We are currently undergoing renovation of our primary bedroom and bathroom. This required us to move everything from our bedroom into one of our daughters’ bedrooms. This particular daughter now in her mid-twenties, conveniently left home earlier this year. Adult kids, however, rarely take 100% of their worldly possessions with them.
Said daughter’s room looked exactly like she still lived at home. Her closet burst with clothing, knick knacks strewn around, diplomas on the wall; I think even the TV was still plugged in. How were we going to get her to empty out her room?
Fortunately, I had one trump card to play—my birthday—which was a couple of weeks away. Most young people, I’ve observed, seem to have more free time than cash. An idea hit me that, honestly, I wish I’d thought of years ago. I told my daughter the only thing I wanted for my birthday was the gift of her time and together we would declutter her room.
I can’t say I received an enthusiastic response but to her credit, she came over, and together, in an afternoon, we decluttered her entire bedroom and bathroom. Now, you may rightfully be wondering how we accomplished such a mammoth task in the space of a few short hours. It probably doesn’t hurt that her mom is a professional organizer so here are a few pro tips if you decide to use this strategy yourself:
Let us know how this strategy works for you,
Best of luck!
Janet
Moving in with a partner for the first time can be a wonderful experience – until you have to find a place for both of your things all under one roof.
No matter how meticulous your house moving checklist is, you are bound to end up with duplicates, home decor that doesn’t exactly match one another’s style, and clutter that drives one or other of you up the wall at some point. So how do you organize and declutter when moving in with a partner?
Luckily, professional home organizers have the solutions.
Planning what to put in the cabinet above the kitchen sink? You’d be forgiven for being conflicted over the best way to use this space when organizing the kitchen. Though it’s in a slightly more tricky spot, it’s also an important place for storage, given that it’s usually always within easy reach – after all, many of us spend a lot of time near our kitchen sinks.
Organization and styling ideas for books aren’t just for those with generously sized rooms. With the right bookshelf ideas, you can make your book collection look good, whatever the size of the space you’re working with.
Just like when organizing anything in a small space, trying to fit everything in while creating a room that’s both functional, beautiful, and not too cluttered can be a challenge.
Last week I finally got around to ‘swapping out my closets’. The great thing about having small closets (I tell myself) is that it forces me twice a year to go through my clothes. I donate what I no longer wear to The Wardrobe, take all my winter clothes out of my bedroom closet, transfer them to my daughter’s unused closet, and vice versa. This process is not as easy as it sounds since I play both the client and professional organizer roles.
Me as the organizer, “Janet, when was the last time you wore this?”
Me as the client, “Well, it’s been a while, but I can’t bear to part with it”.
The internal conversation can get a bit hairy, as you can imagine! But I digress as the topic of this article is how to store your clothes in the off-season. Here are the guidelines I use for myself and our clients:
If all this seems a little overwhelming and you live in the Philly area, give us a call and let us help you with your twice-yearly edit and clothing storage.
Cheers to the warmer weather!
Janet