Guest Post - 5 Practical Tips for a Well Organized and Clutter-Free Garage

There is something irresistible about pushing that key fob button and watching the garage door slowly roll up as you pull your car inside – if it can fit among all that clutter! How about a garage where everything is in place, items easy to locate, every corner well-lit, and the whole space appealing to look and walk into? Back to the reality check, the garage is an area that is consistently an issue in every home. A combination of a parking spot and general storage, with items accumulating haphazardly often pushing the car out on the driveway. Don’t wait until you retire to take care of it. Using these practical tips, you can easily declutter your garage, and at the same time, increase its storage capability.

Add some shelving

If you’re keen on DIY projects, get some L-shaped brackets and a piece of lumber, which is all you need for one shelving unit. If you want to get creative, you can create several levels of shelves stacked on top of each other. On the other hand, if carpentry isn’t the sharpest skill in your trade-box, there are plenty of pre-built shelving ideas in home improvement stores. Steel storage racks are easy to assemble, relatively affordable, and capable of holding a ton of weight. If you don’t like their gray powder coat finish, you can paint them any color you like. They also work hand-in-hand with the next solution – plastic bins.

Go for plastic bins

When it comes to de-cluttering virtually any space, plastic storage bins are manna from heaven, as every local home improvement store is bound to have a wide selection of them. True, cardboards boxes cost less money, but they aren’t nearly as sturdy or practical. Fill them, label them and stack them on their shelves, or even one upon another, as they are built to be stacked. Their airtight rubber seal keeps the moisture out, which makes them perfect for storing your family heirlooms, Christmas decorations, and other fragile items. Even if you don’t label them, clear bins let you check the contents at glance, so you can make self-contained, ready-to-go kits like camping cooking gear, plumbing tools, etc.

Get more light in

A series of strip lights fit perfectly over your workbenches, even inside tool cupboards, with fridge-like door activation. A single canopy light on the inside above the garage door works well if you like to park in reverse. Keep in mind that garages are tricky places to rewire, since often a great deal of utility pipes runs through the walls. The recent home improvement boom and have prompted even countries like Australia, which have traditionally had very stringent electrical safety regulations, to update their standards. That’s why most homeowners over there are more likely to leave their DIY enthusiasm aside, and hire a good Sydney electrician, whether they need a new lighting scheme or extra outlets installed.

Exploit vertical space

Your garage walls and ceiling provide valuable square footage as well, making them perfect for hard-to-store items like rakes, bikes, and other gardening equipment. Add some wall hooks and racks and de-clutter the floor and corners. If your garage has a high ceiling, you can even consider installing a ceiling storage lift – perfect for bulky items like bikes, kayaks, surfboards, spare tires, roof boxes, etc. The key is to make everything as accessible as possible – in other words, you don’t have to move three items to reach the fourth.

Fill the cabinets

Sleek and sturdy metal storage cabinets are a fail safe way to declutter and organize almost any garage. While giving tons of vertical and horizontal storage, cabinets protect your items from damage in ways that other containers can’t. Their construction makes them resistant to moisture and rodents, and makes them easy to keep clean. Since they go up on the walls, you have a plenty of room below for floor storage, or pegboards. Invented in the 1800s, these perforated plywood sheets are synonymous with tools that see a lot of use around the house such as screwdrivers, pliers, hammers, hand saws, and everything else that isn’t worth storing away.

However, before you move forward with any purchases or DIY projects, consider your current options and habits to see what works for you. What makes sense to one family, may not work for another. On the other hand, getting your garage in line might even inspire you to get more decluttering done around the house, or get on with those projects that have been lingering around.

About the author: Mike Johnston is a home improvement blogger and DIY enthusiast from Sydney. He is a regular writer at Smooth Decorator and contributor on several interior design, lifestyle, real estate and eco-friendly blogs. Mike’s goal is to create and share meaningful content that helps and inspires people.

Guest Post - Smart Storage Solutions for a Productive Home Office

Storage space is a crucial element of any productive, full-fledged home office. If you ask me, it is quite difficult to be organized while your work environment is in disarray. Ideally, you have a whole separate room set up as an office, but even then there are some practical challenges to tackle. The good news is that there is no shortage of smart and creative solutions that keep clutter and mess at bay. You do not even have to break the bank to make a difference. So, here is how to turn your office work-ready.

Box and file it

Storage boxes are a common unit that can hold basic office supplies like paper, cords and envelopes. They do the trick just fine, but you should make an effort to label them. That way, you will be able to find everything quickly. Another popular organizational tool comes in the form of file cabinets below the work surface. You cannot deny their utility, although some people deem them unsightly. Well, a bit of spray paint, color-coding and new handles work miracles in terms of visual appeal.

Divide and conquer small items

Next, focus on smaller items and knick-knacks. It is easy to lose sight of them or give up due to their peskiness, but solutions like DIY mail organizers or even old muffin tins are highly effective in dealing with this nuisance. Use them to store bills, keys, paper clips, pencils, business cards, etc. Also, before you invest in new storage, see if you have some old mugs and masonry jars lying around. They are a great tool to keep your desk space tidy and clean.

Commercial-grade greatness

You can always take your game to the next level by drawing inspiration from corporate environments. Do your research and find providers of versatile commercial storage solutions in your area. You can go for various environmentally-friendly contemporary units that will make working in your home base of operations a pure joy. From small wall hooks to large, multi-tier shelving, the commercial storage world is teeming with possibilities.

Wall-mounted storage

Furthermore, try to maximize the vertical dimension to save floor space (and keep it dust-free more easily while you are at it). Open shelving is an office staple that is easy to set up and can serve as storage for various items and supplies. As an added bonus, you can place potted plants and framed pictures for a splash of personality and style. And if you fancy DIY projects, feel free to create your custom box or dowel shelves. Another option is to hang a rod and clip system on the wall to store small devices, important notes and other items. The list goes on.

Built-in solutions

In case you are feeling pressed for space, do not fret. Take advantage of built-in and custom-made storage units like integrated shelves and purpose-built bookcases and chests of drawers. They make good use of every inch of available space, even those awkward and corner areas. What is more, you can keep things you do not need on a daily basis out of sight. The only thing is that it may cost you more to integrate these units. In my opinion, though, they pay dividends.

Plenty of storage sets a nice stage for good work habits and uninterrupted workflow. Namely, fostering a positive change in your immediate surroundings reflects on your work performance. Every piece counts and adds up, regardless of how small it is. So, it is time to set order to your zone of productivity and banish clutter for good. Feel free to get creative and explore DIY options— add a utilitarian feel and stylish touches. You will be able to keep the work mojo going and get more things done every day.

Lillian Connors can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out on Twitter

Guest Post - How to Unlock Your Child's Organizational Skills

Kids probably aren’t the first demographic you think of when you hear the words “neat” and “tidy” – but that still doesn’t mean that you and your kids must accept chaotic mess as a daily reality! The stress of living in a disorderly family home can have hugely detrimental effects on a child’s development, not to mention your sanity as a parent: and since it’s entirely possible to rear conscientious and tidy little people, why not start now?

Since it can be difficult to know which strategies to implement to best encourage your child to unlock their organizational skills, we’ve gathered the best tips on how to start for you below. Just keep reading!

Treat them like little adults

When it comes to learning new activities, kids love being spoken to like adults. Learning how to organize your own belongings and responsibilities is a critical part of growing up. Lead your kids through importance of organization – first by helping them plan, then assisting them, and finally – letting them organize their things by themselves. By helping your children become enthusiastic about these chores, you are setting them up for good habits in adulthood.

Try your best to explain to your kids the reasoning behind organizational activities like tidying up. For example, you might let them know that organized kids do better at school, and that tidying up immediately after mess is created saves significant time in the long-run.

Teach them the essentials of organization

For children, important things to organize include:

-Getting ready for school the night before, including packing lunch

-Making sure that each item (especially clothing) has a place in a drawer or container

-Keeping track of both what you do each day, and what other people need you to do

-Doing your homework at the same time every day

-Time management and prioritization (what's the most important thing on your list, and how much time must you reserve for it?)

Supply them with the right organizational resources

Kids like – and need – tangible reminders for organizational tasks, such as the spring-clean they're supposed to do next Wednesday or the room clean you expect of them daily). Help them eradicate any excuses by making use of checklists, diaries, calendars, and other fun stationery which will allow them to visualize what's left to do.

You might especially consider helping your kids create their own personalized routines for before and after school, which are usually the peak times where parents and children must both be organized. Work with your kids, checking off your list of family duties as well as their individual to-do lists.

Designate them their own “working” space

People with school-age kids will be familiar with the homework struggle. How can you teach your kids to fully focus on their work, rather than do it in front of the television?

One smart solution is to designate one room in the house as the kids’ study room. If you don’t currently have the space for this, consider an add-on or extension room. This kind of separation between the social, familial area of the house and the “focus” area can do wonders for your kids’ study habits into the future.

Lead by example

You may run a fine line when trying to get your kids keen on organization and cleaning. Children watch your reactions to chores – if you don’t look excited about de-cluttering and organizing your space, your child will very soon realize that, in fact, most people don’t enjoy cleaning up. However, if you keep your enthusiasm up, you still have the opportunity to frame organizational tasks and duties with positive associations - so pump up the music and make it a family tradition to dance through your nightly tidy-up!

Harper learned organizational skills from her parents at a very young age. Her hard work paid off – with her organizational skills coming in very handy in her professional life for scheduling, managing work, and meeting deadlines. And this all began with a pink paper planner her Mum handmade for her while she was in primary school. To know more about Harper and read more of her written works, visit Harper Reid.

Organizing Does Not Have To Be Expensive

So you want to organize your life. You see all the beautiful Instagram posts and magazine layouts of perfectly organized homes. Beautiful built-ins where kids backpacks are hung, baskets for mittens and shelves for shoes. You think to yourself how wonderful it would be to have such organization, if only you could afford to have someone come build a mudroom with cubbies and shelving. What to do? Not everyone can afford to live like the photos in House Beautiful, and sometimes the pictures are unrealistic to maintain. There are simple inexpensive tips that you can put to practice in your own home which can help with various “dumping areas.” These areas are usually the places strewn with clutter. For example, backpacks dumped by the garage or front door, mail in a large pile in the kitchen, and laundry areas filled with clutter.

Home from School

For backpacks, try hanging hooks by the area where your children come into the house. Remember to use heavy duty hooks so that as they get older and the backpacks get heavier, they won’t fall off the wall. Baskets are inexpensive and can be bought in most stores. These inexpensive plastic wicker looking baskets can be found at Bed Bath and Beyond. These baskets come in three sizes. Maybe have one basket per child for them to put their hats, mittens and scarves. You may want to purchase different colors and assign each child to a color. Milk crates can be another inexpensive option for kids shoes.

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Children bring home a large amount of paper. If you don’t have lots of shelf space, you can find inexpensive rolling carts with tiers so you can have a tier per child to hold their papers. Here is an example:

Forever Stamps

Mail can pile up if not dealt with immediately. Try getting in the habit of recycling your junk mail daily. Assign an area of your kitchen, office or foyer where you would like mail to live. Purchase a small desktop mail holder to keep mail from laying in piles on your counter. If you get magazines or store catalogues, try to read them promptly and then recycle. We all fall into the trap of putting mail aside and saying to ourselves we will get to it later. Before you know it you have a pile of magazines which builds and builds and never is read.

Wash & Fold

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The laundry room ends up being a catchall for many things. Pet supplies, cleaning products, dirty laundry- you name it. Try putting your cleaning supplies in a container. Perhaps an inexpensive carry-all caddy or an open-top container. The carry-all is convenient as you can just grab it in one hand and rags in another. All of your supplies are at your finger-tips. For pet supplies, create a small pet zone. Food dishes, beds/crates, pegs to hang leashes/collars, and a shelf to put food. Be sure everything is not in the flow of traffic so people do not trip. By creating a pet area, you can see how much pet supplies you have and it will help you from over purchasing pet supplies at the store. Laundry can be a hassle. Everyone in the house is dumping their dirty laundry all over. If space allows, having 3 hampers makes sense. A dark color for darks, white for whites and a lighter color such as light grey for light clothing. As your children get older teach them to bring their dirty clothes to the laundry room and put in the correct hamper. This is a win-win for everyone. Your kids will not have dirty clothes strewn all over their rooms, it teaches them responsibility, and it will make your life easier when doing the wash.

Basic, Casual or Formal

One final note, kitchen tables and dining rooms tend to be dumping areas for everyone on the family. One way to avoid that, is to have it set with placemats, and a center piece such as candles all the time. Most people will not dump their stuff on a set table. Remember, organizing does not have to break the bank. As you can see there are inexpensive ways to organize to bring calm and less chaos into your family’s life. Have another inexpensive idea to help organize your house? Post on our Facebook page and let us know!