by Jayme Radomski | May 1, 2023 | Cleaning, Garage, Organizing
The warm weather is here and we have been thinking about organizing the garage. The patio furniture, lawn mower and bicycles need to be more accessible, and the snow shovels, sleds and road salt can be packed away. Organizing a garage can be a daunting task but breaking it down into smaller steps can make the process more manageable. We share six steps to organizing your garage:
The first step is to sort through all the items in your garage and decide what to keep, donate, sell, or throw away. You may want to categorize items into piles based on their function or purpose.
Before you begin organizing, it is essential to clean the garage thoroughly. Sweep the floors, wipe down shelves and cabinets, and dust off any cobwebs. Make any necessary repairs, such as fixing broken shelves or repairing damaged walls. It is ideal to completely empty a space to thoroughly clean it.
Sort the items you have decided to keep into categories such as sports equipment, gardening tools, automotive supplies, etc. Grouping similar items together will make it easier to find what you need.
Based on the items you have and the space available, decide on the type of storage solutions you need. Consider using shelves, cabinets, pegboards, or hooks to maximize space and keep items organized. Clear bins are helpful for finding and putting away items.
Once you have your storage solutions in place, label each container or shelf so that you know what goes where. Arrange your items by category or frequency of use, with frequently used items easily accessible.
Maintaining an organized garage requires ongoing effort. Regularly assess whether items are still needed and adjust your storage solutions as needed. Try to put things back in their designated spots after use, so they don’t accumulate and clutter the space again.
At Top Shelf Home Organizing, we take pride in our ability to organize garages to make them the best use of space for you and your vehicles. If getting your garage summer-ready is overwhelming, please reach out to Jayme for a consultation.
This article was written in collaboration with our newest organizing expert, Open A. I.
by Jayme Radomski | Jan 9, 2023 | Cleaning, Organizing
The new year brings a desire to clear out the old, bring in the new, focus on goals and be more productive. Making a clean sweep through your life and home will help you focus on all your new year goals and plans. Top Shelf Home Organizing has created a list of simple organizing projects to start the new year that will not cost you anything.
The new year brings a desire to clear out the old, bring in the new, focus on goals and be more productive. Making a clean sweep through your life and home will help you focus on all your new year goals and plans. Top Shelf Home Organizing has created a list of simple organizing projects to start the new year that will not cost you anything.
After weeks of celebrating and entertaining, your home likely needs a good cleaning. Set up a cleaning schedule that allows areas of your home to be cleaned regularly. Involve family members in the plan to share the workload. Keep cleaning supplies in a central location so everyone knows where to find them and you know when they are running low.
Assess your wardrobe and remove clothing items that do not fit, are worn out or do not make you feel fabulous. Reducing your clothing to what you love will lift your spirits and make mornings easy. Clothing items can be donated or sold.
A good pantry assessment will help plan meals and save money in the new year. Remove all items from the pantry, organize them by food type and plan your meals based on the food you have. Organizing your pantry will get you started on your healthy eating and money saving resolutions.
5. Take a Break from Buying
This month, as you plan for the new year and go through your stuff, don’t buy anything. As you remove items don’t rush out to purchase a replacement, take time to be without. You will be surprised how much less you can live with. Getting organized in the new year also does not mean that you need to spend on organizing gadgets. Reuse organizing items you currently have, or use boxes and containers from around your home. After you have fine-tuned your organizing system, then consider purchasing new storage products.
6. Don’t Ignore Your Feelings
Your home is where you rest and rejuvenate. Items in your home that cause sadness, stress and anxiety don’t belong. Consider keepsakes that bring bad memories all the way to items in disrepair that strike anxiety every time you think of them. As you clean and organize throughout your home, remove these items as they come up. The bad feelings need to go.
This list is enough to get you off to a great start this year. Decluttering is a process and cannot be done in one hour or one day. Start with areas with the biggest impact and start the snowball rolling. After years of working with busy families, we know where to focus. When organizing and decluttering overwhelms you, we are happy to help. Reach out to Jayme at Top Shelf Home Organizing to get you started on the right track.
by Jayme | Mar 8, 2022 | Cleaning, Organizing
These quick organizing tips will get you and your house ready for the first warm spring day. Block your calendar this month to prepare your home for spring. Take it one task at a time and soon you’ll be ready for your first backyard barbecue.
1. Winter Décor
Let spring in your home by packing away your winter décor. Add some fresh flowers and bright colored pillows to your home.
2. Patio Furniture
Take patio furniture out of storage and give it a good wash down.
3. Entry Doors
Wash down the inside and outside of all entry doors and storm doors. Remove dust and webs from entryways. The sun will shine nicely through the fresh glass.
4. Coat Closet
Organize your coat closet by removing any coats not worn in the past year, laundering the coats, and hanging them the same way.
5. Back Entryway
Remove all items from the back entryway. Wipe down the walls, the baseboards, and give the floor a good scrub. Pack away winter items and bring out the spring jackets, shoes, and umbrellas.
6. Winter Outerwear
Wash and dry or dry clean all winter outerwear before packing it away. Pack winter wear loosely in bins or hang garment bags on clean coats to keep them fresh for the next season.
7. Windows
Wash your windows inside and out. Wipe webs and dust from window frames, and vacuum dust from sills. The clean windows will brighten up your space on warm spring days.
8. Grill
Pull out your grill and give it a good cleaning. Scrub down the grates, degrease the base, and polish the stainless. Check the level in the propane tank so you are ready to grill some burgers.
9. Vehicle
A warm, dry day is a great time to clean the salt and dirt on the inside and outside of your car. It is such a good feeling to have a clean car on a warm spring day.
Top Shelf Home Organizing loves to help busy families transition to the new season. We would love to chat with you about creating a plan to get your home ready for spring. Give Jayme a call.
by Jayme Radomski | Aug 21, 2018 | Cleaning, Clutter
Fall brings the feeling of nesting for us all. The season change and a cold winter ahead has us planning and preparing. Getting a start on fall organizing will make your fall more relaxed. Here are some things you can do right now to prepare.
Garage Organizing
With any organization process, the key to cleaning is clearing away the clutter.
- Spread everything into your driveway, to go through everything you’ve piled into the garage.
- Group by use such as toys, tools, garbage and equipment.
- Get rid of anything you haven’t used in two years.
- Get rid of anything broken, or otherwise considered junk.
- Buy hooks and shelves to get as much as you can off the floor. Storage is important. Peg boards, wall shelves, rolling carts and wall hooks should be used whenever possible.
- Buy clear bins with labels to help keep smaller items organized and easy to find when needed. Consider open bins for toys and equipment that are frequently accessed.
- Mark areas where items get stored such as labels on the walls and shelves, and painter’s tape on the floor.
Outside Organizing
With your outdoor areas packed up, you can enjoy the cooler month’s guilt-free and tucked indoors.
- Take care of and pack up your outdoor living items.
- Clean any pieces you plan to store: cushions, hammocks, umbrellas.
- Stack patio furniture and cushions, and store in your garage or on a covered porch. If you don’t have the room, you can leave furniture outside with heavy-duty waterproof furniture covers. These will stand up to winter weather and keep everything protected. Most granite pieces can withstand the elements so you can leave those alone, but softer stones like cast stone, marble or manufactured stone should be either covered or moved.
- Clean and cover your grill, but you don’t need to pack it away. Keep your grill available for grilling all winter.
Yard Organizing
The beginning of fall is the perfect time to prep your lawn for a lush spring. You won’t be planting any new plants, but you’ll want to prep your green areas for the impending cold. And cooler temperatures mean you won’t be boiling in the summer sun while you work outdoors in the yard.
- Reseed any bare spots in your lawn and use a winter fertilizer that builds resistance to the cold.
- Prepare for the fall and winter by fertilizing, mulching and pruning shrubs and trees.
- Always rake fallen leaves.
- Plant bulbs for spring flowers.
Kitchen Organizing
- Pull out summer entertaining items and outdoor dishes to free up space in your cabinets and countertops.
- Clear the pantry of summer convenience foods.
- Before your next trip to the grocery store (or delivery), empty the refrigerator. Toss items that are expired.
- Wipe down all shelves and walls of the refrigerator.
- Inventory what food items you have and plan some meals around those items.
- Jot down some favorite fall meals to make your meal planning a bit easier.
Enjoy the cooler weather. Remember to take your organizing journey one step at a time. Focus on what matters and what will have the biggest impact for you.
If finding the time and creating a strategy to organize is overwhelming, a professional organizer can help. See if Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you on your journey. Contact Jayme to schedule a consult or chat about organizing.
by Jayme Radomski | Apr 17, 2018 | Cleaning, Clutter
Spring cleaning for some is a chore for others a joy. However, the result of a thoroughly cleaned home brings lightness and freedom to everyone.
Spring cleaning items:
- Strip the beds down to the mattress and wash all linens.
- Clean the frames and headboards of beds.
- Moved and empty furniture and wash baseboards.
- Clean ceiling fans.
- Empty china cabinets and give them a good cleaning.
- Empty every inch of each closet and inventory, value assess, wash and clean surfaces, and organize clothes in a useful and efficient way.
Effectively spring cleaning means no corner is left untouched by brooms, dusters, scrub brushes, rags and other cleaning weapons.
The task of spring cleaning is big. But, if you break it down into daily tasks, your home can be fresh, clean and organized before the kids get out of school. Although I’m personally not a cleaning expert, I do love a clean house. For some great cleaning resources check out cleanmama.net, and their free printable’s like their spring cleaning checklist.
You will feel a change of energy in your home and in your self after a day of thorough de-cluttering and cleaning. Your home will feel lighter, brighter and more cheerful.
The best part of de-cluttering and organizing for me is hearing my clients describe similar feelings of lightness and freedom after a session together. Whether organizing a home or office, de-cluttering can be a cathartic passing of the old and the start of a whole new season in life.
What are your plans this spring?
Is a cluttered room or desk stopping you from enjoying your home or office the way you’d like to enjoy it? Have your dust bunnies proliferated beyond a reasonable limit? Do you find spring-cleaning to be a daunting task of Olympian magnitude? Has it never even occurred to you that a good spring-cleaning would be appropriate at the office?
If organizing and cleaning is overwhelming, a professional organizer can help. See if Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you on your journey. Contact Jayme to schedule a consult or chat about organizing.
