10 Tips to Reduce Clutter - Thoughts by Sam

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10 Tips to Reduce Clutter - Thoughts by Sam

Creating a space of calm for you and/or your family allows us to be much more present and spend time doing what we love. Here are my top 10 tips for reducing clutter and bringing that peace of mind:

✅ Make your bed daily. Completing one task makes completing more likely.

✅ Keep flat surfaces clear. Our brain likes a tidy space.

✅ Look for duplicates. Do you really use all those pots & pans, makeup accessories, or leggings (okay, this one, I get!)

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Marrying Two Households – “Do you stuff take me stuff”

/ Org & Relo/
Marrying Two Households – “Do you stuff take me stuff”

Recently we just did a full house, many room, closet by closet organization for a couple who although were married 2 years ago, just recently decided they needed to purge items that were overwhelming them as a couple, because their “stuff” came with them when they married.

Marrying Two Households – “Do you stuff take me stuff”

As the average age of individuals getting married increases, the reality of each person coming into the marriage with their own household full of contents is very real. AND that is on top of all the new items acquired through showers and wedding presents!!

So let the decluttering and elimination begin!

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Spring Organizing Made Easy

/ Organization & Relocation/
Spring Organizing Made Easy

  1. MAKE A PLAN
    Choose one room at a time.  Prioritize what area is the most important or require attention first.  “Without clarity of a plan or a goal, there is a tendency to be overwhelmed with the task of organizing,”

  2. LESS REALLY IS MORE
    In order to organize you need space and that usually requires reducing, or "purging" what you already have.  But it need not be a negative process!  Set up bins so that sorting is easy, or hire Org & Relo where we can walk you through the process and dispose of items you no longer need. 

  3. SETTING UP SYSTEMS
    You may want to start with small spaces first and build confidence.  Try and keep yourself from being distracted and emotional about the task ahead.  Org & Relo offers services that can help you ease the burden and stress of any space large or small.

RELOCATION TIP:
It is important to use the correct box based on weight and size of the item.

  • Small book boxes – ideal for books, small heavy items, pantry.

  • Medium boxes – ideal for folded clothes, shoes, kitchen items that are not dishes.

  • Large boxes – ideal for bedding, large bulky items that are not too heavy.

Are you planning a move this year? Contact us today to get on our schedule! The best moving companies book out 2-3 months in advance, don't wait until 2 weeks before!

Written by: Corinne O’Doherty

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Project Recap: Getting Organized After the Death of a Loved One

/ Organization & Relocation/
Project Recap: Getting Organized After the Death of a Loved One

We recently worked with a widow whose husband had died 3 years ago and she is putting her house, which she has lived in for over 30 years on the market.  The basement and garage were full of her husband’s old hobby equipment. To her and her grown children is was a mountain of “junk , a hurdle, a burden, an obstacle preventing her to move on with her life. 

When she first spoke with Org & Relo, she just wanted everything “gone”.  On closer analysis however, we were able to identify items of not only financial value but personal value to her and her family.  With a team of four organizers we were able to sort items for resell and donation, cutting down on the amount that would be removed for trash.  Saving her not only the cost of disposal but also making her money with the reselling of her husband’s tools and ham/short wave radios. 

All those cost savings pale in comparison however to the true treasure on of our organizers found when culling through her husband’s old text books; a manuscript he wrote about his experiences during the Korean War.  Priceless.  Now that her basement and garage are empty of the mountains of old books and unused electrical equipment, our client can move forward with the next phase of her life with her children and grandchildren AND have important mementos that honor her late husband which she can share and pass on.

 

Written by: Corinne O'Doherty, Project Manager

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The Professional Organizers Guide to Clothing Consignment & Resale

/ Organization & Relocation/
The Professional Organizers Guide to Clothing Consignment & Resale

Sometimes I will have a client that is purging clothing and some pieces are too nice to just donate. If the client is amenable to me handling the resale of these items there are a few things I consider before taking them to consignment.  The first is checking the items for any holes, snags, or stains. Then I consider the brand, most high end consignments won’t take mass produced brands.  They are looking for the luxury brands or unique one off brands.  Another thing I consider is season. Most consignments only take clothes seasonally. I like to create separate piles of fall/winter and spring/summer items to consign at the appropriate season. Another option is selling them through an app like Poshmark, but keep in mind this is a time consuming task that requires photographing each piece, posting it then you have to send it to buyer. It can make more money, but how much is it worth your time?  

I like to give my client all of these options and am always happy to accommodate their needs.

 

Written by: Leslie Dietrich, Project Manager

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Holiday Organizing - and Some Old World Memories

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Holiday Organizing - and Some Old World Memories

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

Christmas always takes me back to warm memories of my mother’s nanny, Molly. My grandmother died in 1948 and Molly came over from Denmark to LA to look after my mom and her two siblings. She was a true mother to those kids and a grandmother to me. She loved Christmas, and every year she covered coffee tins with contact paper and filled them with her famous Danish currant cookies to give as gifts. My mouth waters just remembering their buttery texture. But what really makes me think of Molly is when I take out my Christmas boxes and carefully unpack the handmade yarn Santas she gave to my mother before she died. These Old World Danish decorations bring the holiday spirit into my home like nothing else I own.

While I was decorating and remembering Molly this past week, I started thinking about holiday organizing and how beneficial a good system is. Let’s face it: by the end of the season we all feel the temptation to simply stuff everything in boxes as quickly as possible and get them out of sight for another year. But there are other ways to do this that lessen stress, free up time, and create some welcome ease. It just takes a little planning. Next year, when the season rolls around again, I’m always glad I did it.

I thought I’d share some tips and tricks that make my holidays a breeze:

  • The Container Store sells affordable, see-through boxes in different sizes that will accommodate small items like table decorations and ornaments or larger items like wrapping paper and garlands (or to save money, you can hang on to segmented wine boxes and cardboard egg cartons to store ornaments and breakable items)

  • Label all boxes in full capital letters for easy readability (I use a label maker but you can also print them or neatly hand-write them)

  • Designate “open first” boxes to streamline your decorating

  • If it’s broken, if you hate it, or if you never use it, give it away or properly dispose of it

  • Test light strings before putting them away to make sure you’re ready to go next year

  • Wind light strings around cardboard and stack them in a bin to save you from detangling a mess next year

  • Keep a stash of “neutral gifts” already wrapped to give to guests who show up with an unexpected gift for you; olive oil, chocolate, wine or candles

  • Keep a list for next year of items you know you’ll need, or shop the after-Christmas sales to get inexpensive lights and decorations to pack away 

When it comes to anything in my home, seasonal or otherwise, my philosophy is pretty simple. I ask myself: Do I use it, do I love it, do I appreciate it? Any item I have must clear at least one of these hurdles. It seems to me that the holidays are an especially good time to ask myself these questions as I get out things I don’t see that often.

You’ll be happy to know that Molly’s Santas received my highest rating--a thumbs-up in each category. They’re staying.

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

Written by: Sheryl Hadley, President & Founder

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In Death Do We Organize

/ Organization & Relocation/
In Death Do We Organize

There are times when our organizational work requires an added element of care, especially when a family member has passed. Recently, this happened to me.

My father, Peter, passed at at 90 years young, seven years after my Mom. He had a good run and died as they say, with his boots on.  My sister, Janet, still living in the house was  paralyzed on how to move forward through all of Dads stuff. Though I consider myself a professional organizer, it hit differently in my own circumstance, my own family.


But, I put my Org & Relo hat on and dug in. It was truly a moving and therapeutic experience.
We all grieve differently, however I decided that being in action was needed for my healing. I guided my sister  through each room, drawer, closet and corner of the house. We sorted, purged, categorized and put aside Dad’s gems for family members to keep and cherish. It’s so much easier with someone who knows what they are doing by your side! We got through this process together and she is so grateful. In fact, the entire family is because no one else was able either by distance or health issues. 


As a Organization and Relocation Project Manager, please allow me to be by your side not only during difficult but any huge transitional times. I and our team will help you move forward too.

Written by: JD Farley, Project Manager, Professional Organizer

 

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Transforming your Junk Drawer into a Junk Door

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Transforming your Junk Drawer into a Junk Door

One of the ways I like to control the junk drawer dilemma is by creating a junk door. On the door of our pantry I have taken a clear over the door shoe hanger and filled the LABELED pockets with various items such as tape measures, chip clips, small tools, string, tape, flashlights, and anything else that one needs quickly to complete a task.  It is very important that the pockets are labeled otherwise it becomes a free for all when items are being put back.  Our family really likes the junk door because they never have to hunt down random items.

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The Not So EMPTY Empty Nest

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One of the issues that comes up with the empty nest situation is what to do with the belongings of a child who is slightly nomadic but still needs a home base to store things. I have two at the moment and I have come up with a pretty good system to keep things orderly and accessible.

The first thing I do is wrangle them to spend at least half a day with me systematically going through their items and sorting into piles of keep, donate, and archive. I like to use The Container Store’s Deep Sweater box for clothing and larger items, and their regular Sweater Box for smaller things. Labeling with a label maker is essential to the process which makes it much easier to locate specific items. We then put the bins in a closet of their designated room, and then archival items we place in our storage room. It goes without saying that this process requires occasional editing and more purging.

We have found that this process makes it easy for them to either call me from the road and send them certain items, or when they do return they have a much easier time finding that flannel shirt they love.

Written By: Leslie Dietrich, Project Manager, Professional Organizer