Organizing Mistakes Making Your House Look Cluttered

What Makes a House Look Cluttered?
Have you ever walked through your supposedly clean house and gotten an uncomfortable creeping feeling? Despite your best efforts to keep things clean, it can still sometimes seem like you’re drowning in clutter.

Clean and uncluttered are two similar ideas that may come from the same book but are not on the same page. Clutter is an organizational mistake that loves to hide in plain sight.

Here are some common culprits that might be making your house look cluttered:
• Your entrance is the first thing you and others see when entering your home. It’s easy to let your entrance become a clutter trap for shoes, coats, keys and mail. A cluttered entrance can put a cluttered tint on the rest of your home.
• Those neat little piles you put things into when you’re organizing can end up swallowing your home. A nice pile is better than a tornado, but even the neatest of piles is still a pile of clutter.
• These days, everything comes with a cord. The plugs and chargers belonging to your appliances and devices may not be clutter, but they can look like clutter if you let them run wild in plain sight.

Should You Clean or Declutter First?

Decluttering before you clean will make cleaning much easier. If you put your mind to sorting through your clutter first, you’ll probably end up donating or throwing out a lot of things you don’t need. The more junk you get rid of, the less there will be to clean.

Once you’ve gone through your open-air junk and sorted it into things you want to keep and things you don’t, you will have eliminated much of your future cleaning work. Instead of looking for a way to keep all those things clean and organized, you’ll simply have fewer things. Fewer things means fewer piles, more space for your eyes to rest and less work for you.

How Do You Organize Your Household?

Start by designating a place for all the kinds of things that tend to pile up around your entrance. Use a crate for all the shoes, or train your family to keep them in rows against the wall. Use a coat rack for the winter wear, a tray or wall hooks for the keys and a pretty little basket for the mail.

Next, you may find it useful to come up with a system for the kinds of piles that tend to accumulate around the house. If bills tend to pile up on the counter, designate a bill drawer to keep them out of sight. If random clothes seem to materialize everywhere, assign a closet space for lost and found clothes.

I like to keep a chaos cupboard where I put anything that I regularly use but would otherwise leave out in the open. This can include sports gear, headphones, pet toys and even small tools. If you like organized chaos but despise clutter, keep it behind closed doors.

This also applies to all those devices and their cords. Assign a drawer where random mobile electronics belong so they don’t clutter up the couches or get lost between the cushions. Keep all the cords from your entertainment or work stations together in one place using a cable hider. Strategically placed cable hider sleeves can help you avoid tangles and lost chargers as well as reduce visible clutter.

Why Is It Important To Be Organized at Home?

Living in a mess can cause you stress. Piles and tangles can force you to constantly think about minor things that don’t deserve your attention. The less junk you keep in the open demanding your attention, the more you’ll be able to focus on the important things.

Coming up with storage systems and sticking to them also makes it easier to find things. When you designate a place where shoes go, you won’t have to spend another second thinking about where you put your shoes. Knowing where things should be is a great time saver.

Conclusion

You can usually hide in plain sight anything you don’t want to throw out or can’t move. These awesome zip-up cord concealers can consolidate all your wall and floor spaghetti. Imagine going from a mess of chargers, extensions, audio wires, Ethernet cables and USB cords to just one neat jet black line. 

When decluttering, we recommend using trash bags rather than storage bins. Storage bins signal to your brain that you might be keeping the items, which isn’t really decluttering. Trash bags tell your brain that the stuff in here is definitely leaving the house.

The easiest way to get a handle on your clutter is to start from zero. Take everything out of the room except the furniture, and then only let back in the items you use and love. This can give you a fresh perspective on both your rooms and your things and help you see the forest instead of just the trees.

How to stay organized when unpacking your new home

We partnered with a home improvement firm for this post. The opinions in the post are honest. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on our personal views. We are excited because we know you will love it.

Arriving in a new home is a fantastic feeling. Everything is new but ready for you to make it your own. However, settling in is a process. It takes time and effort, and it’s something you can’t do overnight. Still, just because the whole ordeal is demanding, it doesn’t mean it has to be hard. If you stay organized when unpacking and use proper home organization techniques, you’ll settle into your new home in no time. 

Prerequisites for organized and easy unpacking

To stay organized when unpacking, it’s essential to be organized before unpacking. And we mean way before. Ideally, you want to think about settling in during the early stages of your relocation. 

Here are the factors that will impact smooth unpacking:

• Your choice of movers;

• Whether or not you make an inventory list;

• Efficient decluttering;

• Propper packing and labeling of moving boxes.

If you do a good job handling these tasks, you’re looking at swift and easy unpacking. 

Having great movers can make all the difference

Your choice of movers will define your relocation experience. Trained professionals can make your life so much easier. They can help you with every moving task, from planning to unpacking. Therefore, having them by your side is something you should definitely consider, especially if you’re moving long-distance or interstate. 

For instance, let’s say you’re moving to Connecticut from Florida. That’s almost 20 hours by plane. 44 if you decide to make it a road trip. After such a long journey, you’ll want to jump right back into a familiar routine. Reputable movers can immensely speed up this process. They’ll take the most difficult and tedious tasks upon themselves. Hence, you can focus on enjoying your new life. So, when you research interstate moving companies, don’t just pick the cheapest one. Instead, choose the best option – a team that will guide you through the process and cater to all your needs.

An inventory list will help you keep track of your belongings

Taking inventory is something no one looks forward to. It’s tedious, it’s boring, and it takes a lot of time. Still, it is something that will help you stay organized when unpacking. An inventory list doubles up as a checklist. Therefore, you will have a perfect way to verify if all your things are present and accounted for when you finish unpacking.

Decluttering has many benefits

This one is pretty obvious. The fewer things you have – the less time you’ll spend unpacking. So don’t avoid this part of the process. Take the time to declutter and get rid of unnecessary belongings. Not only will you make unpacking faster – you’ll significantly cut the cost of the relocation. 

Propper packing = easy unpacking

Packing is much more than stuffing things in boxes and taping them shut. This part of the moving process will define whether you unpack in days or months. With that said, three crucial things to be mindful of are:

1. Do not overfill the boxes. This will make them hard to move and can lead to injuries. Furthermore, it can compromise their integrity, leading to damage to your belongings during transport or loading/unloading.

2. Do not mix things from different rooms. Dedicate each box to a single area of your house only. This will allow for focused and, thus, quick unpacking.

3. Take the time to label the boxes. It will let you avoid rummaging to find things you need. Ideally, you want to list the contents in the label. But, if you don’t have time, at least mark up the room where the box belongs.

Onward to unpacking!

Now that you took care of all the prerequisites, it will be all too easy to stay organized when unpacking. But there’s still room for improvement. You can make unpacking even easier and faster with the guidelines below.

Children are the priority

The hectic environment of moving can be taxing on your little ones, especially for toddlers and pre-teens. Their needs take precedence above everything else. Therefore, set up the nursery and/or their room immediately upon arrival.

If they are old enough to unpack themselves, it’s excellent to encourage them to do so. That way, they will feel included and have the opportunity to make the place their own. 

Lastly, it’s a great idea to have something to keep them occupied, too. So, if they love cartoons (what kid doesn’t?), be sure to plug in the TV and cable. It will keep them entertained and out of the way while you unpack. 

Set up essential areas first

You want to make your home functional ASAP. Getting back into the familiar routine is excellent to help you accommodate to the new environment. With that said, the best thing you can do is make essential areas available for living. This includes the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

#1 Kitchen

Even pizza gets boring if you’re having it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for a week. Therefore, make sure to secure at least the basic functionality of your kitchen. It doesn’t have to be perfect or to look nice. You’ll get to that. But make basic utensils readily available, as well as essential appliances, because nothing says “home” as a warm, home-cooked meal.

#2 Bathroom

The good thing about the bathroom is that you’ll spend the least time unpacking it. It’s practically functional the moment you arrive. All it takes is some finesse to be ready for use. Shower curtains, towels, hygiene products, and you’re good to go. Later down the line, you’ll make your bathroom both stylish and functional to the maximum. For now, it’s enough that you can take a long, relaxing shower after a long day.

#3 Bedroom

Settling in is an arduous process. You need to be well-rested to take care of it efficiently. Therefore, the bedroom should be one of your top priorities. So, have your movers assemble the bed upon delivery. That way, all you need to do is break out the linens and have a revitalizing shuteye after daily chores.

#4 Living room

The living room is the centerpiece of your home and one where you’ll spend the most time. That’s why it’s next on our list. Your primary focus here is to make it available for some much-needed R&R. So, stage the furniture, and plug in the TV and sound system. When you have a place to take a break, you can move on to finesse and choosing decorating aesthetics.

#5 Home office

In the wake of the ongoing pandemic, a lot of people switched to working from home. If you are one of them, you should set up your home office next. Sure, getting back to work is not a relaxing activity. However, it is an essential part of your daily routine. It will help you get a sense of normalcy in a hectic environment and slide right back into everyday life. 

Your new life can begin

As you can see, it’s not too difficult to stay organized while unpacking your new home. With proper preparation and a good plan, you’ll settle in virtually without effort. Of course, there’s more work to be done. But once you’re functioning unobstructed, the pieces will fall into place on their own. 

Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Messy Closet

Closets are some of the most difficult parts of your home to clean and organize. You can find nearly anything in a cluttered closet, from decades-old clothing to documents that you forgot existed. If one of your goals this spring is to clean your closet and bring it back to a usable state, prepare yourself and keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed before you begin. Our spring cleaning tips for your messy closet will prepare you for anything you might find.

Take Small Steps

If your closet—or your child’s closet—has become less of a storage room and more of a landfill for miscellaneous objects, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the sight of it alone. Set smaller goals for yourself each day. These goals can include:

• “I want to be able to easily open the closet’s doors again.”

• “I want to see the floor.”

• “I want to be able to hang clothes again.”

• “I want to fill two trash bags.”

Starting small will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed, no matter how messy your closet is. You can sort the contents of the closet into piles and it might seem messier than before—but as you make progress, you’ll start feeling satisfied with the work you’ve done.

Sort Your Clothes

Take time at the end of each season to sort through your wardrobe. Keep the essentials that still fit and remove anything that no longer fits or that you don’t wear. It may be difficult to dispose of some clothing, but it’s necessary if you want to make room for new favorites. Donate clothes or reuse the material whenever possible to give your old favorites new life!

Use Organization Tools To Keep the Closet Clean

Once the closet is clean, your next goal is to keep it that way so you have less work to do in the future. Make it easier on yourself by organizing spaces for all the things you want to keep in the closet. You can place a small dresser in the closet for seasonal or situational clothes and utilize storage bins for other objects.

Setting yourself up for success is one of the most important spring cleaning tips for your messy closet so you won’t have to work as hard once it’s time to clean. Utilize your organization tools so you can accomplish the project quickly.

7 Reasons Why You Should Try Virtual Organizing

When you think of professional organizing, you probably envision a patient, energetic team that wears matching t-shirts and magically moves throughout your home sorting, editing, and systemizing everything to your heart’s desire. And, to be honest, you’re not wrong! Some of our days look like that, and when they do, we LOVE it.

Throughout the unexpected series of events that occurred within the past year, whether due to safer at home restrictions, household preferences, your distance to us, or maybe even simple scheduling availability, we offer virtual organizing services in order to still be able to schedule you in, no matter where you are in the world!

If you don’t know what virtual organizing is, what virtual organizing professionals can do, or you simply don’t see the value in it just yet, we’re about to open your eyes to the 7 reasons why you should definitely try virtual organizing.

Let’s dive in!

What Is Virtual Organizing?

Virtual organizing is the art of helping people create and maintain systems and processes using basic principles of organization–virtually.

Simply put, virtual organizing is you in comfy clothes in your house, and virtual organizing professionals on a phone or computer using applications like Zoom or Skype, that coach you through the process, offer follow-up resources and it all ends with you having a beautiful, functional space.

How Is the Work Carried Out?

In most cases, one-hour virtual organizing sessions are scheduled once or twice a week. The virtual organizer and client will collaborate to develop a strategy in order to achieve the client’s goals, very much like they would do during in-person meetings.

The virtual organizing professional guides the client through the session, at which time, the client will do the physical work, and the virtual organizer will be there as a helping hand that provides advice.

Virtual organizing is an ideal solution for those who are comfortable with technology, are self-starters, very motivated, and are able to work on their own to get the between-session assignments done.

1. A Virtual Organizer Will Motivate You

There’s nothing worse than wanting to do something, and just not being able to bring yourself to do it. You put everything else first and let your unfinished organizing projects linger in the background. As time goes on, human nature is to get overwhelmed, and so you close the door and ignore the piles.

By hiring a virtual home organizer, they can bring you out of your cluttered shell. They help you to open up those doors, and bring light back into your life through the motivation to ‘get stuff done’ they provide you with.

2. Poor Time-Management Doesn’t Matter

Sometimes, time can get the better of us. Often, you’ll find that you lose track of your day and will need to work in the evening when most organizers are done for the day. With virtual organizing, even an 8:00 pm appointment is possible.

As long as you’re able to get online, and of course, they are too, then you can go ahead and move one step closer to completion in your organizing journey.

3. You Don’t Have a Professional Organizer In Your Area

You may not have a professional organizer in your surrounding area, or, you might just need an organizer with a particular set of skills. Regardless of the reason, you can find virtual organizing just a quick Google search.

4. You’re Looking for Accountability or Support for Your Organizing Project

So you started organizing, but now, it seems that the whole process is on pause, and has been for months! This can happen for a multitude of reasons, and it’s completely OK!

When you hire a professional virtual organizer, they can help you get back on track and measure your progress. They are here to support you throughout your whole journey, and consistently help you move your organizing project forward, aiming for completion each and every week. After all, moving forward is the key to success - you just need somebody to keep hounding you to do so!

5. Not Comfortable With a Stranger In Your Home

Many people out there don’t feel comfortable with the thought of having a complete stranger in their home. It could be down to a contagious virus, because they have small children, a sick family member lives with them, or, maybe they’re a clean-freak and have some white carpet that they would like to stay white, which can only be achieved by having as few people in your home as humanly possible.

Regardless of the reason, anybody can invite a virtual organizing professional into their home, without actually inviting them into their home. It’s the perfect way to keep that white carpet white, and get some much-needed organizing done at the same time.

6. You Appreciate Convenience

Do you find that you're constantly having to change schedules? Do you stay up extra late at night, or do you rise early? When do you have the most energy to do physical work? Signing up for virtual organizing services means that you’re also provided with a bunch of conveniences along the way. They are always there to help you out, especially when you need them most.

7. You Prefer to be Comfortable

Want to know the very best thing that virtual organizing has to offer? It’s the fact that you can organize...in your pajamas! There is absolutely no need to dress up if an organizer won’t physically be entering your house. This means that the hair can go up, you can keep your sweats on, and not have a care in the world about what you look like.

In addition to this, virtual organizers allow you to be comfortable as they swing ideas back and forth with you. If you’re somebody who loves to see things from a new perspective, but not have the idea forced on you, then virtual organizing services are definitely what you need.

organizing makes perfect sense. If you’re somebody that can clearly picture themselves changing their whole environment through speaking to a fantastic virtual organizer, then the services we provide at House to Home Organizing are definitely for you.

We started House to Home Organizing with a belief that our client’s goals are the most important factor in the organizing process, and each day, we continue to transform the lives and environments of thousands through our virtual organizing professional guidance.

If you’re interested in learning more, click here to book your 15-minute phone consultation, and let’s get started!