How to Make Your Cleaning Routine Faster (and Easier)

Let’s be honest: Life is busy. From work to the kids’ activities, the gym to the grocery store, the list sometimes feels neverending. So where, in all these, do you ever find the time to keep a tidy home? There are only 24 hours in the day, but the chores need to be done too, right?

You might think cleaning is a constant, time-consuming job, and you could be right. However, there are ways to keep your house looking and feeling great without slaving away for hours on end. Check out these ideas to get your home clean and organized from House to Home Organizing.

Adopt a Daily (or Nightly) 15-Minute Routine

It may seem like 15 minutes wouldn’t allow for much, but you’d be surprised at what you can get done in that time, especially if you do it every day. Fold a load of laundry, load or unload the dishwasher, wipe down surfaces — take your pick! All of these can be done in a short amount of time, taking at least one item off your to-do list for the day. 

Even better: Get the whole family involved! Have the kids pick up their toys or tidy their rooms, get your partner’s help decluttering or vacuuming — the possibilities are endless. When you’re done, you can relax together, and knowing you’ve cut down tomorrow’s chore list will feel great, too! 

Get digitally organized

If you don’t have copies of all your digital photos in the cloud yet, you should get on that. A digital picture frame will keep family photos present in your life, instead of hidden on a hard drive. It’s also not a bad idea to archive digital documents by tax category or year with an app or online tool that can easily merge PDF files. Then, you can store these combined files and documents on hard drives or in the cloud.

Prioritize… and Outsource!

The very idea of cleaning the whole house is exhausting and can leave you feeling defeated before you even start. This is where prioritization comes in extremely handy: choosing your most essential 2 or 3 chores and doing those first, leaving the rest for later, if necessary. This way, your home stays clean in the most important places, as well as making your load a little lighter when it comes time to do the less urgent chores. 

Whether you prioritize high traffic areas like the living room and kitchen, or the bathroom is your arch-nemesis, it’s a good idea to make a quick 2-3 item list before you start. This can really save you time and mental energy when tackling the parts of the house that matter most. 

All that being said, don’t be afraid to enlist a little help. For instance, you won’t know what you're missing until you’ve hired a professional organizer. When you use your space more effectively, you save time and money!

Keep Cleaning Products Handy

Who wants to be running all over the house, looking for that spray or sponge they need when you’re already pressed for time? No one, that’s who! Keeping your cleaning products handy near the spaces they’re used for will save you time and energy when you’re cleaning. 

Bathroom products go in the bathroom, kitchen products in the kitchen, and so on. This helps you feel prepared and organized, leaving your brain focused on the actual task at hand: the cleaning! Of course, certain items can’t be stored where they’re needed all the time, but having a dedicated space makes them easier to find when you need to.

Spice Up the Old

Tired of your old, drab couch or that used-to-be cute recliner? Before you spend hours upon hours shopping for new furniture, consider giving them a makeover instead! You’d be amazed at what some brightly colored pillows or a cozy, plush throw can do to bring life to something that’s lost its luster. 

The busy life has become the norm, and we all deal with it differently. Whether we sacrifice our serenity for our schedules is up to us, but thankfully it’s not always necessary. Dedicating a little time on a regular basis, along with some prepping and organization, can do wonders for your space and your sanity. Feel free to try these ideas on for size next time you’re cleaning, tidying, or decluttering, and see how they work for you!

Need to get ready for a move? Need help organizing for a parent or senior? House to Home Organizing offers in-person and virtual organizing to help you turn your home into a clutter-free sanctuary in Fairfield, New Haven, and Westchester counties. 

Guest Post - Your Future Self Will Thank You for Organizing Your Photos

Is anything more wonderful and chaotic than planning a wedding? Luckily, there are plenty of professionals ready to step in and organize all the pieces: venues, flowers, food, and invitations. There’s so much that can be handed off! 

Until it’s time to round up photos for the guest book, the reception slideshow, and photo book gifts for the wedding party. 

Who’s going to go through all of them to find just the right ones for the bride and groom? Not the wedding planner, that’s for sure!

Enter Your Friendly Photo Organizer

My team of photo organizing professionals made this process surprisingly easy for our client.

Finding photos of her daughter to use for her wedding was quick and fun, as she was able to enjoy looking back, taking it all in, without being overwhelmed by the project. 

And the secret lay in getting organized before that diamond ring appeared.

You see, a few years ago, she was tired of the clutter in her house and wanted to finally get her memories tidied up and preserved. Her goal wasn’t to just put them all into pretty boxes and line them up on a shelf. She also wanted them organized in a way that allowed her to find, use and enjoy any photo she wished. Quick and easy trips down Memory Lane would be possible!

So, she pulled all the photos she could find in her house and dropped them off at my office. They were in albums, in frames, in boxes, in scrapbooks. On her phone, on CDs, external drives, negatives, and slides. There were also dozens of home movies on various tapes and film reels.

My team sorted through all of her items, removing duplicates and photos that didn’t tell her story.  The rest were scanned and preserved. Every photo, print and digital, was placed into labeled folders, organized by year and event. This created one organized collection that showcased her family’s journey. 

Fast forward to today.

When her daughter got engaged, nostalgia kicked in. Our client’s baby was getting married! Celebrating the journey included looking back at how far she’d come. From EVENT TO ACTIVITY TO EVENT, she had grown into such a lovely young woman. And the same could be said for her fiancé.

They wanted to share all of these happy memories with their wedding guests. So, the client simply logged onto the online photos site we created for her and typed in her daughter’s name to find all of the photos of her. To narrow the search, she also searched by year and event. In a matter of minutes, she had a selection of photos that could be used for the wedding! She also had tears in her eyes as she remembered all those years of mothering.

There was just one thing missing: photos of the groom. Without an organized system, collecting his photos is taking more time and effort. They had to wait for his family to go through all of their photos to find the best ones. It slowed down the process and added to the growing list of tasks.

The Best Time to Organize Your Photos Is Now

Organizing your photos is more than simply rounding them all up into archival boxes. 

When you take the time to properly sort, scan, and label each one, the result is a system that is easy to use and can be shared with anyone.

Save time and hassle 

It will be so easy to find photos of a particular person, year or event. No more digging through drawers and boxes and closets.

Make gifts for special occasions

Easily create photo books and slide shows to celebrate: births, graduations, sporting events, weddings, memorials, family vacations, and holidays.

Share memories with family and friends, even if they don’t live nearby. 

You can send images and videos through email or social media. Or you can give the login information for your private online collection to trusted family members and friends and they can browse anytime.

Preserve older, more delicate images from the effects of time. 

Not only do photos fade or get torn, technology changes. Those photos on CDs or slides, and videos on DVDs or film reels need to be converted so they can be enjoyed by future generations.

Ensure your memories are safe from fire, flood, and other disasters. 

In an emergency, it’s easy to quickly grab a few organized boxes on the way out the door instead of pulling photos off the walls. And having an online backup means everything is secure even if you don’t have time to take anything with you.

Spend your time enjoying your photos and making more memories. 

Especially when your daughter is getting married! Wouldn’t you rather be sampling cakes and visiting florists instead of digging through your closet for pictures?

Do Something Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For

If you get overwhelmed by even the thought of sorting through your memories, hand the project off to a professional photo organizer. We have the most advanced equipment, tools, and strategies for getting the job done. You’ll save time, money, and worry knowing your photos are safe and secure and at your fingertips. Organize your photos and videos now because, in times of celebration or grief, your future self would rather be with loved ones, not piles of clutter.

Rachel Arbuckle is the founder of 2000 Paces Photo Organizing, a San Diego-based photo organizing business dedicated to providing authentic, compassionate solutions to transform the chaos of photos and memorabilia into an organized, preserved collection that can be easily shared and enjoyed for generations.

Benefits of Keeping Your Home Decluttered

If you missed spring cleaning this year, you might want to circle back and give it another try. Did you know there are many benefits to keeping your home decluttered? Keep reading to learn more about how decluttering and organizing can help you stay healthy and productive at home.

Keep Your Home Looking Clean & Organized

The first benefit you’ll notice from decluttering your home is the improvement in aesthetics. Keeping your home decluttered will help you maintain a clean and orderly appearance throughout the house. If you want to achieve an organized or minimalistic style of interior design, keeping your home decluttered is crucial. For example, start by organizing your shelves with just the necessities to achieve a minimalist look. Then take this simplistic style and apply it throughout your home.

Reduce Common Indoor Allergens

Decluttering will promote not only an aesthetically pleasing home but also a healthy one. Dust, hair, and other airborne debris can collect on clutter and accumulate throughout your house. Performing regular decluttering and dusting sessions can help rid your home of some of these common indoor allergens and improve indoor air quality.

Be More Productive

A clean and organized space can influence your general frame of mind. If you keep your space organized with only the necessities, you’re less likely to be distracted by other objects while working. Whether you’re doing chores, working in your home office, or trying to accomplish other tasks around the house, the fewer distractions you’re faced with, the better. You’ll be better able to focus and concentrate when your surroundings reflect your goals.

Promote Peace of Mind

Just as clutter can impact your productivity levels, it can also impact other aspects of your mental health. Leaving clutter to accumulate for too long can have a negative effect on your mental health, causing stress and anxiety levels to rise. This can even negatively impact your sleep schedule. Don’t let your quality of sleep and mental health suffer—simply staying on top of decluttering can help provide peace of mind.

You might not have known that keeping your home decluttered can have so many benefits. The next time you notice items starting to pile up, remember these benefits of decluttering your home and start organizing. You and the space around you will start to feel clearer and more comfortable.

Top Myths About Professional Organizers You Need To Know

If you need a professional organizer, you might have some questions and concerns. This is completely natural, as a person you have never met will be in your personal space and rummaging through your things. It can seem a little scary at first. Still, it’s important to realize that professional organizers are here to help, not harm. Because of this, you must understand the top harmful myths about professional organizers.

They Only Work With Extreme Cases

Hoarding is a difficulty with letting go of objects you’ve obtained over time. A hoarder often has many items they refuse to say goodbye to, no matter how long they’ve had them. Because of this, people often associate them with professional organizers. Most of us imagine professional organizers coming into the picture only in the worst cases of hoarding.

However, this is a myth. It doesn’t matter if you have a small closet that needs cleaning or an entire house. A professional organizer will help you keep things in order and remove what you don’t want. There are also many psychological benefits to decluttering, which can lead you to have greater peace of mind, whether you struggle with hoarding or not.

They Will Judge You

This is a common concern when a stranger comes into your personal space. If you feel a little self-conscious about your home not being as tidy as you’d like, it’s important to put things in perspective. Not only has your organizer probably seen far worse in their time, but they also understand that things can get out of control. Life happens if someone leads a busy lifestyle, has children, or deals with depression or any other number of issues.

There are so many reasons why a person’s house may be messy. In addition to this, if you didn’t care about the state of your home, why would you call someone in to clean it? This is a particularly harmful myth about professional organizers that everyone should know about because it can lead to an attitude of fear and distrust.

It’ll Cost You

For some reason, people feel that all professional organizers are expensive. Perhaps they watch TV shows on hoarding or have a friend who was over-charged. Regardless, this is a myth. Professional organizers run the gambit between cost-effective and pricey. Many of them work on an hourly basis. If this is the case, a small closet wouldn’t be as expensive as an entire house.

Others choose a flat rate, which can be a steal depending on the scope of work. But it’s doubtful that it’ll break the bank. It’s all a matter of perspective, who you choose as your organizer, and what you want them to clean.

There are many myths centering around professional organizers. Our misconceptions can cause us to miss out on the help we need and cause us to miss out on opportunities. It’s important to remember that there are misconceptions in any profession and to get the full facts before falsely judging.