Decluttering Tips from the Pros

Decluttering a room can be overwhelming without a plan and the right tools for the job. So first things first create a plan. What's your goal? Is it to eliminate items from a space with the goal of free space or is it to reorganize items so they are easier to access? Setting a goal will help you stay focused and help you from becoming overwhelmed.

With your goal in mind think about the tools you might need. If your goal is to eliminate items from your space get some old boxes or garbage bags to place items to donate to thrift stores or place in the trash. If your goal is to organize items have organizing bins and storage containers readily on hand so you can easily start combining similar items.

To do a thorough job of decluttering, you really need to be honest with yourself and learn to let things go. Evaluate every item and ask yourself if you use it, need it, and/or love it. Would you still buy the item today? Does it add value to your life? If the answer is “no”, it’s time to let it go.

Clean as you go. We recommend wiping all items and furniture as you work through the organizing process. It's not often you pull everything from a shelf, so make the most of it and give it a good cleaning.

If you need help give us a call! We have a team of professionals who specialize in organizing and decluttering any space!

Getting Organized For The New Year

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar -  you set a New Year resolution and by the second week of January, it’s already fallen to the wayside.  Now you’re thinking, what’s an easier, more maintainable resolution that I don’t have to ditch? Don’t worry. 😉 We’ve got you covered.

Even if you have loftier goals you’re aiming for, getting organized is one to-do that you can easily cross off your list. Just follow these tips we’ve put together.

Step 1. Start small
Don’t tackle the whole house at once. Need to get the home office in order? Make that a priority and wait until after you’ve finished to find a new project. What’s the best way to eat an elephant (of a problem)? One bite at a time…

Step 2. Get into a routine
Staying on task with getting organized and staying organized means you’ll need to create routines and stick to them. Remember, start small. Make daily, weekly and even monthly routines that you can follow. Write them down on a small white board if needed!

Step 3. Everything needs a place
That means, don’t bring something new into your home if you don’t already have a home in mind for it. That’s the fastest way to clutter up your space.

Step 4. Enlist help
Have a large family? This is a great family project. Living solo? Ask some friends over to help and finish up with dinner.

Step 5. Celebrate your success
Create a reward system to celebrate your organization milestones. Finish up clearing the old clothes out of the closet? Treat yourself to a movie!

If you are not up for steps 1-4 or need some help give us a call today 530.415.2505! We have a team that specializing in organization and storage.

How To Organize Your Cookbooks

Cookbooks. *sigh*. They’re like collectibles that seem to just sit and, well, “collect” dust. You just know if you give them away though (sell them at the  yardsale, throw them in the trash) that the moment they’re gone is the exact time you’ll need some cooking inspiration. 

Organizing books on a bookshelf is one thing. Cookbooks are a whole different story. For starters, you don’t normally have a bookshelf in your kitchen. And cookbooks are those strange creatures that can’t seem to adhere to a certain size and shape - they come in all different packaging styles. 

There are a few different ways to go about organizing your cookbooks. Here are a couple of our favorites:

1. Grab a vintage basket. It should be a rectangular shaped basket that’s wide enough to fit the books as they’re standing on edge. You can organize the cookbooks alphabetically or by color - or just throw them together in your neat new, cookbook container. 

2. Take over a cupboard. This one might be trickier if you have less space to work with, but if you have a cupboard that seems to be a catch-all and you’ve been dying to clear it out anyway, this could be your chance!

3. Get a wire rack and start stacking. You can pick up a simple wire rack that you would normally use on in a home office or try and find something a bit more clever. Anything that allows you to stack the books neatly in the rack in the corner of a counter in the kitchen will work!

Show us your cookbook organization styles!

Winter Cleaning Tips

Baby it’s cold outside... which is why Winter is a great time to deep clean your house. We've put together a few deep cleaning tips in the past that can guide you. 

Cleaning can often be overwhelming, a simple job can turn into a big one if you don’t use the proper tools and equipment. A few rules that help us not to feel overwhelmed (no matter what the cleaning task is). 

Be Prepared: It’s hard to stop in the middle of a cleaning job because you need a piece of equipment or a cleaning solution. We always make sure that we have everything we need before starting to clean a room. 

Stay Small: We never look at the house as a whole, but rather room by room. When cleaning it is important to stay focused on the area you are intending to clean, helping you not to feel overwhelmed and often avoid overlooking areas or avoiding tough tasks. 

Tackle in Sections: If the room is overwhelming in itself, tackle the room in pieces, this often applies to larger rooms like the living room or common areas like the kitchen. Since there are lots of items to clean and tasks to cross off in these rooms we suggest starting in one corner choosing the items/areas you are going to clean and start there. Perhaps it is a cabinet or a bookshelf. 

Or hire our professional cleaning crew to help you tackle these tasks. Doing so ensures specific components of your house perform efficiently, thus saving you money on energy costs.