4 Tips for Living Room Bliss

4 Tips for Living Room Bliss

Your living room should be the place where you relax and unwind, but most days it feels like a chaotic catch-all. Disorder and chaos in your home can have a negative affect on your emotions. Take a look at your cluttered space. How does it make you feel? 

• Does your mind feel cluttered?
• Do you feel drained of energy?
• Do you feel overwhelmed or depressed?

We have all been there. Clutter causes unnecessary stress in your life. Getting rid of the clutter helps you feel better emotionally and physically.

“But where do I start?” Good question! The best way to get started is to get started.  These 4 easy tips to will help you bring order to your living space, or any room in your home.

(1) Take a moment, stand in your living room, and turn off all the background noise. Visualize what your living space would look like if there was no clutter. Imagine how you want your space to function.

(2) Now look around and determine what items don’t belong. Grab those items and put them in their rightful place. Don’t worry about organizing them right now, just get them in the right location.

(3) Back to the living room. Discard anything that is broken or is trash. Are you really going to get that old DVD player fixed? Toss it. Then gather items you will donate, take them to your car and remember to actually take them to the donation center on your next trip.

(4) Tackle the remaining items by grouping like items together and organize them one at a time.

Being organized does not mean you have to get rid of everything. If your living room doubles as a playroom, you don’t have to get rid of your children’s toys. Place a container in the living room to corral all their stuff. Storage ottomans work well for this. Your living area is your living area. Make the space work for how you live.

Remember Collectors,  "Happiness is a place between too little and too much." —Finnish Proverb

Need help getting organized? Hire one or two of our skilled professional organizers to help you get your project done! Have company coming over? Give us a call, we will have your place picked up in a jiffy!!! www.collectorcare.com 925-548-7750 help@collectorcare.com

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Starving Organizer ISO Funds

Thanks for opening up this solicitation! Please send me $35 NOW so I don't die. This is where I attach a photo of me emaciated and destitute. Lying in the street gutter with the rats. And a broken neck. 

I am SO tired of "charities" bombarding my clients with never ending requests for money. I have seen thousands of mailings plastered with graphic photos of the most disturbing matters!! Five different "Save the horse" mailings with five different stories of slaughtered horses from five different outfits. All of them needy, all of them pulling on your heart strings. 

You donate to one company and they sell your name to 10 more. Before you know it you have stacks and stacks of solicitations and can't remember which one you donated to begin with. My Client Roz wrote an article all about our personal experiences with this exact subject matter.

"I get too much mail from organizations with sob stories or worse on the awful treatment of (fill in the blank) dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, dolphins, children, and old people. Of course they ask for money. If I send them $10 or $20, and I usually do, I get on more mailing lists from more heart wrenching organizations. " (See link below for full article).

I love the ones who send money. Yes they send $2 bills, pocket change, stamps.

You can't throw money out so you are compelled to open it. You take out your $2 bill (how do they afford that?!) and a picture of animal testing falls out. You have got to donate to this one! After all they did just send you two dollars. 

Don't get me wrong I strongly believe in donating to charities. I do not believe in organizations praying on compassionate people. I do not believe in organizations selling your information to other companies.

How do you track who you donate to? Are you overwhelmed with abundance of solicitations? Do you have stacks and stacks of mail from charities looking for donations?

Below are three tips to help you manage solicitation mailings.

1. Put all of your solicitation mailings in a box. Go through this box with ruthlessness. Open up each solicitation that you are interested in donating to and do step 2 before you mail your donation. 

2. Create a spreadsheet or list on who you just donated to, how much and the date.

3. Write "return to sender" on ones you just can't stand and put them in your outgoing mail. If that's too mean for you, recycle or shred them immediately.

To read Roz's personal experience on how we handle her solicitation clutter, read here: danvillesanramon.com/blogs/p/2015/06/09/getting-organized

Until next time dear Collectors! As always, please feel free to post a comment with your experience on mail solicitation clutter.

Rachel Seavey, Blogger &
Owner of Collector Care

Do you need help going through your mail?
Not sure who you donated to last or when?
Collector Care Professional Organizers can help you diminish your mail clutter today!

Give us a call 925-548-7750 or visit our website at www.collectorcare.com

Caitlyn Jenner – Organizing Trend Setter

Hey Collectors! We are always trying to "Keep Up With The Kardashians" at Collector Care. Ever since Caitlyn Jenner came out I have had an abundance of inquiries from transgender folks in search of organizational services.

Before Caitlyn came out I have had the pleasure of working with 3 transgender Clients over the last five years. I kid you not, I have had at least five phone calls in the last ten days from potential transgender Clients. Leading me to believe that Caitlyn Jenner is an organizing trend setter, and inspiring me to write this blog.

This blog is for people that have closets full of both female clothing and male clothing. Hockey jerseys and platinum blonde wigs on the same shelf. I think you get the picture. You might not have thought about the additional clutter this brings. When you are dressing for two genders, you can have twice the amount of stuff. When you are taking hormones or getting plastic surgery done- your body changes, and you end up with a lot of clothing that no longer fits the same.

So the burning questions is, how do you organize your closet when you are transgender? This blog is full of tips and ideas just for you!

Did you see the episode where Kim wanted to organize Caitlyn's closet? The shoes at the top have been on my mind since that episode aired! I would be in organizing heaven if she invited me over! 

So, where does one begin? Below is a story of one of my transgender clients and some of the tools and techniques that we used organizing her closet. I hope this inspires you.

I have been working with a client we will call Gloria because she wants to remain anonymous. Quick rewind: Gloria was born male, and over the last 10 years has been transitioning into female. She has just come out at work.

When I got to Gloria's house her place was full of items from her past life as a man. She was always big into hockey so there was a lot of sports memorabilia, clothing that she wore when she was a man, and photos and documentation of her being a male. Her goal was to transition her space into her new lifestyle as a woman. Not only had she told everyone at work about being transitioning, she was now living 100% as a woman everywhere else too.

Gloria wanted to eliminate all of the clutter in her home that reminded her of her life as a man. However, she did want to keep some mementos from the past in a box in the way back of her closet.

Rachel Seavey, Blogger
Owner of Collector Care

We started transforming her closet first. We dedicated a side for clothing that made her feel fabulous and beautiful. The other side of the closet was for clothing that might look good after she gets her breast implants. We let go of items that made her feel frumpy or uncomfortable. We made one bag of donation for the goodwill of men's clothing, and we had one bag of clothing for the woman's shelter. One shirt made it's way to the back of the closet to the box.
Shoes were sorted by work-wear and dressy, one side of her hanging organizer had comfy work shoes, and the other had sandals and heels. Boots and sneakers were organized at the bottom of the closet.

Make up organization was a definite struggle for Gloria! Oh was she in luck because I absolutely LOVE makeup organization! We shopped online for some cheap and easy solutions to contain her cosmetics. We discussed proper care of cosmetics and brushes. Good times!

Lastly we organized her purse. Most women get a lot of years in of cramming things in to their small purses or clutches. We have experienced the frustration of dropping something in to the black hole of a giant hobo bag only to search and search for its existence.
So what is the perfect purse and what goes inside of it? This Dolls, you will have to ask yourselves.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want a purse with short straps? Or have straps that hang over your shoulder? 
• Backpack or fanny-pack? 
• What should go inside of your purse?
• What are things you use everyday? 
• What would you never leave home without? 
• Do you take medication or have daily prescriptions? 

I asked these questions and came up with the following items: (Remember, this is only Gloria's example, feel free to add or substitute as you like).

1. Makeup in a clear cosmetic case. Tip: Bring only what you need to touch up during the day to avoid unnecessary bulk.
2. Small hair brush with scrunchie wrapped around handle.
3. Lotions in a clear cosmetic case. Travel size sunblock, hand-cream, and sanitizing lotion.
4. 2 ballpoint pens and a small notebook.
5. Phone.
6. Gum.
7. Asthma Inhaler.

We even made a copy of this list so that she would not forget to re-stock it. 

 

Thank you to Gloria for letting me share her story. My favorite part of working together was the celebration of self, and the facilitating of helping her be at their organizational best.

Thank you for reading this blog Collectors. Until next time!

Rachel

 

Do you need help organizing your home or lifestyle?

Give us a call! 925-548-7750
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Celebrating Self Expression!

I love to be able to work without judgement. It allows me to feel free. As someone who is quite frequently judged, I appreciate individuality. Be yourselves Collectors. If you want a wall of cat pictures - do it! Go ahead and make that spare room into whatever you want! Love yourselves some antique glassware.  Who cares what anyone thinks Collectors? It's your home. You don't have to be a minimalist to be happy. There is a happy place between too little and too much. Express yourselves Collectors and keep provoking those boring judgmental unhappy people with your artistic flare!

Rachel Seavey, Expresses herself often. Judged often.

A very special thank you to the gay and transgender community in San Francisco for allowing me to make a difference in your lives. Thank you for coming out of the clutter closet dolls!!!!

Hodge Podge Of Miscellanea

What's going on Collectors!!

Do you have boxes/bags/bins/etc full of miscellaneous items? Paper, garbage, clothing, money, all sorts of different categories of items all mixed together? What do you call this? What would you label this box if you had to?

Here are some submissions from some of our wonderful Clients: (Feel free to comment here or email me at rachel@collectorcare.com with your submissions)

**These are in no particular order**

Hodge Podge Of Miscellanea

Misc.
To sort

Minutiae

Brick-a-brak
Tchotchkes
Assorted
Random
Crap
Junk
Mixed
Unsorted

Do you need help going through these items? Are you overwhelmed and don't know where to begin? Collector Care Professional Organizers LOVE going through your random clutter. Let us help you sort things  out, and organize them so you can actually find things when you need them!

Are you always late?
Get organized so that you can be on time,
meet deadlines, and not always be searching for things.  

www.collectorcare.com

925-548-7750

help@collectorcare.com

7 Secrets to Organizing a Hoarder’s Home

7 Secrets to Organizing a Hoarder’s Home

For those with hoarding disorder, getting rid of possessions is extraordinarily difficult. This is the case even if the item doesn’t hold any value, either monetarily or emotionally.

Hoarders feel they need to save things and become distressed at even the thought of throwing away something. They may even offer excuses like, “I plan on selling that at a yard sale.” Or, “I’m saving that for a friend.”

Whether you’re cleaning up your own house, or that of someone you know, here are 7 secrets to organizing a hoarder’s home.

1. Be understanding.

If you struggle with hoarding disorder, practice self-care. Don’t beat yourself up about past actions. Identify the problem and move forward.

If you’re working with a family member, friend or neighbor, practice empathic listening. What may seem like an easy decision for you may be an arduous process for someone who struggles with hoarding. Be patient and stay positive.

2. Consult other professionals.

If necessary, contact professionals in your area for help. If you don’t know where to look, city and county officials can point you in the right direction.

Professional organizers will help you sort through what items can be donated or thrown away and give advice on how best to organize the rest of your belongings. Biohazard specialists dispose of dangerous materials like blood, animal droppings and certain types of trash. Therapists identify the compulsive behavior and provide long-term support.

3. Wear protective clothing.

Depending on the types of items contained in the hoarder’s home, and how long “stuff” has been allowed to accumulate, you may need to wear protective garments.

ALWAYS wear close-toed shoes to prevent yourself from stepping on broken glass or other sharp objects. Wear pants and a long-sleeved shirt you don’t mind getting dirty. If excessive animal feces or other biohazards are present, wear protective eyewear, gloves and a particulate respirator mask.

4. Grab the right gear.

At a minimum, you’ll need a few basic supplies to begin the cleanup. Bring heavy-duty trash bags, a few empty boxes, some masking tape and a few Sharpie markers. You’ll also want a small stepstool or ladder, broom, vacuum, flashlight and first-aid kit. And don’t forget cleaning supplies like Lysol, bleach, all-purpose cleaner and plenty of paper towels.

5. Clean the bathroom first.

Hoarding cleanups are a marathon. You’ll most likely be working all day and will inevitably need to use the restroom. At a minimum, clean out a walkway to the toilet and sink. Make sure the facilities are in good enough condition to use. Bleach the toilet and disinfect the counter.

6. Sort through the clutter.

Before you organize, it’s important to get rid of as much “stuff” as possible. Create 3 piles: keep, donate and throw away. If there isn’t room inside for the piles, move the items outside and use tarps if necessary.

Ask questions to decide what should go where.

• Does this item work? Things in good condition can be donated to a local charity.
• Why am I saving it? A meaningful heirloom is worth keeping. A large collection of hotel shampoo bottles is not.
• Is this a duplicate? Make sure to keep only one of each item.

For large donation piles, ask The Salvation Army or another charity to arrange a pickup. That will get everything out of the house immediately and avoid any inadvertent regression.

7. Take breaks.

Bring plenty of bottled water and non-perishable snacks. You’ll need to keep your energy up as you clean throughout the day. If the weather is nice, go outside and get some fresh air. The homes of hoarders tend to be stuffy and full of dust and other allergens. A little sunshine will go a long way.

I hope you found some of this information helpful Collectors! Stay tuned this Summer - we are currently recording the hOaRdGANIZE Podcast, which includes amazing guest interviews from experts in the field, lots of organizing tips and hacks, and a step by step series on how to organize your hoard.

Rachel Seavey, Owner & Blogger

Need help getting organized? 

Call us right now to schedule your FREE estimate! 

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