Organize Your Halloween Decorations
November 1, 2010
We had a client recently who contacted us to help her with her basement. Because it is such a catch-all space, basements are not an uncommon request. When we arrived, she showed us her space that she wanted to organize and we discussed her goals for the project. The one thing that struck me immediately was that she loved the holidays. She had holiday decorations for just about every holiday you can imagine and not a whole lot else that she was storing there. With Halloween right around the corner, I wanted to share with you the process we followed to help our client organize her holiday decorations.
1. Sort by Holiday – The first step is to sort all of your decorations by holiday.
2. Keep Your Favorites – Next, take a look at one holiday at a time and take an inventory of what you have. Do you still like all of the decorations? Will you use them? If not, box up what you no longer want and donate it. You are sure to make someone else’s holiday a little bit brighter!
Holiday Ornament Storage Box
3. Containerize – Plastic bins are a great storage solution for holiday decorations. For most major holidays, you can purchase bins that are color coordinated with the holiday (e.g. black and orange for Halloween, red and/or green for Christmas, pastels for Easter, etc.) You can also use clear plastic bins and apply color coded labels. This allows you to see the contents through the clear plastic. There are also specialized containers for items such as trees, wreaths, and ornaments. Whichever style you prefer, you can ensure that your decorations are well protected.
4. Label – Even if you are color coding by holiday, we still recommend that you label the outside of your bins if you have more than one bin per holiday. Labeling makes it easy for you (and others) to find what you need when you need it, and it also facilitates a quick clean-up.
Follow these steps and you will not only be organized for Halloween, but for the rest of the holidays throughout the year as well.
– Donna Lindley, Certified Professional Organizer and owner of Rochester Hills, MI-based Organize Your World, Inc.
Photo credit: halloweenexpress.com
For storage & organization solutions visit Organize-It
Your “Lucky 13” for a Safe Halloween
October 26, 2010
Sure, Halloween should be spooky. But your friendly neighborhood witches and ghosts need to stay safe while they’re out scaring up a storm.
It’s easy to do with a bit of planning (and batteries for those flashlights!), and by passing along important advice to kids about how to avoid accidents and other bumps in the night. Continue Reading
How to Switch Out Seasonal Clothing
October 25, 2010
Many of my clients have a difficult time getting rid of clothing. Recently, I gave you some tips on how to decide whether or not to keep an article of clothing. As you are switching out your seasonal clothes, refer back to those tips if you find yourself struggling to make decisions.
1. Inventory – Pull out all of your summer clothes and look at them one at a time. Here are some questions to ask yourself: Does it fit? Is it in good condition or is it stained? Is it still in style? Do I love it?
2. Donate – For items in good condition that you no longer want or need, collect them in a box for donation.
3. Clean – Make sure that the clothing items you are about to pack away for the season are clean. Stains can become more pronounced with time, and critters are less likely to become interested in clean clothing.
Under Bed Storage Chest
4. Move Out – Depending on your available space, you can move your off-season clothing to a different area in your closet, another closet, under a bed, or pack them away. If you are packing them away, make sure to protect them with garment bags or bins. If you need to consolidate them, consider using Space Bags. Avoid humid areas such as the basement or attic as this increases the chance of mold and mildew.
5. Move In – Bring your winter clothing into your closet. For all items on hangers, start by hanging them backwards (so the hanger hook is facing you). Then after wearing an item, hang it back up the normal way. At the end of the season, take a good hard look at the items whose hangers are still facing backwards. This tells you that you went through the entire season without wearing the item(s) once. Ask yourself why!
Donna Lindley, Certified Professional Organizer and owner of Rochester Hills, MI-based Organize Your World, Inc.
For more storage & organization ideas visit Organize-It.