I purchased a few Christmas gifts this week and due to my limited living space my wrapping paper station is in an under-bed storage bin. I really like where it is because when I slide it out I have the whole floor or bed as a work station. Unless of course, I want to go into another room to watch TV while I wrap, I can take it anywhere. Also, I don’t have to go into Christmas decorations to pull it out. As I easily slid it out, I was very happy to see that last year I had included everything I needed in order to get my presents wrapped quickly.

Horizontal Storage:

In my under-bed bin I have a ziplock bag of scissors, tape and gift tags. Also in this same bin I have mailing envelopes, tissue paper, gift bags, ribbon and a few small boxes for shipping. Bed Bath and Beyond has a great container that offers the same setup but, has pockets to help you sort the smaller items. Horizontal Storage Bin.

Vertical Storage:

You can setup a wrapping station similar to one like mine. If you don’t have horizontal space, go with wrapping paper storage containers or simply a smaller garbage can. To be honest, I find that many of those specific wrapping paper container lids never work or fit after you load different length wrapping paper rolls. If you want to give this storage container a try at least get one with storage in the lid for tape and scissors. Vertical Storage

Carts:

If you have the space, such as a craft room or spare room, try a wrapping paper station cart. A client of mine purchased one and really loves it. It’s setup year round and ready to go at any moment. Wrapping Paper Carts

Have you ever needed to buy more of a specific organizing container and wasn’t sure where to find a match for it? I recently discussed this with a client and decided to look into it and get answers.

Item # : Hopefully your container might just have an item number on it that you can reference online or at the store you purchased it from.

Buy popular brands or lines: I called the company Sterilite and left a message to ask for their opinion. Their response was; just as other companies keep their products new and fresh so do we. However there is always the classic line of containers that stick around because they are popular. Some of the not so popular will come and go. Therefore leaving you with mis-matched organizing tools.

Buy in bulk: If you have the storage space then I would recommend buying a set of multiples in case you decide to add more. It is always helpful to have empty multi-sized containers on hand.

*The Container Store has its own line of containers. This boot box size is one of my favorites especially for children’s memorabilia. Those art projects can be quite large, so this shallow bin tends to be very accommodating. Also is slides under a bed for easy access!

Children’s toys evolve and change in shape, size and quantity throughout the years. In order to keep up, provide yourself with organizational systems that are flexible. Whether it’s cubbies with containers or units with slide-in drawers. These two systems have many successful qualities to keep your home free of toy clutter. No lids to keep track of, rearrangeable containers that can easily be shifted around and incorporated into a twin system in another room. These systems require few very steps to get toys out and cleaned up.

Tips for organizing with children:

Get them involved in purging and sorting. Making decisions and letting go are helpful life lessons to learn.
Provide pictures on the outside of containers for young children for clean up time.
Get down to their level of reach and sight when helping them organize their belongings.
Putting away toys allows the kids to rediscover them over and over without getting bored.
Open shelving or trunks are great for those bulky odd shaped toys.
Keeping toys in order gives them more value than toys that lay around and become broken.
Make clean up fun! Make it a game, give rewards and encourage.

After 6 years of organizing with 87 clients I have collected a list of average times it takes to organize all of the different rooms of a house. Of course this when I have worked either side by side or simply given direction to someone to go at it on their own. What is important to understand is the steps of an organizing project; Purge, Sort, Organize, and Maintain. So these times reflect following through with those steps.

Coat Closets 3 hours
Kitchens 6 hours
Bedroom Closets 6 hours
Attic 12 – 24 hours
Garage 12 -24 hours
Basement 12 – 24 hours
Office 3-4 days 8 hours uninterrupted

See My Portfolio for more projects with more estimated time examples.

Several years ago I heard a tip on tv that said, “Clean your house for 15 minutes each day.” At that point I was struggling with house cleaning habits, so it sounded like a realistic idea for me. I began to experiment with that and was really surprised to see the results! At first I was tackling the normal cleaning routine such as picking up or finishing dishes in the sink. Once I continued the routine for a few weeks I found myself getting into deeper cleaning projects and searching for things to clean. It was a great way to maintain the home I lived in.
I think this 15 minute theory to keep a house clean would also work well for keeping things organized. Most people do not focus their time just to specifically organize. Organizing is usually mixed in while cleaning or doing an overhaul when an area gets too cluttered. I find that many people do not have organizing maintenance habits. I wonder if it is due to not thinking about organizing until it becomes a problem.
Busy or large households would especially benefit from this 15 minute method because of how long it usually takes to put items away in a home that has many rooms or floors. 15 minutes a day to grab a bin and collect random items and put them away would help keep the house organized. When children’s toys are involved, I know it can be quite a challenge to have to go put each little piece away. Give it a try! Imagine if you included your family!

• Desk space: Do you have all of the resources nearby to avoid getting up to fetch or file? Strive to have everything you need to be productive within a swivel of your desk chair.
• Hard to reach areas: What items are hard to put away because of their location? Are the batteries located in a hard to reach spot? Make them more accessible and avoid using awkward spaces as storage for easy clean up.
• Kids: Get down to their level and see through their eyes when organizing their stuff. Remember how visual they are at a young age.
• How many steps does it take? When putting away a spool of thread, you go to the hallway closet, open the door, turn on the light, search for the unlabeled bins, unstack a few boxes on top and pull out the box of thread. When you need to quickly sew something, wouldn’t you prefer to walk up to a drawer and grab what you need? It’s no wonder I avoided sewing for so long!

I have always had a cat as a pet, so you could say that I have been mastering the art of kitty litter my whole life. Nothing frustrates me more than litter getting tracked through the house or around the litter box. Also, I strive to maintain a neutral odor! I have found a few wonderful solutions to keep your cats bathroom in order!

Litter – Fresh Step – Odor Shield. I love how it clumps and eliminates odor! Due to limited space, my litter box is in the bathroom and I scoop it once or twice a week. Even with my incredible sense of smell, I NEVER have trouble with odor.

Rug – Something soft and thick to catch litter. (I use a fake white fur mat from Target) I tried to use door mats but my cat would hop over it because of the texture. The key is something your cat will step on and litter will sink into and stay put until you shake it out.

Paw Wiper – I buy a cardboard scratch box from the grocery store and set it right outside the litter box entrance. When my cat exits the litter box she sharpens her claws(wipes her paws) and the litter falls down into the small openings of the box!

Scooping tools – I keep multiple plastic bags together with a scooper wrapped in a plastic bag together a few feet away for quick and easy maintenance.

Extra clean – Every few months I completely empty out the bin and wipe it down really well.

I moved into a smaller home. This means, smaller closet! At first I decided to keep only the current season in my new tiny closet. After switching out my seasonal wardrobe twice, I noticed that I was moving clothes that I was not wearing. The big switch was not necessary! I made all my clothes fit and I don’t even miss what I purged and donated!

I am sharing this story to challenge you to think, is the big seasonal switch worth it to you?

*Group similar pieces and compare them to each other. If you have 10 black shirts, your most likely to only wear your top 3 favorites, ditch the others!

*You wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.

*If you have trouble purging and letting go, try setting aside some of the clothes you don’t wear. See if you miss them.

*Sometimes our clothing might be memorabilia that we don’t wear. (One of my clients collects concert t-shirts. We put them into a large bin, instead of taking up precious closet real estate!)