by Jayme | Sep 27, 2021 | Organizing, Wardrobe
The season change is a great time to assess and change out your wardrobe. Here are three categories the experts use to make this event as fun and simple as possible.
Existing Season
Filter through your wardrobe for the current season before packing it away or moving it to the back of your closet. Pull all clothing items out and group them by categories. While going through each item, decide if you enjoyed the item this past season or did not. There will be items you simply did not wear or did not enjoy wearing. Those can be donated. Clearing out items that no longer fit, you don’t like, or are worn out will make wardrobe changing now and the next season much easier.
Wardrobe Staples
Your wardrobe has items that transfer to multiple seasons. You will want to pull all these items out and sort them by category. Remove items that do not serve you anymore and pass them on. Take note of any staples that need to be replaced. Undergarments, socks, athletic wear, shoes, and jeans all fall into this area. Seasonal wardrobe changing is a good time to go through and organize your clothing staples.
New Season
Bringing out the clothing for the next season should feel fun and exciting. You may have stored these items in the basement, extra closet, or the back of your closet. These items should also be sorted by category. If there are any items you did not wear or did not want to wear the last time they were in your closet, donate them. Some clothing items might need to be tried on to ensure a good fit and a fabulous feeling when you wear them. Take note of any items that will need to be replaced.
Last Steps
Once all three categories have been sorted, organized, and purged, they can be combined into your closet and drawers. Off-season items can be laundered and neatly packed away. All items that are put back into your wardrobe should be items that fit well, make you feel fabulous, and provide good function.
When shopping for new items use your notes on items that need to be replaced to ensure you stay within your budget and have good focus. Your closet will have a fresh feel and coordinating your daily outfit will be fun and painless.
If changing out your wardrobe brings stress, we would love to help. Check us out at topshelfhomeorganizing.com or call Jayme at 262-373-9416.
by Jayme | Aug 23, 2021 | Cooking & Kitchen, Organizing
An organized kitchen is our hopes and dreams for preparing meals efficiently. Setting up the framework of your kitchen can help you be the best chef or short order cook you can be. Here are some tips from the organizing experts.
Kitchen Items Only
Your kitchen is prime real estate when it comes to your home. You need to protect the boundaries and only allow kitchen items in the kitchen. The drawers labeled, “office,” “toolbox,” “junk,” or “crafts” can serve a new purpose in your kitchen. Place those items in their respective areas of your home; the office, the workshop/basement/garage, the trash or the craft room. This extra space will be a functional space in your kitchen.
Location
Where your items are located will determine how quickly and efficiently you can move around your kitchen. Everyday plates, glasses and flatware located near the sink or dishwasher will make putting dishes away streamlined. Occasional dishes and glasses can be located on the perimeter. Items that are only used annually or for very special occasions can be placed in a storage area in the basement or garage if space in your kitchen is limited. Small appliances that don’t get used can be donated. Those items take up a lot of room.
Pantry
Whether your kitchen has an official pantry or not, keep food items together versus spread around your kitchen. It will help you keep an accurate inventory of what food you have. Stashing food randomly throughout your cabinets will cause you to lose track of what you have. Identify an area of your kitchen where you will keep food.
Minimize
Minimize the items you have in your kitchen. Duplicates of utensils, cookware, storage containers and small appliances will cause overcrowding in the limited space. Identify the most practical items and place the extras into storage or remove them from your inventory.
There is no doubt a kitchen is one of the most challenging spaces in a home to organize. Establishing a framework for your kitchen and keeping only kitchen items in the kitchen will help maximize your kitchen’s potential. It will also help you be as efficient as you can be. If creating an organized kitchen is overwhelming to you, Top Shelf Home Organizing can help. Contact Jayme to see how Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you.
by Jayme | Jul 21, 2021 | Clutter, Organizing, Saving Time
For many of us, getting organized is manageable but maintaining the organization is a challenge. Whether you spend your weekend binge organizing or outsource your organizing projects to a professional, the organization systems need to be maintained. As a busy mom of four, dog mom of two pooches, wife, and business owner, I want to share my 10 favorite personal tidy tips that help me keep sane when the day is hectic.
- Make Your Bed
Make your bed right when you crawl out.
- Put Your Stuff Away, Right Away
Remember how it takes time and resources to get organized? Now you need to put your things away to keep your home organized.
- Make the Rounds
Make the rounds through your house to collect and put away miscellaneous items daily or twice daily.
- Run the Dishwasher
Empty the dishwasher first thing in the morning. This will start your day with a clean slate in the kitchen. Load the dishwasher throughout the day with soiled dishes. Run the dishwasher nightly. Repeat this process every day to prevent a dirty dish pile-up.
- Clean-Up as You Go
Wipe the countertops after each meal. Wipe the bathroom counter and faucet after you brush your teeth. Squidgy the shower walls and door after a shower. Wipe spills and splatters as they happen.
- Have a Schedule
Have a day scheduled for larger tasks, even if you cannot dedicate a full day to these tasks. Focusing time on just one task will get it done more efficiently than juggling all the tasks unsuccessfully at one time.
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- Grocery day
- Meal prep day
- Laundry day
- Cleaning day
- Additionally, use a deep clean schedule to help rotate through deep cleaning areas of your home. Schedule one area per week.
- Think Tidy When You Walk Through the Door
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- Leave your shoes at the door
- Put your bag on its hook
- Keys go where they belong
- Leave Nothing on the Floor
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- Keep toys, papers, blankets, and dirty clothes off the floor
- Hang up clothes you will re-wear right away
- Place dirty clothes go into the hamper
- Towels get hung on the hook
- Toys get put away when not being used
- Take Out the Trash
Take out the trash when you leave the house for the day. This will keep odors out of your house while you are gone. It will also feel good to see an empty garbage can when you get home from a busy day. Don’t forget garbage collection day. All trash and recycling need to go out on trash day.
- Deal with Mail Daily
Collect, sort, purge, and file mail daily. Removing the junk mail daily will make your mail opening day more manageable. File important mail in one location so it is gathered together and ready when you need to open it. Open the mail when you are ready to address, pay, and file it.
Establishing and maintaining a routine will help your home stay tidy. At Top Shelf Home Organizing, we love to help busy households get organized. If you are looking for guidance on getting your home or office organized, reach out to Jayme.
by Jayme | May 26, 2021 | Clutter, Organizing, Productivity
Welcome to Top Shelf Home Organizing. Are you ready to feel the freedom of an organized home and office? You deserve to have a home and office that is as organized and productive as it can be. You are busy, we understand. We are here to help you achieve, what you dream your space can be. It is time to stop sifting through the clutter to find what you need.
We can’t wait to work with you!
Professional organizing may be brand new to you. So we are sharing what the journey of hiring a professional organizer looks like. At Top Shelf Home Organizing, we take the time to get to know you, your space, your schedule, your lifestyle, and your personality before coming into your home or office. Our goals are to teach you simple solutions for your home, office, and life.
Here are the six steps to expect during your experience with Top Shelf Home Organizing.
Intake form
The form will be emailed to you shortly after your initial contact with us. It is designed to give you a chance to think about your true organizing goals and challenges are. The intake form is a preliminary understanding of the extent of your organizing needs and the people involved. Once this form is complete and returned, we will set up a phone call.
Phone Call
A 30-minute casual phone call will further identify your organizing goals and help us to get to know each other. This call will determine the extent of your organizing project, materials that may be needed, the timeframe of the project, and the number of organizers needed to complete. We will go through the intake form in depth.
On-Site Consultation
An on-site consultation will give us the whole picture of your space and allow us to meet one-on-one with each other. On-site we will finetune the project scope and goals while getting familiar with your space. We will take measurements and photographs, and create a list of materials if products are required. The on-site consultation lets us understand what is behind the scenes to better address your goals.
On-Site Organizing Sessions
The on-site organizing sessions are where the physical work takes place. The five basic steps of organizing will happen. Some people like to work side-by-side with us. Others may prefer to direct us on what to do and remain hands-off. Many people choose to be available for questions and occasional decision-making but continue to go about their daily lives and work. Often, once a relationship is established, the organizers work independently in this phase.
The steps to organizing a project of any size include:
- Gather – All items are removed from current storage.
- Sort – Items are sorted by category.
- Purge – Items no longer wanted, needed, and liked are donated, disposed and recycled.
- Organize – Items are organized into systems that fit and work for you.
- Label – All items are clearly labeled for ease of locating and returning to storage.
Homework
There may be tasks you prefer to complete on your own, independent of help from the organizers. Some choose to do this to make the project more economical. Other times, people want to go through items that are more personal on their own or with their family. We create a detailed, but a simple list of items that you can complete on your own, in between sessions with the organizer.
Follow-Up
We love to know how the new organization is working for you. We will touch base within a few days of the on-site session to discuss how the organization is going. This time is designed for you to give feedback and ask any questions you may have. We will also check in on any homework you may be working on. This is a great time to schedule future sessions to keep you meeting your goals and maintain what has been organized.
Top Shelf Home Organizing Policies
On-site consultations are $50. Reservation fees are $50. Both fees are credited to your service. Payment is due in full at the end of each on-site organizing session.
A cancellation fee of $50 applies to all cancellations and reschedules with less than 24-hour notice.
Refer someone to Top Shelf Home Organizing and receive 10% back in organizing services. Credits are earned for the first six months of services after referral. Credits are redeemed at a $75 per hour rate.
Top Shelf Home Organizing, LLC
Simple. Life. Solutions.
Jayme Radomski, Owner
262-373-9416
Jayme@topshelfhomeorganizing.com
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by Jayme | Mar 16, 2021 | Clutter, Organizing
Getting your home back in order after a year-long pandemic is no light task. All items in your home will be identified as purge, store, or put away. Work your way through your home with a plan. Follow the system of gather, sort, purge, organize and label for each area of your home.
Here are some ideas to help make this daunting task more manageable.
1. Start with Storage
Start with your storage areas such as the basement, attic, and garage. Understanding what you have in storage can help determine where to store your items as you work your way through your home. This is also a good time to clear out the items that you no longer need or use. Break this project down into categories of items or areas of storage. Thoroughly go through each item and group it into topics.
2. Infrequently Used Spaces
The next area to tackle would be an area of your home that you do not use every day or will not impact your family’s day-to-day operations. These areas may include guest bedrooms, hall closets, recreation rooms, and the office. Break these areas down into very small, manageable projects. This may require organizing one small drawer or bin per day. Work through the area by area while staying focused. Since these areas are not used daily, it is OK to pause your organizing, close the door and resume tomorrow.
3. Everyday Spaces
The last areas to organize will be the areas you use every day such as the master bedroom, kitchen, and living room. These areas should be relatively easy as you have established what you have in storage and organized items that are not used daily. Rarely used items you will find in the areas you use every day and can be placed in the proper categories in storage. Remove items that you do not need or like (you have probably heard me say this many times). Clearing this clutter will help your home feel more functional and be more organized.
Create a Generous Schedule
Remember, organizing your home can be a daunting process after a year at home. Create a generous schedule working through your home as listed here. Stay focused, get help and allow yourself some grace. Life is getting back to normal and so will your home.
Top Shelf Home Organizing has helped dozens of households simplify, reduce, and get organized. If this process is overwhelming to you, we can help. Contact Jayme to see how Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you.
by Jayme | Feb 4, 2021 | Organizing, Travel
Being organized will make a family road trip an amazing and memorable experience. When everyone knows the route, schedule, activities, and food, the trip will go as smoothly as it can. Here are some ideas to help get organized for the family road trip.
Map out the Route in Advance
Map out your route to help plan your trip. Understand where there may be traffic jams, construction, and road closures so you can plan for detours. Print your map, even if you are using GPS there may be areas without service. The kids might also enjoy a copy of the map to follow along. Plan for frequent stops to swap drivers and get some exercise. Consider worksheets, stories, and games that are themed around the geographic location you are traveling through. It will add value to the travel experience.
Schedule Car Activities
Have a schedule for activities in the car, stops along the way, and arrival time. A schedule will help ease anxiety and limit the “Are we there yet?” questions. Break the schedule into one- or two-hour segments for making stops, meals, and changing activities. Have a variety of activities for the kids to complete amongst themselves, independently, and as a family to make the time go by. Ongoing activities and competitions such as a license plate game, road trip treasure hunt, and bingo allow for some friendly competition. Independent activities can include simple crafts, coloring books, activity sheets, and reading for nice, quiet time.
Plan Snacks and Meals
Create a plan for snacks and meals for the trip. Healthy food options that are well thought out will keep energy up and appetites satisfied. Kids like to eat often, so allow them choices for healthy snacks every hour or so. Schedule in special treats too so they have something to look forward to. Fresh veggies, fruit, veggie chips, granola bars, finger sandwiches, and cheese and crackers, are great choices to help you avoid expensive stops for unhealthy fast food. A road trip meal plan will also keep the captain’s and co captain’s energy levels maximized. A little preparation before the trip will keep everyone nourished.
Organize Car Ahead of Time
Organize the car at the start of the trip. Have a place for food, activities, personal items, and emergency items that may be needed while in transit. Overnight items can be packed a little deeper in the vehicle. We suggest having items needed for any overnight stops on the way packed in a separate bag or area for easy access.
When the trip involves daily travel to new locations and lodging, consider separate bags of clothing for each stop to reduce the need to completely unpack and repack. Have the kid’s activities and materials organized for each child to prevent panic and frustration as they will know where everything is. Have your personal items organized too such as cash, water, snacks, sunglasses, umbrellas, and maps. You will want to have extra water, plastic bags, wet wipes, medication, and emergency contacts available. For the return trip, keep the same level of organization to reduce stress and keep the vehicle tidy.
Have fun planning your next family road trip. The more organized the plan is, the more enjoyable the experience will be.
The season change is a great time to assess and change out your wardrobe. Here are three categories the experts use to make this event as fun and simple as possible.
