Inspiration for your closet

I regularly read other blogs about organizing and sometimes I get so inspired I just have to share. This tip from "The Organizing Junkie" is fantastic. She just did a major purge of her clothing as she switched from winter to summer and now I can't wait to tackle my own closet...again! I purge several times a year based on space issues and seasonal changes, but I like her statement that just because you have space doesn't mean you should fill it. If you haven't worn something in a year, consider parting with it -- donate to Goodwill or sell it at a consignment shop. (For my Portland peeps, a friend of mine owns a consignment shop you should check out sometime, for clothing, household items, furniture, etc. -- Reviva!)

With the money you make selling your clothes you rarely or never wear, you can purchase items you really love and fit you right! :) Any excuse to go shopping...

Happy purging,
-amy

A few short hours

We all have them. The project that needs to be tackled, but is so large (at least, in your head it is!) that you can't bring yourself to start!.I have several of them right now in fact - a basement utility room overflowing with holiday stuff and recently acquired items from my dearly departed grandma; my office that appears to be exploding with school-related stuff. And in these situations I have to remind myself to START SMALL.

It's amazing how much you can accomplish in just a few short hours. And often by chipping away at a project, you do a better job because you don't wear yourself out.





Here's an example of an office/closet area that got out of control for a friend/client of mine. She was overwhelmed, so I came over one afternoon and we tackled it together, in a matter of 3 hours. We made a goal of just getting everything sorted into "like with like" piles. By the time the trash and donate piles were removed, we were both amazed at how much extra space there was! We used the bins and boxes she already had to get things in better order for the time being. And at her own pace, at later dates, she sorted through boxes we'd labeled, "Photos for sorting later," "Toys for my niece," "Old computer software," etc.

So remember, sometimes a few short hours can make all the difference. Don't be afraid to tackle a project in stages. Better that then not at all!

Happy sorting,
-amy

Great Tip for Stacking Linens, Sweaters, etc.

From Complete Organizing Solutions earlier this week - another tip from a Professional Organizer's home on keeping linens and sweaters stacked neatly (I'm sure you've experienced the leaning tower of towels before, as it comes crashing down as you open the closet! Well this tip will stop that from happening. While it might not hurt to have towels fall on you, it's annoying because it makes a mess and often times other household members don't have the patience to refold everything nicely...)



Happy Organizing!
-amy

Wonder Hanger is Pretty Wonderful

Last night while shopping with my husband, I was compelled to buy the "Wonder Hanger" in the As See On TV section. I decided it would make for a fun experiment I could do in my own home and blog about (I've been curious since I first saw the commercial!), while qualifying as a business expense. Win-win :)

It cost just under $10 for 8 hangers you get to assemble (which was harder than I'd anticipated, but nothing difficult). They are made of very sturdy plastic, and once put together, they do not come back apart.

After I assembled the hangers, I tried them out in several closets and am pretty darn happy with the results. They made so much extra room in our coat closet (see pictures below) and the closet in my husband's office! I'm excited that we actually have room for guests to hang their coats now - just in time for the holiday season. The Wonder Hanger would also be useful in a guest bedroom or seasonal clothes closet. They are surprisingly strong - I have one holding up 5 winter and leather coats and it's handling it just fine.

However, I couldn't use them in half of our master closet because of the height of the bars - it makes things hang much lower than a standard hanger, so I ended up with dress shirts resting on the bar below and getting in the way. Another downside is that you need enough room to move both hooks onto the bar in order to remove an item from the hanger; so it's not advised to cram a small closet full of these or you'll run out of room to actually get things out!

Overall, I recommend the Wonder Hanger - a quick and easy fix to make closets less cluttered and more usable. I am especially thrilled with the results in our coat closet (Left: all coats hanging across, Right: Wonder Hangers activate!) .

Happy organizing,
-amy

Checking out the National Assoc. of Pro. Organizers

Last week I attended a meeting for the Oregon chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Of course organizers would have an organization that has the very organized meetings! The meeting was held at Closets To Go in Tigard, which has a stunning showroom of closets, pantries, and garage organizing systems that are as stylish as they are functional. We got a full tour, including the manufacturing facility. If you're in the market to do a full make-over on your closet or pantry, this is the place to go for ideas. "Wow" was the most common word said that evening!

Closets To Go shared some stats from a recent customer survey they did (they do a large % of business online, plus local Oregon customers) which I found interesting - and encouraging. About 5 years ago when they conducted the same survey, most participants responded they were planning to live in their home for 3-5 years. This time around, people responded with "10+ years" - which means many of us are trying to make our current space work for much longer. And the key to that will be multi-functional spaces and organization! I'm hoping that means "job security" for me and the other organizers out there (which yes, even in this economy, most organizers are still doing quite well!).

Even though it's expensive compared to other groups out there, I'm most likely joining NAPO for the education and networking opportunities; plus, as I learned last week, it's a great group of people! What fun to be in a room of people that all get excited about drawer organizers, wall-beds, and recycling centers built into pantries - it's nice to know I'm not the only one :-)

Thanks for reading,
-amy

Closet Mini-Make-Over

Earlier this week, WSJ online did a short article on Veronica Webb's organized closet. I was in awe! Not only at the organization, but the sheer amount of clothing and shoes she has. The life of a model! At least she's making me look better :)

And how's this for coincidental timing? Just last week I did a mini-make-over on my own closet (shared with the hubby) and finally removed all of the sweaters so it's not so crowded. The sweaters will make a reappearance come Fall; and the shorts will then go into storage (a large, clear bin that lives in the basement laundry room). My main goal was to group things together better -- by style and how often worn. It's so much easier to find things now, and I only spent 2 hours!

I'm pretty happy with it, but am looking for better solutions for belts and pants. Think I may have to break down and purchase some nice pants hangers rather than trying to make do with what I already have. Any suggestions for good belt systems? I hate having to take them all off to get at the one farthest in...

Another goal was to remove all the wire hangers from the closet, which I've successfully done, but am now stuck with a rather large pile of them. Apparently hangers are not welcome in the trash or recycling in my town (they wreak havoc on the sorting machines), so I've been trying to find other options. Three ideas I've come across so far:
- return them to your dry cleaners for reuse or proper recycling
- take them to a metal recycling center (and they'll pay you!)
- use them in craft projects

Have a closet you're afraid to tackle on your own? Try doing it in parts, rather than overwhelming yourself in the first try. For example, just sort through all of your dress clothes one evening. And keep reminding yourself that not only are you making more room and making things easier to find, but you can sell or donate anything you get rid of to help your bottom line!

Happy organizing,
-amy

Quick Tip for Closets

I am currently reading an informative book on starting my own Professional Organizing business by Dawn Noble, aptly titled, "How to Start a Home-Based Professional Organizing Business." In it she not only shares tips and insights for running a business, but also shares some of her organizing ideas and solutions.

One tip that really stood out for me is a simple solution for your closet and the clutter of empty hangers. Keep a basket in your closet and each time you take something off of the hanger, put the hanger in the basket. Then, when it comes time to do laundry, take the basket to the laundry room/area and immediately hang clothes up as they come out of the dryer or have been ironed. That way you keep the empty hangers out of the way and it's easier to carry your freshly cleaned and ironed clothes back to the closet.

Happy De-Cluttering!
-amy