Showing posts with label Lorie Marrero. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lorie Marrero. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

How to organize our home on daily basis : It's Easy!

Lorie Marrero is the best-selling author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life, the spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, and the creator of ClutterDiet.com, an innovative online membership program that's provided affordable professional organizing advice to thousands of people in eighteen countries. I've included some of her valuable advices in my post before and this time, here is what she says about daily basis organizing ideas that makes long term effect in the personal and household grooming.

Brush your teeth once a month, sixty times, and then you don't have to worry about it every day! That won't work? The same reasoning applies to cleaning, organizing, and maintaining your home. It's a little silly to save up all of your cleaning, maintaining, and organizing for one giant project. Here are some small things we can do regularly to keep things working well all the time.


Closets: 
  • Each day, hang up everything and put away clean laundry. 
  • Put your shoes back in their places, straighten stacks, and have a regular habit of bringing empty hangers back to the laundry room. 
  • Remove clothing along the way as you decide to donate it, and put it in your "Donation Station," using a paper shopping bag or box to gather those items for Goodwill. 
  • Twice a year when you organize and change out seasonal clothing, these habits will keep everything more visible and manageable when you are ready to do a bigger project.
Garages:
  • Break down cardboard boxes, manage your recycling and trash, sweep excess leaves and dirt to keep them from tracking into the house, and keep a path cleared between the car and the door.
  • Return sports equipment, chairs, and bikes to their racks and shelves. 
  • And each time you fill up with gas, empty the trash from your car right there at the gas pump!

Pantries: 
  • Each time you return from the grocery store and put food away, stop and straighten up what's there. 
  • Move cans and boxes for greater visibility, throw away containers with only a few crumbs left, and check for moldy bread and stale chips. 
  • Reclose cereal cartons and cracker boxes that your family has left open, and remove excess packaging from large warehouse purchases like soft drinks, paper towels, and snack foods.





Entry and Exit Doors: 
  • Take shoes back to bedroom closets, put errand items in your car, and clear out mail and papers. 
  • Hang up coats, put dirty socks in the laundry room, and get the kids to handle their odds-and-ends of toys and school items once a week.









What we always forget : Hard work is often the easy work we did not do at the proper time. 
So What other little things could you do regularly to save yourself lots of time and effort later? Share your valuable comments with me. 

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Maximize your Storage

I know many of us have too much stuff around and always complain for not getting enough space for them. Do we have got more than we think ? It's never late to manage whatever you actually need and declutter stuffs you don't need ACTUALLY. Accept it amd work towards it NOW.

Lorie Marrero, bestselling author of The Clutter Diet is an organizing expert, spokesperson, entrepreneur and Certified Professional Organizer, explains how to work with what you've got to create useable storage. Here are the ways to expand our closet, cabinets, and shelves according to her. Let's have a look for some selected ones which applies for everyone who need some of the best storage wise advice ever.

1. Double Your (Hanging) Pleasure

Many builders default to “1R1S” or “one rod, one shelf” in closets, while most residents do not have wardrobes dominated by long dresses and coats. If you wear more blouses and pants, try installing a second clothing rod to double your hanging space. For a quick fix, you can buy a rod that hangs off the top one.



2. Make most of Baskets and bins

If you store small items on a shelf, try corralling them into a bin or basket, which you can treat as a drawer. For instance, stash your collection of tea boxes, DVDs, or slippers in a basket and access it as needed. The basket lets you see all the contents at the same time as well as maximize use of the entire space.
Label the baskets and bins if necessary
Image source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com

3. Stack the Odds in Your Favor

For large, gaping spaces without any shelving (such as a closet with a gap between the top shelf and the ceiling, or an armoire without shelves), modular components may be the best solution, particularly if you need a fast or temporary fix. 


Transform dead space into useable storage with shelves that can house everyday essentials and baskets. Stackable units are available in a multitude of shapes and sizes, typically cost less than $20, and require only a screwdriver and hammer for easy assembly. Remember to measure before you buy.


4. Use space around ceiling

The open space below the kitchen ceiling can do more than create a home for plants. The top of cabinets often provides four to five inches of storage that cannot be seen from the floor. (Hidden storage varies depending on the type of your cabinet's molding.) 

Small items such as light bulbs and vases can be stored up there, freeing up the space inside your cabinets for frequently used items. Afraid you'll forget what you stashed near the ceiling? Just tape a list to the inside of the cabinet door to remind yourself. And if out of sight is out of mind, consider filling up large decorative baskets to place on top of your cabinets instead of hiding items behind the molding.

5. Hanging Kitchen racks

Few items free up kitchen cabinet space like a hanging pot rack. Not only do pot racks give your kitchen a distinct aesthetic, they also empty entire drawers and cabinets in one fell swoop. Available in wall- and ceiling-mounted versions, racks come in various sizes suited for almost any kitchen.
                                                Hanging pots on a pot rack


6. Make Adjustments

It may sound obvious, but don't forget about your adjustable shelves. A few minutes of handiwork and some rearranging could rectify your storage problems — at no extra cost. You may also consider having extra shelves made to fit your cabinets, giving you more layers of storage for smaller items like mugs.



7. Doors Are Walls, Too

Wall space is ideal for hanging shelves and other storage solutions. But the back of the door can also function as a suitable wall. Search online for “over the door” products and you'll find a treasure trove of hooks, racks, and my personal favorite — shoe pockets. Don't be afraid to get creative. Shoe pockets can hold more than just shoes; they are perfect for dolls, toys, or anything else you've run out of room to store.

Spices in door of kitchen cabinets

Shoe stored in door
Image via: http://www.collegelifetips.com

Not enough space to store cleaning stuffs ? place them besides door of laundry room or your store
Image source: http://inthiscrazylife-bethany.blogspot.com

8. Place stuffs Tall or vertical

Trays, cookie sheets, and platters are hard to manage when stacked horizontally on a shelf. Stand these kitchen accouterments up vertically to save space and prevent chipping. Tray divider inserts are available at hardware stores and shops that specialize in organization.



9. Use space under the Bed

Who says under the bed is off limits for storage? Depending on the bed's height, you may be able to hide bulky items like suitcases under the mattress. Many storage products, with wheels and split lids for easy access to off-season clothing, are specifically designed for this space. Some beds even come with built-in storage where you can stash baskets or bins. Just remember to protect important items from dust.







I am highly influenced with what Lorie Marrero has been saying for organizing home and stuffs around. She says "A Neat place can't be taken as Organized place". I definitely agree. After all, it's upto us how we arrange our home to arrange our daily life. :-)