Storage Locker Organization Toronto

Storage Locker Organization

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Not too long ago I was faced with the challenge of organizing two condominium storage lockers for “winter cleaning”. It was quite a challenge as the owner of the lockers, as well as his two sons, are sports enthusiasts and involved in everything from hockey, lacrosse, golf and fishing to mountain biking and more.

Who owns more than one set of golf clubs? We must have hauled four or five sets out of there. There were balls, sticks, skates, bats and every other imaginable type of sports equipment all over the place.

Condo Locker AfterThe main storage locker had to accommodate all the sports gear and they needed something for easy transitioning from one type of sport to another, as well as store all seasonal items. It was quite a challenge but one that I was up for. The locker was an obstacle course and in a state of disorganization making it virtually impossible to maneuver and reach anything without tripping and falling over stuff.

Faced with two concrete walls and two wire grid walls, being creative and having a vision was essential to be successful in this project. Most condominiums have very strict rules regarding storage lockers and what you can and cannot do. Utilizing new storage shelving, re-configuring the space and sectioning off parts of the locker into specific zones for sports and seasonal holiday items was the most efficient and functional way to work through this project without breaking any condominium rules.

Getting Started

My client was so excited about this project that within 30 minutes of starting the final organization and set up session, he actually sent his girlfriend down to see what was happening with the space. Then not long after that he came down himself, on 2 or 3 different occasions, to “nonchalantly” check it out and see the transformation taking place. He was like a little boy at Christmas, he just couldn’t wait.

We started by taking everything out of the locker and once it was all out I thought to myself “how is all this going to fit back in?” Next we installed shelving along the back wall for ball gloves, shoes and the like. Once we had all of the sports sectioned off onto the shelves we labeled each shelf with the type of sport that belonged on that shelf.

With some inexpensive “S” hooks we hung the golf clubs and skis onto the mesh fencing so they each had a home and could not fall over. From the ceiling we hung a mesh bag and placed the basketballs and volleyballs. Prior to this they were always rolling around on the floor becoming a major trip hazard.

The big reveal!

When I completed the final touches my client came down for the big reveal and was thrilled with the outcome. He now had an organized space where he could store all of his sports equipment where it would be easy to retrieve and not be in danger of falling over. He even had room for all of his Christmas decorations, which again were labeled on the shelves.

Before I left we reviewed exactly what had been done with his two sons so they would know where their sports equipment was to go when they were done with it. Based on my client’s reaction to our project I know he will be staying on top of the kids to ensure an organized and safe space.

It was a challenging experience and the outcome was a successful transformation into a fully accessible, safe and functional space. You could even see the floor! What’s your next challenge?  If you require assistance give us a call by contacting us here.

organizing your home

7 Golden Rules Of Kitchen Organization

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The kitchen is the most travelled and used room in the house. We prepare meals there, eat there and have some of our most interesting conversations in the kitchen. In order to make the most of your meals and conversation it’s important to have an organized kitchen. Here are seven rules I use to organize almost any kitchen.

   1. Horizontal surfaces must be clear

I’m a stickler for horizontal surfaces being clear. It’s too easy to lie something down and “get around” to putting it away later. Before you know it you have a lot of other stuff that has been added to the pile and you now have a kitchen counter full of items that do not belong in the kitchen.

organized kitchen

If you must keep small appliances on the counter keep it to the ones that you use every day like the toaster, coffee maker, and maybe your smoothie machine. Appliances that are seldom used should be stored elsewhere. You’ll be amazed at just how neat and organized your kitchen will look with a clutter free horizontal surface.

    2. Keep it clean

Now that your surface is clear it will be easier to keep the counter clean. Get in the habit of cleaning the counter once a day at a certain time. I give mine a wipe when I come down in the morning, after my son has made his breakfast and left traces of said breakfast for me to clean! A clear and clean counter looks great!

  1. Keep it within reach

Organize your kitchen so that the items you need are easily within reach of the task you are performing. If you are cooking make sure your pots and pans are close by. Are you right or left handed? Take this into consideration. Try to have your glasses stored next to the fridge. Your dishes close to the dishwasher for easy return. Keep only your essential kitchen cleaning supplies under the sink. The rest of those cleaning supplies can be stored neatly in your laundry space. This will save you steps and time and will reduce the traffic chaos in your kitchen.

  1. Pare down that junk drawer

I’ll admit that I don’t have a junk drawer in my kitchen but I do have a much needed drawer for pens, a pad of paper, mini stapler, eye glass cleaning cloth and a few other items such as bag clips and twist ties. It is still an organized space. But I have seen a lot of junk drawers that are full of just that – junk. A place you judiciously slide things into because you don’t know where to put it. Try not to use the junk drawer for a convenient way of hiding items that do not belong in the kitchen like tools and batteries. Just how many elastic bands do you really need anyway? If you cannot easily locate what you are looking for it kind of defeats the purpose of having a “miscellaneous” drawer. Let’s keep it organized with everything contained.

  1. Keep a list of what you need

Take a piece of paper and tape it inside a cupboard next to the fridge. When you run out of an item, jot it down on the piece of paper – both food and cleaning supplies.

 

Take this list with you when you go shopping and stick to it. It’s kind of like going shopping when you are hungry. Without a list you are going to forget some items that you need and most likely pick up items you don’t need thus spending money needlessly and adding clutter to your kitchen in the process.

  1. Out with the old

Make a habit of going through your fridge and cupboards once a month to get rid of items that have spoiled or have gone too far past the expiration date. When you do please remember that a best before date is just that – best before. You don’t have to toss items right at the best before date. But no need to keep that green stuff in your fridge any longer either!

  1. Out with the broken

Like all other items in the house toss out anything that is not working like old can openers or small appliances that you just may one day get around to trying to fix. Chances are that they are small enough and cheap enough to replace and let’s face it, you’re probably not going to get around to fixing it anyway.  Any bigger repairs, consider hiring a highly rated kitchen contractor to help.

So, these are my seven rules for an organized kitchen. Follow them and you will find kitchen bliss. ClutterBGone has helped many families get their kitchens organized and left them with a simple process to stay organized. Let us know how we can help you by contacting us here.

7 Laundry Room Organization & Storage Tips

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Unless you have a very large home, your laundry room is probably pretty small so organization and efficient storage can be challenging at best. Here are several organization and storage tips to help you be more efficient in your home.

Shelving

Whether you have a top loading or a newer set of front-loading washer and dryer, shelving for your detergents,

softeners and dryer sheets are a must.

Laundry shelving

For the do it your-self person wire shelving is readily available at almost any hardware store and is easy to fix to the wall. More elaborate systems with cupboards to keep items out of sight are available from a wide variety of sources and can be a great alternative for that uncluttered look without breaking the bank.

Hanging Shirts

When you do install shelving try to incorporate rods for hanging shirts and other items right out of the dryer onto hangars to reduce the ironing that may be required later. If space is tight there are a few foldable drying racks that fold up against the wall when not in use or can be pulled down from the ceiling.

Soaps and Cleaning Supplies

Have a few small bins or baskets available to hold your laundry accessories like stain removers, dryer sheets, etc.   Your laundry room may also be the storage area for household cleaners so ensure you have a bin or basket available to store these items as well.

laundryroom supply storage

We keep a bucket on our laundry room shelf that contains all of our cleaning supplies for ease of access on cleaning day.

Color Coded Laundry Baskets

Do you have older kids that like to do their own laundry because of colors or fabrics? I wish! If so, give each one a differently coloured clothes hamper so you know whose laundry is whose.

Guard Your Socks

We often lose a sock here and there in our home and always wonder where they went. I often find a sock or a small clothing item behind an appliance or between the washer and dryer.

A laundry guard that can fit on top of your washer or dryer, or both, can be helpful to keep that “sock monster” at bay.

Small Change Adds Up

How many times do you find a nickel, dime or quarter at the bottom of your washer or dryer? Keep a jar or even a piggy bank in the laundry room and deposit those coins every time you find one. You’ll be surprised how soon you will save enough for one of those expensive cups of coffee.

Also, keep a jar for those other items you find when your family is looking for something they may have left in a pocket. Don’t forget to label your bins, baskets and jars so everyone in your family can find and return the item in their proper place.

What Else Goes In There?

Most of the newer homes now have an upper floor laundry room. It makes a lot of sense as the top floor is where most of the soiled laundry is found. We also tend to use the laundry room to store other items like the previously mentioned cleaning supplies as well as paper products and maybe even linen if your upstairs closet is too small.

Dedicate a space to these items and label the shelf so when supplies run low nobody is putting anything else there that will have to be dealt with when supplies are replenished.

A laundry room can easily become a catch-all and clutter hot spot. Without proper organization it can be tough keeping this small area neat and organized.

If you need help in knowing where to purchase any of these products noted above, contact me here and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

How To Stay Calm and Stay Organized During the Holidays

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It’s hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner. Each year they seem to come quicker and quicker. Right after Halloween we start to get bombarded with holiday commercials and you’ve probably noticed that the local paper is a few pounds heavier with the holiday flyers. Here are a few ideas to help stay calm and organized during the holidays.

Holiday Shopping

I know a lot of you put off the holiday shopping until the last minute (guys, I’m talking to you) but try to set some time aside to get it done earlier.

Holiday-Shopping-Tips-e1341181827937Put it in your calendar and treat it like an appointment – no changes. Arrange a babysitter if need be or if you’re able to book an afternoon off work, even better. The shopping malls get crazy with each passing day, as you know. Last minute shopping is the perfect recipe for stress over the holidays.

Gift Wrapping

If you haven’t already, gather all of your wrapping supplies and keep them in one place. Make a list of what you are short of and get out to buy what you need before the selection is minimal in the stores. A basket or even a box will do to hold the tape, ribbons, bows, etc. that you will need.

II use an old cookie tin for bows to keep them from being flattened. Gently tie all of your rolls of wrapping paper together. Prepare a ‘wrapping station’ somewhere in the house and bring all of the gifts to this area for wrapping. Everyone will know where the station is and you will not have to hunt down the supplies when other people wrap gifts.

Planning The Feast

Holidays to me are all about the meal with family and friends. Sure, the gifts can be nice but there is nothing like the laughs and conversations you have around the dinner table.

Holiday mealMake a list now of everything that you will need for dinner. Order the turkey, the ham or whatever you cook to celebrate now to ensure you have the size you need.

If wine is on your list you can expect crowds at the stores so get out there early while your favourite is still in stock and avoid the long line-ups. Don’t forget the extras like the cranberry sauce and rolls. Oh, I’m getting hungry already.

Make Room For New Gifts

Now is the time to go through the toys or clothes of your kids and pare down what is no longer usable, appropriate of just doesn’t fit any longer. You know family is going to spoil the kids with a lot of gifts so make room now and reduce the stress of trying to make everything fit into the same space later. Have the kids get involved. It will build their excitement leading up to the big day.

The Art Of Gift Giving

I’m sure you have already given plenty of thought to what you’re going to purchase for your loved ones.

gift-givingMany of us anguish and plead for hints or ideas trying to give that special gift. My children are all a bit older now so one year we purchased charity items for people in need in third world countries on behalf of each child as part of their gifts that year. School supplies for a school in need, goats for a family that would produce milk, things of that nature.

They were touched by it and it got them to thinking of what the holidays are all about. Many items over the holidays are returned or even worse, not used at all and end up adding to the clutter that people already have. When in doubt gift cards are always appreciated and with the newer consumer laws most will not have an expiry date.

The holidays can be a very stressful time for most of us but with a little bit of planning we can reduce the stress and stay organized during this time. If you need assistance in getting ready for the holiday season there is still time. Contact us here to see how we can help.

5 Things You Do That Prevent You From Getting Organized

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At ClutterBGone we help you become organized and take advantage and maximize the space you have. During our initial on site consultation we get excited because we see a number of ways that you could easily become more organized without investing more time or money.

This normally involves a bit of discipline but if you can commit to the procedures and the basic principles of organization, you will see immediate results.

Here are 5 things we see you do in your home or office that actually stops you from getting and staying organized. See if you can spot yourself in any of these examples.

1) Keeping Junk Mail
Whether you still have door to door mail delivery or need to travel to the “super” boxes to get your mail, you have probably noticed that most mail delivered these days is of the “junk” variety.

Junk mailWith many of us now receiving and paying our bills on line what’s left to actually be delivered is usually flyers announcing a new home for sale or special offers for the product of the day. So many of our clients keep this “junk” type mail in a pile somewhere to be looked at later. Why? Are you really going to go through that stuff or do you end up keeping it piled somewhere, afraid to through it out “just in case”?

Do this instead: Once picked up, ensure that anything you are truly not interested in is deposited immediately into the recycle bin. In fact, I have seen where some super boxes have a recycle bin attached to them so this type of mail doesn’t even make it to your house. Why don’t you be the one to start this in your neighbourhood!

2) Not asking for help
So many people feel that if you ask for help you show weakness. When this happens you delay and proscrastinate until you get so overwhelmed that you finally do realize assistance is required. It is not a weakness to ask for help. It takes a strong person to realize that their own space is out of control.

In my view asking for help is a sign of strength in knowing your limitations. Often a fresh set of eyes can see things differently and help you pare down, sell, donate and get organized a lot faster than you could by yourself.

3) Saving items for emotional reasons

Let me share something with you. Both my husband and I were saving items from our deceased parents for sentimental reasons. In the end we realized that these items did not represent our parents. Our memories and experiences with them do. I had several hand embroidered pillow cases from my mother hiding away in my closet from years and years ago. I knew they would never be used.

I did not need to keep them all to remember her or her creativity. So I kept just one and created a treasure box of memento’s from both of my parents that I now proudly display on a wall in our home rather than having boxes of items stored away that I will never look at. This is a much better way to honour my parents’ memories.

4) You don’t think you have enough space
Everybody is downsizing these days and you find space is at a premium. So why are you taking up your valuable space with items that may not be all that important to you? Stuff you don’t actually use on a regular basis?

Maybe it’s time to consider paring down a little more and surrounding yourself with possessions you love. Less is more these days. You can also think more vertically to find more space in your home.

Basic closets come with one closet rod. It is really easy, and economical, to add another closet rod to double your space. No room to store your winter duvet? How about a storage box under the bed or those suction bags that compress larger items?

5) You’re not keeping it simple
Sometimes in efforts to get organized you find yourself creating more work and a complicated system that cannot be maintained.

Chalk drawing - KISS, keep it simple, stupid

Use the KISS approach. Keep it simple. You could spend days thinking of how to organize or down size but really there are many great systems and ideas out there that require minimal time and dollars.

Stop for a moment and take a real hard look at what you are trying to accomplish. It does not have to be that difficult. If you need outside help and want to learn more about how we can keep it simple, contact us here.

5 Crucial Facts About Time Management & Your Organizing Project

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time managementYou know that old saying that time does not stand still? How true is that! Time waits for no one and when you are trying to get organized time can feel like it is flying by. Here are a few facts regarding time management that will make the job of organizing quite a bit easier.

1) Be flexible

My husband is always telling me that plans are fluid. I don’t agree with that but do suggest that you need to be flexible when it comes to time management. Other things can come up that require your attention while you are in the middle of a project and while it can be irritating there are times when other things come first, like family.

2) Turn off the technology

This seems obvious but today we are tied to our phones and other electronics. They seem to rule our life but if you want to get something done uninterrupted, leave the technology in another room and put your phone on “do not disturb”. There isn’t too much that cannot wait an hour or two while you do what is required. If you don’t leave the technology alone for a while the project is going to take you twice as long.

3) Set a goal

Without a goal how do we know what we want to accomplish and how successful we were in completing that goal? Set the goal, keep it small to start and get it done! After you have completed the first goal you may be surprised at the feeling of accomplishment that you have and will be eager to tackle something a little larger in scope.

4) Find your productive time

I am not a morning person. There, I’ve said it. I don’t know many people who are. Define what time of day you work best and tackle those organizing jobs at that time. There is no sense in trying to get something done when you just don’t have the energy or enthusiasm. We all have a different time of day when we work and think best so schedule projects at these times if you can.

5) Keep your list manageable

Many of us keep a list, either written down or in our head, of things that need to be done. If the list gets too big we think we will never get everything done and give up. For organizing, keep the list to two or three things. Start with your kitchen “junk” drawer and move on to a closet. When you are done you will have the feeling of accomplishing something and then can create a new small list and go from there. software engineering jokes

Managing your time is critical to any project we take on. Understand how to manage your time and you will accomplish a lot more in less time. If you want to learn more about how our services can assist you with your organizing project, give me a call at 905-642-5669 and we can chat.

5 DIY Organizing Projects

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Once in a while I post a couple of ideas that I’ve come across that will help you get and stay organized. They are simple DIY projects that are easy to create and easy to maintain.

Here are a few of my favourites.

1) Wall storage bins from old crates

Shoe cratesMany of us have old wooden crates hanging around the house from old soda crates or used produce cartons. They make great storage bins for shoes, seasonal wear, like hats and scarves or even storage compartments for homework and sporting goods like skates and helmets.

Simply cut the top off, if required, and paint to match your décor. Once they are dry you can mount to a wall by drilling through the bottom of the crate (make sure you hit a stud) or by attaching to a supporting piece of wood that you have already mounted to the wall. Use a level to ensure that they are perfectly mounted. Personally, it would drive me bananas if it was at all off level, even an 8th of an inch! I’m a tad OCD that way.

2) Organize your jewellery with old china

I saw this on Pinterest recently and realized that I too have a few old pieces of china that have been handed down that I wasn’t taking advantage of. If you have the space, dedicate one drawer to your jewellery and the place one type of jewellery into each cup, saucer or whatever.

Earrings in one cup, rings in another and so on. What a great way to store and organize your jewellery and to make use of that china that you have had packed away.

Jewellery Organization3) Shoe ladders

These are great for those living in tight spaces with a lot of shoes. Simply find a small ladder – you can find these rather inexpensively at yard sales and antique stores – and paint it to match your décor.

Lean it against a wall and use the rungs to hang your shoes. Decorative, chic and easy to access your shoes.

4) Shower Curtain Rings

This one I have done myself. Take a clothes hanger and attach shower curtain rings to it. You know the ones I mean. The ones that the late John Candy sold in Plane, Trains & Automobiles. They can be found at many stores (including the dollar stores) for less than five dollars. Now run one scarf through each ring and you have all of your scarves in one place to hang wherever you need them.

5) Bull Dog Clips

I have a little bit of room between my desk and the wall in my office. Not a lot, but just enough room for my computer cable and cell phone charging cable to slip and fall down when they are unplugged. I have to get down on my knees, get under the desk and feed the cords back up.

Clips for CablesBy using bull dog clips or even hair clips attached to the back edge of the desk you will prevent the cords from falling down that crack again!

So there you have five simple DIY tips – or life hacks as they call them – to help you get and stay organized.

If you would like to learn more or need a little more help in getting organized contact me here and we’ll chat.

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