Prepare your Home for Fall with these 4 Tips

With Fall just around the corner, it's time to prepare your home for colder weather. Don't have time? Or feeling overwhelmed with clutter? Not to worry, give us a call at  303-448-9966 and schedule a home organization refresh with one of our professional teams today!

• Beautify Your Bathroom: Avoid exposure to germs and bacteria by giving your bathroom a deep scrub before the moisture builds up with the fast approaching Fall months. 

• Check for Drafts: Use a lighted candle around doors and windows and if you see a flicker, inspect for broken or cracked seals.

• Furnace Inspection: Hire an HVAC professional to check heating efficiency, test for leaks and change the filter.

Organize the Shed: Summer filled up your shed space; time to sort, categorize, purge and organize summer gear. Move summer gear to the back and organize winter gear to the front for easy access.

Household Management Stats:

80%  of what we keep we rarely use, Agency Sales Magazine.

23%  of adults pay bills late and incur fees because they can’t find their bills, Harris Interactive.

40%  of housework can be eliminated by simply getting rid of clutter the National Soap and Detergent Association.

25%  of people with two-car garages fill it with too much stuff that they can’t park a car inside, U.S. Department of Energy.

80%  of household clutter is the result of disorganization, not lack of space, The National Soap and Detergent Association.

By: Analiese Ross, AMR Digital Marketing

Green Up Your Act! Getting Your Gardening Zone in Shape

Spring always seems to lead the charge when it comes to getting things in order. Maybe the inspiration comes from opening windows long closed against winter’s chill and feeling the sunshine flood in; maybe it’s hearing the robins’ song as soon as you open your eyes in the morning. Regardless, a true spring clean is never confined to just the inside of your home. It extends outside as you clear debris out of garden beds, cut back dead growth, and generally give the outside of your house the same facelift you gave the inside a few weeks back.

Getting your gardening gear in order makes all the difference to the success of your project. Whether you have a shed or a simply a dedicated area in your garage, here are a few tips to whip your green thumb zone into submission.

One of the most useful organizational tools for a gardening area is a bulletin board. Here’s where you hang your calendar of events: what you planted, when you fertilized, what’s coming up in your veggie garden, what tasks are ahead. You can also use it to tack up labelled envelopes for used seed packets, plant info stakes, or receipts for plantings that come from stores with a 12-month survival policy (like Home Depot). Having a simple gardening HQ keeps you on top of your home’s curb appeal.

A ready-when-you-are garden carryall is a real timesaver. Anything with a handle is perfect for this--a basket or even an old-style milk delivery crate will do the trick. Stock it with gardening gloves, clippers, weeder, knee pads, and any other tools you always like to have close by. You may be surprised how much quicker it is now to weed the petunia bed!

Keeping as much off the floor as possible is key, so designate a hanging area for shovels, rakes, and hoes, and a few shelves with containers for smaller items. If you have space on the wall or the back of a door, a compartmentalized cloth shoe rack works well to store full seed packets, gardening stakes and twist ties, and smaller hand tools. Keep hoses and extension cords for power tools well coiled with Velcro straps.

At a certain age a potting station (which can be as simple as two sawhorses with a piece of wood or counter across them and a lattice against the wall) is the only civilized way to work on your planters and window boxes. It also provides storage underneath for soil, compost, and fertilizer. These large bags are best stored off the floor either in oversized plastic tubs or on a shelf. If you use chemicals in your garden, you might consider a locked box or high cabinet to ensure curious children can’t get at them.

Because soil is an integral part of the equation whenever you are talking gardening, your shed or garage gardening area is going to--you guessed it--attract dirt. Keep a small broom and dustpan on hand in this area to keep dust, dirt, and cobwebs at bay.

Any project you tackle, inside or out, is always easier when the required tools are organized, visible, and easy to access. It’s amazing how much easier it is to head out to the garden when you don’t have to spend fifteen minutes searching for those elusive clippers. Give your green zone the same love you show the inside of your house and get paid back every day with a healthy, thriving garden.

Happy Organizing!

Are You Spring Ready?

With the onset of spring; now is the perfect time for a little spring cleaning and organizing. 

Follow these 3 Spring Organizing Tips:

1. An organized closet is the first step to an organizing the rest of your home. You've heard it before, take action NOW and get rid of unused clothes and accessories (there are so many people in need of clothing if you are not wearing it!) If you haven't worn it in a year, you probably never will. Organize by type & color or just by color depending on how you function. Either way, your closet will look more appealing and your everyday routine will be easier.

2. Bookshelves are a great project for an immediate impact. Start by removing all the books and determining which you are keeping or donating (hardback books are like a piece of art, paperbacks are not as pretty). Changing the way you display books or accessories is a great change of energy to your space. Clean the shelves by using a soft towel to dust each book. You can organize your books by color and organize some vertically and some horizontally in a rhythmic pattern. This will relieve the monotony of rows and give a fresh, clean, and new perspective to your room.

3. Be ruthless when it comes to decluttering; If you don't love it, and/or you don't use it, it's clutter. Spring is the perfect time to embrace the Feng Shui art of uncluttered living. Feng Shui teaches that if energy can easily flow through a room, your life will be more harmonious and happy--and clutter is an obstacle to reaching this relaxed and calm state.Make it a quest of yours to be ruthless when it comes to your decluttering efforts. You'll have less to dust, less clutter to look it, an easier time finding the things you do use and less stress in your life.

Spring Cleaning Tips!

"Spring has sprung, The grass is riz, Wonder where the flowers is?" Ogden Nash

Isn’t it amazing how every year after the snow melts (or sometimes before!) the same thing happens? Spring shows up again. However, where you might be seeing daffodils, tulips, and sunshine, I’m seeing cobwebs, dust bunnies, clutter, and dulled windows. That’s because this season has “spring cleaning” written all over it for me.

Organizing and cleanliness are very tightly linked. Let’s face it, if a space is dirty, no amount of organizing is going to make it look good. And while the regular cleaning we do to keep on top of the daily build-up works great, there’s nothing like a full-on swan dive into the bottomless pool of spring cleaning that really gives us the opportunity for a fresh start.

Here are ten seasonal cleaning tips that will make your house look like a million bucks - and might even make you glad you dove in for the deep clean!

Set Yourself Up for Success

• Grab a bucket or caddy and stock it with all the supplies you need before you begin; microfiber cloths, multi-surface cleaner, abrasive powder, squeegee, duster, rubber gloves, etc. Don’t ruin your momentum by having to retrieve something from somewhere else.

Break Out Your Ladder

• Start with your ladder or step stool right beside you so that you can easily and safely access tough-to-reach areas. Use an extendable pole if needed for awkward corners.

Work Top to Bottom

• Begin at the top of a room by dusting ceiling corners, light fixtures, and fans and work your way down by cleaning walls, windows, and surfaces before vacuuming up all the dust you’ve dislodged. If you do it the other way, you’ll have to vacuum twice.

Recruit the Family

• If you have kids, plan a family cleaning day where everyone has his or her job--set up a garage sale, use teams to move furniture, get everyone to purge winter clothes before they get packed away. Involving children empowers them to learn these habits at a young age. Plan a fun event at the end as a reward.

Purge, Purge, Purge

• A spring clean is a fabulous time to get rid of stuff. Pay attention to things that haven’t been used or moved since the last time you cleaned them. Bring a donate box and a trash bag into each room as you’re cleaning, and talk yourself into letting things go.  Ask yourself: Do I use it, do I love it, do I appreciate it?

 Consider Systems

• While taking this up close and personal view of your space, think about what systems you might use to further streamline and organize. How can I best maximize the space that I have? Is there a better use for an existing piece of furniture? Use this as an opportunity to make improvements. You have more space than you think.

 Do the Things You Never Do

• Vacuum under & behind furniture. Clean the fridge. Wash or dry clean curtains, and wash or dust blinds. Break out a lint roller, and take it for a spin over the lampshades. Dust light bulbs. Clean under the beds. Wash windows. Clean tops of cupboards. Scrub light switch plates and floor vents. Look for areas that don’t get much cleaning TLC during the rest of the year, and make them your priority.

Pace Yourself

• A thorough spring clean can’t be done in a single day--especially if you don’t have extra hands helping out. Be methodical. Plan certain tasks for certain days, and do them over a couple of weekends or several evenings. Give yourself the time you need so that you don’t succumb to overwhelm.  Remember, a lot can be accomplished in thirty-minute blocks of time.

Make It Fun!

• Crank up the tunes. Listen to an audio book. Open the windows, and let the fresh air in. Have something special in the fridge to look forward to when you’re done. Do whatever it takes to keep you on task and motivated.

Take care of and take pride in your belongings.  Stay on top of scuff marks, dust, paint touch ups, loose hinges, or any small fixes as they happen.  Same goes for hiring a handyman to do any bigger jobs you don’t want to take on. Keeping things in tip-top shape in your home will save you money and time. Who doesn’t want more time these days?

Remember those spring flowers we talked about at the beginning? When you’re finished, buy yourself a massive bunch of tulips or daffodils, put them in your best vase, and set them up on your newly polished table. Then sit back in a sunbeam, and enjoy the view.

Happy Organizing--and Happy Spring!

January Home Maintenance Tips

Now is the time to go through all of your files. Who says you have to wait until the Spring to get some cleaning done?

1. Clean out your filing cabinets. Go through your 2016 files and archive what you need for taxes and shred documents which you no longer need, less clutter - the better!

2. Organize your home improvement files. Review warranties and check on recommended maintenance for your furnace and appliances.

3. Sanitize hard surfaces such as countertops, laptops, TV remotes, etc. Wash your children's stuffed animals. It's cold and flu season, after all.

Holiday Bark Recipe

Snow crunching underfoot, houses outlined in sparkly lights, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting out of the kitchen — the holidays are here again!

To kick off this holiday season, I attended Lifestyle Publications cookie exchange. It was a fabulous time with good friends, holiday tunes and lots of cookies. I brought chocolate raspberry bark for my “cookie” submission, and it was a hit! Boulder Lifestyle is featuring my recipe along with a few others in their current issue. Check out the full article and see my recipe below:

Holiday Chocolate Raspberry Bark

10 oz chocolate chips (at least semi-sweet, preferably 60%)

1/2 c. freeze dried raspberries, crushed

1/2 c. cacao nibs, crushed

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Stir in raspberries and cacao nibs and spread on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Place in freezer for approximately 15 minutes or until firm. Break bark into pieces with hands & enjoy!

**you can also substitute 3/4 toffee pieces (Heath) to stir in, spread on wax paper on cookie sheet, and generously grind sea salt on the melted chocolate before freezing.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Whatever Holiday You Celebrate, and, of course, Happy Organizing!

Green Up Your Act! Getting Your Gardening Zone in Shape

Spring always seems to lead the charge when it comes to getting things in order. Maybe the inspiration comes from opening windows long closed against winter’s chill and feeling the sunshine flood in; maybe it’s hearing the robins’ song as soon as you open your eyes in the morning. Regardless, a true spring clean is never confined to just the inside of your home. It extends outside as you clear debris out of garden beds, cut back dead growth, and generally give the outside of your house the same facelift you gave the inside a few weeks back.

Getting your gardening gear in order makes all the difference to the success of your project. Whether you have a shed or a simply a dedicated area in your garage, here are a few tips to whip your green thumb zone into submission.

One of the most useful organizational tools for a gardening area is a bulletin board. Here’s where you hang your calendar of events: what you planted, when you fertilized, what’s coming up in your veggie garden, what tasks are ahead. You can also use it to tack up labelled envelopes for used seed packets, plant info stakes, or receipts for plantings that come from stores with a 12-month survival policy (like Home Depot). Having a simple gardening HQ keeps you on top of your home’s curb appeal.

A ready-when-you-are garden carryall is a real timesaver. Anything with a handle is perfect for this--a basket or even an old-style milk delivery crate will do the trick. Stock it with gardening gloves, clippers, weeder, knee pads, and any other tools you always like to have close by. You may be surprised how much quicker it is now to weed the petunia bed!

Keeping as much off the floor as possible is key, so designate a hanging area for shovels, rakes, and hoes, and a few shelves with containers for smaller items. If you have space on the wall or the back of a door, a compartmentalized cloth shoe rack works well to store full seed packets, gardening stakes and twist ties, and smaller hand tools. Keep hoses and extension cords for power tools well coiled with Velcro straps.

At a certain age a potting station (which can be as simple as two sawhorses with a piece of wood or counter across them and a lattice against the wall) is the only civilized way to work on your planters and window boxes. It also provides storage underneath for soil, compost, and fertilizer. These large bags are best stored off the floor either in oversized plastic tubs or on a shelf. If you use chemicals in your garden, you might consider a locked box or high cabinet to ensure curious children can’t get at them.

Because soil is an integral part of the equation whenever you are talking gardening, your shed or garage gardening area is going to--you guessed it--attract dirt. Keep a small broom and dustpan on hand in this area to keep dust, dirt, and cobwebs at bay.

Any project you tackle, inside or out, is always easier when the required tools are organized, visible, and easy to access. It’s amazing how much easier it is to head out to the garden when you don’t have to spend fifteen minutes searching for those elusive clippers. Give your green zone the same love you show the inside of your house and get paid back every day with a healthy, thriving garden.

Happy Organizing!

Seasonal Closet Shuffle: Out with the Sweaters and Scarves, in with the Light and Bright

Daffodils. Crocuses. Poolside margaritas.

Okay, margs by the pool in mid-April are a stretch in most areas of the U.S. (yes, we woke to snow in Boulder this week), but weather with a hint of summer is definitely arriving and, with it, the potential to maximize your closet space. Rotating out woolly sweaters and bulky jackets that suck up precious closet real estate and re-stocking your space with breezy shirts, tees, tank tops, and flip-flops is one of early spring’s most gratifying rituals. I can taste the salt on the rim just thinking about it.

All clothing projects start with--gold star if you know the answer!--that ruthless purge I like to encourage at any opportunity. Go through clothes with a critical eye, discarding what no longer works or fits. Get rid of stuff you haven’t worn and fling out anything you’ve tried on several times but always end up taking off at the last second. Why is it that certain clothes are forever the ugly stepsisters who never make it to the ball? And, honestly, if they haven’t by now, will they ever actually get there?

Most of us organize into two seasons: spring/summer and fall/winter. The idea is to pack the old season away to make room for the new. If you have the space or prefer to keep all your clothing in your closet, you can still separate out by season and file the current season front and center and the other in the back.

Here’s how you do it.

First, make time. Pulling everything out of your closet, cleaning it, and then re-organizing it takes a few hours. I like to make sure I have a clear pathway to my closet from the folding and sorting area, otherwise known as my bed, so do a quick rearrange if need be to ensure that.

Before you begin you should know where and how you’re going to store clothing. Is it going to the basement on racks? Into storage containers on high shelves or under the bed? What do you need to make sure the task is as streamlined as possible? Gather boxes, garment bags, wooden hangers, large Ziplocs, or whatever supplies you require, and keep them close at hand.

As you begin, move methodically in one direction across your closet. Sort into piles: to be laundered, to be stored, to be given away, to be consigned (might as well make a little money if you can). Remember, you’re also purging while you’re doing this, so your donation bag should be getting a workout. When you finish, all that should remain are the crossover clothes that you may need for unpredictable weather; a few sweaters, a mid-weight jacket, a couple of long-sleeved tees, etc.

Do your drawers the same way--move in one direction across them, pulling out the old and useless, storing the clean, and dropping anything in the laundry basket that needs to be washed but will ultimately be stored. Keep like items together so that in six months when you’re doing the reverse, items will already be organized and easy to reinstate.

Making sure that everything you’re storing has been laundered or dry cleaned is critical--you want to avoid stains becoming permanent. If you’re using boxes, consider tossing in a dryer sheet or two for freshness. Depending on the climate where you live, you may need lavender or cedar balls to deter critters. You want to make sure you don’t hang sweaters or knitwear that can become misshapen over time; instead, arrange them in storage containers with the heaviest on the bottom and the lightest on the top. You can also store any items you buy on sale at the end of the season that you’ll discover as “new” when you’re reversing the process in six months.

As much as it’s tempting to just hang and rearrange the incoming clothes, take a few extra minutes to clean your closet, drawers, and shelves while empty. Bust out the hose attachment on your vacuum, and get those corners sparkling. Then, and only then, bring in your spring clothes to colorize and categorize.

Make sure you store things out of sunlight or away from any extreme temperature fluctuations: think clean, cool, dark, and dry. A guest-room closet is a good solution for off-season clothes that need hanging space as long as you don’t have to rearrange the closet to accommodate the guest. Zippered portable closets can be stored in the basement, or rolling racks with garment (or even garbage) bags work well.

A side benefit of a critical examination of your wardrobe like this is that fewer things to try on equals less time getting dressed. But the really satisfying part of a spring closet shuffle is to see your wardrobe ready for barbecues, picnics, and those poolside margaritas. Can someone pass the guacamole, please?

Happy Organizing!