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Spring Organizing Tips from the
Organizers NW Team!
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To celebrate the arrival of spring (finally!!!), the Organizers NW team decided to put together a special collection of our favorite personal tips that we use for spring cleaning and organizing in our own homes. They are simple, effective and most of all, will help you to just get started - sometimes the hardest part.
Happy Organizing!
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| Jamie |
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Tackle a Little at a Time
It's much easier to spring clean if you do a little at a time and clean out clutter as you go. In my home, if I reach into a cabinet and notice that it's overstuffed, I set a 10 minute timer to allow myself time to clean out that one cabinet. This helps prevent overwhelm! I also keep a permanent box for donations by my back door to easily get unwanted items out of my house and keep the project moving forward.
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| Dallas |
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Focus on High Traffic Areas
A great tip is to get into those forgotten zones that are used every day but seldom given the attention they deserve. The fridge is a great example of a place where we feel frustrated often, but many rarely address it. Before your next grocery trip, clean out and wipe down the entire fridge and freezer, and remove and sort everything inside before putting it back in. I do this regularly - you'll be amazed at how it changes your daily life.
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| Susan |
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Sort Clothes by Season
Spring is the perfect time to free up closet and drawer space by sorting your winter clothes. Start by pulling out your winter wear, one category at a time. Possible categories might include coats, boots, sweaters, hats/gloves/scarves or skiwear. Have boxes or bags ready for donations, then take a look at each item and ask yourself these questions: does it still fit? Did I wear it this year? Do I still love it? If the answer is NO, than move it along!
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| Jana |
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Place Seasonal Items in Prime Spots
As the seasons are changing and the temperature is slowly warming up, it's not only a time of organizing, but RE-organizing! That means moving your "shorts drawer" toward the top of your dresser and your lighter clothing to the front of your closet. As you do this, you can take the opportunity to let go of clothing that you no longer need or want! Give that "prime real estate" to items that you are wearing every day.
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| Mary Ann |
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Review Cold and Flu Medicines
Spring usually brings better weather and hopefully better health. With that in mind, I like to do a quick review of my medicine cabinet. Usually at the end of flu season I come across both expired prescriptions and past due over-the-counter meds. Police stations around town have drop boxes for med disposal. If you are in Portland, there is a drug disposal event on April 28th - more info below!
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| Alex and Theo, the OrganizersNW mascot! |
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Pick a Simple Task to Get Started
Longer spring days bring more light into the house, which I love - until I look up and see the cobwebs that escaped my notice during the dark days of winter! I like to kick off spring cleaning by chasing away those webs with a cobweb duster or Swiffer duster (one with a telescoping handle works best to reach those high corners). This is a great and simple task that will feel great, and will get you in the mood to do even more.
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Upcoming Event: Downsizing Workshop at Touchmark in Portland, OR.
Moving and downsizing can be daunting tasks! Join Missy Gerber at Touchmark for a Lunch and Learn that gives you the tools you need to cut through the clutter. The team from Organizers NW presents on implementing organizational systems and creating order and flow in your home. This will be a particularly helpful event if you plan on downsizing in the near future.
To attend this event, please RSVP to Life Enrichment Director Keri Donovan at 503-954-1640, or email at [email protected]
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Lake Oswego Event: Shredding and Drug Drop-off Twofer!
The city of Lake Oswego will be hosting
Shred Day at the Yakima headquarters (formerly the West End Building) at 4101 Kruse Way from 9am to 12 pm on Saturday, April 21st. Residents may bring two paper shopping bags of documents to shred.
The city of Lake Oswego will also be hosting a drug take-back event at the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, 505 G Avenue on April 28th from 10am - 2m. No sharps/syringes/Eip-Pens or vitamins will be collected. For information on how to safely dispose of those items, please call Metro Recycling at 503-234-3000. Place your medications in a ziplock bag prior to bringing it in.
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Room-By-Room Organizing Series, Month 3: The Pantry
This blog is month 3 in a 12 month organizing series. To sign up to receive this series,
visit this blog and use the right hand sidebar form to join the mailing list.
In some homes, the pantry is large and luxurious - a room you can walk into. For others, it may be limited to a single kitchen cupboard. (Team cupboard over here, folks.) Regardless of its size, the pantry is just about the most used area in a home, alongside its cool counterpart, the fridge. That's why we decided to focus this months organizing challenge on the pantry - you will get a lot of bang for your buck just spending a couple of hours organizing there.
We follow the 5S process, sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain, in the pantry. Here's a breakdown of each step and how to perform it.
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