Memorial Day weekend is often seen as the kickoff to summer. It’s a weekend where family and friends go camping, have cookouts and participate in other summer activities. Now that Memorial Day is behind us don’t forget that we should take time to thank and honor the men and women in the United States Armed Forces who fought, and continue to fight for, our freedom. Make sure to thank a veteran for his or her service!
Tag: donating used items
Build community and generate donations!
Want to build camaraderie in your apartment complex or subdivision? Encourage your neighbors to collect gently used items while spring cleaning and donate them to ClothingDonations.org as a neighborhood. Then, host a cookout or pizza party to celebrate. It’s a great way to give back to your community and veterans while also getting to know your neighbors!
Spring has sprung!
Spring is upon us, and warm weather often means open windows. Make sure to clean/wash your screens before popping them into your windows. This will prevent that nice spring breeze from blowing in dust and dirt that your screens collected during the winter.
Spring Fever Is Upon Us!
Step outside these days and you’ll probably noticed a decided uptick in the weather—spring is almost here! From sunny skies, to warm weather, it truly feels like it’s time to put winter behind use. Another subtle announcement that spring is fast approaching, is that Daylight Saving Time began. Yes, you lost an hour of sleep, but the grumbling about this was probably lost in the excitement over warmer, brighter days just ahead! While some people take their spring fever outside for walks, bike rides, and hiking, there’s one place that’s also ready for spring fever.
Your home.
It may be a little early to truly begin your spring cleaning efforts; however, if you’ve had your windows open lately to get a little fresh air, you might have noticed dust blowing around your home. It’s possible to get a head start on your spring cleaning. In fact, if you’ve been following through on your New Year’s Resolution to keep your home clean throughout the year, you’ve already started!
The first step in pre-spring cleaning is to dust everything. Bookshelves, dressers, window sills, and more. Basically, any surface in your house that can collect dust needs a good cleaning. With the windows open, this dust will float around your home, which taints the air quality and can also agitate any allergies you or your loved ones might have.
Once you’ve dusted, it’s time to tackle your closets. Remember, you should be checking your closets a few times a year to make sure you haven’t collected any unneeded clothing items or accessories. Try on your old spring and summer clothes. Do they still fit? Will you wear them this season? Are they in good shape? If you’ve answered no to any or all of these questions, it’s time to get them out of your closet and into the recycle bin—or the hands of some lucky new owners!
If you will not wear these clothes, but they’re in great shape, don’t throw them away. Donate them to us! Not only will you help someone else prepare for spring with a new wardrobe, but your donation also helps fund veterans programs. Simply visit our website to schedule a time for us to pick-up your gently used clothes, and place them in a box by your mailbox. We’ll pick them up for you!
Otherwise, if you’re planning to save these clothes for your garage sale, fold these items up and put them in a box. This way they’re already organized for your garage sale, and they’re no longer taking up space in your closet or dresser!
What pre-spring cleaning tips do you have? Share them with us!
Basement Reboot—Keep Your Basement Organized!
Many people focus on rooms guests will see when it comes to keeping their home organized and clutter-free. While this is a great place to start, it’s important to remember that this emphasis may be causing you to neglect the upkeep of other places in your home, such as your basement.
Some people have finished basements that serve as entertainment areas, “man caves, ” bedrooms, or even playrooms for kids. For others, the basement is primarily a place for storage, and a place for things that we simply don’t know what to do with. Either way, since basements are out of sight, it’s incredibly easy to leave them unorganized.
Shawn Gauthier offers basement organization solutions in her Houzz article, “12 Tips for Supremely Organized Basement Storage.”
Gauthier says the first step in organizing any basement is to go through everything and decide what you need to keep and what can go. As we’ve written about before, clutter tends to be a result of too much stuff. Take this as an opportunity to purge your basement of items you no longer need. If you come across these items, donate them to us! Place your donations in a box, and schedule a donation pick-up time on ClothingDonations.org. We’ll even come by and pick them up for you, so you can continue organizing your basement.
Gauthier also recommends that organizers embrace shelving units. Whether it’s floor-to-ceiling cubed shelves that keep like-items together, or an entertainment center that allows you to store a television, DVDs, and books, shelves really make a difference in keeping your basement floor clean and clutter-free.
Another tip we liked of Gauthier’s is to utilize the space underneath your basement staircase. It could be a great place for a coat rack for extra winter coats or fall jackets, or a spot for extra shelving and cabinetry. Even if it’s just a small space, this could be the perfect spot for your child’s toys or play sets.
Take a look at Gauthier’s article, and let us know about your own basement organization secrets!