More Laundry Tips

To answer a few questions asked by mother goose...

Here' s a picture of the extra bins near my washer that I use for sorting brights and delicates. If a pop-up cube fit right I would use that but the dishpans do the trick, believe it or not!

For laundry rooms that are short on space you might consider this as a sorting option since they hold 2 loads of laundry yet are only 14"X14." You can buy a white one for white, a black for darks and a bright color for brights. Fun!

Note: The 3 bin sorters that are all connected and on casters are great but the ones like this that would fit in small spaces are not going to hold much. I bought a "cute" one at Target for a client that ended up being so small we thought the only thing it would be good for was doll clothes! We went with this sorter sold at The Container Store that was much better (I just noticed that it's still on sale--cool!). Just be careful not to choose a 3 bin sorter that is teeny tiny. Check your measurements before you buy!

I hope this helps. If not, keep the questions coming!

How to go from Loathing to Loving Laundry!

Well, I don't know if one can actually love doing laundry but it's worth a shot, right? :) Even if you just succeed in not loathing laundry that's saying something! For me it's all about the hampers. As strange as that sounds here are a few of my handy hamper tricks that made it possible for me to not dread laundry day--at least not quite so much. (*As I have mentioned before, there are only 2 of us in my household which makes things a little easier but I have helped many other families with children gain control over their laundry rooms using the same ideas.)

I have found that laundry routine can be greatly simplified by purposefully adding a few hampers to your system and giving the different types of hampers you use specific purposes.
For example, you might use wicker or decorative hampers in the bedroom/bathrooms to collect dirty clothes ...

and reserve the plastic less attractive hampers for transporting laundry to and from the laundry room.

You might use a crunch can style hamper for dirty rags/towels because they have a waterproof lining ...

and use mesh hampers http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=166&PRODID=72108 for children because they are lightweight and come with handles making it so the kids can carry their own clothes to their rooms to be put away.

A 3-bin sorter or a set of larger hampers can be set up in the laundry area to collect dirty clothes until you are ready to wash. That way you always have all your hampers where they should be when they should be there.

My latest "pseudo hamper" addition is a small plastic basket under my kitchen sink that I toss dirty dishtowels and washcloths into. (I dry out my washcloths before they go in so they don't mold or stink.) Once the basket's full, into the washer they go. Very handy!

If you want more detail, this is how my many hampers help me get my laundry done. (FYI even though it's just the two of us I do laundry about twice a week.) First, clothes go into my wicker bedroom hamper. When that's full, the hamper gets taken downstairs by my DH so that I don't kill myself on our 2 flights of wooden stairs. (I have fallen before so I'm not ashamed to ask!) Once in the laundry room, I sort the clothes into whites, darks, lights, delicates etc. (I have many categories--more than you really need, but they make me happy!) When my laundry room sorting hampers fill up I know it's time to do laundry. I love this visual indicator! Once clothes are clean and dry I use a set of 3 plastic baskets to transport clean clothes back upstairs (3 is a good number because it allows me to do multiple loads in one day without have to run up and down stairs looking for an empty hamper). I like to hang dress shirts straight out of the dryer on a rod hanging close by and if I have time, I love to fold clothes straight out of the dryer into a hamper on the floor in front of the dryer--way less wrinkles at the end of the day. If I had children old enough to help, this is where I would use the small mesh cube style hampers with handles to sort clothes by child. Then they could carry them up to their rooms to be put away. I know, you're all thinking "what a great idea--in theory!" No really! One of my client does this and loves this system for her kids! So when all is said and done I put away the folded clothes, return my hampers to their homes (I store my 3 plastic hampers nested on my dryer in the laundry room when they aren't in use) and turn out the laundry room light...until next time!

P.S. And for all you mom's out there with sock piles to the ceiling, my Busy Bee advice is buy fewer styles and colors of socks so it's easier to match them up and get your kids involved in the matching. As a former teacher I can tell you that they should be able to help with this by the time they are school age (or earlier depending on the child) but I admit that this might be a dilemma that would take being a mother of 3 to properly address! I'll ask around and get back to you! Ha! :)

Action Papers: What to DO with them until you are ready to do something WITH them!

Do you have important papers, forms, receipts, coupons, brochures and even scraps of paper that you need to act on but no where to keep them until you find the time to get the job done? Are those papers all over your counter top or plastered to your fridge as a reminder of your many to do's that just aren't getting done? If so, you will be interested in a great system I use that helps me deal with my "action papers." All you need is 3 folders, all those papers gathered up and your planner/to do list ready to write some things down.

When I talk about "action papers" I am talking about the papers that you have to act on or do something with. To hold these papers until I am ready for them I use 3 folders labeled: "Have To", "Should Do" and "Could Do." As I file my action papers into these folders I am automatically prioritizing their importance. I also record the thing I need to do on my to do list. I use a Treo, but a paper to do list will work just fine as long as you make a habit of recording the things you need to do on a regular basis. You can keep a master to do list as a record of everything you need to do and then have a daily to do list where you write down just the things you need to do in one day. You can even keep your to do lists it in the front of your "Have To" folder. The important thing is to write your to do's down and make a habit of referring to it daily.



1. The "Have To" folder is for very important action items. It is used for the urgent matters and items that, if left undone, I (or a family member) will suffer a negative consequence for having neglected it. I would like to point out here that I do not include bills to pay in this folder. Bills have their own folder which is kept in my bill paying area. In the "Have To" folder you might put a form that needs to be signed and mailed immediately. Mine is actually empty right now which is my favorite part of using this system--it feels so good to empty that "Have To" folder.

2. The "Should Do" folder is for action items that I really should get done sometime soon but that can wait a little while because there is no due date or immediate negative consequence for not doing it. In my should do folder right now, I have a card to send my mom, a brochure for a tanning salon that I really should visit before going on my anniversary cruise in two weeks so I don't burn to a crisp on day 1 (but really I could just go white and use 50 SPF!) and the two credit card offers I am considering right now.

3. The "Could Do" folder is great. That is where things go that I would "love to do someday" or "would be nice to do if I have the time." I have a coupon for Let's Dish, a flier for a nearby nail salon, a sheet telling me how to update my Windows Media Player, some information on IRA accounts, and a renewal form for my REAL SIMPLE magazine subscription. All things that I could do but I won't be crying if they don't get done.

Melissa's Top 3 Reasons for Trying this System for 30 days:
1-It helps you learn how to prioritize your to do items.
2-It's flexible. You can change your priorities as the need arises.
3-It gives you a logical holding spot for things that usually just end up in piles or posted on the fridge because you need to do it someday but you just aren't ready to do it today!

Just remember to do what it takes to make it work for you and make it fun. You can use color file folders--Red for "Have To," Orange for "Should Do" and Blue for "Could Do." Mine are manilla because I find paperwork fun anyway! It's all about finding something that works for you. Good luck and keep me posted!

Scrapbooking Organizers

For those of you who love to scrapbook, or feel at least compelled to scrapbook from time to time as I do, you know it's not easy keeping all that fun "stuff" organized. If you are looking to get your scrapbooking supplies and paper organized, you will definitely be interested in the Retrospect product line offered by Smead. I have a couple of the Page Managers (top picture)and they are really handy. The Paper and Accessory Organizer (lower picture) is also great because it holds paper and also has a smaller pocket in front to hold stickers and other smaller items. Check out http://www.retrospectbysmead.com/ for more fun products.

How To: Organizing the Fridge

Now, granted, I do not have children, do not particularly enjoy cooking, and dislike grocery shopping but I happen to absolutely love organizing my kitchen! With that said, I have always been interested in finding a better way to organize my fridge. It seems that I can never get the shelving configuration quite right, at least not enough to make it versatile and functional. And things seemed to always be finding new homes every time I peered in to find something to eat. Even after I decided that the deli drawer should, in fact, be used for sandwich fixing's it seemed to reach out and grab tortillas and other random foods.


What to do?...Well in my case the answer to that question has been--experiment! After many moons I think I may have found a configuration and some improvements that may work. Keep in mind this has not been tested yet and my fridge is not really full right now, but I liked what I did enough to get my label maker out and in my book, that's commitment! :) I posted a picture and as you can see, I assigned certain shelves and gave them a name. Although there is presently nothing but a tiny bit of egg salad on it, I designated one whole shelf to left overs. That should be enough space for us, but someone who cooks more might need more. I also used a bin/basket system (like I do in many other areas of my home) to corral like items. I used one for meat, one for bread and one for yogurt. I even used an open basket in my fruit drawer for my apples. They seem more inviting and easier to get to that way. One of my favorite things that I did was give my eggs their own little home. I moved my deli drawer up just high enough for them to slip comfortably underneath. I also took out a shelf that seemed to be taking up space in order to make more room. And there you have it--an organized fridge! The only problem I have right now is that I keep opening the fridge just to see how great it looks! We'll see how it holds up and in the meantime you might consider trying an idea or two in your own. Good luck and don't forget to comment and share your fridge success stories!

The 7 Habits of Very Organized People

The following is an article from one of the organizing newsletters I receive from Maria Gracia's website http://www.getorganizednow.com/.

Have you ever wondered how some people could be so very organized, when you're struggling on a daily basis just to get your home looking halfway presentable and to get at least a few items checked off of your To Do list?Most organized people follow a few simple rules. Here are the 7 habits of very organized people.

1. They have a place for everything. Every item they have has a consistent, assigned home. The home for books is on the book shelf. The home for toys is in the toy room on the toy shelves. The home for blank greeting cards is in the greeting card organizer in the office.

2. They put things back. Whenever an item has been removed from its assigned home, it is used for whatever reason and then immediately returned to its home when no longer in use. There are no temporary holding places. It's just put back where it belongs, right away.

3. They write things down. Organized people make lists and notes, and keep these in one consistent place such as a planner, notebook or calendar. They don't try to remember things in their heads. They let the pen and paper (or the computer) work for them. They reference their lists and notes on a daily basis.

4. They don't allow papers to pile up. Papers to file are filed each day, not left to grow into mountains. Mail is opened over the recycle container so papers not needed don't even have a chance to multiply. Kids permission slips are signed right away and sent back to school with the kids. Bills are tucked into a bill paying system until bill paying day, and paid bill statements are filed away that day. Magazines are read within a week or two and then recycled or donated.

5. They don't procrastinate. When something has to be done, organized people schedule time to do it and then they keep that scheduled appointment. They know that the more they delay, the more likely deadlines will be missed or opportunities will pass.

6. They set goals and assign deadlines. They know if they want to get things done, they need to know exactly what they want the end result to be and by what date. They review these goals often and set aside time each day to work on achieving them. They review what they've accomplished and never forget to reap the rewards.

7. They only keep what they use and/or they enjoy. They can't stand anything taking up space that doesn't have a useful or pleasurable purpose in their lives. They're big believers in simplicity. They breathe easier knowing they've lightened their loads and can move easily without having to climb over boxes and piles of clutter.

Unique Product!

Hi all! I was doing some online shopping for a client today and ran across this really cool coat rack that I thought would be so much fun to have. And in comparison to the other cool items on this site, it's a bargain--only $30! The antler version would be especially perfect if you like to hunt as much as my sister's boyfriend! :) If you are interested, the website is: http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/coatracks/

Tip of the Week: Kitchen

Okay, this tip is going to seem really obvious to some of you, but it's a really good one for the kitchen. I used to think that I had to store all my glasses in one cupboard, all my plates and bowls in another cupboard and all my platters in another cupboard etc. Then I read something in the book Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder by Susan C. Pinsky that showed a picture of a cupboard with no dishes stacked on top of each other and no nesting. I was intrigued, since for me nesting was getting in the way of putting clean dishes away quickly and easily. I also noticed that the dishes shown in that same cupboard were one complete set of dishes instead of all bowls or all glasses and mugs. So, even though I have more than one set of dishes and glasses that I enjoy using, I decided to make the cupboard directly above my dishwasher the "everyday dishes" cupboard (shown left). I chose one set of dishes that we use the most (with the exception of the deep bowls from another set that my DH uses every morning) and one set of glasses that we use the most and removed all others. I then designated a cupboard just a little farther away from the dishwasher for the secondary dishes (shown right) and glasses that we use less often. So I basically have two full sets of dishes that I love and use and I've noticed that having my most used "everyday" set of dishes so close to the dishwasher makes putting away dishes a breeze! So spend 30 min. and "get busy and bee organized" in your kitchen today!

Quote of the Week:

"Organization is like exercise.

It's not very effective if you do it only once; you have to keep at it."

-L.A. Organizing Pro Jill Pollack (jillpollack.net)

Product Picks of the Week

How do I choose? There are so many great products out there that help you get organized it really it hard to choose which ones to highlight. I will start with those I love best.

My favorites happen to seem the geekiest until you've tried them!

#1 Classico Overtank magazine holder for the bathroom. Love it!

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?PRODID=10014674&CATID=64473

#2 Dream Drawer Dividers. Great for sock drawers and any drawer fot that matter.

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?PRODID=72062&CATID=69446

#3 Cargo Document Boxes. I have the magazine files and I love them! They are sturdy and stylish. They come in other colors but I happen to love the nutmeg because it goes with almost any decor.

http://www.organize.com/caofboxsetnu.html