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Tip Tuesday: 5 Favorite Spring Cleaning Products

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Spring — No Comments ↓

Spring cleaning products

March is the gateway to warmer months, and also ushers in one of my favorite seasons – spring! When you think of spring, your mind can go many different directions – flowers, baseball, daylight savings, sunshine and, you guessed it, cleaning!

During the winter months a home can develop a layer of dirt and dust. The windows are closed. Sand and salt are tracked in from the snowy streets. The air can be stale. Enter spring, a time to pop open the windows, and elevate the home to a fresh, clean and organized status.

Last year I shared my favorite products to help with your spring organizing. This year I’m focusing on the must-have products to help you clean. Below is my list of spring cleaning essentials.

  1. Long, slim duster – There are many tight spaces in a home, and this handy contraption will ensure you’re able to get under your appliances and furniture, as well as reach behind your refrigerator.
  1. Rubber gloves – Don’t start a cleaning project without these! Rubber gloves will help keep your manicure perfect and keep your hands out of dirty water.
  1. Microfiber mitt – Did I mention dust? In addition to the long duster, the microfiber mitt will allow you to get into the crevices that you might have missed during the first round of dusting.
  1. White vinegar – White vinegar is a natural cleaning agent. Use this liquid mixed with water or straight out of the bottle. White vinegar can eliminate a majority of your cleaning products as it acts as a deodorizer, brightener, and all-purpose cleaner.
  1. Sponges – Yes, these are great for cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, but they are also useful to help remove hair from upholstery. Before you use them, cut them in half to save money. Sometimes a full sponge can be too much to get into crevices and grooves.

It can be hard to make time to deep clean and organize a home. Remember to schedule time to take on this project. It’s okay if you can only devote time to tackling a room a day. Set realistic expectations for yourself, and you’ll find these projects are easier to manage.

Photo: Real Simple / Sang An

Do or Don’t: Junk Drawer

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Kitchen, Mudroom — No Comments ↓

junk drawer organizing

There’s a guilty pleasure lurking in every home across the country. It’s something

most people don’t talk about, and most can’t live without. You know what? This

guilty pleasure is okay in my book. I’m talking about the good ol’ junk drawer.

 

How many of you have a junk drawer? Fess up. I believe that there is no crime in

having a junk drawer in either your kitchen or mudroom – or any other room –

located on the main floor of your home. I do, however, believe that it should NOT

be a dumping ground for items you simply want to shove in a drawer and forget.

 

Junk drawers that function well are, of course, organized, and members of the

family understand what belongs inside. Getting it organized is very simple.

 

Step 1: Empty out the drawer and place items on a clear countertop. Throw away

any obvious items that you simply don’t need. A great example of these are the

to-go chopsticks or packets of condiments from ordering food.

 

Step 2: Next, go through the remaining items to decide if there is another spot in

the house where the item belongs. Think hair accessories, tools like

screwdrivers, and batteries.

 

Step 3: Group the items in a pile based on the room they should be stored in.

When you are done getting the junk drawer organized, you can then distribute

these items to their proper homes.

 

Step 4: Finally, the remaining items are items that do belong in the junk drawer.

Below is a short list of things that you should store in the junk drawer:

-Spare keys

-Rubber bands

-Notepaper

-Pens

-Calculator

-Scissors

 

Group like items together and use a drawer organizer to help keep the items

separated and from sliding around. Once you’re done organizing, it’s going to

feel incredible. Regular weeding out will keep it remain orderly.

 

It may be called a junk drawer, but it doesn’t need to look that way!

Image: The Kitchn

 

PURGE! How to Organize and Purge Keepsakes

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Family — No Comments ↓

Organize and Purge Keepsakes

Many of us have been collecting keepsake boxes since childhood. Think boxes filled with memories from exes, and even high school yearbooks. After we close the lid of these boxes, these keepsakes find their way to your basement, attic, or garage. Can you relate?

If you had a flood, fire, or other event at your house, these treasured items would be destroyed. Would that make you extremely sad and upset? Having too many nooks and crannies with keepsakes can make it harder to know what to grab if you had to evacuate your home. It’s time to get this part of your life in order! Here are some keepsake organization tips to help you begin paring down your treasured items.

  1. Set aside time to go through the items. This is always the hardest part. It might take longer than you think if you are finding items that bring up memories of loved ones. If you aren’t sure whether you are ready to part with the item, create a temporary storage box to revisit after you have gone through everything. Some items will be a no-brainer, but with others, it might be harder to make a decision. By creating a temporary box, you can move forward in the process.
  1. Consolidate your keepsakes. Pare down your keepsakes to fit in one box or storage container that you could quickly grab if you had to evacuate your home. You will need to prioritize what keepsakes go in the box. If you need to keep others, put them in one location, labeled so you and others can easily find them. Also, think about scanning in or photocopying photos or other documents so that you have digital copies. This will ensure you have a backup in case the worst-case scenario happens.
  1. Revisit the temporary box. Examine the contents in your temporary box, and determine if it’s easier to purge any of these items. Make sure that you’re removing any duplicate or similar items. While these items are meaningful, knowing you have these memory tucked away elsewhere will make it easier to let go.

As we continue through these winter months when we’re cozied up at home, take some time to go through these boxes. It can be fun to sit in front of the fire, drink some hot cocoa, and go down memory lane. Remember, keepsakes are wonderful to have, but you don’t need the actual item to have the memory.

Photo: Sarah Jayne Photography

 

Happy Valentine’s Day! 5 Quotes about Self Love

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Holidays, Quotes — No Comments ↓

Happy Valentine's Day

Showing love to yourself is just as important – if not more important – as loving one another. Today is Valentine’s Day, and while I hope you all have someone to spend this day with, be sure to take some time to LOVE YOURSELF. As they say when you’re on an airplane, make sure to put on your air mask first, before helping others! Below are five self-love quotes, and my thoughts behind each of them:

  1. “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

What an important message. As a professional organizer, I walk the fine line between therapy and physical order. Sometimes there are deeper psychological issues rooted in someone’s clutter, and while I’m not a psychologist, self-love is always an important starting point to physically and emotionally clearing the clutter.

  1. “Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.” – Veronica A. Shoffstall

I love this quote! This point hammers home the fact that self-love is a daily practice. Like a garden, your soul needs frequent watering and care. There’s no need to wait until Valentine’s Day to feel loved!

  1. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

Staying true to yourself is a daily practice, and ultimately the days add up to create a canvas of your life. As you organize your time, make time for yourself in your planner! Time is truly limited, and hopefully, the lifetime canvas you create reflects your true identity!

  1. “Love yourself unconditionally, just as you love those closest to you despite their faults.” – Les Brown

We all have faults. Faults make us who we are, and help us grow. A big part of self-love is being self-aware. If there is a fault in your life you’d like to work on, create goals to work on that fault. Monthly or annual goals can help you overcome these faults!

  1. “If we really love ourselves, everything in our life works.” – Louise L. Hay

I’m going to let this quote speak for itself. Happy Valentine’s Day, folks!

Photo: Quinn Dombrowski, Flickr

Tip Tuesday: 5 Pet Organization Tips

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Pets — No Comments ↓

Pet Organizing

Pets are very much a part of the family. Anyone who has a dog, cat, or even a hamster, knows this to be true. I’ve written about how to organize your kids’ belongings – but what about the other furry family members? Yes, Fido and Kitty seem to accumulate stuff just as quickly as our children. And let’s face it; they’ll never be old enough to pick up after themselves. In order to keep your pets’ items organized; follow these easy pet organization tips to help contain their clutter.

  1. Designate a Basket for Toys – Stuffed animals, tennis balls and rubber kongs. So many toys! After your pets are done playing with these fun toys, put them away in a designated basket. Just like your children’s toys, Fido and Kitty need to also have a dedicated place to keep their toys. If you have more than one level to your home, keep a container on each.
  1. Keep the Food in One Place – It’s easy to get carried away purchasing food and treats for your furry friends. To avoid over-purchasing; keep all their food and treats in one spot. You will be able to keep track of what you need to buy if the food is all together. Depending on your storage space, it may also help to keep any treats and dry food in clear containers so you can see how much is available.
  1. Get a Hold of Your Leashes – If you’ve misplaced your pooch’s leash before, it’s time to get organized! Create a space for your pets’ leashes near the door where you exit regularly. This can be a hook or a small basket. Make sure to go through these items regularly and discard collars that are too small and leashes that are worn out.
  1. Get Their Medication in Order – Place your pets’ medication in a clear storage container. Like your own mediation, go through it to make sure the medication hasn’t expired. You can keep the medication in the cabinet alongside their food. Additionally, you can also store their medication with your own medication as long as each bottle is clearly labeled as pet medication.
  1. Purge or Donate Old Clothes – Now is the time to go through all their outerwear clothing to see what is too small or too worn out. If a piece of clothing is worn out, purge it! If it’s too small, donate it! Keep what currently fits and is in season near the door. You can place their clothing hanging on the hook or in the basket alongside their leashes. Any offseason clothing can be stored with your clothing, and tucked out of the way.

Pets bring so much joy to a home, but sometimes a pet owner can get frustrated when Fido or Kitty’s “stuff” is taking over. Avoid getting frustrated, and start getting organized. By doing this, you’ll have more time and energy to love your favorite furry friend.

Photo: Sarah Jayne Photography

3 Things to PURGE in the New Year

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Calendars, Holidays, Kitchen, Mudroom — No Comments ↓

purge in the new year

Out with the old, in with the new, right? I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase thrown around this month. After all, this month is all about what we can do to refresh every compartment of our lives. There is certainly a bit of truth to this phrase, and as you should know by now, I’m a big believer in the almighty PURGE! The start of the year is an oh-so important time to kick the extra stuff to the curb, so let’s continue in our series of items to purge. Below are three things you should get rid of NOW!

  1. Calendars – There is no sense in keeping old paper calendars around. If you used a paper calendar for 2015, make sure you recycle it. If you’re the type to make important notes in your calendars, make sure to transition these notes elsewhere. You don’t want to forget those birthdays you wrote down! The only reason you should keep your calendar is if is rolls over into 2016.
  1. Mismatched gloves – Winter brings about a slew of singled out gloves. It’s a time when beautiful pairs of gloves separate, and go about their own ways. It is maddening to try to leave the house in the winter when you try to grab a pair of gloves and all you have is one glove of the set! Stop making yourself late and crazy once and for all and take 5 minutes and match up the gloves. Toss the ones that do not have a mate in a basket in case it does appear or be bold and toss the unmatched gloves.
  1. Holiday decorations – It has been a month since the holidays, and Valentine’s Day is just over two weeks away! Look around your house and make sure all the decorations have been taken down. Did you take down the lights on the porch? Is the jar filled with holiday candy cleaned out and tucked away? After you make sure the holidays are stored away for next December, go ahead and start decorating for Valentine’s Day. In my opinion, it’s fun to be festive all year long!

Next month our Purge! blog post with focus on how to organize – and toss – old keepsakes. If you have an old shoebox filled with love letters from an ex-boyfriend – and you’re now married to someone else – perhaps this one is for you!

Photo: Etsy

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Tip Tuesday: 5 Tips to Organizing Electronics Cords

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Electronics, Office — No Comments ↓

Cable cord organization

Living in the digital age has certainly made our lives easier, and more efficient. But there is one pesky, unattractive thing that technology brings – cords! Perhaps you received another electronic device over the holidays, and your spider web of wires has grown. Or maybe you are just sick of looking at the web of wires under your desk. The good news is that there are organization solutions for those cords! Below are my favorite organization products for taming those wires under your desk.

Binder clips – Who says organizing products have to be expensive? I love this affordable way to solve the issue of cables falling behind your desk. If you have devices like an external hard drive that require a USB cable, and you are constantly unplugging and plugging it in, this will save you from clumsily reaching your arm behind the desk and praying you find the right cord.

Tangle free cable organizer – If you prefer not to adhere an item to the back of your desk, use these as an alternative. There is a slot to slide your USB connector and also grooved space on the base to allow you to wrap your cord nice and tight.

Black box cable hub – Say goodbye to tangled cords! This black hub keeps your cable cords concealed and even hides your power strip.

Cord control – Have you ever looked behind your desk or entertainment unit to find a layer of dust on your cords? So now you have unsightly cable cords, as well as dust! This organization product for cords and cables streamlines and conceals your cords in a tube and also keeps them dust free. This is a win-win!

Cable twisters – I’m twisting and shouting for joy with these cable twisters. Not only are they fun, but also they can hold multiple cables and cords together. They come in white, black or a pack of 3 assorted colors, and you can use them to color code different types of cord groups to make disconnecting computer devices quick and easy.

As we sink further into the new year, challenge yourself to organize those cable cords. Do you have a great tip for taming your electronics cords? If so, please share them in the comments below!

Photo: Hen House

Book Club: 3 Organization Books to Start off Your Year

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Books — No Comments ↓

Organizing books

So much knowledge and inspiration can be found in a good book. Taking the time to break away from the noise and bustle, and sink into a book, can clear your mind and motivate you! This is the precise reason we’re starting a new blog series called ‘Book Club’. In this series I’m going to share my favorite books about organization and more!

In the first Book Club blog post of the year, I’m going to focus on my favorite topic – organization! As a Boston professional organizer, these are some of my favorite organization books to help achieve your goals get organized in 2016.

The Organizing Sourcebook – Author Kathy Waddill pinpoints nine organizing principals to help you simplify and organize. She uses real life stories and highlights the fact that you can be reasonably organized without having to feel the need to compare yourself to others. This book provides insights on managing time, decreasing stress, and dealing with cultural, personal, and emotional change.

Organizing from the Inside Out – Julie Morgenstern’s approach to getting organized is to know yourself and use your personal strengths – and weaknesses! – when starting to get organized. She has a basic 3-step system – Analyze, Strategize, Attack- that can be applied to any space or situation!

Organizing Paper @ Home: What to Toss and How to Find the Rest – Paper, paper, paper! Yes, I’m sure you have stacks of paper hanging around! Remember how they keep telling us we are becoming a paperless society? Yes, we are receiving less and less papers in our digital world but we still have some important papers that need to be addressed in our lives. Author Barbara Hemphill helps navigate the world of reducing your paper load, while also advising on what paper you actually need to keep around. This alone can reduce clutter, and truly help your home and office organization!

That wraps up this month’s Book Club. Do you want book recommendations for a certain topic or problem area? If so, comment below or send me an email!

Photo: Lifehack.org

Welcoming in 2016 – Happy Organized New Year!

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Goals, Holidays — No Comments ↓

Happy Organized New Year

Welcoming in 2016 – happy new year! Today is the day. Let’s all start 2016 with a bang – refresh your mind, reinvigorate your soul and relinquish any negativity from the past year. I’m wishing you and yours a productive, happy, and organized new year! Rest up today and let’s hit the ground running tomorrow!

Photo: Saffron Avenue

Tip Tuesday: Struggling to Develop Your Goals? 3 Tips to Get You Started

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Goals, Time Management — No Comments ↓

Tip Tuesday: Struggling to Develop Your Goals? 3 Tips to Get You Started

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and was able to soak in every last moment of the season. Now that the glitter from the holiday gifts has settled, it’s time to start thinking about your 2016 goals. Last year, I shared some “dos” and “don’ts” for creating your annual goals. Be sure to re-read this blog post before diving into this year’s tips!

It can be challenging to think through realistic goals for your life. It requires time, and introspection. Don’t create your goals without giving them proper thought! As you’re starting to brainstorm, here are some goal setting tips to get you started.

  1. Create a vision board. To get to the heart of a goal, start out by creating a vision board that represents what you want to achieve now and in the future. Once you see that greater vision, plan how to achieve that vision on a daily, monthly or yearly basis. This is where your smaller, annual goals come to life! Throughout the year, as you go about your goals, be sure to go back to your vision board to ensure your actions are aligning with your greater goals.
  1. Write down your goals. I’ve said this time and time again, put your goals on paper! Studies have shown that people who write down their goals, and review them frequently, are more successful in achieving their goals. After you write down your goals, be sure to schedule quarterly goal check-ins.
  1. Commit to 30 days. Start small, and work your way up! Break down your goal into manageable parts, and schedule the time to work on them in your calendar. Sometimes it can be easy to hit “delete” to that standing appointment, but this will only set you off track. The more consistent you are in the beginning of starting something new, the more likely you are to continue. By committing to the time you have put in your calendar, this action will slowly become a habit.

I wish you the best of luck in creating your annuals goals. As a Boston professional organizer, I’m here throughout the year if you need any advice. Happy (almost) 2016!

Photo: Serendipite Designs

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