Finding the Kitchen Table in a Busy Home

Clutter seems to come into our home at such a rapid pace. When we get busy with work, family or just trying to manage life clutter can quickly and easily take over.

While helping a busy family regain control of their house, we decided to take advantage of a summer day where the kids were home from school and put them to work. Everyone was working on a corner of the room, clearing clutter while finding lost items they had been looking for in the dining room/living room. The daughter, who can not remember seeing the surface of the dining room table or eating a meal with her family there, came in as we were finishing up and excitedly said "Mom, that looks great. Can we actually eat dinner on that table tonight?" The family sat down to a meal at their dining room table that evening.

These are the moments that make all of the hard work worthwhile!

Want to bring back the family meal to your table? We would love the privilege of helping you clear the clutter and bring the fun back to your table.

Helping a Senior with Dementia Transition

Dementia is such an awful disease and almost every family I know has a loved one that is affected. Our family lost my husband's mom this year to dementia.

Each week we are moving clients who can no longer to live independently due to dementia. We like for everything to go smoothly and for the client to transition into a home they feel comfortable in. Here are some tips we have found to make the move easier:

• Use their favorite items from their home in the new apartment. They are familiar, making them feel at home and able to easily find what they need.
• Take attention to detail to set up a very similar environment in the new home, including furniture placement and the location of the things they will be looking for.
• Wait to pack boxes and change the environment until the last minute because seeing boxes will just confuse them.
• Have a family member or friend take the client out for the day so that they do not see all of the work that goes into their transition and bring them back when it is complete so they can just walk into a new home where they recognize their belongings.
• Label new spaces in the home so that they know where to find things because they will not remember if we just tell them.
• Make lists of daily processes, like what they need to do to get ready for the day or what they need to do to get ready, and post them in the apartment.
• Make notes on the door to remind them of things they need to do or take with them before leaving.
• Set up a calendar where they can keep track of what day it is (crossing off days as they are complete) and what they have scheduled for the day.
• Walk the client through the new apartment, orienting them to the new space, and have a loved one spend time with them in the new apartment for the first couple of days to help them get acquainted with their new space.

We would love the privileged of helping your loved one transition into their new home.

The Problem with Space for Hoarders

Recently we received a call from a frantic family member. Adult Protective Services had "red tagged" the client's home due to extreme clutter and they were being released from the hospital the following day. The home needed to be cleaned out before they could come home.

We scrambled to put together a plan and a crew to clear the home. We were unable to meet with the client and work with them as we normally would so we did the best we could do, getting his permission to remove certain things that were clearly trash/recycling. We had to box up remaining clutter in clearly labeled boxes he could see, hoping he would have the capacity to find what he is looking for.

We were able to meet all of the standards of Adult Protective Services and the hospital giving him what everyone thought would be a welcoming surprise. However, we knew it would not be.

I asked to meet with him upon arrival to give him a tour and assure him that we took care of his belongings, but the family did not think that was necessary. When he walked into his home, he told his family that this was not his home. He got very angry over the work done and felt we had taken his things (because he could not see them). Eventually, I was able to go in and reassure him that I have the same respect for his belongings as he does and that they were there but just in clearly labeled boxes. He was set at ease and is adjusting to the new environment.

When someone is used to a certain environment and struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder/Hoarding, a clear space is not something they are comfortable with. Someone may think they are doing them a favor, however it may not be a welcomed favor. The hoarder immediately feels they need to fill that space created.

Because of this, our most common practice in working with those who struggle with hoarding and chronic disorganization is to work directly with the client and move at a much slower pace, getting them used to the new cleared space and training them to maintain the clutter free environment one space at a time. It allows us to work through the emotional and psychological issues as well as the physical ones.

Every once in a while we do a quick clean up like this because Adult Protective Services has gotten involved or the client has passed away and the family just wants the house cleared out. If you or a loved one needs help gaining control of their surroundings, we hope you will let us share our expertise with them.

Never Lose Those Keys Again

Tired of spending time looking for your keys, cell phone, purse, wallet, remote, sunglasses or even a child? Clients are always saying they wish they could put a tracking device on some of these items. Well, their wish has come true.

There are many devices on the market now that you can use to quickly and easily find these lost or even stolen items using an app on your phone or if you have lost your phone, you can sign on to the app using a computer or someone else's phone.

Here are a few:

• thetileapp.com
• the trackr.com
• linquet.com
• kickstarter.com
• Smead also offers the stick N find available at most office supply stores

If you don't want to invest in an app or even spend the time it takes to use the app trying to locate them, it is always best to have one place where you always put that item. Whether it's a pocket in your purse you always put the phone, a hook at the door where you always hang your keys, or a spot in your car where you always put your sunglasses, having a standard place where items are stored just makes life easier. 

The Best Things in Life are NOT Things

I saw this sign last night and really like the saying. It is a great reminder to spend your time with the special people in your life rather than on the thing you own.  

Spend some time making memories today!

Simplify Your Travel

Save money and your back by traveling light.

With the high cost of checking a bag these days, everyone is looking for ways to travel lighter. Lugging around a huge suitcase can also give you a painful start to your vacation. Here are some tips for keeping your packing simple:

• Pack "must haves" and not "just in case" items. Most of us pack more than we need on a trip so try to be realistic about what you really need.
• If it is bulky, wear it. To save space in your suitcase, wear your bulkiest items like jeans, athletic shoes and coats.
• Mix and match using neutral colors. Pick a few pair of your favorite bottoms in neutral colors and mix and match with a different top each day. 
• Go basic on your toiletries. Pare your list of toiletries down to what you absolutely need and rely on the hotel for some of the items you know they will provide.
• Don't pack items you can easily and inexpensively purchase. If you have transportation and stores close, some items can be purchased when you get there for less than the cost to check a bag.
• Pack items you can donate along the way. This is a favorite tip provided by two of my clients who travel they world. They take items they planned to donate anyway and after wearing them, they donate them, leaving room for lots of souvenirs in their suitcase. 

I hope your summer travel plans bring lots of memories and no backaches!

Getting Started is the Hardest Part of Organizing

When clients call me in desperation, I hear things like "I don't know where to begin" and "I am overwhelmed." Once clutter gets out of control, it can be a little more than we can handle and that is why I started my business. I wanted to be able to help people live life to the fullest and hated seeing them paralyzed by their clutter. .

One bit of advise I have for tackling an overwhelming task is to just get started and then it all begins to look clearer. Don't over-complicate the task, but just do what you can. I like to encourage clients to get started by grabbing a trash bag and collecting anything they can quickly identify as trash - junk mail, newspapers, old magazines, fast food containers, broken items, etc. Then, grab another bag or box if fragile items and collect things that you no longer need to donate. Put that bag directly in your car and drive to the nearest donation center. Just doing those two simple tasks can create space and make organizing the things you are keeping easier. It begins to look clearer when the excess clutter is removed.

Each time you hit a road block, take a deep breath, relax and work your way through the road block - don't give up. If you continue to get hung up, that is when you need the help of a professional organizer. We have been able to organize a space in 4 hours that a client has struggled with for years. When a project is more than we can do our on own, we need someone to come beside us and enable us to accomplish our goals. We would be honored to be that person.