5 Ways to Organize Your Valuable Collections Without Getting Overwhelmed
March 4, 2019
Guest blog by Kacey Mya, the blogger behind The Drifter Collective
As a collector, you’re proud of the valuable pieces you’ve unearthed and gathered. Whether you’ve hunted down stamps, books, clothing, coins or photographs, you’ve invested time, energy and money into them, and they’re worth displaying.
But as the years have passed, you’ve accumulated many pieces, and now, your collection is disorganized and cluttered. How can you effectively gather everything to be able to get it under control? It might not be as daunting as you expect.
Sit down with your collection and use these five ways to organize your valuable and prized items.
1. Pick a Display Method
Before you start sorting through the collection, 
determine the level of visibility you want. If you have old and rare books, for example, do you want to display them on wooden shelves, or would they be better off in something like a glass display case? Deciding on a presentation in advance can create a smoother process.
Each type of collectible item has particular display options. For instance, you can exhibit fragile stamps in stock books, albums or plastic mounts, while trading cards might go in binders or boxes. Figure out if you’d rather look from a distance at your items or carefully handle them to help you determine the best display method.
2. Separate by Category
When you begin sifting through your valuables, consider your organizational strategy. What categories best separate your items? Categorizing pieces by the year they were made is helpful, but alphabetical sequence can work well for something like vinyl records.
Group items by color, material, grade, genre, sale price, model or size. You can establish sections based on personal significance or nostalgia, but pick categories that are sure to make locating an item simple. Place clear labels on the categories, too — you’ll make it easier to find what you’re looking for and help friends and family make sense of your collection when you share it with them.
3. Catalog as You Go
As you evaluate and organize your collection, construct a record of the items you have. If you’re planning on selling valuable collectibles, your taxes or your heirs’ can be affected based on your records. Proactively prepare for this by cataloging the collection.
You can document the items with a written record. Alternatively, you can use a spreadsheet to input the information on your valuables. Now, there are smartphone apps for cataloging assets to keep the task simple and accessible. For insurance purposes, these apps are also useful.
4. Research the Right Conditions for Storing Your Collection
Use an acid-free photograph box to safely store valuable items.
Many items, older ones in particular, can be damaged if they aren’t kept in the correct environment. Extreme temperatures are just one example of the conditions that can cause your collection to deteriorate — think stamps or photographs. Another potential threat is humidity. For coins, humidity is a substantial detriment to the metal. The coins can corrode when exposed to water vapor in the air. Other harmful environmental factors include acidic materials and pollution.
Protect your collection from improper handling, too. Your hands have oils, acids and dirt on them, and direct contact can produce premature wear and tear on valuables. Old photographs are especially susceptible to overhandling, so hold them by the edges.
The right lights also play a role in how well your collectible items hold up. Go for secure, dimly lit places, because direct light can cause fading, too.
5. Add Protective Accessories
Protective accessories can shield your collection from environmental threats and reduce the rate of decay.
You might place your sports cards or comic books in acid-free protective sleeves, for instances. Additionally, plastic bags and dividers can serve as functional protection for collectibles, keeping them protected from moisture, light and excessive handling. Plastic cases can hold items like coins, too.
No matter what, though, be sure to have a pair of gloves handy, so you can avoid transferring the oils from your hands to your collectibles.
Effortlessly Manage Your Collection
With a stress-free strategy, you can tidy up and display your valuable collection. Organizing your items doesn’t have to be overwhelming and frustrating.
After you’ve sorted through your valuables, you can confidently share your pieces with others. Achieve order with a helpful system, a thorough record and the right conditions.
Subscribe to the Organize-It blog for more organization tips and tricks. Learn more at Organize-It.com.
Use Cedar to Store Clothing
February 25, 2019
Keep clothing, bedding, and linens safely stored in the closet with help from a variety of cedar products. Make sure your everyday clothes smell fresh and clean with a natural cedar scent, and your stored clothing stays safe from mold, mildew, and moths. The distinctive smell of cedar keeps moths and other pests from infesting your storage place. Besides repelling pests, cedar also absorbs odors and moisture. Cedar is considered a safer alternative to chemical products.
1. Cedar Hangers
Add functional and stylish cedar hangers to 
your master or hall closet so you can easily hang up garments of all shapes and sizes. Cedar wood hangers are designed to naturally repel insects while offering a fresh scent. Organize-It offers a variety of cedar hangers in different sizes and styles.
From suit to coat hangers, you can easily store all of your garments. A couple of the hangers feature clips at the bottom so you can store a pair of slacks or trousers underneath a jacket. Cedar clamp hangers allow you to store pants on their own. Cedar tie and belt hangers are also offered, allowing you to keep your business attire safely stored next to your other garments.
2. Cedar Hang-Ups and Hanger Rings
Don’t want to replace all of your clothes hangers with cedar wood? No problem! Simply add a few cedar hang-ups to your closet rod to provide the aroma of cedar wood to your entire closet space. These hang-ups rest right on the closet rod next to your existing clothes hangers. To renew the cedar scent, lightly sand the wood once every few months.
Hanger cedar rings are another great alternative to purchasing all new hangers. These cedar wood rings slide over any standard hanger hook and rest on top of the hanger to transform any hanger into premium clothing care. You can also toss them into suitcases, dresser drawers, and even onto shelves.
3. Cedar Drawer Liners
Cedar is not limited to the closet! Use a cedar drawer liner 
to protect and freshen everything stored inside your bedroom dresser or chest of drawers. The drawer liner roll can be easily cut using household scissors or a razor knife. Once it has been cut to the correct size, place it inside the drawer to offer everyday protection and freshness to the clothing stored inside.
Tongue and groove cedar drawer liners are also available to line any household drawer. The pieces easily snap together to create a platform at the bottom of the drawer. The thick cedar wood repels moths and other insects while offering a woodsy cedar scent.
4. Cedar Shelf and Drawer Dividers
Add organization to your closet shelves and dresser drawers while offering the aroma of fresh cedar with shelf and drawer dividers. Use drawer dividers to effectively organize socks, underwear, bras, handkerchiefs, and more in your dresser drawers. The drawer dividers are fully adjustable to fit drawers of most any depth. Shelf dividers allow you to create the same organizational method for your closet shelves. This helps you organize blankets, jeans, linens, and other items right on the closet shelves above the closet rod. As with all cedar wood, lightly sand the wood to renew the fresh cedar scent.
5. Cedar Spray
Instantly add the fresh smell of cedar hardwood to any 
space with cedar spray. Cedar spray, pictured on the right, allows you to freshen, deodorize, and protect areas of the home without the need for harsh chemicals or oils. Cedar naturally repels insects, moths, and even moisture – ensuring your stored clothing stays safe from harm.
This deodorizing spray can be used on its own, or used to restore the aromatic scent of cedar wood products. While each bottle only contains 2 fluid ounces, one spray goes a long way – ensuring this small bottle lasts for a while. Simply spray your dresser drawers, closet shelves, and more to keep your storage space smelling fresh.
6. Cedar Shoe Care
If there is one smelly item in any closet – it’s shoes. Keep the inside of your shoes and boots smelling fresh and clean while ensuring footwear maintain their shape with help from these cedar shoe trees. These shoe trees are adjustable in length, and they are available in a variety of widths to fit in both men’s and women’s shoes.
Two cedar shoe trees are included in each set – one for each shoe. The wood construction offers reliable function while keeping unpleasant odors at bay.
Browse through a variety of cedar-scented products at Organize-It to find the perfect storage and organization product for your home.
Subscribe to the Organize-It blog for more organization tips and tricks. Learn more at Organize-It.com.
Tips for Cleaning Up and Organizing Your Garage for Spring
February 18, 2019
Guest blog by Kacey Mya, the blogger behind The Drifter Collective
Spring cleaning is an annual event that people do all around the world. Seeing the sun break through those winter clouds and warm up all the new plants that are beginning to grow makes people want to start fresh too. Cleaning is a great way to make your house feel brand new, but one place that people often avoid when it comes to cleaning is the garage.
Something about the garage makes it the perfect place for everything to eventually end up in. Shoes, toys and tools are just a few of the things that are probably in your garage right now. This spring, tackle your garage head on and spring clean it without fear! Read on to find out what you can to do make garage cleaning a breeze, so you can get back to the spring activities that you love.
1. Space Out Your Cleaning
Some people may have lots of energy when they decide to start cleaning 
their garage. In the past, you might have spent a whole Saturday or even an entire weekend power cleaning everything you could find. While that will get you results faster, it can also burn you out and be the reason you give up before the job’s done.
This year, space out your cleaning. Look at your schedule for the upcoming month and see how many weekend afternoons you can spend in the garage. You’ll get a head start just by knowing how much time each weekend you have to devote to cleaning. The next step will be deciding where to start.
2. Tackle the Small Stuff First
Although the pile of gardening tools that have been sitting in the corner since last summer may be the first thing you want to clean, start with something small. Every time you finish a small cleaning project, you’ll feel a rush of confidence and be that much more ready to clean the next bigger project. It’s known as one of the ways to increase your productivity, since no one can shy away from something as simple as sweeping a garage floor.
3. Look for Dust
The main reason that people get a dirty garage is because you just end up with so much stuff when you’re a homeowner. If it doesn’t end up in your closet, it’ll be stored in the attic or thrown in the garage. While you spring clean your garage this year, look for dust. How often do you use the things you’ll be cleaning? Think hard about if you really need what you come across and don’t be afraid of donating or throwing stuff out.
4. Invest in Storage Bins
Storage bins may be the greatest thing that will ever happen to your garage. They come in all shapes and sizes, so you can fit practically anything in them. Plus, they’re easy to label with some painter’s tape and a permanent marker. They’re made to last well through the years and in most storage conditions, so if your garage gets a leak or an animal finds their way in overnight, your things will be kept safe and sound.
5. Don’t Forget to Hang Things
Wall space in your house is probably covered in photo frames and posters, so why should the walls of your garage be left bare? Look around to see how much empty wall space you have and
try to hang up what you can. Tools and cords will hang up easily, and you can even hang things on a budget.
For those who are into sports or activities that require large equipment, like a canoe or ski equipment, think about getting a ceiling rack. Garages are typically taller than the cars that are meant to park in them, which means that you can hang things on the ceiling that won’t fit in your garage closet. Measure out your garage to make sure there’s enough room for both your cars and a ceiling wrack, and then get a professional to help install it correctly so it lasts as long as you’re in your house.
6. Get Rid of Grease Spots
If you’ve lived in your home for a while, you probably have some spots and smudges that feel like they’ll always be part of your house. The good news is you can banish them, even if they’re grease spots. It’s easy to learn how to get rid of grease and it doesn’t take much time at all to get done. After letting a cloth absorb excess grease for at least a day, use a concrete cleaner to remove the stain. Your garage will be good as new!
7. Prepare for Plants
Gardening is a big springtime activity that people like to get into, so if you know that you’ll 
probably adopt a plant or want to do some lawn work when it warms up, it’s time to prepare for plants. Find a storage bin or other storage solution for your shovel, gardening hose and potential plant fertilizers. Putting these things away will help you remember where you put them, while also keeping potentially dangerous things away from curious kids or pets.
You can also hang up some gardening gloves and even a hat to protect your skin from the sun. Going out to garden may be fun, but the sun is just as powerful in the spring as it is in the summer. If you’re thinking about keeping some potted plants, make sure to think of the future. Don’t forget to leave some floor space open for those plants that may need to be pulled in during cooler nights.
8. Plan Ahead for Messes
Once you get your garage cleaned, you can celebrate that your work is done, but eventually you’ll need to clean again. There’s no way to prevent your garage from accumulating mess, so be smart and plan ahead for your next cleaning weekend. Keep labeling supplies ready for storage bins and your broom near by to sweep out any foliage.
Grab a planner and schedule in a Saturday afternoon dedicated to cleaning later in the summer. You’ll get ahead of garage cleaning before it’s too cold to be anywhere but inside. Cleaning in the spring doesn’t have to be difficult! Plan ahead and know what projects you want to conquer. By the time the local pool opens up, you’ll have the best looking garage in town.