While many people concentrate their #decluttering efforts on #closets and #kitchen cabinets, the #garage is often the most #disorganized space in a home, says Garage Living. Studies say half of homeowners rate the garage as the most #cluttered area of their house, and only one-third of those with two-car garages can fit more than one vehicle inside it. It’s an easy out-of-sight/out-of-mind dumping ground for #stuff — and especially the “aspirational” #clutter you rarely use, but might come in handy “someday.” Do yourself, your car and the things that you do use a favor: Contact ClothingDonations.org to #donate that stuff.
Tag: Donation Pickup
When Dads Create Clutter
As #Father’s Day approaches, you may be thinking about ways to celebrate dear old #dad. Depending on his pastimes, a pizza oven, automotive accessory or gadgety gift may be in his very near future. But before you buy, consider for a second how dads create #clutter.
It may be a gross generalization to say that moms probably think about clutter and household #organization more. In a consumerist society, individuals of every gender can accumulate lots of #stuff as time goes by, and that stuff can pile up around the house.
But surveys say that women often spend more time cleaning than their spouses. They are also more adept at planning work-related tasks, travel and holiday celebrations. They largely dominate the professional #organizer field.
Dads may be prone to let things pile up. And they many build vast collections of tools, garden implements, collectibles and other highly specific and specialized #stuff that’s seldom used on a day-to-day basis.
If you have one of those dads, try to make Father’s Day a day free of added clutter. Focus on the experience: buy him tickets to a ball game, a round of golf or an online class. Or go for something consumable, such as a nice steak dinner — in or out — or a bottle of his favorite spirit.
Like with moms, you also can give the gift of #organization by actively helping #clean, sort and consolidate his stuff. Wash his car or have it professionally detailed. Install pegboard organizers in his home office or workshop. Help him clean out a storage closet or the garage.
If you find anything he no longer needs or wants, schedule a free #donation #pickup from ClothingDonations.org. That way, you’ll assist in clearing the extra unwanted #junk from the home environment, which will make dad’s life less stressful overall.
The best gift for any parent is not only #clutter-free, it’s also virtually free: spending quality time together. So whether he’s a hoarder or a neat-freak, that’s the best way to honor dad on Father’s Day. #FathersDay
This Earth Day, Make Your Style More Sustainable
Earth Day 2023 is Saturday, April 22 — the 53rd edition of the annual celebration of Earth and its ecology. Why do we have such an observance? Because the human race has had the biggest impact on the planet, and we are the only species able to adjust our behavior as its stewards.
As we observe Earth Day, we must remember that the climate is in crisis. There’s no use denying it: While shifts in #climate have occurred naturally in the past, the success of a species that’s now over 8 billion strong is accelerating climate change.
We are nearing or beyond a tipping point where we can no longer expect to avert all serious problems. But individual and collective action can still mitigate disaster and lead to a more sustainable future.
One step everyone can take is to dress in a more sustainable way. Due to “fast fashion” — the cheap, trendy and basically disposable #clothing most of us buy and wear — people now have more garments than ever before and use them for shorter periods of time.
The apparel industry is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions equal to Germany, France and the U.K. combined, according to EarthDay.org, and it could account for more 26% of emissions worldwide by 2050. Just washing all of those clothes is poisoning waterways with microplastics.
Recycling is minimal. “And while there are innovative technologies that can break down the fabric of used garments to make new clothing, many await business investment to scale their systems to the colossal size necessary,” the site says.
You can spearhead #reuse, however, by scheduling a free #pickup and #donating your lightly used clothing to ClothingDonations.org. Once you’ve #decluttered, apply one simple principle of #sustainability to your wardrobe: Buy fewer items and make sure that the ones you buy are made to last.
As consolation, remember that you can spend a little more on #garments you’ll use for several years. These steps — reduction and reuse — are two tiny, personal steps toward #sustainability, but if enough people perform them, it can have a positive impact on the Earth.
For more ideas on creating positive change to benefit the environment and a listing of Earth Day observances nationwide, visit EarthDay.org.
Junk Hides in the Most Obvious Places
In a consumer society, household #junk tends to build up. You go out and buy the latest fashions, gadgets and gewgaws, and they either become a part of the daily routine or your personal style, or they don’t.
Lots of that #stuff is probably packed away in boxes or hidden in the backs of #closets, with only a dim memory of their purpose remaining. But still more stuff is likely hiding in plain sight — and making your home a #cluttered #mess.
Think about it: Do you have stacks of #clothing where they shouldn’t be — anywhere outside your closets and dressers? Are mail and paperwork piling up on your desk? Is the kitchen table or entryway littered with new purchases or decorative items?
You are not alone. Most homes have “dump” zones where new stuff or stuff that hasn’t been integrated into the everyday lands. The trouble is that sometimes this stuff doesn’t find a spot for months or even years, especially if you have a smaller space.
All of this piled-up #clutter can easily make you feel overwhelmed. “It usually isn’t until the walls are closing in or someone brings those things to our attention that we do something about it,” says California-based Organizing Concepts & Designs.
What can you do? Find ways to tame those piles and places for those things. Go room to room and make an honest assessment of what needs to be in sight and readily accessible, and what can be hidden in storage or dispensed with altogether.
You might find that you need more shelves to display your knickknacks, a filing cabinet for your office, an underbed box for your extra linens or a new #storage system for your #closet. Don’t hesitate to install them; cost-effective solutions are available.
As you take stock of your stuff, you will find things hiding in plain sight that you no longer want or need. #Donate them to ClothingDonations.org by scheduling a free #donation #pickup for your #purge. Keep at it, and soon you’ll enjoy a #clutter-free, #organized home.
E-Commerce and Clutter
A Super Bowl ad for e-commerce giant Rakuten debuted Sunday, featuring Alicia Silverstone revisiting her star turn as Cher in the 1995 rom-com Clueless. Focusing on fashion, the spot shows her getting cash back on her many #clothing purchases. While Cher is able to magically #organize her wardrobe by color and cut using a giant motorized turnstile, the rest of us aren’t so lucky. If your #closets are #cluttered with unfortunate purchase decisions and sizes you no longer fit into, stop living in the past! Take an hour to sort out those garments that are only taking up valuable space — and contact ClothingDonations.org for a convenient #donation #pickup. #SuperBowlAds