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Creatively Organized Spaces

Spring Clean your Bath, Laundry and Pantry first!

by Filed Under: Home, Organize, Organizing Projects

Small but high traffic utility areas and can make a big impact on your daily life.

Why Spring Clean the Bath, Laundry and Pantry first?

These areas can be great place to start with when your doing your annual deep cleaning (Spring/Fall). These areas take very little time (a couple hours each) and can be a low or zero cost space to organize and clean when using existing containers and supplies.

Spring Clean the Bath, Laundry and Pantry

In the bathroom, minimize what was on the counter…have you noticed the trend of builders to no longer install medicine cabinets, towel rods, rings and toilet paper holders? It’s not only annoying, it adds to the bathroom clutter by forcing us to put things on the counter! Instead of keeping everything out, go through and kept out the only items used daily and contained the rest. Less frequently used items can be moved to drawer, cabinets or a bathroom closet if available. Toss expired and old toiletries and makeup, if your not sure what to keep, this post has a more in depth guide to your Toiletry Toss!Spring Clean the Bath, Laundry and Pantry

Again, take everything in your pantry (or pantry cupboards) out, sort and toss expired foods. Donate food you don’t want to someone else in need. Think about how you use the space before you pu In the pantry, put items that are less frequently used towards the deep inside corners and “adult only” stuff on the top shelves. Use containers including boxes and baskets (nothing fancy) to gather kids snacks and lunch making items and beverages that are “mom approved” within easy reach for the kids on lower shelves. We moved most items off the floor but kept more utility items like paper towels, bulk drinks and pet food there due to space constraints.  Laundry room

In the laundry room, we created zones on separate shelves to separate laundry, cleaning and other household supplies and made sure to keep hazardous items up high out of kids reach. If you don’t already have categories in your laundry area, pull everything out, sort, purge and give the space a good deep clean before you return items to their new zones, using baskets labels and easy to access storage.

Bathrooms, laundry, and pantries are frequently used and therefore need constant maintenance. Schedule regular maintenance that’s easy to remember like 2x/yr in spring and fall and get rid of expired food, toiletries, and medications…for your health and overall wellness!

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12 Ways to Be Well

by Filed Under: Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources, Wellness & Mindset 4 Comments

Wellness means more than keeping myself from getting sick or burnt out, overwhelmed or just getting by, it means feeling good about myself, finding balance, nourishing the spirit and soul and being a good steward of the earth.

12 ways to BE WELL, in body and spirit.

12 ways to be well

1.  Get 8 hours of sound sleep (give or take what feels right to you). See last week’s sleep post here.

2.  Exercise regularly (3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes), some of my favorite forms of exercise are Yoga, walking and Dancing (Nia)

3.  Eat lots of organic and local produce.  Same goes for meat and dairy if you are not vegetarian (which I am not but was for quite a few years).

4.  Take time to do something that gives you Joy each day. This might mean quality time with loved ones (pets, family or friends) or taking time for a personal hobby you love doing.

5.  Drink water as much as possible every day.

6.  Use natural and non-toxic cleaning and beauty products in your home and on your body (that are not tested on animals and that do not contain parabens and other carcinogens)..

7.  Keep houseplants and get out and garden if you can.

8. Volunteer and help others out when/however you can.  Online is great but in person is even better!

9.  Breath. Stop, notice your breath through your day and just bring your breath back to you.

10. Have FUN and Play more!

11. Be KIND, and I mean to everyone. This certainly takes practice but it’s worthwhile and will lead you to…

12. Don’t forget to Smile! Smiling can change our attitude and thoughs, give it a try regularly.

These may all seem like really basic practices and I commend you if you already do all of these (they are all a part of my regular routine at this stage in life).  If you feel like some or many of these goals are not attainable please stick with it, you can change habits but it takes time.  Find the ones that seem the most EASY or the most REWARDING or the most FUN and start with them!

I will be share more ideas about wellness and self care throughout February and I’d love to open this up for discussion. If you would like to join me, please connect on my Facebook page.

How do you define Wellness?

 

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Toiletry Toss & Tidy Up

by Filed Under: Organize, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources 1 Comment

Take a little time to know what’s going on your skin and your whole body will thank you (our skin is our largest organ)!  Follow these guidelines for an easy and quick bathroom tidy! By getting rid of what’s unhealthy, funky, old or expired.

Our bathrooms are essential to our wellness but we have to do a routine Toiletry Toss to be sure we are taking the best care of ourselves.

Toiletry Toss

Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world. -George Bernard Shaw

Estimated organizing time: 30-45 min’s.

  • Toss the toiletries. Open the medicine cabinets, closets or any cabinets you store your bathroom products and toss expired and funky unhealthy stuff. Follow these guidelines to know what to toss and why.
    • Make-up-I really like this guide by Bobbi Brown, if your on Pinterest…Pin it and refer back as needed!
    • Sunscreen and lotions with sunscreen-one -two years
    • Perfume and essential oils-three years (store in cool dark places-not the bathroom!).
    • Look for expiration dates (usually printed on the crimped ends of tubes). Better yet, mark it yourself with a permanent marker with the date of your purchase.
    • Download the Think Dirty app to find cosmetics and toiletries that are carcinogenic. I guarantee you will be shocked!
  • Medication Mindfulness. Toss old medications but don’t flush them down the drain. This pollutes our waterways and bodies. Use safe disposal options such as returning to pharmacists (some will take them back) or dispose of them. Place medication in a small bag with coffee grounds, kitty litter or dirt so that critters and kids are less enticed. Remove any personal info before recycling or disposal.
Toiletry Toss

Go ahead and dump it all out!

  • Clean off the crud. While everything is moved out and off the counters give them a sanitizing wipe down. I prefer non-toxic natural products. Move things out from the walls and wipe items down including the back splash.  Finish cleaning up with walls and switch plates, cabinets, drawers and handles.
Toiletry Toss

Bathroom Drawer-Before

Toiletry Toss

Bathroom Drawer-After

  • Group like items. Corral the contents of your cabinets by person and category like skin, hair, first aid, oral hygiene, makeup etc. Then, if you have enough space, designate shelves, drawers, cabinets or containers (use color coding and labels!) to each household member. Store things standing up if your drawers are deep enough. There are so many great container options to organize drawers and medicine cabinets. There are great options on any budget from boxes you can recycle to inexpensive plastic baskets to fully customized acrylic drawer inserts.
  • Maintain-Put it away-Daily. Estimated Daily Maintenance time:Take 3-8- min’s to put things on your counters and floor away and give the counter a quick wipe. Do this every day (either in the am when you are done getting ready or before bed) you will always walk into your bathroom with a sense of wellness. Toiletry TossDoesn’t your bathroom feel better now! Help your kids and your spouse do their own toiletry toss once you complete your own.

“The greatest wealth is health.” ~Virgil

 Need more?  Email me and I promise to help you through it.  One way doesn’t work, for everyone.  I offer virtual and in person organizing, more info here.

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Your clutter action plan

by Filed Under: Organize, Paper management, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

What areas of Clutter overwhelm you? It’s important to identify where you get stuck and understand why. This clutter action plan will help you establish order and bring clutter under control. If you’re not clear on this, check out my post on the muddy water metaphor to help you identify with the feelings behind your clutter…then hop back over here or jump in now!

Clutter Action Plan

Start with the least cluttered category. Whatever category on your list above feels easiest – small stuff or big stuff (clear a big space)-start easy! By starting with easier items we gain compelling momentum! You will move on to bigger challenges once you’ve made progress in easier areas.

Decide before you begin. Start with a category of items (my preference), ex. all books, all kids clothes, all papers, all kitchen stuff or work by location (one closet at a time etc). There are advantages to each. When working by category you need to gather everything in one place and when working by location you may have to go back to locate things that belong in other categories. Decide before you begin.

  • Schedule it. Block out distractions and give yourself a deadline (a day a week etc). Set aside the time you think this will take. Estimate it and give yourself a bit of extra but set a limit. If appropriate, schedule a donation pick up, this will motivate you to get it done by the time they come for the pick up!
  • Gather supplies. Such as bags, boxes, sorters, a label maker/labels, rubber bands, paperclips, a shredder etc and make sure these items are handy if not right by your side).
  • Create a work zone. This will serve for the duration of your clutter clearing project. Ideally you can leave things (supplies, unsorted stuff, donation stuff) in this location till you are done! Even better if you can close the door on them between sessions if you can’t complete everything at once (a day, a weekend etc).
  • Make it fun! Put on some great music, light a candle, some incense…whatever will put you in a happy place.
  • Sort it. Start with trash, toss items if they are broken, don’t bring joy or are otherwise not functional. Make a maybe pile if you aren’t sure. Start with what’s easiest, if you think it’s useful but don’t need it, donate it to your charity of choice! It helps to know your things will be loved and used by others-share your abundance!
  • Categorize it. (seasonal, where you use it, how often etc). This is where you begin to see your organizing systems emerge. What do you need based on what you have?
  • Contain it. If you can’t do this all at once the create an area to work through un-categorized items until you’ve finished every last item. It can help to work through one category at a time. Don’t stop till you’ve returned things to their homes (old or new), tossed the trash and donations are out the door.
  • Reward yourself and Repeat. For each category or location take the steps above to complete the action plan and reward yourself with something small (flowers, a meal out etc).

 When you have cleared all of your clutter, you can be of greater service to those around you.

-Michael B. Kitson

What are Clutter Magnets?

by Filed Under: Organize, Systems & Techniques

What are clutter magnets?  They are those spots in your home or work that tend to accumulate clutter, no matter what you do to change them. Maybe they look something like this?

IMG_0446

WHAT: These are items that tend to accumulate in ‘Clutter Magnet zones’.

It could be just about anything, but here are some commonly “magnetic” items.

  • Keys/keychains
  • Mail
  • Wallets
  • Backpacks
  • Purses
  • Umbrellas
  • Clothes/accessories
  • Sports equipment/toys
  • Books
  • Lunch bags, water bottles, and other snack/food items
  • Projects (paperwork, hobbies, homework, etc.)

WHERE: Possible areas that might be clutter magnets.

  • By the front door, on a table or bench, anywhere in the “Drop zone”.
  • Kitchen or Dining Room tables: Any vertical surface is in danger of becoming a clutter magnet, and tables, no matter how we try to keep them clean, always attract stuff.
  • Kitchen counters, especially if you have an entrance nearby.
  • Bags! Sweep it into the bag, never to be seen again!
  • Your Car? The kids’ extra toys, clothes, trash, and more…
  • Desktops: Ensure that you regularly update these items.

WHY: Take an honest look at why clutter magnet zones happen.

  • Laziness: Put things back where they belong! (I’m not judging…I’m just saying!)
  • Homeless items, if you don’t know where to put them, then they will end up just about anywhere.
  • Bad habits can be changed.
  • Too busy-this isn’t an excuse if you have created solutions for your stuff-take the correct action.

HOW: Can we change this behavior?

  • Turn these clutter magnets into clutter-free zones!
  • Identify what lands in your clutter magnet and decide where everything belongs.
  • Create homes for the items that do not have a permanent landing place.
  • Use hooks for keys, bags (such as purses, backpacks, etc.)
  • Shelves for electronics, wallets, and other “pocket contents”.
  • Baskets or boxes for mail… better yet, drop what you don’t need right into recycling and take the rest to your desk “action” file or inbox.

I’m not going to lie, it may not be easy to fully erase clutter magnet zones, but you can change your habit by paying attention to where, what, and why things tend to accumulate. Once you understand your behavior patterns, you can then implement a plan and practice, practice, practice until it becomes a new habit.

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Creatively Organized Spaces by HKpowerStudio Inc. is not qualified to give legal, tax, accounting, financial, medical, or therapeutic advice, and any services, content or products are solely provided for informational purposes only.

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