L is for Label: Loving your Label Maker

L is for Label     

Are you addicted to your label maker?   Do you even have a label maker?  If you do not have one, you are missing out on the glory!

For a professional organizer, a label maker is an essential “must have”, “cannot live without” tool.  Quite frankly, it is an addiction for most of us. a crazy love for a tool that makes us jump for joy to see a fully label storage system.

Did I mention my label maker is pink?  Love it!!!

So what does one do with a label maker?

Well...you could:

Label your shelves in the kitchen cabinets so the family can all put the dishes and utensils away in the correct places.  Making it easy for everyone to participate in the household chores and maintenance is one of the keys to a well organized home and frees up your time

Label your refrigerator (my friends mock me regularly for this one).   Indicate where you would like the milk, eggs, condiments, and left overs stored.   By labeling the fridge, you ensure time is not wasted looking for items and those lost leftover science experiments are less likely to occur.   Another bonus, making a grocery list is a breeze because you will know exactly what you have on hand with a quick glance.

Label your pantry.   Create a section for each food type: soups, crackers. canned tomatoes, canned vegetables, pasta, etc...  Just has having the fridge well organized, having the pantry in order will also allow for quick decisions when it comes to menu planning and making a grocery list.

Label your linen closet shelves to make put away a quick and efficient.   Family members can find what they need without ripping the shelves apart and you can get assistance with putting laundry away because they will all know where to put the items.

Label the inside of your dresser drawers, especially the ones in the kids rooms so they can be self-reliant and put away their items when clean as well as get themselves dressed in the mornings.

Label your storage bins so you know what is inside and do not have to open each one.

Basically, if you are storing something, you can label it!

Contact us today to get your closets and storage systems in order.  

www.adventuresinorganizing.ca

Organizing By The Letter: H is for Hangers

Well, it has been 3 days since our 12 hour Organizing Extravaganza on Facebook and I believe I have recovered.   Who knew it would be so exhausting spending 12 hours:

·         sitting at the computer,

·         posting events every 15 minutes,

·         and responding to emails?

With that event tucked away now, it is onto other projects and events as well as continuing the blog posts for the Organizing Alphabet.  The last post was back in July and we finished with “G” is for Groceries, so it is definitely time to complete this mission.

H is for Hangers

This week,  I am going to get my “crazy on” and pull a Joan Crawford and do the “No Wire Hangers – Ever” routine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOILKHmZBwc

Why the world-wide persecution of the wire hanger you ask?   Well I am so glad you did.

Wire hangers are:

1.       not strong enough to support anything heavy (like coats and sweaters),

2.        they can rust, leaving marks on your clothes,

3.       they get tangled together in the closet,

4.        they are too thin and can ruin your clothes by poking through fine fabrics

5.       they leave marks in the shoulder areas of your clothing making it look like you have miniature horns protruding – not a good look for most,

6.       and, they leave a sharp sideways crease on pants requiring extra ironing to get rid of (and none of us wants to do extra ironing.)

So what to do with all those wire hangers?    Return them to the dry cleaners – most are happy to take them back

No that the wire hangers are gone, what on earth are you going to hang all your clothes up with?

Again, I am so glad you asked!  Here are a few options that are kinder to your clothing.  

These hangers are big space savers &  have a coating to stop clothing from slipping off the hanger.   

There are additions that can be purchased for many of these thinner hangers to ensure they do not crease pants and the shoulder additions ensure that there is no dimpling of fine clothing

This hanger is sturdy, has grooves to keep dresses with straps from falling off and a strong middle bar for pants and skirts.   Personally, I prefer this type of hanger as opposed to the space savers above.   I find these are easier on the clothes.

What else is happening at Adventures In Organizing?

·         Our Facebook page has Mini Challenges called “Take 5” that are posted Monday-Friday as well as other organizing tip and treats.  Come visit, "Like" our page, and join in on the fun

·         Our monthly newsletter launched at the beginning of November.   Sign up is free so please visit our website and sign up to receive the December issue.  We are going to have an “Ask The Organizer” section in upcoming issues – to ask a question, simply email us and put “Ask The Organizer” in the subject line

·         We have created a brand new “virtual organizing” program called Minute By Minute Organizing to provide you with one-on-one organizing assistance for just $5.00 per week.   Check out our website to learn more.   We would love to assist you get your homes and life in order and this program is designed to fit any budget.

12 Hour Free Facebook Organizing Event

We are hoping to hit the 1,000 mark on our Facebook Page for this event.  The challenges have been written, the giveaways purchased, and the fun will continue to grow as we organize the big day. 

Hope you can join in and bring all your friends along.   

The Organizing Olympics, Day 15: The Closet Crawl

Day 15 The Closet Crawl  

This event is an individual or a team sport depending upon whose closet you are taking on in your competition.    

For this event you will need:

1. A good supply of hangers.   I prefer wooden hangers with a bar across the bottom (good for both pants and tops) I also like it when the hanger has grooves in the top to help stop camisoles and tanks from slipping off the hanger.   I find having one uniform hanger in the cupboard creates a visual sense of order.
2. Your Timer
3. Donation Bag or Box
4. Repair Bag or Box

The rules of this Crawl Event are as follows:

Keep “like” items together

Donate any items that you have not worn in the past year
Determine how many of each item you need?  White blouses, Black Slacks
Does it fit?

Do you like it?

Will you wear it this year?

Does it need repair before you will wear it?   Put it in a bag to go the tailors for repair.

Set your timer for 15 minutes and begin removing items from the closet.   Use the bed as your sorting zone.  Work one section of the closet at a time and sort into categories as you go.  Once everything has been sorted into categories, follow the rules above and make decisions.

If this is your closet, try on anything you are not sure about but keep focused on the task. 

If it is your child’s closet, have them try on clothes as you go.  

Anything that does not fit, put directly into a donate bag.

Take a break if needed and then set your timer for another 15 minutes.

Here is a link to a great folding video on YouTube    It will help you maximize the space in your closet and allow you to see what you own in an organized and unified manner.

Remember to use your timer to ensure you take a break and to keep yourself focused and moving.

You cross the finish line when the donate bag and items to repair bags and been put in the trunk and get your medal when it is dropped off at Salvation Army/Goodwill or the tailors for repair.

If you would like some one-on-one organizing assistance, our Minute-By-Minute Organizing Program may be for you!

The Organizing Olympics, Day 14: Dresser Drawer Diving

Day 14 Dresser Drawer Diving  

This event is an individual or a team sport depending upon whose dresser drawers you are taking on in your competition.   

The rules of this Diving Event are as follows:

Keep “like” items together

Donate any items that you have not used in the past year
Determine how many of each item you need?  Jeans, T-shirts, Socks?
Does it fit?

Will you wear it this year?

Set your timer for 15 minutes and begin removing items from the dresser drawers.   Use the bed as your sorting zone.  Work one drawer at a time and sort into categories as you go.  Once everything has been sorted into categories, follow the rules above and make decisions.

If this is your dresser, try on anything you are not sure about but keep focused on the task. 

If it is your child’s room, have them try on clothes as you go.  

Anything that does not fit, put directly into a donate bag.

Take a break if needed and then set your timer for another 15 minutes.

Here is a link to a great folding video on YouTube.   It will help you maximize the space in your drawers and allow you to see everything that is in the drawer in one quick glance

Remember to use your timer to ensure you take a break and to keep yourself focused and moving.

You cross the finish line when the donate bag and been put in the trunk and get your medal when it is dropped off at Salvation Army or Goodwill.

To learn more about organizing and the services we offer at Adventures in Organizing, please visit our website

The Organizing Olympics, Day 4: Hat Hoops

Love this pic from wtfeck.com ~ too funny!

Today's event will be.....HAT HOOPS.


Just like basketball, this will be a team event.    Get the entire family involved because they will need to make some decisions about what they still like, what they still wear, and what they can let go of.

The event involves...     

Gathering all of your hats, toques, ball caps, cowboy hats – basically anything that will sit on your head -  into one location.

What is your strategy to win at this game? 

Sort all the hats into categories.   Same type with same type…all the ball caps together, all the winter hats together.   Get everyone to look at their head wear and make decisions about what to keep following the same “rules” of the game we did yesterday.

1. Keep what you love, wear and have space to store
2. Toss what is no longer in good condition and beyond repair
3. Repair items you love but need a little rehab
4. Donate items that are in good condition and you could bless others with
5. Store items that are off season in a location that will keep them clean and protected until needed

If you have tons of hats, you may need to use a timer to take regular breaks.   Keep in mind, as with any athletic event, time matters so make your decisions quickly and spring into action.  You are heading for a gold medal....GO!!!

• Keep

• Toss

• Repair

• Donate

• Store

I would suggest you store winter hats all together in a clear bin with a lid.   Clear so you can see what is inside – with a lid to keep items clean off-season.  The lid is also a good indicator of when you need to clear your hats out in the future.   If the lid is hard to get back on, it is definitely time to clear some more out.   Do the same with summer hats and label each bin by season. Off season hats can be stored in the front closet if there is enough space, or in another part of the house if storage is at a premium.

Hatboxes protect more expensive hats that are worn less often.   Label the boxes so you know what is inside.

Ball Caps can get a little out of control and you might need to get a little more creative – they can be washed in the dishwasher (top rack) and if you cannot store them in a bin, try searching on line for Ball Cap Storage Solutions.    Here is a link to one option found at WalMart 

For more free tips, ideas and organizing solutions, visit us on Facebook