It’s been a while since we did a little decluttering together, so I figured it’s time for a little #TossItTuesday fun! This week, I’m pulling my hoard of paint out of the closet to talk about how to store and dispose of paint… properly and safely.
If you’re like most people I know or work with, paint ends up sitting around because we A) may need it for touch-ups and future projects or B) because we don’t know how to dispose of it so we choose to ignore it. Well, today I have some simple answers for you so you’ll know exactly what to do to get that paint clutter out of your home. I promise it’s actually easier than you think.
Watch the video above to learn how to properly store paint, one of my favorite tips to neaten up your paint stash, as well as how to safely dispose of both latex & oil-based paints. I hope that you find this #TossItTuesday video to inspiring and educational. If you do, please click the ‘thumbs up’ button after watching, share it with someone who you think would also enjoy it & subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss a future video.
Even in the shoebox apartment capital of the world, New York, you can find hidden space opportunities. In this particular case, the client had a great storage closet. However, it wasn’t tricked out to properly handle their storage needs.
With some assistance from my handy dandy friend elfa, some clear storage boxes, and some hooks, I was able to create a storage solution that opened that space right up. The elfa system allowed me to customize the storage palette based on my client’s needs, the clear bins allowed me to group like items together for easier identification and access, and the hooks allowed me to get items like the lacrosse sticks off the floor. As for the filing drawers… we found another solution for their filing, and relocated it to a smaller cabinet. Take a look at my supply list in my Springpad notebook below.
My favorite part of this transformation, is the elfa door unit that we used on the wall to hold gifting supplies and other misc items. It even conveniently stores the umbrellas! Creating my own solutions with the versatile elfa pieces is one of the reasons I keep going back to these ingenious products.
You walk in the door and almost always look for a place to set your keys, wallet, phone, sunglasses, and whatever other miscellaneous bits you have hiding in your jacket pockets. Maybe you have a small table in your entryway to catch these items and perhaps you even have a nice bowl or tray to hold everything so it stays neat. However, what if you don’t have space for that table? Or, what if you are sick and tired of seeing that bowl filled with all this stuff and you just want the space to look clean?
Well, the HookNook by flip & tumble is your solution. This handy hook – perfect for jackets, scarves, purses, sweaters, etc – also has a handy nook for you to store those necessary items that you take with you when you leave the house. Available in several colors, the HookNook works great for adults and kids alike and is the perfect solution for holding any frequently used small items in your home office, craft room, garage – even the bathroom!
When it comes to organizing, I like flexibility, which is one of the reasons I’m in love with SHUFFLE Tidy from the London based company RALLI Design.
This stacking cylinder system (made-up of six ceramic cylinders, six wooden bases and a wooden plinth) allows you to customize your very own configurations by removing a cylinder’s wood base and stacking the cylinders to create your perfect tabletop organizing solution. The configurations seem endless as you can use each cylinder individually to store and stack small items like pushpins, paperclips, jewelry and hair ties, or you can remove the wood bottoms and combine several cylinders to hold larger items like pencils and pens, nail files and hair brushes.
Unfortunately, this good looking organizing solution is not yet available in the US, but fingers crossed it will be here soon to help us neatly contain all our tabletop thingamabobs and doodads.
Despite having a glorious 90-degree day in March this year, we can now confidently say that the warmer, summer weather will soon be here to stay for the season.
While you begin to slowly transition your wardrobe from winter to summer, give some consideration to properly storing and protecting your winter wears by following the steps below.
Steps to Safely Storing Your Winter Wears
Launder or dry clean all garments, blankets and linens to remove dirt, stains and to ensure there are no moth larva in the fibers
Place the cleaned and neatly folded items into a garment box or bag. Wool, cashmere or garments containing a blend of either fiber should be placed in sealed plastic bags or bins to prevent unwelcome guests from dropping by over the summer. Cotton and other fabrics should be stored in containers that can breath to prevent trapping any moisture, which can lead to mildew. If you are using a cardboard box, you also want to be sure there is no acid or coloring in the cardboard that could possibly ruin your items during storage
Store your protected items in a cool, dry location such as the top shelf of a closet
By following these simple steps, your cold-weather comforts will be clean, fresh and ready to go when the winter season hits.
P.S. – Moth Away has quickly become one of my closet staples. This all natural repellent not only protects your clothing, but it keeps it smelling fresh. The peppermint, rosemary, thyme and clove combination smells wonderful and provides a burst of calming scent every time I open my storage containers.
Accentuated by the bright and bold colors they are known for, Lilly Pulitzer will be debuting a home furnishings line with HFI this Summer. The line will consist of 200+ pieces and one amazing Shoe-Storage Ottoman, which Real Simple just noted as “Destined to be a Classic” – I couldn’t agree more! The ottoman should retail for around $599 and will be a great addition to bedrooms, walk-in closets and those compact New York City studio apartments where you can never have enough shoe storage.
While most men don’t have many grooming products or accessories, they do have some important items in both the bathroom and bedroom that need a home. I have often found that if men (and women too) don’t take the time to organize and designate areas for their products, they will most likely land up being placed wherever there is an open space. This ultimately leads to large amounts of clutter and disorganization. Here are some tips that I shared last week with Lesley Nagy, from Better TV, on how to prevent this and help men get a bit more organized.
Quick tips from the video:
Cologne Tray – Place your cologne on a decorative tray to keep them neatly organized in one area and to protect your furniture from oils that could ruin its finish.
Decorative Storage Box – Utilize a small, compartmentalized storage box to keep special items like cuff links, tie tacks, sunglasses, a lucky penny, a special note from your significant other, etc.
Pocket Tray/Bowl – Use a small tray or decorative bowl to unload your pockets. This will keep your daily items such as your keys, wallet, lip balm, gum, etc all neatly organized in one place. It will also make it easy to grab everything the next time you get dressed to leave your home.
Designate Product Areas in the Bathroom – Give your products a designated home to keep things organized and ensure everything gets put away properly. Think of categories such as shaving, hair products, facial products, oral hygiene, etc.
Shave in the Shower – Invest in a fog-proof mirror and do all of your beard trimming and shaving in the shower. It will help you get a more comfortable shave, make clean-up a breeze and keep your sink area whisker-free.
Move Excess Product – If you are working with a small bathroom, move your excess product to a hall closet or neatly organize it in a storage container that you can place on the top shelf of your bedroom closet.
As a professional organizer, there are certain products and services that I consider my go-to resources – my tried-and-true favorites. Resources make my list for reasons such as quality, efficiency, ease-of-use, value and company customer service. For the past several years, one of my favorite products on this list is the Container Store’sElfa shelving and drawer system.
From creating a versatile closet system to a functional home office work station, there are endless possibilities for this system. The various Elfa components allow you to create customizable solutions to fit your closet, kitchen, garage, pantry, office and playroom. Whether you are looking for drawers to house snacks in the pantry, or racks for shoes in your closet, Elfa has the answer to help you get your belongings more organized. In addition, the versatility of the system will allow you to continue to edit your storage solution as your needs change. Maybe right now you need a system to organize all your children’s toys, but in the future you will need it to organize their clothing… not a problem. You can reconfigure the components you already have (including bringing pieces back to the Container Store to have them cut to fit) and you can buy new components to add-on to your current system. This makes Elfa a great value solution, as you will be able to continue to benefit from your investment for years to come. You can even take the system with you if you move into a new home and reconfigure it for the new space. So while it is built to look like a permanent system, its semi-permanent nature will allow you to easily take it with you so you can continue to keep yourself super organized.
From the beginning phases of designing your solution at the store to the installation in your home, the experience is seamless. I strongly recommend that you check out Elfa to help you get organized in 2011. Plus, if you shop before February 15, you can save 30% on your system and installation. A deal that only happens once a year!
Example of a walk-in closet solution with double-hanging for clothes, drawers for shirts, sweaters and undergarments, and top-shelf storage for purses and seasonal itemsThe jewelry tray component allows you to keep earings, pins, rings and clips separated and visibleThe pull-out tie rack component allows you to keep your ties organized and easily accessibleTwo different shoe components allow you to maximize storage for both high heel shoes and flatsSeveral shelves create a simple storage solution for a home office closet
