Folding Shirts
August 23, 2016
Folding Shirts to Maximize Space in Drawers
Folding shirts, while a chore, can be a joyous, active meditation, believe it or not. If you struggle to relax, and find it difficult to sit quietly and meditate, folding clothes is a soothing activity that can help center you quickly while preparing your wardrobe for future wear.
A friend once asked me pointers for meditating and I suggested chopping vegetables as a good active meditation. If you don’t get centered quickly, you’re likely to cut yourself. Shirt folding is less dangerous, however, but just as satisfying.
Folding is best done on a table but doing it on your bed is okay too. The sooner you start after drying, the fewer wrinkles you’ll have to contend with. It’s surprising how many wrinkles you can remove, though, by simply spreading out your shirts and smoothing them with hands as you fold.
The photo below shows steps for folding a t-shirt, but it will work on shirts with collars as well. Just be sure to smooth and arrange the collars evenly. The method below is very similar to the Konmari method – probably a hybrid of Marie Kondo and my grandmother’s way of shirt folding. The difference is in how the sleeves are folded.
Folding shirts this way makes them super-compact so they can be stored on edge, which takes up less space in your drawers. While hanging shirts in the closet is easier, some of us are lacking in closet space and maximizing your drawer space is always a good idea. If you remove the wrinkles as you go, folding into thirds or even quarters produces no more wrinkles and you’ll be amazed at how many t-shirts you can pack in a drawer. The main drawer photo above includes over fifty shirts – plus room for at least ten more. If the shirts had been folded like retail displays, they would’ve taken up more than twice the room. Most people would arrange the shirts facing the drawer front. In this instance, they seemed more accessible arranged along the length of the drawer. It’s really a matter of personal preference.
If you are moving into a dorm or are short on drawer space, you’re sure to love this method of folding shirts, as it leaves more room in your closet for suits, coats and dress clothes. Enjoy!
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Also check out our post on dresser drawer decluttering and check out this video for the cheater method of shirt folding, with Alejandra. For help with jean storage, read this (it’s a fun quick read).
Locker Accessories
August 2, 2016
Summer is nearly over but there’s plenty to look forward to as the school year approaches, including things to learn, and new friends and experiences. Locker accessories are a great way to express yourself and make a personal statement before and after classes – and during those pit stops throughout the day.
The new school year sparks mixed feelings as the fun of summer comes to a close. Pre-fall, back-to-school shopping excursions minimize the “vacation over” blues, with locker accessories being one of the more fun and affordable indulgences. Here are seven inexpensive locker accessories to help kids get in the groove of school life:
1. Hanging Locker Organizer – available in black, pink or blue and has everything you need for book, supply, shoe, coat and accessory storage in one simple product. Mesh pockets provide expandable side storage, and it’s both durable and lightweight. It hangs from hooks, a rod, or from actual locker shelves, making it an indispensable locker accessory.
2. Magnetic Locker Bin – comes in a variety of colors and patterns – plus it adds instant bling to your locker as a way of making a personal statement. Use it as a pencil cup, for cell phone storage, or to store a variety of other supplies.
3. Magnetic Locker Wallpaper – available in a range of fun colors and patterns, this locker wallpaper is a fun way to transform dingy gray lockers from drab to fab. The magnetic back makes it a cinch to install and just as easy to remove – no sticky adhesive or mess to clean up.
4. Magnetic Locker Mirror – always look your best with a mirror hung right where you need it. Whether it’s eye makeup, a hair check, or after-lunch braces inspection, a magnetic mirror is an essential locker accessory.
5. Expandable Locker Shelf – adds convenient storage to most-sized lockers. It’s lightweight, made of plastic, and available in pink, blue or black to suit your taste. Why live with the standard storage of most lockers when you can customize it to your liking?
6. Magnetic Flowers – add a fun blast of color to your locker interior – plus you can use it to hold notes, photos and homework assignments. They measure 6 inches in diameter and come in pink or purple.
7. Magnetic Dry Erase Board – use as a reminder board, to-do list, or write poems, love letters, or even plan tweets. Great thing is – it’s temporary – or leave it there the whole semester. Dry erase boards are one of the most-needed, appreciated and fun locker accessories.
Ease the disappointment of summer’s end with something to look forward to – locker decorating – with only a few small indulgences from Organize-it’s Back-To-School Collection. Locker decorating is a fun way to express yourself and distinguish your locker from everyone elses’.
*Also check out the following for helpful, back-to-school tips and products:
- College Dorm List – blog post
- Our Pinterest Back-to-School Essentials Board for lots of inspiration
- A Downloadable, Back-to-School PDF Checklist for dorm living
Ask Our Organizer also has ideas about lockers. Read about it here.
Refrigerator Storage Bins
July 29, 2016
If I could use only one product to organize my fridge, it would be refrigerator storage bins.
If you’ve ever been down on your knees, cleaning up the mess from the mushrooms you forgot, the meat that thawed and leaked through the cellophane, or the Buffalo Wing sauce you inadvertently tipped as you rummaged for a midnight snack, you know exactly what I’m referring to. Messes. Icky, sticky messes. Unidentified, mystery messes. Messes made glaringly apparent by the stark contrast against your cold white refrigerator interior.
When I started working at Organize-It, I quickly discovered tons of ways to organize my home. The refrigerator bins by Dial were probably the most glorious discovery. I quickly purchased enough to fill my refrigerator. Now you might be thinking you can get some dollar store plastic and use that, but I don’t recommend it. Here’s why, some plastics are safe for food, and some aren’t. Also, plastics not engineered for cold temperatures quickly crack when the temperature exceeds their tolerances.
Dial refrigerator storage bins are food and refrigerator safe. There are numerous other reasons they are great:
- Clear plastic lets you see the contents.
- Recessed handles let you pull them out for easy access.
- Spills are cleaned by removing and washing the fridge bins only.
- Easily access hard-to-reach items by removing the bin.
- Easily organize food by consolidating like foods into individual bins.
- Reduce refrigerator maintenance by tending to bins as they get soiled.
- Refrigerator bins come in a variety of sizes including narrow bins for fruit.
- Bins are stackable for efficient vertical storage of smaller food items.
Refrigerator storage bins help me keep my refrigerator organized and I seem to have less food waste, as the food is visible and accessible. The stackable design lets me add more as needed and I was able to combine units to fill most of my shelf space, with a little left over for small liquid cartons, such as milk. I highly recommend these, as they are my favorite food organization product.
