When you open your closet door, are pants and shirts hanging every which way and shoes strewn about the floor? If you have no idea where to even start organizing your closet, you're not alone. A recent SpareFoot survey of 18 to 34-year-olds found that 18 percent of...
For many of us, our tool shed is a place that can get crowded and disorganized over time. Moving tools into a new tool shed is important in keeping things organized to save you time later on. Check out these tips for unpacking, and organizing, your tool shed when...
You love working from home. However, your workspace is proving less than ideal. Maybe you work at the kitchen or dining room table or find yourself ensconced on the couch. Then again, maybe your home office contains uncomfortable furnishings or a disturbing color...
Back in February, Richard Eisenberg wrote a piece for Next Avenue titled, "Sorry, Nobody Wants Your Parents’ Stuff." While the post generated a mix of passionate responses, the message behind the article was still sadly relatable; we end up with a lot of stuff from...
If you want to give your home an eco-friendly edge but don’t know where to start, look to your stuff. The quality and volume of the things you buy — and the ways in which you organize and store those items — can have as much of an impact on your carbon footprint as...
We get it. The impulse to bring every possible thing from your old home when moving can be very strong. But you would actually be doing yourself a disservice in the long run. After all, moving is one of the best opportunities for decluttering. And if you're already...
If you’ve got kids who play sports, then you probably have lots of balls, pads, helmets, uniforms and other equipment that needs to be organized and stored. While you want to make sure that the gear doesn’t take over your home, you also want to eliminate the stress of...
If you find yourself yearning for a smaller home to call yours, you’re not alone. According to a 2017 survey from real estate site Trulia, 60% of people living in homes of 2,000 square feet or more said they’d like to downsize. Michelle Hale, organizer and co-founder...
One of the keys to successfully working at home — aside from self-discipline and a strong Wi-Fi connection — is having a comfortable, convenient workspace. And no, the couch doesn’t count. Follow these six tips to create a home workspace that’ll make you happier and...
Every home has an equilibrium. It must be tended to. Fostered. Nurtured. Secured. Clutter, being vastly prominent in our overly-consumeristic and material-based society, is a threat to the healthy equilibrium of your home because it not only affects the home, but the...
There's nothing worse than moving into your new place only to find that your coffee table hogs the living room, the bed covers half a window, and your dining room table pokes into the pathway to the kitchen. "Many times we fall in love with a piece that just isn't...
After the movers drive away from your new home and you're perched on a pile of moving boxes, you'll face a tough decision: What should I unpack first? A recent SpareFoot survey asked people which rooms they'd unpack and set up first when moving to a new house or...
What better time than summer, when you're spending more hours in the fresh air, to take your outdoor living space to the next level? "Upgrading your backyard doesn't mean you have to break the bank on fancy furnishings or lavish greenery," notes Gordon Hitz, owner of...
Professional organizers routinely enter client homes where the job ahead is abundantly clear: Some are hopelessly cluttered, others chaotic, and a special few resemble a minefield more than a personal residence. But you want to know what really messes with an...
So you have a Keurig coffee maker and all those wonderful little K-Cups. Seemingly hundreds of those little K-Cups. It's great, all those different flavors to enjoy – but how do you store the things? And how long will they keep? There are “best by” dates on the sides...
If you cook at home, spending extra minutes hunting for the perfect spice when you need it can slow down your meal prep time. And seasonings stored in not-so-easy-to-find places might go months – or years – without getting used. “Spices are something that can sit a...
Meal prep doesn’t just help you save time and money — it can also lead to smarter, healthier eating habits. “If you have healthy foods at the ready, you’re more likely to opt for these over takeout or snacking through a meal,” says Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, and owner of Amy...
The must-have action figures. The stuffed animal you “won” at the fair (after spending $60 on tickets to “win” it!) Even the junk that came with their kids’ meal or birthday loot bag. Ask any kid which of their toys are special, and they are bound to say all of them....
When it comes to holding on to old clothing, the excuses are endless. What if you change sizes? What if a friend could use it sometime in the distant future? What if you need something to wear to paint your house in? What if you are invited to a costume party, and you...
It’s not unusual for professional organizers to hear from clients that they changed their lives. Sometimes it’s a small change, and other times, the sense of control that people get from reducing clutter and getting organized can inspire them to make bigger changes....
The prospect of moving is exciting for many. We love the idea of starting fresh and creating a new life for ourselves. However, the actual details surrounding a move can be daunting, and there is so much that’s beyond our control. And while many moves are by choice,...
As a professional organizer, clutter is the enemy I wrestle with on behalf of my clients each day. Fighting clutter is a priority for three main reasons: time, money, and stress. People in cluttered homes waste time looking for mundane items like keys, money, their...
It all started with that kitten you rescued five years ago. Later, you adopted a Great Dane. Then a stray cat appeared on your doorstep the same month you inherited your grandma’s Chihuahua. Now you’ve got a pack of animals to manage, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed....
From records to cassette tapes, VHS cassettes, CDs and laserdiscs, the history of media is rich with a variety of forms used to produce music and videos. And some of those early forms are actually increasing in popularity. In 2015, nearly 12 million vinyl albums were...
Think of how joyous it is to wander around the towel section of a department store -- all those jewel-toned towels stacked up, thick and inviting. Then, picture your linen closet. If it’s like most, it has become a jumble of mismatched sheets and fraying towels and a...
They’re often dirty, they’re all different sizes and you keep tripping over them. No, we’re not talking about your children – we’re talking about yard tools. And whether they’re piled in a messy corner of the garage, strewn across the back porch or stuffed in a shed,...
Maybe you hate tripping over LEGOs and “Frozen” dolls, you’re tired of picking up tiny clothes off the floor or you simply want to teach your kids good life skills. Whatever your reason, you can get your kids into decluttering. “It’s important to work with kids so...
Do you think a minimalist is someone who lives in a stark room with just a bowl, a spoon, a mattress and a folding chair? If so, you’ve got minimalism all wrong. The truth is, minimalism isn’t about living with nothing. It’s about living with only what you need, said...
Keeping your home organized often requires you to carry out dozens of small tasks on a daily basis. But instead of constantly racking your brain to remember all these tasks, you should take advantage of apps that provide systems, steps and reminders to keep you on...
It doesn’t take much for a small space like a bedroom to feel cramped. To avoid the tendency of clutter buildup, “keep items to a minimum,” suggested Debra McCann, CEO of Delaware-based Organizing Outside the Box. Here, experts weigh in with strategies to clear out...
Drummer Patrick Drohan and his four mates that make up a fast-rising Southern rock band liked honing their skills in a 10x15 storage unit in Columbia, SC so much, that they named their band after the street where they jammed: Atlas Road Crew. “It was an awesome...
Few things in life are better than a well organized closet. Not only does it streamline the morning routine, but it also enables some independence in your child or toddler. That's why kids' closet organization is so important. And so, this guide will provide several...
A cluttered garage isn’t just an eyesore. It also can be dangerous. From 2009 through 2011, an estimated 6,600 fires broke out annually in garages attached to single-family homes and other residential structures, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Those fires...
Let’s face it: We live in a packrat nation. According to a study by market research firm NPD Group, the average American home contains $7,000 worth of unused items. Multiply that by a storage unit or two, and you could be sitting on a first car for your teenager, a...
Utilitarian spaces like laundry rooms and mudrooms rarely receive the attention they deserve, which is unfortunate when you consider how often they’re used. A thoughtfully planned utility room can be a complete housekeeping area that simplifies your household tasks....
Here’s a startling statistic: The U.S. has an estimated 40 million clutterers, according to Beverly Keyes Taylor, author of “Clutter to Clarity: The Easy Key to Organizing.” Can’t wrap your brain around that figure? Then consider this: That’s about the same number of...
[ by Nannette Richford, Next Door Storage ] Attics are notorious for being cluttered with half-filled boxes and piles of unused items that are simply too good to throw away, but still get in the way. Sometimes this includes family heirlooms or old documents that,...
There are a lot of reasons a bike gets put away for months or years--off-seasons, injuries, spare bikes that go unused. And whether you’re throwing the bike in a shed, garage, storage unit or spare bedroom, there’s a right way and a wrong way to store a bike. Ralph...
Buying a new home is daunting enough as it is, what with securing a mortgage, vacating your old place and moving your belongings. So it’s understandable if organizing your new home isn’t on the top of your mind. Yet experts say it’s the perfect time to organize—when...
While getting organized is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions, many people stop short of putting their self-storage units in order. Often people will find it easier to just go buy a new seasonal wreath for their front door and a few hats and mittens for...
When it comes to dress wear, we men seem to be starved of options. While women have an ostensibly infinite variety of dresses and gowns available for formal occasions, men have the suit. With such a constrained closet, how does a man express himself and differentiate...
How many belongings do you have? Do you know? Think about every piece of furniture, every book, shoe, dish and MP3 player. Now, ask yourself this: How much money are all of those belongings worth? What would it cost you to replace everything you own? A home inventory,...
It’s officially the new year, which means that you need to start following through on your resolutions. Why not start by finally organizing and optimizing your workspace? The condition of your workstation can have a huge impact on quality and productivity. The...