Paper: Just Pitch It!

By Jessica Hoelzel

Too much paper weighs us down. It is especially burdensome when it overtakes desk or kitchen counter surfaces, and worse, the bedroom. Each piece of paper we receive asks us to make a decision about what to do with it.

Keep your paper burden from being too heavy by pitching it in the recycle bin the first chance you get. Instead of setting a piece paper aside, to figure out what to do with it later, force yourself to make a decision right away. Does it go in the “To Do” or “To File” pile? If you don’t need it, pitch it in the recycle bin.

Quote for the Day: About Clutter

“Clutter is like the tide: it comes in every day, whether you want it to or not. It slows down sometimes, but it never really stops. And unless you find a way to deal with it as quickly as it flows in, pretty soon you’ll be drowning in clutter.”

-Lori Baird, author of Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Click here for earlier posts in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


Throughout Your Home


21. Always be on the lookout for clutter, and be poised and ready to PURGE. This is the final tip in my 21 Quick Clutter Fixes series. The value here is not in you having a specific area in which to clear out clutter, or a typical type of clutter to keep in check. The value here is in your adopting “clutter radar”. When you see something, grab something, come in contact with something that you don’t use, love or need, IT needs to go. Either trash it, recycle it or donate it.

If you’ve gone through these tips and used them to your advantage to eliminate clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home, then you’ve gotten some practice by now. Maybe you got rid of a ton of stuff. Maybe you uncovered a few things to pitch. The important things to remember are 1) You are never going to be “done”, as things are always coming into our lives, accumulating, becoming clutter – so purging is something you’ll want to do regularly, and 2) How good it feels to be free of the burden of clutter, so you’re motivated to stay on top of it.

I pat you on the back for any and all clutter-clearing you’ve done over the course of this blog series, making your space a healthier place for you and your family. And for the future, keep the environment top-of-mind in the decisions you make about what to buy, what to bring into your home – for the sake of a healthier world for all of us.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.


Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In Storage


20. Keep only what you love, need and have the space for. If you’re not moving frequently, chances are you have stuff in storage, tucked way for safe-keeping…in the attic, basement, crawl space, or extra closet(s) that’s been there for years, and continues to accumulate.

Most people operate under the “out of sight, out of mind” concept. As long as things are boxed up, shelved, behind closed doors they’re not affecting you on a daily basis. They’re not part of what you need to “deal with”.

This is not so, according to feng shui. Everything you have is connected to you. Every THING can either weigh you down or lift you up. If it’s not:


something you need (serving a purpose),

something you love (positive vibration) or

something you have the space for (energy can flow freely)



then it could be endangering the feng shui – balance and harmony – of your space (and your life).

Set aside a day or a weekend, on your calendar, to give your storage space a good review, go through, and clean-out. If you get into it and find it’s going to take a LOT longer than you anticipated, break it down. Maybe only do one box or section at a time. If you’ve lived in the same space for a long time, the task can be overwhelming. Do as much as you have the energy for at one given time, then be purposeful about getting back to it. You can do it, and it’s going to feel soooo good.

Eco Tip: The less stuff you LET in your home, the less you need to get rid of, dispose of later. Making environmentally conscious choices about what you buy and keep eliminates some of the burden you place on the planet.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Entry


19. Clean UP the shoe pile. Shoes, shoes and more shoes! They can get out of control, especially if there’s more than one person living in your house. And especially if you live in a place with actual seasons, not only do you have different shoes for different purposes (outfits), you have different shoes for different types of weather too.

Lots of shoes hanging around in your entry can clog the chi. Read my last post for more about why you DON’T want this. Besides the annoyance you feel when they’re in your way, the energetics of looking at a pile of “anything” day after day will bring your energy down.

They key is to go up; use your vertical space. This idea can help you maximize space in almost any area in your home. But it’s especially important here. Get the clutter up so you can keep your energy up – so it’s not being brought down by piles of stuff.

Vertical Shoe Storage I Like:

2-Shelf Storage Stacker from The Container Store

Peva Overdoor Shoe Bag from The Container Store

Eco-Friendly Deluxe Bamboo Shoe Shelf


And speaking of weather, make sure you also have convenient places for shoes and boots to set and dry in the winter – either a boot tray or rug work well.

Tip: Minimize what you need to store by boxing up off-season shoes and storing elsewhere.

Eco Tip:  Be smart about your shoe purchases - choosing styles that are timeless, or shoes that can serve more than one purpose (outfit) both reduces what you consume, and what you eventually waste.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Entry

18. Clear the pathway. Entries are one of the most important places to keep clutter-free. According to feng shui, they are “mouths of chi”. They are where chi (life force energy) enters our inner spaces from the outside world. In order to attract that chi, and keep our homes filled with good, vibrant energy, it must be allowed in. Then once beckoned in, it must be allowed to flow freely, and circulate. Otherwise we end up with dead, stagnant energy in our homes. Yuk.

Our homes feel bad and we feel bad because clutter stops chi in its tracks. Clear, open spaces encourage it. If your entry has become a catch-all or a dumping ground of stuff, give it some good attention.

Lucky 7 Step-by-Step Guide to Clear Entry Clutter

(Can be used for Laundry/Mudrooms, too...any room in the house!)

Step 1: Grab a trash and recycling bag. Start at one end of the room and move around clockwise/counterclockwise. Get rid of garbage, dingy old things, paper you don’t need, general junk. Remove the bags from the area.

Step 2: Grab 3 boxes. Label: To Return (to other people, the library, etc.), To Donate (to charity) and To Go Elsewhere (in the house). Move around the room as you did in Step 1, sorting things into these categories. Leave the things be that stay in that area. Remove the boxes from the area.

Step 3: Take everything you’d like to keep in the area and sort it into categories. Remove from the area if possible to make room for Step 4.

Step 4: Clean the area. Dust, wipe shelves, clean windows, vacuum and mop floors. Get into the cracks and crevices.

Step 5: Move things that stay in the area back in, and place in their homes. If you find you need more for storage, this is the time to purchase containers or organizers. But be creative with what you have in the house BEFORE you go shopping. Use boxes, baskets, trays, jars, etc. that you already have on hand.

Step 6: Deal with one of the boxes from Step 2 one at a time. 1) Return the things that need to be returned. 2) Take your donation items to charity, or schedule to have them picked up. 3) Put things away elsewhere in the house.

Step 7: Take a few moments in the space to breathe deeply, and pat yourself on the back. Observe how good it feels now that the chi can enter easily and circulate. Job well done.

TIPS: With each of these steps, keep focused on exactly what you’re doing. Don’t get distracted by things you’ll do in other steps. If you’re short on time, do one step a day, or one step a week.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Laundry Room/Mudroom

16. Set up a functional area for collecting and sorting laundry. The laundry room can look messy and cluttery for the sole reason that there are piles scattered about. When you get things set up so they’re contained, you’ll fell a whole lot better, calmer in the space. Maybe even want to come in. Maybe even not hate doing laundry that much.

However you do your laundry, you need a way to sort and separate. Some people like to separate by family member, some by color.

Great Resources for Getting the Job Done:

Antique Bronze Bag Sorter

Aluminum Frame Double Hamper

Environmentally-Friendly Bamboo Double Hamper


If you’re building or remodeling, make sure to pay special attention to this utilitarian room. Money spent on built-in sorters, adequate counter space for folding and shelf/cupboard space for storing things will be money well spent. When a space is functional, it’s so much easier to get things done – and maybe even enjoy yourself in the process.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes:  ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Office


15. Create an Active Desktop Filing System. In an earlier post I discussed eliminating the clutter of paper we don’t need. In this post, I’ll tell you about a solution for the paper you do need, that’s just lying around, waiting to get piled on top of, forgotten, even lost.

Create an Active Desktop Filing System

Let’s break down exactly what this is…

Active means that it’s for things you need to have easy access to, to take “action” on: To Do, To Pay, To Call, Event Notices or other items pending. (“Pending” meaning not done yet.)This is NOT the place for things that are to be filed for reference (“Inactive” files like bank statements or tax documents).

Desktop means that it sits on top of your desk, kitchen counter, or other workspace. They key idea being that it’s easily accessible – at your fingertips. A container with an open top is the best, but if you want it to be less conspicuous, and blend in with your décor, there are options with lids too. See specific product ideas below.

Filing means that 1) there are file folders involved and 2) you use these file folders to sort things out by category. So you can keep things separated, and keep then straight. (Less overwhelming. Orderly.) You can either just use hanging file folders, or tabbed folders with hanging, if you want to create subcategories within the categories.

System means that there’s a method, not madness. It may take getting used to (20 something days to form a habit) but once it becomes habit, it’s easy – second nature to keep up. It’s what you DO.

Product Ideas to Do It Yourself:

Silver Mesh Desktop File

Acrylic Desktop File

Bristol Desktop File (With Lid)

Environmentally-Friendly Bamboo Desktop File


OR – Get Organized INSTANTLY

With a Ready-Made Active Desktop Filing System

ONLY $36!
(plus shipping/handling)

It comes complete with:

Silver Mesh Desktop File Holder

10 Hanging File Folders
(labeled with: To Do, To Pay, Pending, To File, Activities, Events, Projects, Planning, Resources, Emergency Info)

30 Tabbed File Folders: 3 in each Hanging File Folder
(To Do includes one labeled with Urgent; To Pay includes one labeled with Urgent, one with Due 1st -15th, one with Due 16th-31st)

Order one for you, and one for a friend!


Save $10 when you buy 2 – 2 Active Desktop Filing Systems ONLY $62!!!

Both of you can GET ORGANIZED

Email me to place your order. Custom selections available at additional cost.

Hurry! $10 savings on 2 ends 1/31/12.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Blog Series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Office

14. Round up extra supplies and move ‘em out. When you find you have more than enough, it’s natural to let that overflow to someone who needs it. I’m talking about supplies that accumulate over the years that we keep because we think they might come in handy someday.

Well, sure. Some of them will. But not in excess. Too much stuff is bad for our health.

Top contributors to “Oversupply Syndrome”:

Folders

Notebooks

Pads of paper

Sticky notes

Envelopes

Pens

Paper clips


When you’ve got all the things you want to give away sorted out, google “office supply donation” to research where you can donate them in your area. Often non-profit organizations will take donations because they don’t have a large budget for supplies. Some non-profits also have stores where they can sell the donations and make a profit to do good. Or, many schools are often in need of art and office-type supplies.

Another way to do good, not just for you, but for the world.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Office

13. Recycle a bunch of papers. We all have ‘em. We all get annoyed by ‘em, but we all need to keep a certain amount of paper.

Thing is, we’re also hoarding lots of papers that we really DON’T need to keep.

So grab a paper bag or your recycle bin, a shredder, and hit these three areas:

1. Desktop (or kitchen countertop if you use that for a workspace)
2. Files
3. Any other basket or box you use to store papers

Go through them one-by-one, or eliminate entire stacks. Get rid of anything that is irrelevant, outdated or unnecessary. If you’re pressed for time, set the timer in increments of 9: 9 minutes, 18 minutes, 27 minutes, 36 minutes, etc. Do this each day for 9 days if you need to.

You’ll feel a whole lot better and tons lighter after you’re done. Why? Because each and every piece of paper weighs on us, whether we realize it or not. Get rid of ‘em!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Bathroom


12. Streamline personal care products. Body lotion, face lotion, day cream, night cream, eye cream, volumizer, smoothing serum, hold spray – woah. We have a lot goin’ on in the bathroom. Not always to our benefit. If you’re knocking into and tipping over products and not having space to store all those products or get ready easily, something’s gotta give. And not your sanity.

Like the closet, the bathroom is where we spend some time at the start and end of each day. In order for us to feel light and happy, we need the space to breath. We need our routines to be easy. Otherwise we go through the rest of our day or into the night feeling overwhelmed and burdened. As if we don’t have enough other stuff going on in life to overwhelm and burden us.

The solution is here: Read an earlier post for 3 ways to Keep Bathroom Clutter in Check, and go about it in an environmentally-minded way.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Bedroom


11. Clear the top of your dresser. Too much clutter in the bedroom is dangerous, as I mentioned in my earlier post about piles of books next to the bed. Clutter can affect your sleep, your mood, your general well-being. Clutter is distracting, and it needs to be dealt with for you to live at your best.

The bedroom should definitely NOT be the place to dump things for later, like receipts, papers, odds ‘n’ ends and things in general that collect dust. In order for your sleep to be restorative and deep, you need your bedroom to be a clear, serene space. And that includes the surface space of your dresser.

Clear it off, and only place a few special objects on it for peace or inspiration. Then, establish the rule that those items, and only those items are allowed to live there – for your well-being.

If you need storage for things on top of your dresser, consider these eco-friendly solutions:

(or re-purpose a box you have in another area of your home – good for jewelry, etc.)

From Pristine Planet

From Décor Universe

From Organize It


Sleep tight!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Bedroom

10. Organize your closet so what you need, and only what you need, is at your fingertips. I’ve written before about organizing your closet. Obviously, this is one of the places that challenges people the most. One probable reason for the challenge, though, is that your closet has too much stuff in it that you don’t need.

You’ve got to let go. A lot like the “someday” ideas I was talking about in my post on magazines, you don’t have to keep pieces of clothing you “might wear someday”. Just keep the pieces you know you WILL wear. Because “someday” usually doesn’t come.

Ways to Get ‘Er Done:

Easy 3-Step Process for Getting Rid of Clutter

Chic & Easy Organizing on the Cheap
Idea #3: Feng Shui Your Closet and Make it an Organized Place to Start Your Day

Then, after you realize how much you buy that you really don’t wear or need, you will definitely be a more saavy and waste-conscious consumer. Smart!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Bedroom

9. Get rid of some books. Are you one of those people that has stacks of books next to the bed? Reading in bed is a lovely, relaxing experience. I enjoy it myself, and often have a few books going at once – I never know which one I’ll be in the mood for! Sleep can be challenged, however with too many books near the bed.

The more books, the more clutter. And clutter – in the bedroom, but especially right next to your bed – can interfere with sleep.

In feng shui terms, books are ideas. Every book exudes the energy of the content it contains. What types of books do you read? If your selections include relationship complications, violence or general despair, you especially want to relocate those. If you’re reading self-help or personal growth books, these can keep your mind busy, and then you don’t get adequate sleep.

I recommend having no more than 3 books near the bed. Store the rest on shelves in your living space or office. And it’s a good idea to only have those in the bedroom that are soothing to read before you sleep.

Speaking of too many books, it’s also good to do a review of your shelves at least every 6 months, but preferably every 3. Keep only what you really love and know you’ll read or refer to again. Let the rest go. Donate them so someone else can enjoy.

“Aim to end up with a collection of books that represents you as you are today and the intended ‘you’ of tomorrow.”

- Karen Kingston Space Clearing Expert

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Living Area

6. Edit the photo frames you have displayed. To “edit” something can mean a few different things. Depending upon what’s happening with the frames you’ve accumulated over the years, choose from one of the following ways to “edit” what you’ve got, therefore making sure your display says what you want it to – narrates the story of your life, as you’d like to tell it.

Definition of editing #1: To collect, prepare or arrange

Having too many frames spread out around a room can look very cluttered. Gather them together in one place, and arrange them in a balanced way.

Definition of editing #2: To revise or correct

Do your frames match, with a common finish or color theme? If not, buy a set of new matching frames or replace a couple that are really clashing.

Definition of editing #3: To expunge or eliminate

Get rid of the photos that are tired, outdated or that make you cringe. Only keep the ones that create a warm spot in your heart. If you have too many, pick the best-of-the-best. If you have outdated ones, replace the photos with more recent ones in the same frames.

  

The Green Way to Go About It

• Re-use old frames that don’t match by spray painting them to match.
• Donate the old frames you no longer need, so someone else can make use of them. 
• Choose recycled material or sustainable wood for the new frames you buy.

Some resources for you:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenHouseFraming

http://www.overstock.com/Worldstock-Fair-Trade/Recycled-5-x-7-Wood-Picture-Frame-Thailand/5093801/product.html?cid=123620

http://www.perpetualkid.com/recycled-magazine-picture-frame.aspx

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Kitchen

4. Clean out your pantry. Here in America we love to consume. Our homes tend to get cluttered as a result, making us feel overwhelmed. The pantry is one place that things can easily get stacked and packed in, either because we:

• Buy in bulk
• Stock up because of a great deal
• Forget what it is we have, or lose it at the back of the cupboard 

I personally do not buy in bulk because I don’t have the extra storage space, and because I don’t want to have that much stuff around. I like to KISS my home: Keep It Super Simple. If you have found significant dollar savings in buying bulk (Have you done a spreadsheet on it?), and have the storage space to keep things “on reserve”, go for it. But only buy what you know you WILL consume. Otherwise you’re creating more waste, and your dollar “savings” are wasted.

Action items to make your pantry streamlined and functional:

• Toss expired things. Recycle any cardboard boxes and glass jars
•  Bag the things your family likely won’t eat, donate to the food shelf
•  Be realistic when shopping: buy only what your family can reasonably eat, or buy ingredients only for specific meals, not 5 cans of chili beans just because they’re 5/$3
• Take the items you want to keep in the pantry out, organize them by category: dessert, sides, grains, etc
• Wipe the shelves down and put the items back, in their category grouping

An organized kitchen can help make cooking a pleasant experience, and also save you the money spent on eating out.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less clutter = Healthy Home
Less waste = Healthy World

In the Kitchen

3. Purge your plastic cups and water bottles. Any family knows plastic cups can stack up, literally. So, we need to ask ourselves, how many of ‘em do we really need? And that all depends on how many kids you have around and how often you run your dishwasher. I guarantee you probably don’t need any more than 6. Get rid of the ones you don’t need, either by donating them or recycling. If you don't have many, and are looking to buy some, choose glass instead. They last longer and they won't impact the environment like plastic will once they wear out.

We’ve all learned about plastic water bottles leaching plastic into our beverages. If you have water bottles that aren’t BPA free, let them go. These tend to collect from giveaways and gifts. But just because someone gave it to you, or it was free, doesn’t mean you need to keep it. You’re the boss of your house and your stuff! Don't let things take over the well-being of yourself and your space.
Streamline those cupboards!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

I’m introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less clutter = Healthy Home

Less waste = Healthy World 

In the Kitchen

  

2. Get those bags under control! I’m not talking about the bags under your eyes from disorganization-distress. I’m talking about plastic and paper shopping bags. Let’s take them one at a time.

Plastic. They are bad for the environment! We all know that, right? Lest you need a reminder, click here.

Some solutions:

• Elect not to take your things in them from the store.
• If you have loads of them, take them to a recycling collection location, like a grocery or department store, to unload.
• Reuse them (not the greatest solution, since they still go back into the environment, but they come in handy for some messier situations; poopy diaper, anyone?).
• If you keep some for re-use, take one bag, open it, and put all the others “scrunched up” inside. Or get one of these.
  

Paper. Biodegradable, but still kill trees.

Some solutions:

• Recycle a bunch if they’re taking over you cupboard or pantry.
• Reuse them for taking things places or to collect recycling.
• If you keep some for re-use, take one bag, open it, and put all the other (folded) bags inside it. You can store that “bag-with-the-bags” upright or on its side for easy access.

Better solution: Use reusable bags. They are everywhere now. Actually they can get a bit out of control too. My solution for taming them is the same as with plastic or paper: open one, put the others inside it (folded). If you have way too many, donate some. I, personally, keep my bags in the trunk. They are there when I shop, then put back after unpacking groceries. Sometimes I do forget them, but then I re-use the bags I bring home.

If you’re on-the-go on foot or by bus or train, consider the fun Chico Bag.  I got one for my sister and cousin last year for their birthdays. It scrunches up really small in it’s own little storage bag, and you can keep that in your purse or backpack. Some styles also available at REI.

An Easy 3-Step Process for Getting Rid of Clutter, Day to Day

By Jessica Hoelzel
 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…because maybe you haven’t heard it! This 3-Step Process is one the easiest ways to declutter an area. Whether your kitchen cupboards are bursting at the seams, your closet is packed or your living room has piles and piles of mags and newspapers, you can use this simple strategy to streamline and get organized.

Here’s what you do:

Easy 3-Step Process for Getting Rid of Clutter

1. Always keep a box/bag/bin in that area. Designate it as the “To Donate” box. If you need to, you can also have an additional box or bag for “Trash”.
2. Toss things in the box as you come across them and know they need to go. Justifying reasons: it’s old, it’s dingy, it’s broken, I don’t use it, I don’t need it, I don’t like it, etc.
3. When the box fills up, bring to the place you’d like to donate, trash the trash. If you are doing this process in several areas of you house at once, designate an area in your garage to collect things to donate (where you will see the stuff and be reminded of it every day), then donate when you have a big pile-up. You can also call a donation organization to come pick up the things…couldn’t be any easier than that.

 Happy Decluttering!

My Top 5 Favorite Products for Keeping Paper Clutter Under Control

By Jessica Hoelzel

These are all from The Container Store. If you don’t have one near you, you can order online too. Or look for something similar at the department store where you like to shop. And no, I don’t get anything from recommending The Container Store, I just picked products from there because I like their solutions, prices and, of course, product organization!


1. Open-Top File Box
For keeping papers corralled, but accessible on the countertop or desktop. (Active files only.)


2. Fun File Folders
Pick a scheme that makes you happy so you are inspired to develop and keep up a system.


3. Wall File
Great for small desks or small spaces. Get desktop clutter off the desk and up on the wall, using your vertical space.

4. Storage Boxes
Use these on shelves to store papers by category. Stackable too!

5. Translucent Expanding File Carrier
Great for storing tax doc’s and papers related to an organization or committee you’re on.