Organization products, like toy bins, pop-up storage bins, pop-up hampers, over-the-door organizers and hanging shoe pockets are just a few of the many organizing products available to help keep your children’s rooms organized and free of clutter.  Summertime is a good time to get those organization products in place in time for back to school.  Once your kids get busy with homework and afterschool activities it’s going to be even harder for them to keep their rooms clean and organized, so every little bit helps. 

Most children can do basic room upkeep chores on their own.  However, it’s best to continue to build confidence in them by showing them how to do routine tasks, like, picking up toys and putting them away, putting away their clean laundry, light dusting and even vacuuming. 

At the very least, all children should have easy access to a laundry hamper as soon as they are able to dress themselves.  Begin by explaining the rules and consequences, if you decide to have consequences.  One example of a consequence would be to not wash anything that’s not placed inside the hamper!  After a couple of weeks of this, they will soon realize that there is very little left to wear, except maybe a handful of their least favorite clothing! 

Purchase a fun or decorative hamper for their room or bathroom that they actually won’t mind using. Here are some fun kids’ hampers for both young children and teens at Home Storage Warehouse.

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More back to school organizing tips
More Organization Products for Keeping Your Children’s Closets Clutter-Free

Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and President of the NAPO Baltimore Chapter, she helps homeowners to clear their household and paper clutter and organize their home or home office.  Jacquie also offers home organizing workshops to the general public and brief time management classes to businesses. Jacquie is the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  If you want to take control of your clutter, visit CastAway the Clutter to get Jacquie’s free organizing goals worksheet when you sign up for her organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Getting around to clearing the clutter and finally getting organized can be hard enough.  Once you’ve cleared the clutter you have to find storage options to fit your needs.  This can get seem quite expensive if you are new to organization and have only ever had a few bins here or there, so the key is to budget for your storage, which may include bins, baskets, trays, cubbies and furniture.  It might also mean making some sacrifices in other areas of your life so that you can declutter and return to a normal life at home. 

Getting your organizational systems in place can be even more complicated if you’re environmentally conscious  and don’t care to use plastic.  If you’re opposed to plastic storage containers and organizers, whether it be due to environmental reasons, aesthetics or you’re simply trying to “go green”, you may find it a challenge to find organization products that are not made of plastic.  An alternative material is wicker.  Contrary to popular belief, wicker is not a plant material, but is made of part of a plant.  Wicker also includes some plastic fibers, but, at least you’re moving in the right direction if you’re trying to go green. 

So, what exactly is wicker?  According to Wikipedia, “Wicker is hard woven fiber formed into a rigid material, usually used for baskets or furniture. Wicker is often made of material of plant origin, but plastic fibers are also used.  Materials used can be any part of a plant, such as the cores of cane of rattan stalks, or whole thicknesses of plants, as with willow switches…”

Another advantage for using wicker and other similar materials, like rattan, banana leaf  and seagrass to organize your items is their beauty.  Wicker baskets, bins and furniture can add color and texture to any room and can be used as decorative baskets, as well as functional organization storage.   Wicker organization products can be used in family rooms, linen closets, laundry rooms, bedrooms and much more.  Take a look at a few of the wicker, rattan, banana leaf and seagrass organization products here from Home Storage Warehouse

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For the Bathroom:

Bathroom set

Triple Laundry Sorter

For Bedrooms, Living Rooms and Family Rooms:

Seagrass storage chests

Wicker Magazine Rack

With Earth Day approaching, it’s a good time to think about what small changes you can make in and around your home to help save the environment. 

Here are 6 green living tips you can apply this month:

1. Replace all lightbulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs;
2. Switch to non-toxic cleaning products to clean your home;
3. Replace shower heads with low-flow shower heads, or decrease the time you spend in the  shower;
4. Unplug appliances, electronics and other gadgets when not in use;
5. Install a programmable thermostat so that you can better control how you use your energy throughout the day;
6. If your neighborhood allows it, dry your clothes outside on an outdoor drying rack in the Spring, Summer and Fall.  In the wintertime, dry some or all of your clothes indoors, on an indoor clothes line.  Here are some clothing lines and drying racks to consider at Home Storage Warehouse.

Outdoor drying rack

Clip drip dryer hanger

Retractable clothes line

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

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 

Looking for ways to trim your household budget and also help save the planet? Start drying your clothes on a clothes line or drying rack instead of using a clothes dryer. You might be surprised to learn that in many other countries, drying clothes outside on a clothes line is very much the norm. For example, in England, many households may own a clothes dryer, commonly known as a tumble dryer, but generally only use it on a rainy or very cold day.

Dryers work by using heat and rapid air movement – usually heated by electricity or gas, and are one of the most expensive and energy intensive household appliances to run. So this is a good place to start if you’re trying to save money on your household bills.

Still not convinced? Here’s a few good reasons why using a drying rack or line drying is best:

-  You will save money on your household energy bill
-  Your clothes will last longer – dryers can be hard on clothing

-  Your clothes will dry naturally and without the added chemicals of fabric softener or dryer sheets
-  Your clothes will bleach naturally by the sun
-  By saving energy, you are helping to save the planet
-  You might even get some exercise, if you have a lot of laundry to hang!

If you feel like you don’t have the time to hang dry all of your clothes, then start by hanging a few for each load. Once you get into a habit, you’ll be able to build it into your schedule and you’ll find that it doesn’t really take up that much more time. Or, maybe you live in a community that do not allow outdoor clothes lines. That’s a shame, but you needn’t worry because there are half a dozen indoor dryer racks to choose from, which will allow you to hang your clothes in the laundry room, over the bathtub or over a sink. Check these out at www.HomeStorageWarehouse.com. Click on each picture for more details.

INDOOR CLOTHING RACKS:

OUTDOOR RACKS:

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 can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com