Simple Steps

While many people think of recycling their bottles, cans, and paper as simple steps to help the planet (and they are!), there are also simple ways to reduce your impact while you organize your home or office.

1) Buy less stuff! Sounds so simple, right? And it is! Think twice before each purchase you make - will the item enhance your life and contribute to the space you are trying to achieve? The less stuff you own, the less you have to maintain, clean, and get rid of down the road.

2) Donate, don't dumpster! I live in a large building and so often see large quantities of seemingly usable household items in the trash. While it's an organizing must to get rid of items that are no longer needed in your space, that doesn't mean someone else can't use them. There are lots of charities and thrift stores out there that will gladly accept gently used household items. Simply 'Google' charities or donation sites in your area to see what they will take. Some will even pick up items - bonus!

3) Get creative and reuse what you have! It can be expensive in addition to wasteful to buy new things every time you embark on an organizing adventure. See if there are new and creative ways to use items you already have. This doesn't mean you should keep things around that you don't love or need - just think outside the box. For example, two mesh filing crates I wasn't using have been repurposed as recycling bins in my house. And to think, I almost bought new recycling containers?!

These are just a few ideas, let us know your favorites!

Happy Spring!

Happy first day of Spring! The lovely weather here in Boston is inspiring me to throw open the windows and get some much-needed spring cleaning and other house projects done. If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of spring cleaning, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• It doesn't have to be done alone. Enlist the help of your family or even a good friend to help you tackle some projects - make it fun and reward yourselves with a cold beverage or dinner out when the work is done!


• It doesn't have to be done all at once. Focus on a couple projects each weekend and tailor them to the weather so you don't miss some much-needed sunshine! For example, on a lovely day like today, get outside and clean up the patio or deck and save the closet clearing for a cloudy or rainy day.


• You don't have to take a one-size-fits-all approach to spring cleaning. While there are many great checklists and resources out there to help you, make your 'list' match what's important to you. Are you dying to get out for a bike ride? Clearing out your garage or storage area so you can get to your bike and gear should be top on your list.

And don't forget that spring cleaning is a prime opportunity to sneak in some decluttering and organizing! For more on how to tackle spring cleaning and organizing projects, check out our checklist at www.organizingboston.com. And if you're in the Boston area, tune in to New England Dream House on New England Cable News (NECN) tomorrow at 10:30 am or 7:30 pm to watch Organizing Boston owner Sarah Buckwalter walk through some simple steps to spring cleaning and organizing.

Now get those projects done and start enjoying the season!

Go Green While You Spring Clean

Would you like to green up your cleaning routine? Spring cleaning's a great time to make a few changes. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Green Cleaning Products

Fortunately, 'green' cleaning products are widely available these days so you have several options if you want to switch up some or all of the items under your sink. Here are just a few of many choices:

www.seventhgeneration.com/Green-Cleaning

www.simplegreen.com/products_family.php

www.greenworkscleaners.com/cleaners/

Green Cleaning Tools

You can also find cleaning tools like mops and buckets made from recycled materials. The Container Store carries a few such items.

Another great way to green your routine is to make use of tired household items for cleaning. For example, instead of using paper towels or cleaning wipes, try re-usable rags made from cut up old t-shirts – they’re great for dusting, cleaning glass and mirrors, and just about anything else that needs wiping. You can also make cleaning tools like sponges last longer by throwing them in the dishwasher to refresh them.

What are your favorite tips for green cleaning? Please share your suggestions in the comments!

Managing Your Mail

Most of us are drowning in paper these days. For many of us, a large piece of the paperwork puzzle is the stuff that just keeps coming - the mail! Don't get me wrong, some mail is good, but if you're like most people, you get more mail than you need or want. If you don’t have a good way to manage and maintain it, it will just keep piling up. Here are some tips to make your mail maintenance quick and easy.

• Make time everyday to open and read the mail.
• Open mail in one area with all your tools and supplies.
• Have a wastebasket and recycling bin nearby to toss unnecessary items immediately.
• Make decisions as you open the mail...

Scan the contents of each piece and process it appropriately. Immediately:

• Recycle/toss all unwanted solicitations.
• Recycle/toss the outside envelope and inserts that come with every bill.
• Scan each catalog and if nothing interests you, recycle it.­

Take the remaining pieces and sort into the following categories:

• To Pay
• To Do
• To File
• To Read

A desk top file is a great way to contain your follow up categories - just be sure to regularly set aside time to take the follow up action. Take time each day to maintain your system and you’ll never be drowning in paper again!

Stuff Magazine Article

Cosmetics Clean-Out: How to Control the Chaos in Your Makeup Bag
by Heather Bouzan December 14, 2009

We’re not always optimistic about New Year’s resolutions, but when the clock strikes 2010, we’d like to think we’ll have control over something in our lives. And that something, we’ve decided, might realistically be our makeup bags.

For some, it’s a simple task: toss this million-times-crimped tube of eye cream or that shadow shade that hasn’t been worn since 1992. But for us, owners of enough travel-sized shampoos to equip a boutique hotel, it’s quite a different story. In search of answers, we headed to an expert: Sarah Buckwalter, owner of Organizing Boston, begins by asking clients to consolidate. “Sometimes [makeup is] in our car. There’s some in our gym bag. There’s some in our purse.... Sort it all out on a table and see what you have,” says Buckwalter.

Once your inventory is accurate, begin the necessary eliminations. The casualties? Eye makeup more than six months old (toss mascara after two or three), impulse buys that were never realistically your color, powder compacts coated with any sort of weird sheen, and anything cream-based that’s beginning to smell funky have all got to go.

For the purge-phobic, Buckwalter suggests donating unopened product to charitable organizations that collect beauty supplies for women in need. If that’s not an option, just start with the obvious discards, working your way toward the more difficult decisions. “Start with something like, okay, this is all the old makeup; this is my 1980s makeup,” Buckwalter counsels with a chuckle. “And, believe me, I find that in people’s houses.”

Rachel Lockhart, makeup artist and owner of Rachel’s Makeup Studio (176 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.424.0153), concurs. Lockhart, who offers makeup lessons with a makeup bag overhaul included, explains, “Women keep their eye makeup for years. I had a client who was in the other day who told me she had the same mascara for like seven years.”

The dirty work done, it’s on to ensuring that your makeup bag is stocked with all the necessities. In search of a little insight, we visited Emma Katrina Katzburg, Whole Body team leader at Whole Foods Market (181 Cambridge Street, Boston, 617.723.0004) — i.e., the go-to girl in the upscale-crunchy grocer’s beauty department (where we’ve found some of the most unexpectedly obsession-worthy product we’ve seen in a long time). Her tip? Make sure you’re equipped with the right tools. “Brushes are going to be the most important thing to any makeup regime; if you’re using the wrong brush, even the best makeup is going to look awful,” says Katzburg. She emphasizes that every woman needs a kabuki brush for foundation and blush, as well as dedicated eyeshadow and concealer brushes.

From there, Katzburg’s essentials include a multipurpose concealer for hiding blemishes, providing a base for longer-lasting lipstick and bolder eyeshadow, and, in dude world, masking ingrown hairs. “Really,” says Katzburg, “if there was one product, stranded on a desert island, that you couldn’t live without, it’s that.” A pressed-base mineral compact eliminates the need for any other foundations, while a great bronzer takes a daytime look into night and adds a little glow to bare legs and arms. In addition to her affinity for multipurpose products, Katzburg is a fan of mineral makeup — its lack of perishable ingredients means it can, in theory, last indefinitely. To round out one’s repertoire, other must-haves include a hydrating mist (her fave is by Ann Webb), cotton swabs (“That way, if you mess up something on the road, you’re not trying to wipe it off with your fingers,” Katzburg says), and a nude lip gloss to add polish to even an otherwise bare face.

When it comes down to it, maintaining a well-edited beauty bag is often about just being practical with both disposals and acquisitions. “The fact is,” Lockhart muses, “if you have something that’s sitting in your makeup bag, just like anything that’s sitting in your closet, if you’re not going to ever wear it or you’re not going to ever use it, what’s the point? It’s just taking up space.” Space that’s just waiting to be filled with our latest makeup-counter have-to-have-it splurges — all in the name of research, of course.