task a breeze, both this year and for years to come.

1. Take a little time to do some winter weeding. If you didn't use it this year, get rid of it now. The only thing worse than storing something you're not going to use is finding it again when you open the boxes next year! Also be sure to toss anything that's broken. If it's worth fixing, make it a top priority so you can pack it away with the rest of the decorations before the end of the month.

2. Create an "open first" box with items you need early in the season. This might mean your tree stand, card-creating gear, cookie cutters, and decorations you like to get up early. This way you won't be hunting through different boxes to find what you need.

3. Store like items together. It may seem obvious, but in the haste of putting things away, it's easy to just "throw it all in" without much thought. Take the time to put all the parts of something in one container, or a bag within the container, store your ornament hangers with the ornaments, and all wrapping supplies together.

4. Make a list of what you need to replace. After the holiday shopping season, you may be sick of lists, but you'll thank yourself if you jot down things you ran out of or need to replace (lights, ornament hangers, wrapping paper). You can either take advantage of post-holiday clearance sales now, post your list in your "open first" box, or put it in your paper or electronic calendar for next year.

5. Choose the right containers. A mix of random boxes and bags might work, but a better solution would be a uniform set of sturdy boxes which will be easier to store and find. Plastic bins with lids work well for many decorations and will last for years. Be sure to pack fragile items with plenty of padding and dividers. Smaller sets of items can be packaged within a large plastic bin. For example, you can store each set of lights, neatly wound and secured with a twist tie, in a large Ziploc bag within a larger bin.

6. Label, label, label. This is organizing 101 and especially important with infrequently used items, like holiday decorations. You might think you'll remember where you put something, but we all know how that story ends. Be sure to label multiple sides of each box so you can easily see them no matter which way they end up stacked.

Bottom Line: I don't know too many people who love putting away holiday decorations, but if you do it right, you'll enjoy the process that much more when it comes time to break out the holiday cheer next year!

Make 2012 Your Year to Get Organized

Now that we've made it through the December hustle and bustle, we turn our sights to the New Year ahead. That's right, 2012 will be here before we know it - Sunday, in case you've lost track. The year's end is a great time to reflect on the year past and look forward to what lies ahead. For many people, this means New Year's resolutions...when we take stock of our lives and resolve to make changes to improve upon them. They can be big or small, but what gets us professional organizers excited is that so many resolutions can and do involve organizing! January is Get Organized (GO) month and we're ready and waiting to help. Here are some fun examples to give you some resolution inspiration:

• This winter, I resolve to park my car in my perfectly good, but over-stuffed garage! As long as it's not frigid, set your sights on a garage clean out and you can have a place to park in no time. Call ahead and schedule a charity donation pick up so you'll have a firm deadline.
• This year, I resolve to ditch my decades-old wardrobe! Give yourself the gift of a closet makeover. Donate or consign what you don't wear and spruce up your space with matching hangers and labeled bins or go "big" and re-do your closet system with the help of a professional.
• This year, I resolve to give myself more free-time to spend with family, friends, or just myself. Check out this great article revealing signs that you're over-booked. Identify areas of your life that could use some simplifying and organizing and start crossing things off your calendar or to-do list for once!
• This year, I resolve to cook healthy meals for my family! Start with a fridge, pantry and cupboard decluttering, then work on a simple meal planning strategy. This could be as easy as listing out 3-4 meals for the week, then creating a shopping list for those meals. I do this all on the notepad of my smart phone. If you build in left-overs, you'll have quick, easy lunches too!

Bottom Line: There are endless opportunities to weave organizing into your New Year's plans. Think about what could be easier in your day to day routine and GO for it. So what's on your list this year?

Prevent Holiday Clutter with a Simple Solution

As we all get ready for the holidays and particularly holiday gift-giving, it's a great time to remind ourselves of one of the cardinal rules of staying organized: the one-in-one-out rule. It's as simple as it sounds - if you bring something new into your space, you must send something old on it's way. Most of us don't live with lots of extra storage space - empty drawers, shelves or closets. So the one-in-one-out rule is really the only way to keep our homes from becoming over-stuffed.

The problem is, it's easier said than done for most of us. The reasons for this are simple - often, we just don't take the time to take the step of finding something to donate. We may not even think about it, or we may think, "I'll do it later." And we all know how that ends. Or we may not realize the true impact of bringing new things into our home one at a time.

Is it okay to save up your donations for a couple time a year - making it more like 25 things in-25 things out? That depends. The answer might be yes if:

• you have the room to take in the new things that inevitably make their way in while only purging a couple times a year and
• you make sure to schedule some time to sort and purge your belonging a couple times a year.

Another option is to make a habit of doing a monthly donation drop off. You can keep a box or bag handy to deposit your donations throughout the month and then do one drop off a month at a local charity. This is a great way to make it possible to follow the one-in-one-out rule. Just be sure to schedule those regular drop offs so your donation box doesn't become part of the clutter!

The holidays are a great time to teach kids about the one-in-one-out rule. Kids often get many new toys and clothes at the holidays, which they are usually very excited about. Capture this excitement and teach kids about giving to less fortunate children by having them choose several things to donate before the new presents arrive. Remember, gently used or even un-used items are best for donation.

Whether you're a kid or a grown up kid with some new toys, don't let too much time pass before you find new homes for your new things. Finding an equal number of items to donate is the easiest way to make this happen. Last but not least, don't forget to take care of returns and exchanges as soon as possible so they don't linger and become clutter in your home and on your to-do list.

Bottom Line: Sticking to the one-in-one-out rule is an easy way to keep the fun of new holiday things from creating clutter, which you then have to resolve to get rid of in the new year!

Practicing What I Preach

This morning I had a good reminder that sometimes even professional organizers need to remember to practice what they preach. None of us are immune to needing simple organizing solutions to keep our lives and our spaces under control.

I was re-reading one of our previous newsletters, in which we were singing the praises of the backwards hanger trick for weeding out your closet:

Hang all of the clothes in your closet the "wrong" way, so that you are hooking the hangers from the back of the rod. If you wear it, hang the item back up the right way. Anything still left on a backwards hanger at the end of the season should be donated or consigned.

As I was trying to find something to wear this morning, I suddenly realized that I could use a good dose of the backwards hanger trick myself. My closet is definitely not over-stuffed - in fact, I need to do some strategic shopping in the near future. But just because it's not over-stuffed doesn't mean it's not cluttered with items I'm not using and should probably be donated. You see, my wardrobe is in a state of flux...last year at this time, I was pregnant, which as you moms out there know, sets in motion some major and often permanent changes in your clothing size and style. Now that I'm a no-longer-pregnant, but not-quite-back-to-my-previous-size-or-shape, new mom, my closet is filled with not-so-useful remnants of my pre-baby life.

So I did it - in less than 5 minutes, I turned around all of the hangers and will be dutifully donating any of the pre-baby clothes that just don't fit my new life. And that's okay with me. I will give it a month and do a review, weeding out the obvious and leaving a few "maybes" that could make an appearance for holiday festivities.

Bottom Line: Life changes, and as it does, so do our stuff and space needs. This is a perfect example of why organizing isn't a one-time thing. We need to learn the skills to keep up with our stuff and space as life evolves. Take a look around at your stuff - is there anything that's not in sync with your life today?