Sunday, May 17, 2009

Organizing the laundry

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Laundry! I can't stand to do laundry. I use to let it pile up until I was forced to wear dirty clothes or wash something. That all changed years ago. Not because I wanted to, but because I had a husband and kids to keep up with and they needed clean clothes.

I really tried hard to convince my husband that we needed to hire someone to handle all of the laundry and ironing. That did not work out so well. He laughed.

As an organizer, I am always trying to figure out ways to make keeping your house organized; easy. I had to work extra hard on this one. One day I stumbled upon something that changed the way I did laundry. When I tell you my solution you are going to think I am crazy. I am not saying this will cure your laundry problem. It is merely to re-enforce what I teach my clients; it's about finding out who you are and what works for you. What I am about to tell you has worked for me and for one of my clients who laughed at me, then tried it!

I have a double hamper in my closet that separates my whites and colors. One day I bought a white plastic hip hugger hamper. I thought I would use this as a transport basket. At the time, I had a load of clothes in the wash and the dryer was empty. I went to my closet looked at my hamper and saw that my whites were full. I placed a load in my transport basket. After the clothes in the wash were done I threw them in the dryer and placed the new load in the wash. My transport basket went back to the closet. This time I filled the transport basket with colors.

There was something about just seeing that one load in a basket that made me feel like I could get it done. I keep the transport basket in my closet where I can see it and for some reason I feel like that is all I have to deal with; that one basket, or one load. See? I told you it was simple. I worked to get through all of the dirty clothes and by the end of the third day the only dirty clothes were in the transport basket, washer, or dryer. That's the truth!

Laundry has never been a problem since. That basket was the perfect size load; not too big, not too small. Every time I see that it is full I know to throw it in the wash. So you see it wasn't something crazy that I had to do just something small that changed the way I view doing laundry. Simple solutions can make big differences.

I also know that to stay on top of laundry I have to have a schedule. I usually fold a load in the morning and put them away. I also take the load I put to wash at bedtime and move it to the dryer so that I can fold and put it away at night. If there is more laundry than normal, or items that have to be special washed, I may do another load as soon as I get home and another at bedtime.

My next step towards conquering laundry will be to convince my husband that we need 2dryers. I think everyone should have 2 dryers. This would really cut down the time we spend doing laundry! Until then I have my basket.

Another tip: a small amount of soap goes a long way. A full scoop that they provide in the box is way too much. Also, most clothes can and should be washed in cold water. Both of these tips will save you money!

Have a good laundry solution you want to share?? Let us hear from you!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Clutter Prescription: A Great Mother's Day

I have enjoyed doing not much of anything today. This morning started out with my husband waking the kids(is he crazy?)to have them make me breakfast in bed. I overheard the girls arguing in the kitchen and my 3 year old crying. I was so happy it was Mother's Day and he was going to handle this all on his own. After all he is the one who woke them!

After they got everything together, the whole clan came in with breakfast on a Diego tray, which from what I could make out was part of the argument. Apparently the baby wanted me to eat on the Disney Princess tray. She will learn, the same as I am still learning, that some things just don't matter. That is a hard lesson when you are a planner and organizer!!

The kids gave me a swimsuit that they picked out. I have to assume that their father knew what they were buying since he took them and they are only 3 and 6 years old! The girls had the idea that we would have a beach party today (don't know where that came from). That's how they got the idea for the bathing suit. Now, about that suit. This swim suit is black with gold beading. It is extremely low cut and it is an extra small. Obviously I told them I loved it!! Then after they left the room I looked at my husband and asked him what in the heck he was thinking!! I am a pretty conservative and plain girl. I am small but not extra small and there was no way I could be seen in this bathing suit! My husband laughed and walked away laughing and said "well I love it". I have no idea how I will decide to handle this but for now it is raining and thank God there is no beach party.

Today the organizer did not organize anything. I didn't plan anything to do or worry about how the day would play out. I just sat back and enjoyed myself. I haven't picked up a thing. The house looks a mess, but I have refrained from doing anything about it. There are times to organize and then there are times to just enjoy life. The mess will be there later. I will get to it then.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Clutter Prescription; your prescription for curing clutter!

Here it is; the day I have been dreaming of. I have worked so hard to make this dream a reality and after what seems like forever, we have finally launched The Clutter Prescription; you prescription for curing clutter!

So what is it?

The Clutter Prescription is us(The Amandas), organizing you, via the Internet.

As a Professional Organizer I spend my time in clients' homes helping them get organized and I absolutely love it!

I wanted a way to share our company’s expertise with others so… I developed a new online program which is designed to help people get organized
for as little as $12.99/mo

Members are given the opportunity to choose a space they would like to organize. After signing up, they receive a weekly prescription, which is a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish their goals for that space. In addition to these instructions members have 24/7 direct access to our Organizers through the message board. They also receive the email reminder system, quarterly newsletter, daily clutter vitamin, and 10% off any purchase from The Amandas online store. All this for only $12.99/mo!

Two additional levels of membership give you the option to speak directly with one of our organizers on a weekly or monthly basis. These coaching sessions provide you with the support and guidance you need to get and stay organized!

This project has been a huge undertaking by me and my staff and we have all poured our hearts into the program. With a lot of hard work and dedication we are so proud to launch our new program, The Clutter Prescription, today!

To celebrate the launch we are offering a special price for members. By signing up for a 12 month, level 1 membership new members will receive the full year for $99!! That is less than $10 a month!

What a great gift for anyone! This custom designed program was created to fit any level of clutter and our prescriptions simplify the process making organization enjoyable and rewarding. I hope that all of you take a look at the new website www.theclutterprescription.com.

Join today to start enjoying the benefits of home organization. We can't wait to hear from you!!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Is your home healthy?

For someone like me (and yes there are others!) organizing is fun, exciting and often; therapeutic. I love to spend the day reorganizing a room or a closet. It clears my brain of the day to day fog and makes me feel alive! Scared?

I know that for others, organizing can be a challenge. People tell me how overwhelmed their disorganization makes them feel, how they don't know where to start, and that they would rather be doing anything else.

That's why I do what I do. I don't just come to your home and do the organizing for you; I teach you. I want to be your friend and your ally; your coach in becoming organized. I know the struggles of disorganization and I also know it doesn't have to be that way.

Many people are worried about the flu right now. They are washing their hands, covering their mouths when they sneeze, doing a little extra sanitizing, etc. They want to be healthy. When you are healthy, you can do more, you feel good, and you have energy. There is a feeling of freedom that we take for granted when we are well.

Have you thought about the health of your home? Your home is a living, breathing, thing, and it takes care of you and your family. Clutter can clog the arteries of your home slowing down its' efficiency and causing problems.

The small steps people are taking right now to stay well are not life changing. They are small things that add up to big results.

That is what organizing is. Somehow the message got out that to get organized you had to go through some massive overhaul and completely change who you are. That is simply not the case.

The first step in getting organized is to stop thinking it's going to be this big horrible task. Stop and think about small things you can do each day to make your home a little more organized. Those small steps will add up to big results.

So what can you do? Stayed tuned for tomorrow's big announcement. Help is on the way!