There are many organization solutions in the marketplace today that can help keep closet clutter under control without spending a fortune on high-end custom closets.  Outfitting your child’s closet with a custom solution may not always be the best idea when they still  have a lot of growing to do.  It might make more sense to use less expensive organization products that can be changed and adjusted as the child grows.

Here are a few ideas that can be incorporated into your child’s existing closet, assuming you do not already have built-in shelving installed:

Hanging organizer shelves for clothing
Storage cubes to corral small toys
Hanging shoe organizer to keep shoes off the floor
Shoe stands, also to keep shoes off the floor
Quality hangers to take better care of clothing

Closet hanging shelf organizer

Magic toy pop-up cube

Closet hanging shoe organizer shelves

Stackable shoe shelf organizer

Childrens' wood hangers

Folding canvas bins

Rolling bins or carts to hold folded clothing or toys can also be helpful.  Find more closet organizers at Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to get a free organizing goals worksheet when you sign up for her organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

The typical bathroom cabinet is cluttered and disorganized due to the abundant amount of items typically used in the bathroom.  Toiletries, make-up, hair appliances, linens, medicine and other personal items are often used on a daily basis, yet the average bathroom has very little efficient storage options.  The average bathroom cabinet is deep and tall, but due to large protruding plumbing fixtures, there is usually no shelving installed inside to help maximize the available space.  

One way to solve this problem is to purchase organizers for use inside deep cabinets.  Stackable bins and containers are one option, or you can use a roll-out drawer. Roll-out drawers come in a variety of widths to fit most undersink cabinets and are available in either one or two levels.   The two tiered roll-out drawers can really maximize the space underneath the average bathroom cabinet and are also very easy to install.  Plus, roll-out drawers can also be used under kitchen sink cabinets to store cleaning supplies and in any other deep cabinet or shelf that may be difficult to access.

For the budget-conscious consumer, roll-out drawers can be an affordable alternative to custom built-in organizational installations. Home Storage Warehouse has a couple of options to choose from.  

Roll out 2 tier organizer

Roll out cabinet drawer

Roll out undersink drawer

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

It’s nearing the end of Get Organized Month (SM). Have you started any of your decluttering and organizing projects yet?  Feeling overwhelmed?  Break the task down into smaller chunks and work on one chunk at a time. 

Let’s assume you need to go through several weeks of mail that you’ve been procrastinating.  Normally, when the mail hasn’t been sorted in a while, it may be found in many different areas of the home.  So before you start, spend some time going through your home searching for piles of unopened mail.  When you’re sure you have it all, schedule some time to begin processing it.  Here are a few easy mail sorting and organizing tips:

1. Have the necessary tools on hand before you begin.  Examples of what you mind need include: A shredder (or a container to store paper to shred later), letter opener, files, file box or filing cabinet, recycle or trash bin, pen, sticky notes, paper clips and a stapler and staple remover. 

2. Sort the mail by type.  You can usually tell from the outside of the envelope what type of mail it is, e.g. bill, statement, catalog, junk mail, magazine subscription, etc.

3. Open the easy action items first, e.g. place your magazines either in a magazine basket or give it to the person in the household who holds the magazine subscription.  Discard the junk mail and trash.

4. Open the bills and make decisions.  Pay now or later?  Set up reminder systems in your day planner or PDA for bills that need to be paid later.  Discard trash and file statements.

5. Schedule time to do the mail daily or every other day.  If you have a particularly crazy schedule, you can do it once a week, but no less than that!

Here are some paper and mail organizing products and tools that you may find helpful from Home Storage Warehouse.

Desktop organizer

Newspaper and Magazine Rack

File/Letter Desk Organizer

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie also writes a column at the Baltimore Examiner, called Organized Families and is the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Click here to learn more. Contact Jacquie by clicking here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Now that we’re officially in the New Year, many of us have goals and resolutions in place for a better year.  One of the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions is getting organized and the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has named January “Get Organized Month(SM)”. When you’re more organized you can get things done in a timely manner, find the things you need and generally feel less stressed.  So who wouldn’t want to be more organized? 

Although containers, bins, shelves and baskets won’t make you organized, they can certainly help you to contain all of the important things you need.  Containers will also help you to create the systems you need in your home so that you’ll be more organized, and more importantly, remain organized!  Here are a few organizing products and organizational systems that may help you on the road to organization.

Food dispenser

Wicker storage chest

Jewelry organizer

Laundry sorter - 4 bags

Handbag purse organizer

Wall cubby organizer

So, when do you plan to start decluttering?  Pick one space today, and focus on getting that one space decluttered and organized.   Starting with one space helps to prevent overwhelm.  But if you feel overwhelmed regardless, enlist the help of a friend or hire a professional organizer.  According to NAPO, “Professional organizers can help you deal with everything from your paper to your professional responsibilities and give you parameters on what to keep, what to toss, and where to take action.”

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com 

What are your organizing goals?

Having your home decorated for the holidays is wonderful, but eventually we have to put it all away.  It always feels as though we’re making a fresh start again when we take down the holiday décor.  It’s nice when they’re up, but it’s equally nice when they have all been taken down.  Hopefully, by now, you have purchased your color-coded holiday storage containers to organize and store your decorations.  Color-coding your storage helps you to remember what’s inside the containers, even before you read the label on the outside.  Also, if you have special holiday glasses and stemware, take a look at these.

Since we are talking about “making a fresh start”, a brand new New Year is a good time to reflect on the past year and to think about where you can make improvements in the coming year.  I enjoy tweaking current organizational systems in my home to be even more organized.  For example, I recently went through all of my kitchen cabinets and reorganized them.  A couple had got a little disorganized and I was having a hard time finding things.  Sound familiar?  Even a professional organizer has to re-evaluate systems  in his or her home.  Getting organized is an ongoing process and needs to be maintained and re-evaluated from time to time.  This may mean purchasing new organizing products and starting new organizational systems.

What can you improve upon this year?  Even the most organized people sometimes need to make changes.  There are many new organization products for closets, laundry rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, offices, bedrooms and more.  Take a look at what’s available now at Home Storage Warehouse. 

 You may also like:
 “After the Holidays: Organizing tips for Your Christmas Decorations”

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

It’s Christmas Eve and we’re counting down the hours to the big day!  If your house is on Santa’s list to visit tonight, don’t forget to leave him some milk and cookies! 

If your cookies are homemade, make an extra batch of cookies to eat as a treat on Christmas day or during the holiday period.  You’ll also want to be sure that your cookies stay fresh by storing them in either a plastic food storage container or cookie jar.   Cookie jars are great because they are decorative enough to leave on the countertop.  Cookie jars also come in a wide range of sizes, designs and styles. 

The following cookie jars are also multi-purpose containers because they include salt and pepper shakers!  These cookie jars are great space savers and can be an excellent solution for homeowners with minimal counter space.   
If you prefer the charm and simplicity of ceramic kitchen canisters, pick your favorite color and purchase a set of three.  Kitchen canisters can be used, not only store cookies, but to store sugar, coffee, tea and flour.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie also writes a column at the Baltimore Examiner, called Organized Families.  Contact Jacquie by clicking here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

All canisters and cookie jars can be found online at Home Storage Warehouse.

With a little over a week before Christmas day, last minute shoppers will be crowding the shopping malls this weekend trying to find the perfect gift.  Sometimes it’s just easier to save time and shop online.   Even though you may pay a little for shipping, you are less likely to impulse shop as much as when you shop in a physical store, saving you money in the long run.

Many online stores have special shipping deals and guarantee delivery by December 24th if you get your orders in now and select overnight or 2nd day shipping.  However, it’s important to check the store’s policy first before placing your order.  Sometimes a quick phone call or email will get you the answer you need in order to avoid disappointment. 

If shopping at the last minute creates undue stress for you, make a decision today to be more organized next year by planning your holiday shopping earlier!  Here are some gift ideas from Home Storage Warehouse :

All of the above gift items can be found in the following departments at Home Storage Warehouse:

All Occasion Gifts
Jewelry Storage
Men’s Dresser Valets
Cosmetic Organizers
Pet Organizers
Wine Storage

Another option is to purchase gift certificates.  Gift certificates can be shipped quickly and are usually always in stock.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie also writes a column at the Baltimore Examiner, called Organized Families.  Contact Jacquie by clicking here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, many Americans are getting ready to take a long road trip to meet up with extended family.  There are also many who travel very long distances so will fly, instead of driving.  Traveling by air adds another layer of planning and preparing for your trip.  When traveling by air, it’s more important to be organized when planning your trip, because you are unable to pack as much belongings as when you’re driving.  Another reason why air travelers need to be more organized is because they are often carrying money or travelers checks, airline tickets, passports and other valuable items that could result in devastating consequences if lost or stolen. 

In general, most airline travelers prefer to carry their jewelry, extra cash and other valuables with them on the airplane for safekeeping, but if the items are not stored properly, they can easily get lost.  Less frequent air travelers tend to be a bit distracted at the airport due to being in an unusual environment, so if their items are not stored and organized properly, they may later learn that something valuable fell out of their bag, or worse, may have been stolen.  Sometimes, items will fall out a bag while searching for something else that you’re having trouble locating.

The solution is to use travel organizers to organize all of your important documents.  Travel organizers will help you to keep everything together in one place, reducing stress and saving you time trying to find items in dark lined bags.  Travel organizers can also help you to pack more organized and maximize the space in your carry-on bag and suitcase luggage. 

There are a variety of unique travel organizers and accessories with lots of pockets for various documentation.  There are also numerous travel organizers for other personal items that will help you to pack more efficiently. You can also store your important documents in a specially designed “Garment Hideaway” (see item pictured on the right).   With this product, you’ll never have to worry about important documents falling out of your bag or being stolen. Here are a couple more to consider:

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie also writes a column at the Baltimore Examiner, called Organized Families.  Contact Jacquie by clicking here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

When organizing and decorating your living areas, don’t forget your pet’s space.  Pet owners are no longer limited by a small selection of pet accessories and supplies.  Dog beds, cat litter boxes, food bowls and dishes, now come in a variety of styles and designs that can often blend in with your décor. 

If your pet is fortunate to have her own room, you can even decorate her space with decorative paint, good lighting, a tiled floor and even a ceiling fan!  This might seem extravagant to some, especially to those who do not even have these items in their own spaces!

Kitty condo

In any event, your dog will always appreciate a comfortable bed.  If you live in a small space, a corner dog bed can be the perfect solution and doesn’t take up a lot of space.  For your cat, a handsome litter box and comfortable bed, like the kitty condo shown below, can be both practical and attractive.  You can also find a lot of fun cat bowls and dog dishes that are great gift ideas for the holidays!  Here are some pet organizing ideas here from Home Storage Warehouse.

Pet sofa

 

Dog dish - poochCat bowls with stand - whimsical

Toy organizer - 12 bin

Today’s kids have busy lives.  At least they like to think so anyway!  They have school, homework, afterschool activities, playdates and family time. Who’s got time for chores? Keeping an organized bedroom is generally not on the top of their list of priorities, creating frustration for busy parents.  Often it’s a case of simply not knowing where to put their stuff.  They may have a dresser, chest of drawers and a closet for their clothing, but kids seem to always have a bunch of random items that don’t have a home. 

Allocating space for every item that is stored in their room can be a tedious chore, but it’s a very important part of teaching them, not only to be organized, but that every item should have a home.

If your child’s room is a cluttered mess, then decluttering is the first step.  Sort, purge and organize.  The organizing part can be the hardest part when you’re dealing with a small space or simply don’t know where to start.  Hiring a local professional organizer to help create organizational systems can save both time and stress, freeing up more time to do the things you actually enjoy. 

Nightstand valet for kids

Home organization designers and manufacturers are getting very creative, resulting in new and improved furniture and products to help us to get organized and stay organized.  Organization products for children has become a fast growing industry, providing us with a lot more choice. By making the organizers more visually appealing and fun to use, we can only hope that our children will be more inclined to use them!  Here are a few organizing products from Home Storage Warehouse, designed with kids rooms in mind. 

Girls weekly pocket organizer

Boys weekly pocket organizer

Toy storage bin

Kids saddlebag with straps

Click here to see more kid’s organizers

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie also writes a column at the Baltimore Examiner, called Organized Families.  Contact Jacquie by clicking here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com