Sunday, May 8, 2011

6 Easy Steps to Organize and Declutter Your House



Have you come to a point where you realize you need to declutter your house?  Do you have a tendency to store things you really don’t need?  Have you been hit with the lazy stick about picking up around your home?  Don’t worry we have all been there at some point in our lives. Here are some helpful tips to help you eliminate the clutter in your house. It might appear overwhelming at first, but with a game plan and some honest determination, the process is doable.   Before you begin, take a moment to go through your things one more time and see what you can part with.  

Remember, if you are not using something, someone else might make good use of it. 
  1. Now let’s begin!  Go through all of your things and decide what you want to keep, sell, donate, recycle, or throw away.  Pack away the items you are not keeping.  Move these distractions out of your house.  It will make the de-cluttering process much easier.
  2. Completely organize all of your drawers, shelves, boxes, bins, dressers, closets, etc. After you have completed these tasks, you will have plenty of room in which to store the proper items into them.
  3. If need be, purchase additional storage materials.  Discount department stores likeK-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. carry the supplies you will need.  Remember you don’t need to spend a fortune to get your house clean and organized.
  4. Place each item you wish to keep in its own specific storage area.  Be sure to clean each item before storing it.  Wash or dry-clean clothing or fabric items.  Dust or wipe down hard-surface items, i.e., books, cd’s, ceramic or glassware.
  5. Be sure to put your holiday items in either boxes or bins.  This will keep them safe from breakage.  By storing these items in this manner you can keep them all in one place until the next holiday season.  NOTE:  Don’t forget to properly label the storage boxes or bins for easy identification in the future.At this point do a walk-through of your house.  Scan the area for items you will not use on a regular basis.  Keep in mind, the fewer things you leave out, the more space you have.  And now you will be able to find what you need quickly.  

Once you de-clutter your house you begin to realize that a lot of the things you thought you really needed, were not needed at all.  You begin a little more restrained in your shopping habits.  And in these tough economic times you come to see value in more than just purchasing and collecting “stuff.” Learn more about how to declutter your house from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field.  Good Luck in de-cluttering your house.

Monday, April 11, 2011

7 Effective Ways to Organize and Declutter your Pantry


Does your pantry look like it’s been hit by a cyclone? Do you want to know the secrets of the professional organizers?

All you need is patience and time to declutter your pantry in 7 easy steps.
  1. Begin to declutter your pantry by removing all the expired foods. This includes anything over 3+ months, if you have not touched it by now I highly doubt you ever will. 
  2. Take items and group them by category. Put all your breakfast items in one group that is easily accessible to everyone. For example: cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars/pastries, etc. Some groupings you might find useful would be: canned items (veggies, meats, soups, coffee, kids foods), boxed items (potatoes, rice, noodles), drink mixtures (Kool-Aid, ice tea, tea bags), snacks (nuts, popcorn, candy, chips, pretzels, Cheetos, etc.), paper goods (napkins, paper towels, garbage bags, etc.)  
  3. Try to use Air-Tight Canisters when it comes to perishable food items. This will not only give your food a longer shelf life, but also save you money in the process. With Air-Tight Canisters you will always know when food is running low. What a wonderful way to not only declutter your pantry by keep it organized.
  4. Designate yourself an “emergency” shelf. This will be for those guests that just so happen to pop in at the last minute. A few things you might want to consider having on hand would be: paper products (plates, napkins, cups), cookies, crackers, or no bake desserts, drink mixers or ice teas, chips and dip.
  5. Be sure to have each shelf with labels pointed outword. This makes it much easier to declutter your pantry and locate just about anything quickly and efficiently. Keep the grouping of all the categories together. Veggies, soups, fruit, etc. To save on even more space, line duplicates behind one-another, always make sure you are rotating your stock as well. Nothing worse then opening a can of something realizing it has turned bad because of not checking dates.
  6. Now for those of you that don’t have a panty it's ok. Believe it or not many people use upright storage units, which is close enough to a pantry. Even if you have a closet that you really aren’t using can be turned into a pantry. Whatever you use can be organized from these tips.
  7. Lastly get the family involved with your organizational efforts. Go over with them on how to properly put things away in their designated locations. Explain why it is important to be organized and clutter free. 
Congratulations you are on your way to a pantry you can be proud of! Learn more about how to declutter your pantry from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

5 Surefire Ways to Declutter your Home Office


Have you come to a point where you dread even walking into your home office? We all know that many home offices turn into a “catch all” for all kinds of random stuff. Even the slightest thought of having to go threw the mounds of stuff would be overwhelming. Then the thought of having to go and work in those conditions, just make it more stressful! When you should be working, all you do is think about how to organize and declutter your home office. Please don’t stress any longer, life is way to short for that.

Here are 5 guaranteed ways to declutter your home office in no time flat.
  1. Take your time and try not to rush. By looking at the big picture you will just overwhelm yourself and quit. Stick to one thing at a time and move on from there. By talking this into consideration you have just completed the first step for you to declutter your home office. Not so bad right? Let's move on.
  2. Grab a large box.Go throughout your home office collecting stuff that does not belong in there. For example: cups, glasses, plates, remotes, clothes, toys, shoes, etc. After you have gone threw the entire room drop off the stuff where it belongs. This is a major part of the declutter your home office process that many people overlook.
  3. Next start to tackle the stacks of papers located on the desk. Separate mail, papers needed to be filed, and trash.It is a good idea to sort mail as soon as you receive it. That way you won’t have all this “junk mail” lying around. This does include the sales papers you plan on getting to “some day”. Remember you want to declutter your home office not look at ads.
  4. Locate the magazines, phonebooks, daily readers, novels, etc. Toss anything outdated or has doubles. Place the magazines that you are keeping on a shelf, bookcase, or rack, any others toss in the garbage. Now if any of these are your family members be sure to deliver them to the proper rooms. It is a good idea to make this a family effort by having them take all their stuff out of the office.
  5. Keep in mind that it is quite possible not to finish all this in one day. Work at your own pace doing one thing at a time. 
Make it known to everyone in the house that the office is a workroom and not a drop-off point. After you have everything organized and clutter free enjoy your stress free workspace. Learn more about how to declutter your home office from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field.  

Top 5 Ways to Declutter your Laundry Room


Did you have piles of clothes that seem like never-ending mountains? Are their full, half, or even empty bottles of detergent lying around? Does it seem that every time you turn around new items keep pooping up in your laundry room? Especially things that don’t belong there.

Don’t worry I am here to help you declutter your laundry room!
  1. Many people find it difficult to keep the laundry room organized. So don’t sweat it, you are not along. You have to give yourself some credit, where else would you put all the clothes, cleaning items, and other odds and ends. Well things have to change a tiny bit. You will need to keep this area just for laundry and items related to it only. The rest needs to be taking out so you can declutter your laundry room.
  2. It is highly recommended purchasing some wire shelves, plastic containers, and hampers from Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc. You can pick these up very cheap. Place the wire shelves over the washer and dryer at a height that works best for you. The reason for this is so all cleaning supplies are easily accessible, preferably at arms reach. Now use the plastic containers (steralite works best) to organize the cleaners by size and shape. The containers help prevent against leaks and spills when you want to declutter your laundry room. Be sure to label accordingly what is exactly in the containers. This makes it easy to identify when putting cleaning supplies back in their proper locations for family members. Also less aggravation with wondering who put items where they don’t belong?
  3. Find an expandable shower curtain rod (only if you are next to 2 walls) or possibly hang a rod directly in the front of the shelves, loop the hooks and curtain, so it can close to hide the shelves. This keeps your cleaning supplies out of plain view. You save plenty of money doing this then installing a cupboard with doors. 
  4. Finally that is out of the way. Next step to declutter your laundry room would be to go threw the dirty clothes and separate everything into the three hampers. Now label them accordingly darks, lights, towels in signs everyone can read. Try not to rearrange the hampers so that no one gets confused.
  5. Next decide on specific days to do clothes, this helps to declutter your laundry room on a regular basis. By attempting to do a load every other day it never gets out-of-control. By doing full loads of laundry and using cold water makes it easier on your energy bill. Yes some items need to be washed in warm or hot water like towel and sheets, but clothes are a different story. 
Clean is clean no-matter hot or cold. Why not save some life on the garments by using cold water, you will be glad you did. Learn more about how to declutter your laundry room from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field.  

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Top 15 Ways to Declutter Your Closet


Do you dread going into your closet? Are there things you haven’t worn in years taking up precious space? Will you have pants with holes/rips or maybe a torn hem, shirts with stains that don’t seem to come out? Does stuff just spill out into your room every time you open the door? Well sounds to me that you could use some help to declutter your closet.

Here are some useful tips so you can do just that!
  1. Toss any articles of clothing that don’t do justice to the figure.
  2. Find the clothes that pinch or bind your waist and get rid of them to declutter your closet.
  3. If you come across weird colored items, never worn a day in your life shirts, those presents you just don’t have the heart to throw away…needs to leave! 
  4. Does it tear or rip very easy? Yep you guessed it…declutter your closet!
  5. See if you have clothes that are damaged some how missing buttons, cigarette burns, rips, stains, etc. All must be taking out of the closet.
  6. If you come across any major repairs on anything that you don’t wear…declutter your closet!
  7. Do you have clothing that was just worn for a dance, wedding, and prom collecting dust? It’s gone declutter your closet!
  8. Clothes from 10+ years ago? Must be tossed declutter your closet.
  9. Do you have clothes from your high school and college? Grow up and toss them.
  10. Weight loss, change in lifestyle or clothing preference? Get rid of it.
  11. If the articles of clothing are worn regularly and in good condition keep them in the closet.
  12. All of the tossed clothing break it down into 2 piles.First pile would be things in need of cleaning and repairs. Second pile are clothes you wouldn’t wear again.
  13. Gather the clothes you put into the second pile and donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army is the best way to declutter your closet.
  14. Separate the first pile into 2 sections: Worth cleaning/repairing and what is left give those to charity. The ones you decided you WOULD clean and repair make sure you are willing to wear them regularly again. If not donate them.
  15. Since you have gotten rid of the items you don’t use anymore go out and purchase clothes hangers, shelves, and closet organizers whatever you need to arrange everything neatly. 
Match the clothes by color or type on the shelves, organizers, or hangers. Learn more about how to declutter your closet from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field. 

7 Effective Ways to Declutter Your Garage


So you have decided to declutter your garage. This is good, a step in the right direction. When you take on a task like this try not to get discouraged, remember it will be worth it in the end. In most cases being organized and clutter free saves time and money. So why not at least try and see if it works.

What do you have to loose besides a clutter free garage.
  1. First head over to the local Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc. to pick up some supplies.This would include shelves, bins, and hooks. Purchasing metal shelves will be cost effective and easy to put together. The bins stack easily and can be simple to label when you declutter your garage.
  2.  Next begin to pull out the larger items so they are out of the way. Have a garbage can accessible for trash or broken items. Don’t forget that you can always donate unwanted items to Goodwill and Salvation Army other charities for a nice tax deduction. In most cases they will pick up the stuff you want to donate. Finally you could also consider trying to sell things online, yard sale, or flee markets. This step really helps when trying to declutter your garage.
  3. To start with the organization processes begin to categorize the items in the garage.For example the holiday decorations and label them accordingly. By doing this you are making your like easier to find what is needed down the road.
  4. Some of the categories might consist of supplies, files, books, records, family air looms, etc.Items you won’t be using very often place in the bins and begin to line them up on a back or sidewall. 
  5. Now for the things you regularly use must be easy to get to. Lawn equipment/tools or painting supplies put on shelves. Regular tools, nuts, bolts, nails, etc. can be organized on the shelves or maybe even cabinets if you have them. Small containers from coffee and food items are great for storing the small trinkets. Hang bikes, power tools, equipment, and cords on hooks so they will stay up and out of your way so you can declutter your garage.
  6. Try not to keep things you don’t use or want. It is pointless to just hold onto something just because you might use or need it. When in reality you haven’t for many years now.  All it has done is take up precise garage space.Don’t rule out family, friends, or neighbors they could possibly use what you have. Pretty simple aspect to declutter your garage if you ask me.
  7. Now finally you have the garage nice and organized!
This is the easy part now, just put back whenever you use something and it will always stay clean and clutter free. Learn more about how to declutter your garage from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field. 

7 Simple Steps to Declutter Your Basement


Does your basement seem to be always cluttered? Do you have a hard time locating items in your storage space?  Have you come to a point where you realize you need help organizing? If this all sounds way to familiar then you have come to the right place.

Here I will go over several steps to help you declutter your basement or storage area.

  1. First start with 3 piles (Garbage, Donate, and Keep). This step could take some time, but don’t let that stop you. The more you put it off the worse it will seem.Just make sure you go threw everything thoroughly to declutter your basement. You will thank me in the long run. 
  2. Next get rid of all the garbage.Then start to organize the donation items.This helps individuals less fortunate, plus you can claim everything as a write off at income tax time. Places like Goodwill and Am-vets will take donations and sometimes even pick it up at your house if you call. It is a win-win situation for everyone when you  declutter your basement. 
  3. Now go threw your items you want to keep. Start to organize the items in see threw bins; you can pick them up very inexpensive at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc. The reason for using clear bins would be to obviously see what you are putting inside them.Be sure to label exactly what is inside of each bin for a quick reminder. 
  4. Try to organize in a way that works for you. For example if you have baby clothes place those in one bin, summer clothes another, holiday decorations a third.See where I am going with this? Just do what works best for you and stick with it.
  5. Install shelves if necessary. This is entirely up to you obviously. You are able to pick up cost effective shelving units at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc. The wall-mountable or freestanding are fairly easy to put up and install especially when you want to declutter your basement.
  6. Now if this is out of your price range then stacking the bins on top of each other would work as well. Organize your bins one on top of the other, keeping them in rows if possible. Try to keep a pathway between the rows so that you can easily maneuver in and out at will while you declutter your basement.Always place the items that you won’t use as often in the harder-to-reach spots.
  7. By staying on top of your organization throughout the year you will be able to keep track of what you have. 

This makes it much easier to find and bring out items, as you need them without having to go searching and digging through piles where you “think” it might be. Learn more about how to declutter your basement from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field.  

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

6 Easy Steps to Declutter your Living Room








Do you seem to constantly loose your car keys? Are you tripping over mounds of books, orphaned shoes, and scattered toys? Does this sound like your walkway? If so don’t worry you have come to the right place. 

Here I will take you step by step to declutter your living room.
  1. First get a plan together. Jot down on some paper the problem areas of your living room you want free of clutter. For example: Toys laying around, mounds of magazines/books, shelves overstuffed with items going every which way, plates and wrappers, etc. These are locations that must be taken care of accordingly.
  2. Start by taking the items out that are on the list. Decide and stick too what the room is intended for. Is it used for entertaining or recreational purposes? Try to keep that room with a sole purpose by the design and décor. This will greatly help you declutter your living room.
  3. Keep it simple by only saving the stuff you use on a regular basis. Everything else give as a donation or throw away. As for magazines save for a couple of months and then recycle them. If you like an article, copy it or put it into a folder. That way it is safe, put away, and organized. As for any bookshelves you must make some serious decisions. What do you use, have to donate, or sell 
  4. Find a home for EVERYTHING. This is very important to continually do on a daily basis. Keep all toys if possible in the children’s bedrooms. Collect the magazines and place them neatly in a basket or maybe one of those attractive bins.You can place the shoes on a rack by the door, in a closet, or under the bed. Try not to over decorate with too many trinkets. Remember you are trying to declutter your living room. Also makes sure to swop out holiday decorations accordingly.
  5. Furniture that has compartments for storage are always useful to have. You can find them for reasonable prices if you look around. A good example would be an ottoman with a hollow inside. This is  great for quick cleanups for unexpected guests.
  6. By just taking a few extra minutes each day to straighten up will avoid having to clean a huge mess down the road.
Learn more about how to declutter your living room from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field. 

Monday, March 28, 2011

7 Surefire Ways to Declutter your Bathroom


Does your bathroom seem to gather more then it should? Do you have an over abundance of containers around your tub? Do you dread going under the sink because it is a mystery to find what you are looking for? This happens to the best of us, but do you try and change it? Not for just a few days or weeks, I mean stay on top of things.

Here are 7 surefire ways to declutter your bathroom:
  1. First head to the location of your medications and first Go threw each and every single one and toss any that are expired or empty. Condense if you can, this will save on space and time when you need to declutter your bathroom in the future.
  2. Toss all somewhat used containers of shampoo/conditioner that are “going to be used” as backups. Most people have this incase they run out of the “regular” brands. This is pointless, buy larger bottles then, it will save you money in the long run. Ok if you don’t want to toss these then use them as cleaning agents in the bathroom. Yes this does work it is soap you know. 
  3.  Clean toothbrushes, toothpaste tube, and floss container, etc. Place in proper locations wherever that may be on your sink, in a drawer, a basket, vanity, etc.
  4. Get rid of any hair related products that you don’t intend to be using in the near future. Especially doubles and triples of things you find on sale which tend to help declutter your bathroom. Buying in bulk is good to save money, I understand that. Find a place for it that does not clutter the bathroom or get in the way of things.
  5. A good idea is to have a basket or plastic container to hold your hair dryer, straightener, brushes/combs, products, hair ties, etc. You can put this under the sink where it is safe and out of the way, but yet accessible enough to keep the bathroom from getting cluttered.
  6. Find a shower caddy for either around the showerhead or on the wall in front of the shower. You can buy them at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Wal-Mart, Target, and Kohl’s. This will be used to store all your shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, razors, poofs, etc. This gets rid of all the bottles and accessories around your tub so it makes it possible to declutter your bathroom.
  7.  Go threw all your makeup and toss anything damaged, faded, or 10+ months old.
Most important is to straighten up after each use this will help declutter your bathroom .
Just a few extra minutes out of your day wont kill you. It will be a pain in the beginning but it becomes like second nature as time goes on .Learn more about how to declutter your bathroom from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field. 

How to Declutter your Kitchen in just 5 Easy Steps



Do you find yourself trying to find certain utensils in your kitchen while cooking? You know it was just there, but it isn’t anymore.  You start to blame family members for taking it and not putting it back? Do you open up drawers and have a hard time trying to close them because they are full of clutter? If this all sounds familiar to you then you have come to the right place. 

I will explain 5 easy steps to declutter your kitchen in no time flat:
  1.  Start by making sure the dishes have been washed and put away. Try to have the counters washed and cleared of clutter before you move to the next step.
  2.   Locate some spare boxes along with some garbage bags. You will be using these for garbage and donations.
  3.  Beginning at one end of the kitchen go through the drawers and cabinets, shelves,  and countertopss. As you go through each and every piece, ask yourself,  “When do I use this?”   Remember, a "maybe" does not count here.  It is a "do use? or "don't use?  Anything you do use will be kept.  It  will be cleaned up and put back  into the drawer or cabinet.   Anything you don't use will be put into a pile to be donated.  Or perhaps, tossed.  It's as simple as that.  Remember if you have not used a particular kitchen tool or gadget, and have done without it for any length of time, you will not miss it.  Stay strong and do not bring emotion into your cleaning.  Unused items are clutter.  
  4. Next comes the almighty refrigerator.  Place a trash bag next to the refrigerator as you begin.  Go through the WHOLE refrigerator. "Don't remember when you had it last?"  GARBAGE!  Last week's dinner container?  GARGAGE!  Chinest take-out?  GARBAGE!  The fridge door is known to have salad dressings, sauces, and dips with expired dates.  Not only is this messy, it can make you ill.  Guess what?  GARBAGE!
  5. Above all, pace yourself.  You are not running a marathon.  Take your time so don't get discouraged.  If you rush it will only make things worse.  Remember, generally clutter occurred over a course of time.  It took time to accumulate clutter, it will take time to clear the clutter.  Decluttering your kitchen does not happen like magic.  

But following the quick steps Ive outlined can be next to magic.  Learn more about how to declutter your kitchen from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field.  

Friday, March 25, 2011

5 Simple Ways to Declutter your Bedroom



Regardless of what role your bedroom plays within your home, it must represent a place of ease and tranquility. A hideaway from all outside interactions and disturbances in a stress-free manner. Does this sound like a room you would like to escape to each night?

If it does, then let me help you declutter your bedroom in 5 simple steps. Stay with me and go at your own pace.
  1. Tackle one space in the bedroom at a time.
  2. Separate the things in the your room. It is a good idea to have another part of the house as an organizing area.  Perhaps a connecting room, or even the hallway area works well.  Place your things in the following classifications: Usable, Junk/Recycle, and Donate
  3. Junk are any wrappers, boxes, papers, etc.  If you have recycling in your area, this makes it much easier. This is a simple and basic process, but be careful and not throw away anything important like bills, statements, or items you may want to keep for future use, such as holiday cards, invitations, announcements, etc.  I may have done this once or twice, helping to clean someone else's room.  This is why I highly recommend cleaning your own bedroom.  These are your personal and private items and you would not want to risk losing anything important. 
  4. Consider items that can be donated to an organization that can help someone else make good use of items you no longer use.  Items such as softly worn clothing, bedsheets or blankets that have been replaced with newer color or design, are welcomed by organizations such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Am-vets. Plus you can use this as a tax write-off.  Just just ask for a receipt.
  5. Finally you are ready to start bringing back the items and clothing you intend to keep.  Bring the items back into the room.  Wash or dry-clean clothing if needed.  Fold or hang garments and put them in their proper places neatly.  Be sure all garments are put into a dresser drawer or closet.  
    Now was it really all that hard to declutter your bedroom? It was probably more tedious than anything. You can now relax and enjoy your bedroom like it was intended to be - decluttered and stress free. Learn more about how to declutter your bedroom from Mimi Tanner, who is one of the leading experts in this field.