Your summer gear can take a beating, and your favorite shoes are no exception. To keep leather sandals looking good after each wear, clean with a damp sponge to remove dirt and build-up. This will help prevent discoloration. And what would summer be without flip-flops? Use a soft-bristle nail brush and gentle dish soap to scrub your favorite flips under warm water.
Tag: Summer clutter
Beach weekends
Whether you have a cabin on a lake or you’re visiting the ocean, you want to be prepared for trips to the beach. Make sure to have a designated spot in the garage or in a closet for beach items such as toys, beach towels, sunblock, and umbrellas. This will help get you out the door faster so you can relax sooner!
Put Them to Work!
With the kids home over the summer chances are that things are a little bit more cluttered at your house than usual! As they dig out old toys and games, outdoor sporting equipment and other sundry items used to keep them amused during those long, lazy days of summer things can pile up.
With school looming in the not-too-distant future, now’s the time to get a head start on summer clutter clean-up. And what better timing than when the kids are at home to lend a hand!
Whatever their ages, your kids can be put to work on helping to clean up the clutter in preparation for back-to-school. One added benefit—as they get rid of the old they can keep a list of what replacement items they may need. Whether old clothes are torn and tattered, or simply no longer fit, now is a good time to begin those back-to-school shopping lists.
Don’t have kids? Summer time still means some added clutter for all of us. There’s no better time to declutter than when the temperatures are warm and the nights are long!
Here are some additional tips to help you get on top of summer clutter:
- Do it in stages. Maybe one week you assign a task of emptying old dressers and closets, another week you focus on the basement, the garage, the family room, etc.
- Keep that list handy: ask everyone to keep track of the replacement item “must haves” that they will need when they get rid of no-longer-need/want items.
- Separate “need to be tossed” from “someone else may value” items so you can readily donate your still-in-good-shape, but no longer needed items.
- Don’t overlook adult clutter: spend some time focusing on all of the areas of your house that lend themselves to clutter: “junk” drawers, kitchen cabinets, pantries, etc.
- Give us a call! When you’ve cleared through the clutter and have identified items that can go to good homes, give us a call—we offer free pick-up.
Finally, gather those lists together and plan for some fun end-of-summer, back-to-school shopping to replenish your closets for fall!
All Aboard the Vacation Express!
Now that you’ve spring/summer cleaned, you’ve had your garage sale, and you’ve sorted through your kids’ used and unused school supplies, you deserve to relax. More specifically, you need a relaxing summer vacation. With many summer school classes, camps, and activities winding down in mid-July and early-August, this is the perfect time to pack up the family and head out for an adventure.
While you’re packing everyone’s suitcases, planning the best route to get to your destination, and figuring out who to visit, you may become stressed out. You may ask yourself, “Isn’t this vacation supposed to be relaxing?”
Yes, it is, and we’re here to help!
Helping kids pack is stressful in and of itself. Many times to kids, the “essentials” rarely include toothbrushes, underwear, extra shorts, and swimsuits. To make this process smoother, allow them to pack their own bags, but have a checklist to assist them in packing. This will give them guidance, while giving you the freedom to finish up tasks at work or around the house before leaving on vacation.
Another reason you may have a difficult time packing is because you have uncovered even more items that missed the garage sale. Rather than leaving these belongings to collect dust (and risk forgetting them again!) for another year, put them in a donation bag or box. Then, give ClothingDonations.org a call, or go online to schedule a pickup time, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Allow ClothingDonations.org to make planning your vacation a more relaxing experience!
Home is Where the Heart (and the Stuff) Is!
Summer represents different things for all of us. For some of us, it means spending hours sitting beside a pool or lying on a beach soaking in the sun. For others, it’s a time for summer camps, fun summer school classes, and taking family vacations.
For some of us, though, summer is a great time to move. The weather is great, and the temperature is warm, which makes this a favorable time to move. That being said, moving is often a task that people do not enjoy. Depending on how many items you own, packing can take forever, and trying to stay organized in your packing endeavors can be stressful. Then, on top all the packing, you have to make sure your old home is spotlessly clean.
All of this combines to create an emotional experience. It’s not easy to move all of your possessions from your old home that was filled with memories to a place that is brand new and feels more like a house than a home.
Fortunately, Michelle Sandlin recently wrote an article, “On the move: Be prepared for physical move when relocating, ” and she has some good ideas for making the moving process go as smoothly as possible.
Sandlin suggests scheduling a pre-move consultation with your moving company. Meeting them beforehand, as well as developing a strategy for moving your possessions, will make the process less stressful for you. Sandlin also suggests moving important items yourself, such as expensive jewelry, passports, social security cards, etc.
Another idea is to be as organized as possible. Consider taking inventory of each room in your house, and make a list of all the items that need to move to your new place. Then, if you come across items that you no longer want or need, make a list of items you’d like to donate. Place these items in a donation box, and fill out a donation pickup request form on our website. ClothingDonations.org will be more than happy to help you move by donating your items to someone who needs them!
Happy moving!