Even before I was an organizer, I was an office supply geek (I know, shocker). Now, as an organizer, I’m always on the lookout for cool and nifty products that might help us simplify and smooth out the stressors of the day.
On that note, check this out!
How awesome!
Just jot down your tasks, and hang it on your doorknob! No more late library books or forgotten lunches. Love these! You can find these at See Jane Work.
Admit it, you've been here!
Make organizing even more fun by finding products that match your own unique style! I’ve found a couple for the kitchen that I wanted to share with you!
Check out this sleek unit for keeping your paper towels and wraps under control!
Sleek, easy to clean, and holds your paper towels plus two rolls of wrap – cling, wax, or parchment. And hands-free – love that! You can find it at one of my favorite e-tailers, UncommonGoods.
For food storage, I love these silicone and glass ones from Crate & Barrel. They’ve got a cool, retro vibe, and they’re rectangulars and squares – makes better use of space than rounds!
And lastly, kitchen canisters. These are from Target, and are a great universal design that is sure to blend into almost any style aesthetic, from classic to funky.
And as always with containers, don’t limit your thinking! You could use these in the bathroom to hold Q-tips, cotton balls, etc or even in an older kid’s room to display (but contain) small toys and gadgets! Dog treats! The possibilities are endless. Have fun with it! MPYMHAXQTCUG
My dad is a retired commercial airline pilot. The great benefit of this was that we, as a family, got to travel quite a bit more than the average American family. The downside – flying ‘Space Available’, as in, only if there were 4 empty seats for us did we get on the flight.
The result of growing up flying nothing but Space Available is that you never have the luxury of checking baggage. My sister and I were raised with the golden rule of ‘If you want to take it, you’d better be able to carry it!’
There is nothing like the combination of having a pilot dad and only being able to take what you could carry that trains you into a lean, mean packing machine. If you doubt, ask me about living in France for 6 weeks out of only 2 carry-ons.
Having given you that background, here are a few hard-and-fast guidelines I’ve used over the years. Let’s fly!
Do you have any packing tips and tricks you’ve discovered? I’d love to hear from you – feel free to share in the comments!
Some people are dog nerds, some are computer nerds, organizers are generally office supply/organizational product nerds. So I have to admit that the divided cargo tray in my new Kia Soul might just be my favorite part of the car!
This is under the open part of the trunk, and the tray lifts out, too! Major room in this car, and it makes it even easier to keep it organized. Also, a huge shout-out to Ed Voyles Kia in Smyrna for some seriously awesome customer service!
It’s that time of year again – time to pack up our winter clothes (even if we didn’t really need them this year) and pull out our warm weather wardrobes. Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of spring? Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind.
Make sure to have any knit items washed or dry cleaned before storing, for two reasons. First, they’ll be ready to pull out and wear on that first chilly day in fall. Second, the residual body oils, perfume, etc. remaining on uncleaned knits are a big attractant for moths and other creepy crawlies. We spend good money on our wools and cashmeres – protect them!
Once they’re ready to store, you have an almost endless selection of solutions, depending on your budget and where you choose to store your winter clothing. If you prefer underbed storage, the Container Store has one of my favorites, the Grey Underbed Bag.
Container Store's Grey Underbed Bag
This bag is a bit more attractive, for those who don’t like the look of plastic bins, and has easy grab handles and a side label, which is fantastic. Plus a very friendly price point at $14.99.
If you’re able to store your sweaters in your closet, I’d recommend that you use lidded containers, like the Container Store’s Deep Sweater Box, to make sure that your clothes stay moth and dust free until the fall. Again, if you don’t like the look of clear, plastic containers, there is a myriad of beautiful cloth, wood, and woven bins and boxes out there to choose from. If Target or Walmart is more convenient for you, both have an increasingly diverse selection.
For hanging items like trousers, skirts, and dresses, I recommend to keep them hanging if possible, though you might want to use the support straps that often come sewn into skirts and dresses. Again, make sure to have them washed or dry cleaned before storage. If you do choose to go the hanging route, Target has a great solution!
Sorry for the tiny picture, Target is a bit picky how bloggers use their product photos. But hopefully, you can see that this hangs securely from your closet rod by three loops. It’s enclosed to protect your clothing, yet is clear on the front, so you can easily identify the clothing inside. Remember to remove all of the dry cleaning plastic from your items before storing them as well – they lock in a lot of fumes from the dry clean process.
To store hats, mittens, gloves, etc, almost any attractive lidded tote or bin will work, and again, Target and Container Store both have a great selection, so you’re guaranteed to find something that meets your aesthetic and budgetary needs. One of my favorites?
I love these boxes for a multitude of reasons: they come in a few color schemes to match any decor, they’re price friendly, they’re lightweight but sturdy, and they have a clear front panel so you can see exactly what is stored in each bin.
So there are a few guidelines and product recommendations for you to ease the transition from cold weather clothing to warm weather. Remember, this is also the perfect time to decide on and donate any fall/winter clothing that you likely won’t wear next year!
So get a drink and some good music on, and get organizing!
Do you remember what's up there?
Let’s be honest, does anyone really get a kick out of working in the attic? Yeah, me either. But if you do use your attic as a storage space, there are ways to make it a bit easier and safer. And this is a great time of year to organize your attic – who wants to be up there when spring has sprung and it’s gorgeous outside? Let’s do this!
As always, safety FIRST.
Alright, so you have good lighting and your safety gear. As with any organizing project, pace yourself and set aside clearly labeled areas for ‘Trash’ and ‘Donate’ boxes.
So, you’ve gone through your closet, bedroom, etc. and cleared some clutter. Now what to do with those bags of clutter? Here a few ways to get rid of your clutter and some things to keep in mind.
Huge, brightly colored ‘donation bins’ seem to have popped up overnight in every parking lot. They’re definitely convenient, but if you are using these bins, donators beware. There is a growing number of FOR profit companies who simply resell your donations to non-profit organizations at a profit. This also takes much-needed resources away from legitimate non-profits, like Goodwill. If you want to ensure that your donated items are going straight to those in need, make sure to look for a name of a trusted non-profit on the side of the bin, including American Kidney Fund, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc.
Consignment stores can be a fantastic way of clearing your home of unused items and make a little money along the way. However, there are some things to keep in mind. Do you generally buy wool sweaters and ski pants in July? No? No one else does either. Consignment stores want what can sell in the current season. If it’s not in good enough condition to offer it to a friend, it probably shouldn’t go to consignment. What should? Higher end, quality clothing that have either never been worn or very gently worn. Think you can make some extra bucks by consigning that Maclaren stroller? Note the date of manufacture AND the model number, and call ahead! There are so many recalls and regulations surrounding baby and kids’ equipment, it’s gotten quite difficult to get rid of them.
There is a non-profit donation store for almost anyone’s needs. Some people want to support a specific organization; others want to do a good deed while they clear their clutter. Both are great! A few I use frequently are Goodwill Industries and Rainbow Village, right here in Duluth, GA. Remember to get a receipt if you’d like to take the tax deduction! General donation stores will take most, if not all, of your clutter, and will make sure to make the most of your contribution.
A quick note: I’ll be posting about what I call ‘specialty recycling’ soon, including resources on electronics and computer recycling, cell phone recycling, batteries, medicines/prescriptions, etc.
One of my recent personal goals is to incorporate more whole, healthy foods into my daily diet. A side effect of this has been re-organizing my food storage cabinets. Kitchens are one of my favorite areas to organize – which is good since I need all those skills to maximize the space in mine. We have no pantry! That’s right. For a busy family of three, our kitchen only has three cupboards for food storage. Yeah…
So here are some tips to maximize your food storage space in almost any kitchen!
Easy to find, identify quantities, and it looks good, too!
Less daily stress. A more peaceful mind. The benefits of yoga or the benefits of organization? How about both!!
Psst: This one makes your back feel great!
These are a few of my faaaaavorite things…! Okay, no one wants to hear me sing (trust me on this). But yoga and organization are, indeed, a few of my favorite things, and I realized a few days ago that they both have several things in common.
It says it all.
The crazy difficult poses you see people accomplish in yoga all started with small stretches, taking time, and building up to ‘larger’, more complex poses. Just like organization. Start small, even with just one drawer. Gain confidence, move up to a closet, then a whole room.
Namaste.
Copyright 2011, Clutterninja LLC. All rights reserved. For more information, see our legal statement and privacy policy. For questions about affiliate marketing, please see our disclaimer.
Call us at 770-927-7497
Find us at