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. 

How do you manage and declutter Jwellery ?

For me, getting ready means a job of 7-10 minutes but this too seems quite uneasy many times when I am stuck into those tangled jwelleries, earrings and studs that i never wear actually and are there for many years. Thus it's my inner urge for managing my so called vanity area these days which compelled me for this post. While there are many ideas in Pinterest and internet as a whole but here are some of them which actually appealed to me i think these are good enough to share. So, here we go for How to manage jwelleries.

# Mirrors are used for hanging chains, beaded necklaces and many more since ages. I've too witnessed it since my childhood. So, it's definitely the easiest option to try for those abandoned and tangled chains and necklaces. If you are bored with mirrors, try with some portrait or family photo that you like.

# Teacups and Saucers are the best bet for danglers, earrings and even necklaces. Earrings can be hanged onto cup while necklaces can rest in saucers. Beautiful ! You can even stack pins and other less necessary stuffs inside the cups.

# Have an old rake around your garden area ? Paint it in color of your choice and hang on the wall; and let all your necklaces, chain have safe home in it as it can hold many items at once. Even Bracelets !!

# Or, Choose those beautiful wall hangers available in low budget which will hold as many items as you want.

                                     

# Drawers are always the safest and easiest way to manage all the items you need in rush hour at once. It's handy and we all have drawers at any of our closets, Right !! No need of extra expenses. Just make them separate with partition, even cardboard will make perfect partition for different items.

# Repurpose with hangers you have for all your tangled chains and necklaces.

# Doors are another closet which we should not forget storage wise. Hence use it for managing your jwelleries by getting a hanger fixed in the doors or even with DIY ones.

# If you can, dedicate a wall or corner of your room to manage jwelleries. How ?? Like this in the image below.

# Repurpose your everyday items in a way that caters to your need. How about using old stuffs for storing and decluttering jwelleries !!

A Cage used for holding earings and danglers. Perfect !

Don't throw away those used crates of chocolates, eggs, cookies. It can stack whatever you want to.

Cake stand and Racket us%d for jwelleries

Drawers used as cabinets for jwelleries.

Old Grater used as earrings holder. Simple !!

You can always share what you have or want to with jwelleries here through comments. Have a happy time.

Be Bag Smart !!

Does your closet look like these? 

Or like this ?

Yes ! this post is probably not for you. No? Then you are here to stay (i think :-). Many of us don't have lavish closets and most of us can't afford/manage different storage room for bags and shoes like those Hollywood celebrities. So, do we have less important bags than theirs? Definitely NOT! Our non-expensive (sometimes with very less price tag) but so important Bags need to be cared with as value as we care for our outfits and jewelries. After all, Chanel and Luis Vuitton aren't coming to us, our very own non-expensive bags will save us in need. Point is, they actually need to be cared and stored in proper way.

Here we go for how to care and store the bags we have : 

1. Doors are another Shelves. Don't let them spare and blank. A self fixed rod or panel can hold upto 6-8 average sized bags depending upon size of the doors and closets. So, set several small sized hooks fixed in the doors of your closet. You are sorted with clean and manageable storage for bags. This suits best to all; persons like me who have hardly 3-4 bags in total for their closets but can manage each with most of the outfits or who have dozens to showcase. 

                       

2. Hang them like clothes. Bags can be easily set in hangers and hooks inside the closets which will make them safe from dust caused from storing. Also, you can get them handy in need. 

3. Special Coverage for Bags is possible. If found in your local store, you can also get Bag holder designed specially to hold and hang bags in closets which is a smart way to get rid of unneccessary mess and saves lot of space. They can be found in paper or plastic pouch holders. Sorry, not available in Nepali market though :-( . But hey, that's why internet is made for. Go online shopping. :-)

 

4. Arrange and store Bags as files in cabinet and drawers. This is undoubtedly one of the best resque for the Bag managers ! It saves time, stores bags well and saves them from overstretching (which can be caused by hanging). Just remember to wrap them in muslin cloth or plastic bags when not in frequent use to prevent color and smoothness. 

                                                   

5. Iron Rod in curvy or your desired shape can hang upto 15 bags at a time within very small space around. I think it's best for those who live in tight space. These can even placed in corners of the room. 

6. Repurposing any table or stand as bags cabinet is the smartest option (I think). You can even use your dressing table and vanity area for the same. Installing a rod for hangers will give you room for bags, clutches and purses. 

Image via : Good housekeeping

Things to remember while storing bags:

• Storing bags with like colors can save colors fading.
• Close the Zips of the bags while storing and make sure zips and buckles are not tangled with other.

Choose the storing method as per your need and access. It's upto us how we manage our things and getting ideas from anywhere enhances our inner creativity. Thankx for stopping by !

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.

                                                

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. :-)