Tag: messy

Junk Hides in the Most Obvious Places

Posted on by Jordank

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.

Marie Kondo’s Bombshell Announcement

Posted on by Jordank

It had nothing to do with a Chinese spy balloon or misplaced classified documents. The real bombshell of the last few weeks? That Marie #Kondo — the unrivaled evangelist of the power of #tidying up — has stopped trying to keep up with the #mess.

According to The Washington Post, Kondo’s capacity for #organizing and #cleaning diminished upon the birth of her third child. “My home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time at this stage of my life,” she said in a recent webinar.

She went on to admit that a perfectly organized home is not a realistic goal for most people. “I was a professional #tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times,” she said. “I have kind of given up on that. Now, I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.”

Instead of offering new strategies to obsessively #sort out your sock drawer, Kondo’s latest book explores the Japanese concept of #kurashi, or “way of life.” It’s a much broader strategy that focuses on bringing calmness and happiness to everyday existence.

She encourages readers to create a rhythm and routine based on what brings them joy, even if a few closets and countertops remain #cluttered. For Kondo, that routine includes fresh air, quality time with her kids and scrapbooking.

While actual #tidying takes a backseat, the book asks people to figure out which aspects of their lives need the most attention. Whatever needs a sort of macro-level #decluttering and #organizing is what you should concentrate on right now, in other words.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Life happens, and you can’t spend every waking moment organizing your clothes closet by purpose and color. Take time to focus on whatever it is that brings you joy, be it career, a favorite hobby, or family and friends.

But when you feel the need to #declutter and #organize, remember that you can #donate any lightly used items to ClothingDonations.org. Get them out of the way of your personal kurashi by arranging a free #donation #pickup. Your donation will share joy with veterans nationwide.

So do as Marie Kondo says, and don’t obsess about #decluttering. Instead, make it a natural part of your routine.

Show Your Valentine You Care by Decluttering

Posted on by Jordank

You and your romantic partner probably have different #organizational styles and skills. And that’s OK — relationships demand compromise. But what can you do to meet in the middle this #Valentine’s Day?

Whether you consider yourself more the #hoarder or the #neat freak in the relationship, you must learn to respect their stuff, their attachments to it, and the ways in which they #sort and #organize it (or don’t).

“It’s rare that my clients have the same thought process, emotions and vision about the things that they own,” professional organizer Tanisha Lyons-Porter told The Washington Post magazine last year.

COVID-19 has only exacerbated these differences. The neat freak may have used their extra lockdown time to scrub down and organize every nook and cranny, while the #clutterer may have stockpiled canned goods and toilet paper.

Assuming that your differences are within the normal spectrum of neat vs. messy and not the indicator of a genuine psychiatric disorder, Valentine’s Day presents the perfect opportunity to join your partner in an effort to get more #organized.

Frustrated with your partner’s clutter? Have an honest discussion about the situation and dedicate a few hours of your time to help them get things sorted. If you are the #clutterer, ask for their help or make an attempt to rein in the #junk in an area you both use.

You can also hire a professional organizer to give you both a crash course in #decluttering — or if getting things #clean and #sanitized is the challenge, hire a maid service. Either service makes a great #Valentine’s Day gift that shows you care.

ClothingDonations.org is here to help! Once you declutter, we’ll pick up any lightly used items you decide not to keep with a free #donation pickup — and leave you to celebrate #Valentine’s Day in a more organized, clean home.