Fall is a great time for Spring Cleaning! Flip Flops to Boots

Cooler days and nights bring open windows and can be a wonderful time to declutter and organize before getting ready for winter the upcoming holiday season!

With whiffs of pumpkin spice in the air and the change of temperatures it’s time to put the flip flops away and bring out the boots, coats hats and scarves.  Are there any items from last year you need to donate?  How about any items that need to be repaired or laundered?   With many retailers already selling new items for the winter season, it can be tempting to start purchasing new items before realizing what you already have.  Que the overflowing stuffed closets.  Getting everything sorted and lined up now, will so that you are not only prepared for the sudden blast of cold air but you will save time finding those coats, hats and gloves when you need them.

“Fall cleaning” is also a wonderful time to get a handle on preparing for the upcoming holiday season.  Whether it be the pantry, (all that baking and cooking), gift wrapping supplies, (buying new supplies can be expensive), decoration storage, (overlapping holidays can lead to chaos and purchasing items you may already own), clothes closets, (the sweaters for “that” party) or getting the guest room ready, (biggest time of year for visiting family and friends) can make the upcoming months “stress central”. There are many design solutions and products that Organization & Relocation offers that will optimize each space and purpose while providing long term post holiday benefits.  Organizing these key areas now when the weather and the calendar are manageable will help with the clutter and prepare you for a time when there is no room in the schedule.  Most importantly, it will afford you a time when you can truly enjoy the time with family and friends.

The first day of Fall is next week, which means it's time to rotate out our tank tops and flip-flops to make room for cozy sweaters and duster jackets. When going through a closet, Org & Relo pulls out, launders or dry cleans the dirty and stores the clean in its new location. The really satisfying part of a closet shuffle is you will feel like you have a fresh new wardrobe.

Tips for Success:

1. Store, Sort & Catgegorize - Before you begin the overhaul, make sure you determine where you will be storing your summer clothes. This will save time and frustration after you start. As with each project we begin, make piles for keep, discard, and donate. Now is the best time to get rid of unwanted clothes or clothes that do not fit because if you don't like them now, you probably won't next summer either!

2. Beautify Your Bathroom - Avoid exposure to germs and bacteria by giving your bathroom a deep scrub before the moisture builds up with the fast approaching Fall months. Contact Org & Relo to beautify your bathroom!

3. Furnace Inspection - Hire an HVAC professional to check heating efficiency, test for leaks and change the filter. Also, check for drafts by using a lighted candle around doors and windows and if you see a flicker, inspect for broken or cracked seals.

4. Organize the Shed - As summer items begin to fill up shed space, now is a good time to sort, purge and organize remaining items. Move summer items to the back and winter items to the front for easy access.

5. Set Your Kids Up For Success - The playroom is that space in the house where our kids play with their toys and usually turns the room into a war zone. Teach your kids the importance of organization early on in life.

Who's ready for apple picking and pumpkin spice lattes?

It was a dark and stormy night.  Everyone had been fed and bathed.  It was time for bedtime stories. As you are tucking Suzie into bed, she casually mentions that she needs to create a collage of her favorite animals for school tomorrow.  “What? Why are you just now mentioning this to me?” Suzie’s response…” I forgot”. Sigh. “Ok, I will gather the materials and you can get up early and get it done”. Good night and sweet dreams.”

As you head down the stairs you are thinking about what supplies are needed for this project.  Magazines with pictures of animals, scissors, paper, glue stick, pencil. At least you are not scrambling to build a volcano!  

You quickly locate everything needed except the scissors.  Hmmm. You look in the desk drawer...not there. You look in the kitchen junk drawer…not there.  You look in the mudroom drawer…not there. You know you own at least one pair of scissors…don’t you?  You must! You are now looking through every drawer and cabinet in the house. After an hour of searching, you finally come across a pair of blunt-tip kids scissors in the bottom of a toy bin.  That will have to do.  

To avoid this happening again, you quickly jump online and order a pair of scissors.  It will be a short night’s sleep, but crisis avoided.

Fast forward two months:  You are doing some spring cleaning and come across no less than 5 pairs of scissors in various locations (kids backpacks, master bathroom, bedside table, car).  Of course! That makes total sense.  

Can you relate to this story?  Maybe it wasn’t scissors, but something else.  It happens to all of us.

QUIZ:  How long would it take you to find a pair of scissors right now?  

1. I know exactly where they are!

2. I know where they should be…

3. Do I even own a pair of scissors?

4. What are scissors?

If you answered B-D, then here are three helpful steps to ensure that you will find what you need, when you need it.

1. Gather all your scissors (or commonly used item) into one place.

2. Designate locations for each pair (kitchen, office, mudroom, etc.)

3. LABEL each pair with location and put in their assigned location.

Stay tuned for the next episode…The Case of the Missing Sock.

By Jennifer Gowler, Director of Operations and Project Manager

As Spring is bursting forth it’s glorious show of blooms, blossoms, and greenery, another factor that comes with it, is mud. In climates where Spring has fits and starts with sunshine one day and snow the next, there is a profusion of mud.  This can be especially trying if you are a dog owner and enjoy hiking or walking with them.  One of the ways I combat bringing Spring’s glory inside is to designate a pair of shoes that are strictly for muddy walks only.  I keep them outside my mud room door and once the mud dries, I clap them together to get the big chunks off.  

In order to clean my dogs I keep a stack of “dog towels” handy by the back door.  My small dog goes directly in my mud room sink for a quick paw and belly wash with a rub down using a dry, clean towel.  My big dog gets the similar cleaning, but I use a small bucket filled part way with warm water that I place on a towel, but I place it toward the bottom of the towel. This is so that after I have dipped his front paws in the bucket they can drip dry on the front of the towel while I attend to the back legs.  I also have on the ready a damp smaller towel or rag to do a quick wipe down of his belly and upper legs.  Lastly, another dry towel is used to finish off the job.  I find that this is an easy and efficient way to keep the muddy paws in check.  The key to this process is preparing the bucket and towels before departing for your walk or hike.  

Keeping all entryways to the house swept and free of mud and dirt is also a good way to keep it from coming inside.  If it is especially messy outside, I will place a dog towel inside the door for people to place their muddy shoes on.  

Spring is a wonderful time of year, but it is also a little messy!

Written by: Leslie Dietrich, Project Manager