Paperwork Storage – Using Your Computer as a Filing Cabinet

Computers Were Designed to be More than Typewriters!

Most people don’t use their computers to their fullest.  The storage capacity in a basic household computer is much higher than most of us will ever use.  Coupled with a scanner your computer can ba a filing machine – in addition to being a game-playing, facebooking typewriter.  I prefer the 3-in-1 printer/fax/scanners for a home office as they are very inexpensive.  I scan and save all of my receipts, statements and bills onto my computer.  Computerized filing is easy and can be started with your most current records and moving on back in time.  Start by using a catchy and simple file naming system.  I’m able to retrieve any file I’m looking for by it’s name or “key words” entered when scanning the document.  An example the file name for a  utility document would be:  c://mydocuments/records2009/utilities/waterJune ( June’s water bill for 2009).

  Once I’ve paid the bill, and it has been reconciled in my bank account, I no longer need this statement in paper form.  I keep a backup of my files in an off-site online storage system, like Carbonite, and I’m confident my records are safe.    Periodically, I purge records that are no longer needed and have passed their  Expiration Date in relation to income tax records or if I don’t own that item anymore.  What’s nice about having it computerized is it’s deleted in a flick of a switch, not with hours of sorting through paper files.   Remember to ALWAYS keep records that are in effect and don’t change, like wills and property ownership papers. In addition to scanning,  I always keep this type of permanent information in paper form until it’s no longer used, useful or legally relevent.

I think of filing and paperwork this way, if you have a mild flood or other type of damage to your home that involves your paper records, your records are safe on your computer (or on its backup system) as long as there is a back-up copy “offsite” from where you are.   If you don’t want to trust an online company, bring a new copy of your data every 1-3 months to a safe deposit box.  Either way, there will be an annual fee, but well worth it when it comes to preserving your records.

Ebay Your Items – Learn How to Price Items for Online Sale

How to Get the Most from Selling Your Items

You want to Ebay, or otherwise sell you goods, online.  But, how do you know what price to list it at?  A great place to search values is on www.Ebay.com  Log-in using your Ebay ID and begin to list your item.  Mind you, you’re not going to really list it until you’re ready (with photos and description).  Scroll down past the title and description area to “price”  click on the highlighted link for “search completed listings,” enter your item name (search with 2-3 different descriptive words), and browse the prices of recently completed listings.  If an item sold at a price you desire, look at the description to see if it matches yours.  If yours is of better quality, you should list it higher, and visa versa.  

For More Information or questions visit www.sortmyspace.com

Organizing Your Closet – Whew!

This closet is so nice, but it's hard to see what's there and enjoy this beautiful space!

Sorting by season, type and color has given this closet a whole new life!

Looking at the photo on the left, you’d never know that there were such beautiful built-ins in this walk-in closet.  Seasons of clothes were mixed in with each other making it hard to find just the right outfit for each occasion. 

My solution was to use the new Huggable Hangers to create a streamline look.  Although, any set of slim hangers would do. 

Then, as it was summer, I moved the winter and heavier clothing to rods and shelves further away from the central area.  Combining clothes of similar style in one area, then organizing those by color allows you to easily find the right outfit.  This also helps tame the biggest mistake in shopping – buying identical clothing pieces. 

Finally, I spruced up the shoe area by categorizing shoes by style, summer on the lowest and most accessable location.  Then I placed seldom used pairs near the top. 

For more information, or to have me help you organize your closet, visit www.sortmyspace.com  Nationwide service available through Virtual Organization.

Toy Storage Solutions…

Sea of Toys Were Overwhelming!Bring Categories of Toys into One Space and a Little Cover Helps!

Bring Categories of Toys into One Space and a Little Cover Helps!

Who wouldn’t love all these wonderful shelves for a toy and play room.  But, sometimes having all this space can sprout some craziness.  This client needed help with storing books, board games, big toys and paint area.   Curtains in a child’s area is not always my first choice, but these children are careful with thier toys and cupboard doors were not a financial option. 

With 5  tall shelf compartments, I brought all the books to the left (not pictured), next came a column of board games (hidden behind the curtain).  The kitchen area stayed the same and brought the craft items higher and out of reach of smaller children.  All of the toys that were played with the most remained in the center and within safe reach.  The paint area stayed on the right, but was cleaned up and sorted for easier use.

Want help with your toy area?  Visit www.sortmyspace.com, contact us. 

Swine Flu / H1N1 or Any Virus or Bug

Taking Care of Your Family

Over the past several days I’ve had questions posed to me about the most recent viral explosion on the human population and how to clean their home.  As a mom of elementary-age children, viruses and bacteria enter my house DAILY!

My first line of defense is handwashing when Entering the house.  As far as the children go, their school clothes go in the laundry daily.  If clothes can’t be washed, steam them or put them through the dryer on a medium setting – cook the little bugs!

Each time I clean a room, special cosideration goes to areas of high use.  This is especially true at the first signs that a “bug” has entered the house – sneezing, coughing, fever or intestinal issues.  I use a disinfectant cleaner on a cloth or paper towel and clean these areas first:

• Bathroom - Handles, switches, sink, cabinet edges, toilet.
• Kitchen – Sink, countertops, appliance handles and controls, switches & knobs.
• Common Areas – Switches, knobs, controllers, phones & keyboards.

I’ve done this routine so often that I can sanitize each room within just a few minutes.  It has stopped many a bug in its tracks!

My Closet’s Too Tight!

Is your closet too tight?  Maybe it’s not your closet that has the problem.  Maybe it’s “Human Error!”

Stuffing your closet to it’s max doesn’t help anything, least of all your clothes.  Fabric needs room to breath.  Clothes also tend to come out quite wrinkled if kept in close quarters. 

Try the “color experiment”.  Organize your closet by color, i.e. pink shirts, blue shirts, red dresses, black pants, etc.  As your doing so, you may find some nearly identical clothing items in your closet. 

• Remove the duplicates. 
• Keep the clothing item that looks the best on you and is in the best condition. 
• Remove anything you haven’t worn in the past 2 years.  

Listen closely as your closet gives a quiet, “Ahhh!”

For more information visit www.sortmyspace.com

Can Someone Put Away My Laundry?

Finding Time to Put Away Laundry

We’ve done the laundry, but it just doesn’t get put away.  Things keep getting piled up as it seems there’s no end in site to the endless cycle!

 

Folding laundry and putting them in stacks in your laundry room is okay.  Yep.  I just said you could make a bunch of stacks!

But, you have to agree to my new game:  See Me?  Take Me!  Here’s how you play: Everytime you pass the laundry room, you take 1 small stack of laundry to the appropriate place & put it away. 

Begin the morning laundry after your shower.  Then pick-up folded T-shirts to  slide into your drawer before you get dressed for your day.    Four pair of pants on a hanger are on their way this afternoon when you come home.   After folding some of the dry laundry at the end of the day one armful of socks go to your bedroom drawer before putting on your pajamas.   

Helpful hints: 

• Bring empty hangers to the laundry room every 2-3 days.
• Make a plan to bring 2-4 small loads of clothing to the proper location every day. 
• Keep a few sorting bins in your laundry room – especially for orphaned socks.

For more information visit www.sortmyspace.com

Can I Make Him Be More Organized?

Make a Short & Simple "To Do" List

 

Make sure that the areas YOU want HIM to be better at are organized first.  What I mean is make sure the items he’s to use and put back are always in the same place, grouped together, labeled (if you can) and easy to reach.  For Example:

• Toilet paper, diapers, personal items/medicines, food/pantry If these areas are a mess it will be hard for him to find items.  Men like to hunt, but not in the house.
• Clothes drawers (I label inside my children’s clothes drawers at the top)  I use shoe boxes or clear boxes without the lid to house small items in drawers. You can even wrap those with coordinating fabric & hot glue it on to create a custom look inside your drawers.
• Keys/wallet/glasses, etc. Pick one place and stick to it.  Like at the doorway, kitchen shelf, or on his dresser  in a small basket or a masculine box.
• Brief Case & personal bags – bring them to the bedroom to be unloaded or train the children to do it for him as a game when Daddy comes home!
• Laundry:  Keep empty hangers accessible in the closet for hanging up coats on a daily basis. 
  • Semi-clean clothes to be worn again can go on 1 shelf or small basket inside closet – folded would be great, but that may be a bit much. 
  • Dirty clothes have 1 basket in bedroom or bathroom.  Unless sorting and doing laundry is his game – maybe don’t ask him to go that far (yet). 
  • Your laundry room should have labels on the sorting bins.  I like to group Whites (bleachable), Reds/Purples/Deep Oranges & Pinks, Colors/Patterns, Darks, Delicates, and towels if the room is big enough.  If not, 3 groups work: Whites, Colors, Darks. 
• Mail and bills:  Visit my blog “Organizing Your Daily Life”

For more information visit:  www.sortmyspace.com

Don’t touch my stuff!

Do you know someone who is putting off the BIG SORT!  A client recently asked me, “How do I MAKE a family member go through, organize and purge when they don’t seem to want to?”

It’s not that they don’t want to.  They want to.  But for some reason they CAN’T.  Here are some possible reasons:

• The items belonged to a lost loved one.
• The pile may be too big to handle, even if they’re not a hoarder.
• If someone else goes through it, something might get lost.
• It’s a visual reminder that “they” are in CONTROL. 

I’ve met the most wonderful, giving people – and can’t come to their house for coffee because there’s no room to sit, or stand for that matter.  We have a vision of ourselves as well-organized when we’re in our public world, but can’t seem to do it in our private space. 

I’m not saying we should be organized in every aspect of our lives – mistakes and messes can be real growing experiences.  But, we do have to come to some sense of harmony with our household belongings and learn to treat them, and ourselves, with gratefulness and respect. 

If you’re determined to help someone get to a better place with their belongings, start small and don’t try to DO IT ALL!  Here are some suggestions on how to begin:

• Bring a plant and help start a tiny garden.  (like 12 x 12 inches unless you want to become the full-time gardener)
• Help hang a photo on the wall that’s been sitting in the corner.
• When you wash your coffee cup, wash 2-3 more dishes while you’re at the sink. Don’t do the whole sink, it could upset them or you’d become the full-time maid.
• Take them shopping for wall paint with low VOC – it’s the new thing!  Goes on quick and has not smell.  It’ll get things moved out of the corner & you can help sort through a few things before they get put back.  (Be Ready To Paint It ALL or it’s not going to get done!)
• Give them a reference to a local Home Organizer Many times they’ll consider the advice of a professional an easier approach than the advice of a friend.

For more information, or to receive a consultation visit:  www.sortmyspace.com/contact.html

MY HUSBAND AND HIS GARAGE

"..I know right where it is!"

Everyone knows that men have to have a specific task, or they’re not good for much in a woman’s world.  Telling a man to, “go clean the garage” is not very specific.  They already know where everything is, or at least say they do!  It’s kind of like asking them to braid their daughter’s hair or advice on what to wear.  In their “territory” if it works, it works!  It doesn’t have to be pretty!

Well, for us girls, cleaning the garage is not always about making it “pretty!”  Sometimes, we’d just like to be able to walk around the garage to find something we need, or maybe, just maybe, park our car in it!

 I had one client, who bought her husband a big present for the garage, and he had to clean it to be able to use it.  But, I know clients who this wouldn’t have the same effect.  They’d just put stuff in a stack to fit in the new toy. 

If you’re guy’s stubborn, start small.  Try cleaning up some of the tools & items you might use:  garden hoze & other gardening tools, chidren’s toys, holiday items.  Many time the walls and ceiling of a garage are not in use, or being used unwisely.  

• For items only used 1-2 times per year try the ClosetMaid 3560 hanging rafter shelf.     
• For items used frequently, I recommend the Rubbermaid FastTrack system.  It has attachments for golf bags, wheelbarrows, fishing rods, bikes, power tools and general shelving.
• Want to get that ladder or stroller off the floor?  Try Racor IMH-2R Interchange Walldock Multi-Use Racks.  These are sturdy enough for a ladder, with two, or individual items like strollers, etc. 
• REMEMBER:  Always measure before you buy, read the instructions, and install items directly into the stud.  If you have finished garage walls, make sure you measure twice or know how to use spackling!

Want more individual suggestions?  Write us at:  www.sortmyspace.com/contact.html