Help For Dirty Laundry - Sorting

Although we are thankful for the clothes we wear, those big piles of dirty, smelly laundry are no fun. Perhaps a new and more organized way of sorting would help.

It may depend on the size of your laundry room as to how you are able to sort the laundry. If possible, have a separate hamper for each load you normally wash. We are going to have to separate the laundry one way or another. If we put the laundry into separate hampers as we finish using it, then all we have to do is wash the contents. No sorting is involved. An example would be whites, dress clothes, dark linens, white linens, play clothes. You get the idea. Remember, if your laundry room is small, you can keep hampers in your kids’ rooms and the bathrooms. Once you have your new system set up, explain it to your family. They may not like it at first, but it will make doing the laundry so much easier. If it helps, fasten or tape labels to each basket to help your family put things where they should go.

To prevent wrinkles, take the clothes out of the dryer as soon as it stops. If hanging clothes outside is a possibility, try it. It helps air out the wrinkles and saves on electricity.

Make your laundry room easily accessible. Put up shelving if possible to store all your detergents and stain removers. Leave hangers in the laundry room to make putting up the clothes quicker.

Hopefully these few things can help ease the burden of laundry. It sounds so simple, but a few changes could go a long way. Laundry will always be there. The headache that it causes doesn’t have to be.

For more great home organization tips, visit my site at http://practicalhomeorganization.com/

and get your free report, "Home Organization Tips to Save Time and Sanity."

Help For Dirty Laundry

Laundry is inevitable. One thing I used to get so frustrated about was the never ending piles of laundry all over my house. It seemed I would finish all the laundry one day and by the next morning, a new pile had somehow popped up. I decided that getting aggravated every time I opened the laundry room door wasn’t going to help. The best thing for me to do was somehow organize it better and stay on top of it.

One thing that helps is to put the laundry in the proper places every time you are finished with it. Don’t leave a blouse hanging over a chair in your bedroom or on the bed. If you only wore it a couple of hours, hang it up and let it air out for an hour or two. Then put it back in the closet. If your kids are old enough, give them the responsibility of putting the laundry where it goes. Leaving it on the bedroom floor or in the bathroom is just another problem for you. Are towels and washcloths on the bathroom floor a problem? Have a hamper in the bathroom just for those. It sounds simple, but it can help immensely.

If you have small children, it helps to do a quick sweep of the house before bedtime. I know how hectic bath time can be. You may easily forget to put the laundry where it needs to go. Before bed or first thing in the morning, walk through and pick up any clothes or linens and put them where they belong.

Where do they belong? If possible, have a hamper in each of your children’s rooms or in their bathroom. You can use a portable hamper with wheels or handles. Using one that has a removable liner is helpful too. It will be easier to transport to the laundry room. In your laundry room, have as many separate hampers as possible to keep from having to sort as much. There are inexpensive collapsible hampers. If you have a small laundry room, a hamper on wheels may be a good idea. You can find some that already come with separate bags to help sort your laundry. Be creative. If you have a two-story house, is there any way to engineer a laundry shoot from the bathroom directly to the laundry room or basement?

Getting your family to help put laundry in the correct places as they use them and using a little ingenuity can help decrease your laundry woes. We should always remember amid all the dirty laundry that we are blessed to have these clothes to wear.

For more great tips, visit http://practicalhomeorganization.com/ and get your free report, "Home Organization Tips to Save Time and Sanity."

Is Your Furniture a Clutter Problem?

Clutter comes in many forms. Mail, toys, beauty product, tools, and other things can all become clutter. Clutter is the main reason why a house looks disorganized. One thing that few people may consider as clutter is furniture.

A room can easily become overcrowded with too much furniture. A small room can look smaller and a large room can look too busy. The easiest way to see if this is a problem in your home is to take a walk throughout your house and look closely at each room. Play with the pieces. Move things out or reposition furniture to see how it looks. Does what you see help the room look more open? Does it feel less cluttered?

If you think the room would look better with less furniture, but you feel you need all the pieces, try combining things. Could you move the clothes out of a dresser in your bedroom and into your closet? Could you remove the coffee table in your living room? An ottoman may work better.

Making your home more livable and attractive are two reasons for home organization. That may mean removing furniture as well as other clutter. Try evaluating your rooms. If you decide you would be better off without some pieces of furniture, donate, sell or possibly use them somewhere else. This is just something to think about as you try to organize your home.

For some great home organization tips, go to http://practicalhomeorganization.com/ and get your free report, “Practical Home Organization Tips to Save Time and Sanity

Why Do We Keep All That Stuff?- Part II

All the things that we accumulate are in our houses for a reason. Some things have emotional value and some have monetary value. Here are some of the monetary reasons.

*I paid good money for that! That may be the case, but is that outdated three piece suit really doing you any good? Could you use the space that the dust covered item is taking up? If you haven’t used it in years, it’s time to let it go. You may have paid good money for it, but what value is it to you now. Give it away or sell it to someone who may actually use it.

*I got a good deal on it. Okay, but what is it doing for you now? Is it still useful to you?

*I may use it again one day. Honestly, if you haven’t used it in years, you probably won’t.

*It may come back in style. Yes it may. Most things eventually do. Are you willing to wait? Has it been more than two years since you wore that outfit? If so, couldn’t you use the space more?

*I can get more money for it if I wait and sell it. That’s not a bad reason. If you intend to get rid of something by selling it, take it out and put it in a box or bag. Go ahead and start the ball rolling to get the items sold. If you can’t find the time, go ahead and donate them.

Why are you keeping that? All of the above reasons may be good ones. However, if you are ready to organize your home, one of the first steps is getting rid of clutter. It’s time to stop making excuses and start purging our homes of things we don’t need.

For great home organization tips, visit http://practicalhomeorganization.com/ and get your free report "Practical Home Organization Tips to Save Time and Sanity"

Why Do We Keep All That Stuff?

I come from a line of pack rats on my mother’s side. My mother used to joke about my Granny keeping all sorts of things for years that she never used. When I became a young adult, I kidded my mom about doing the same thing. Now that I have a few years on me with a husband and two children, I find myself having the same tendencies. However, I am determined to keep only what I absolutely can’t let go. There are two main reasons why we keep things: emotional attachment and monetary attachment. Let’s talk about the emotional issues.

*It’s been in the family for years. No-one should be made to feel guilty for keeping a family heirloom. Some things are priceless, even if it is only priceless to you. The problem comes when you have a whole storage room filled with items that were once your loved one’s and you just don’t have the heart to get rid of them. My mom has kept my Granny’s clothes, dishes, old books and many other things in a storage house ever since she passed away, nearly 8 years ago. Just last year, she decided she needed to let some of it go. It may be difficult, but if you are just keeping the items out of guilt, give yourself a break. Give the usable things to people who need them. I am sure that my Granny would be happy to know that someone was getting use out of her clothes and dishes rather than them simply collecting dust.

*It was a gift. Okay, here comes the guilt again. We feel guilty for not keeping everything that has been given to us. Truly, we should be thankful. Some gifts nevertheless end up in a closet or cabinet and are never used. We simply cannot display every figurine or use every coffee cup that has been given to us. It is okay to give it away if you are not using it. Honestly, if you haven’t taken it out in years, you probably are not going to use it.

*It has sentimental value. I am very sentimental. I have things stored in my attic that I made or achieved as a child. My children are still very young, but I already have a hope chest filled with sweet memories like hospital bracelets and ultrasound pictures, first Christmas and Easter outfits, crocheted baby blankets, first birthday souvenirs and other “firsts.” You know what? That’s alright too. Those things are priceless to me. We just have to ask ourselves if we are keeping things because they truly do have sentimental value or does it make us feel guilty to think about getting rid of them? We really don’t have to keep every single school project we ever did. Reevaluate the things you have stored away and see if it is something you can part with.

Our emotions play a big part in the things we decide to keep. It’s just a part of who we are. There’s no shame in that. There doesn’t need to be guilt either. Don’t keep something just because you feel guilty. Let it go, the guilt and the stuff.

For more help in getting your home organized, visit my site at http://practicalhomeorganization.com/and get your free report "Practical Home Organization Tips to Save Time and Sanity"

Getting Your Family Involved

Here’s a home organization tip to try. Get your entire family involved. I know what your thinking, “Yeah right.” It may take some persuasion, but getting your family on board for this undertaking can make this project better for everyone. It will help your feelings to know you’re not alone in this. Also, once everything is organized, everyone will know how to keep it that way. They will want to keep it organized because of the hard work that they put into it.

Communication is the key to getting your family to help. Have a family meeting and let your spouse and children know what your plans are. Tell them the importance of having an organized home. For instance, you will be less stressed, and that is good for everybody! There will also be more time to spend together doing what you enjoy. Everyone will be happier when things are easier to find and there is less clutter.

When you are ready to start, make a list of things that each child can do to help. Remember to keep things age appropriate. It shouldn’t be too difficult for small children because most young kids love to help Mom and Dad. Picking up toys and putting them where they belong is one simple task for kids. Learning to put dirty clothes in the proper hampers is another. Use this as an opportunity to help them develop good habits of organization and cleanliness. For older children, let them know that they are a valuable part of the family, and you need their help too. They can sort through toys or clothes to decide what they want to keep and what they want to give away.

You decided to organize your home to help you and your family. Don’t become too hard on your family if they have a little trouble adjusting. It isn’t easy to break old habits. Offer gentle encouragement and try not to nag. Try to be patient with everyone including you. Your goal is to make life better; you don’t want to add more stress on everyone in the process.

For some great home organization tips, check out my site for a free report, "Home Organization
Tips to Save Time and Sanity"

http://practicalhomeorganization.com/

Organizing Your Car

My car is like an extension of my home. I am sure it is that way for most people. With two small children, it’s almost as if I have to pack half of the house to go anywhere. With car seats, toys, snacks, books, groceries, and other things, sometimes my car gets so full, I can’t even see the floor boards. To get in my car and see it neat and clutter free is a great feeling. Besides being a nuisance, clutter in a car can also be dangerous. Anything lose can become a flying object in an accident. Just like our homes, ours cars should be kept organized and clutter free to promote ease and safety.

If you have children, you know how much it takes to go anywhere. Toys, snacks, diapers and wipes for babies and toddlers are a must. As kids get older, the necessities become games, ball gear, dance gear, and many other things. Here are a few tips to keep it all in check.

*For little ones, it’s okay to keep a couple of toys in the car. A drawstring bag is great for keeping soft toys, which are much safer for a car.

*Magazines and books can be placed in the pockets on the back of the seats. There are even pockets you can buy that attach to the seats that will add extra room to store things.
Other car organizers are available for those who need to keep a lot of things in their cars. Just be sure to only keep what you need.

* Lots of cars today come with extra storage compartments in the console. If your car doesn’t have these, use a small plastic container with a lid. You can keep wipes, hand wash, facial tissue, pens, small trash bags etc… in it. This can be store in the passenger floorboard or under the seat.

*Use the small trash bags to clean out your car every time you get back home.

*Keep a small waste basket or recycling bins in your garage to quickly dispose of the trash.

* Keep your glove compartment free of clutter so that you can find important information quickly. This includes insurance information, manuals and registration.

Our cars are an important asset to our lives. Keeping them neat and organized will make things much easier for us and our families. Safety is first priority in a car, and keeping it clutter free is a great way to make it safer.

For more great tips, visit http://practicalhomeorganization.com/ for a free report, "Home Organization Tips to Save Time and Sanity."