Category Archives: Storage

Seasonal Closet Clean Out Tme

Spring has {finally!} sprung, which means that many of us have set out on a spring cleaning/decluttering rampage throughout our home. Each spring, I begin with the most frequently used room in our home – the dual purpose laundry room/mud room. We are fortunate to have a large coat closet in this room, which we use not only for coat storage, but also to store shoes, winter accessories, and several miscellaneous items.

Since this closet sees a lot of action, it requires a high degree of weekly maintenance and a semi-annual seasonal clean-out to keep it functioning well for our family. In this post, I’ll be sharing how I prepped the closet for the spring/summer seasons, as well as a few minor tweaks I made to improve functionality in this space.

My first order of business was to launder every single winter accessory and store them away in this plastic drawer unit that lives at the bottom of the closet. I added labels to indicate which draw is designated for gloves, hats, and scarves.

Second order of business…going through the coats to weed out the heavy winter coats, any coats that the kids have outgrown, or any that are no longer worn. Outgrown/unused coats will go to a local consignment store or donation center. Winter coats will be stored elsewhere for the next 6 months (more on that later in the post). While going through the coats, I also removed any wire/plastic hangers that somehow weaseled there way into the closet over the past few months and replaced them with wooden hangers. Although I am a huge fan of huggable hangers in clothing closets, I prefer wood hangers for the coat closet, since they are much less apt to break under the weight of a heavy coat.

I purchased a few water hyacinth bins from The Container Store to organize the insulated lunch bags/coolers that are stored on the upper shelf of the closet, as well as our vast collection of rain ponchos. I am a huge fan of these bins, as anyone who has taken a tour of my home can confirm. They are sturdy, inexpensive, and so pretty!

“An entire bin devoted to rain ponchos?” you ask. We use these all spring and summer for sporting events, camping trips, and amusement park outings. So yes, an entire bin for rain ponchos.

Voila! The hardest working closet in the house is now fully functioning for the spring/summer season. Bring. It. On.

There’s still the matter of where to store those pesky out-of-season coats. This is a yearly conundrum that I haven’t yet solved. I’ve tried to store them under the bed, but the low profile of the bed frame makes it nearly impossible to slide them under. But..wait! Perhaps there’s an organizing product out there that can solve this problem…

Why yes there is. Have you heard of Ziploc Space Bags? These wondrous inventions enable you to triple or quadruple your storage capacity by vacuum-sealing your items into an airtight bag. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I used the XL Flat Bag to reduce my pile of winter coats from this:

down to this:

The true test was whether the flattened bag could actually clear the 4″ space between the bed frame and the floor:

Yes! Storage conundrum solved!

After that victory, I became ambitious and experimented with the L and XL Cube-sized Space Bags in an attempt to recoup some storage space in our hall linen closet (which has become overrun with decorative pillows and down comforters).

Wait for it…

O.K., so the vacuum-sealed package isn’t exactly pretty, but it takes up significantly less space! In fact, by using 3 of these bags I gained almost an entire shelf of space in the linen closet! I’m officially a fan of the Ziploc Space Bag.

I hope that this post inspires you to complete your seasonal closet clean out in preparation for the spring/summer months. Now go forth and organize!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or with my clients and believe will add value to my readers.

Preparing for and Surviving Your Home Renovation Project

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It’s been awhile since I posted on the blog. I’ve been “off the grid” for a good portion of February due to the kickoff of our interior redesign project…yey! As you might expect, I will be blogging extensively about my own redesign experience in the coming months.

Today, I’d like to share the wisdom of my dear friend Heidi, who recently completed an extensive home renovation project. Her family of four (+dog) lived in their home during the renovation process, which brings with it certain…um…challenges. In preparation for my own project (which will not be nearly as large in scope as hers), I asked Heidi to share her key tips to prepare for AND survive a home renovation project.

Mentally Prepare for Chronic Chaos

If you are the type who likes everything “just so”, you will seriously need prepare yourself nentally for the temporary change in lifestyle that goes hand-in-hand with living in a “Renovation in Process” environment. You will need to adopt the mantra that “this too shall pass”, and regularly remind yourself that the end result will be worth it!

Minimize the Spread of Construction Dust

If your project involves drywall installation, carpentry work, or painting, there will be dust. Sawdust. Drywall dust. Paint spray dust…EVERYWHERE. The dust migrates all over the place; you will find it in just about every room of your home. Although construction dust is inevitable, there are things you can do to minimize it.
Heidi suggests packing away items that you will not need access to during the renovation process, in order to prevent them from being coated with construction dust. Also, consider investing in magnetic air vent covers to use in the areas of your home that are not being renovated. Another good practice is to seal the doorway between your living area and the renovation area via heavy-duty plastic drop cloths.

Establish Your Storage Areas

Renovation projects require the removal of the “stuff” that typically lives in the space…furniture, appliances, home decor, etc. You will need a place in your home to serve as a temporary holding area for this stuff while the project is underway.

Heidi was fortunate in that she had several areas available for this purpose…a large area in her basement, as well as a spare bedroom. If you don’t have room onsite for temporary storage, explore options such as relocating items to an offsite storage unit/family member’s home, or investing in an onsite temporary storage unit (e.g., PODS).

Prepared to Make Decisions…Quickly

You will be flexing your decision-making muscle on a daily basis when you undergo an extensive home renovation. Paint colors, flooring, cabinetry, lighting and counter top selections…oh my! Selecting finishes can be a daunting process for the average homeowner. You will often be called upon to make decisions quickly so as not to hold up contractors.

Begin your research as early as possible so that you are in a good position to make those critical decisions when it’s time to do so. If you lack confidence in the design department, enlist the assistance of a professional or a trusted friend who has a knack for design.

Order Materials ASAP

Be vigilant about ordering all materials necessary for your renovation as soon as possible. You never know when you will be faced with waiting for a backordered item that will prevent your project from moving forward. Once your project is at a standstill, the contractors move onto other projects, and it can be a painful process as you wait for them to incorporate your project back into their schedule.

Think Twice About D.I.Y. Efforts

You might be tempted to take on certain aspects of the renovation yourself, in order to save some cash. It makes sense to invest your sweat equity if you have expertise in a particular skill like electrical, plumbing, or drywall. If you are not an expert, you may want to think twice about D.I.Y.ing it. Heidi regrets their attempt at drywall patching (see below), and wished they would have left this piece of the project in the hands of the experts.

Heidi’s final word of advise to me was to avoid letting your kids make paint color selections, or you might just end up with Kermit The Frog green in the hall bathroom! Of course, I already learned this lesson the hard way with my daughter’s room.

Stay tuned for my next post, where you’ll get the opportunity to see the amazing transformation that occurred at Heidi’s home this past year!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

In an Organized World, Vertical Prevails over Horizontal Everytime

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While perusing through various organizing videos on YouTube yesterday, I came across this really awesome clip by Lorie Marrero, a professional organizer who many of you might know as the creator of The Clutter Diet. In this video clip, she shared a key organizing tenet when it comes to organizing paper…“Vertical is visible, horizontal is hidden.”

Certainly, most people can easily grasp the concept that it is much easier to retrieve paper when it is oriented vertically, rather than stacked in a pile.

For instance, it’s much easier for me to view my collection of sourcing catalogs and organizing magazines when they are stored in a magazine file:

…rather than simply stored in a pile or stack:

Of course, the same holds true for paper. Would you rather search for a specific document this way…

…or this way?

Visibility and therefore “findability” are enhanced, not only by the vertical orientation in this example, but from the use of labels as well.

The Clutter Diet tips video expands upon other ways that you can store paper vertically to avoid the perils of stacking. But what about using this concept in other areas of the home? I can think of two great examples of how simply repositioning objects so that they are stored in a vertical orientation can make accessing those objects infinitely easier.

Going Vertical in the Kitchen

During the course of organizing clients’ kitchens, I often find cupboards full of cookie sheets, muffin tins, cutting boards, serving platters and other large, flat items stacked in piles. For example, the cabinet pictured below initially contained a pull-out drawer that housed all of the client’s cutting boards and cookie sheets all stacked in a pile on the drawer. Her cake pans and cooling racks were nested horizontally in a stack on the cabinet floor below the pull-out drawer.

The client bemoaned the fact that she would often have to remove every item from the cupboard in order to access the one item she needed. Although it pained me to remove a pull-out drawer (they are a great solution for accessing items in the back of the cupboard), it was warranted in this particular case. We used a vertical bakeware organizer to create a vertical storage solution for her bakeware zone. The height of the items we were storing required the removal of the drawer (you can still see the drawer runners in the photo below…they were eventually removed).

My client is ecstatic about how making this simple change dramatically has improved her baking and food preparation experience.

Going Vertical in The Bedroom

Ever try to locate your favorite tee shirt amidst piles and piles of horizontally stacked tee shirts in your dresser drawer? Once you’ve taken the time to organize those drawers by neatly stacking the tee shirts, how long does it take for them to become an unruly mess again? Not long…especially if we are talking about your child’s tee shirt drawer!

Once again, the secret to solving this common organizing challenge is to flip those tee shirts on their side and “file” them in the drawer. Using a set of drawer dividers really helps to keep things under control even better. Now when your son goes to look for his Cleveland Cavaliers tee shirt, he can find it in a few seconds, without having to toss out half the contents of the drawer.

{How long would it take you to find the Cleveland Cavaliers tee shirt?}

For my readers who aspire to dresser drawer perfection, you can go the extra mile and use Pliio Clothing Filers to make your drawers “Pinterest-worthy”…

I’m sure I could come up with additional examples of the Magic of Vertical, but this post is bordering on too lengthy already. I’ll leave you with this last organizing mantra:

Stack and piles are the enemy of Organized.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Bringing Order to a Home School Space with Ikea Products

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As a rule, professional organizers tend to have a love affair with Ikea…and I am no exception! You’d be hard-pressed to find a better “one-stop-shop” for value-priced organizing and storage products anywhere. Spend a few moments on Pinterest searching for organizing ideas, and you will invariably come across countless illustrations of Ikea products creating organizational bliss in homes all across the globe.

Recently, I came across a blog post on BuzzFeed that showed some great examples of how a simple shopping trip to Ikea can enable you to organize just about any area of your home. It prompted me to think about the multitude of times that Ikea has come to my rescue when tackling various client organizing projects.

Perhaps the best example of this is a home school room that I designed last year. My client home schools her 4 children in an 11 x 11 foot room on the 2nd floor of their home. Given the small size of the space, I needed to use every the trick of the trade to meet all of my client’s objectives for this redesign. One “trick”that I definitely needed to implement was to maximize storage space by going vertical. What better way to do it than with trusty ol’ Expedit shelving units?

My client was lucky enough to purchase these units before they were (sadly) discontinued (FYI, Ikea’s replacement line of shelving is called Kallax, which is almost identical to its predecessor). The shelving units provide storage for teacher manuals, classroom manipulatives, student books/workbooks, and general teaching tools. We used Drona storage cubes in various colors to provide closed storage, and Kassett magazine files to corral teaching manuals and student workbooks.

The larger unit houses teacher materials, manipulatives and tools, while this smaller unit is designated strictly for student books and workbooks. The candy-apple red color really adds a fun element to the learning environment…you’ll notice that this accent color is repeated throughout the room. I love the fact that each child has their very own set of cubbies!

My client had her heart set on a reading nook in the new home school room. We created one in the corner using a Besta storage bench, which we topped with a cozy homemade cushion and pillow set. The childrens’ library books were stored in the cubbies beneath the bench, as well as on wall shelves that we fashioned out of inexpensive Bekvam spice racks (that were eventually painted red). The colorful picture books do double duty as wall art, adding a cheerful touch to the room.

Mom also requested that I create a designated place for the children to put their completed assignments. That’s where the Kvissle wall magazine holder came in! With five slots, there’s a place for each child’s work, as well as a bonus slot for Mom to tuck away her important papers.

Turning our attention to the other side of the room, we used this wall primarily for display space. We implemented one of my favorite solutions for displaying children’s art work…using a series of Dignitet curtain wires in conjunction with Riktig clips along the top portion of the wall. The lower portion of the wall was used to hang a fabric map and classroom calendar. A Kusiner wall pocket serves as a handy organizer for all of the various magnets and felt accessories that go with the map and calendar.

Last, but not least, let me show you where the kids spend a significant part of their school day…at this awesome “table” in the center of the room, which is actually comprised of 4 Micke desks. This space-saving desk configuration still enables each student to have their own individual storage space within their desk, even though it feels as if they are working together at a large table.

The Jules swivel chairs are not only appealing to the eye, they provide a way for the kiddos to burn off a bit of energy by engaging in chair twirling contests between lessons!

So…what did all of this Ikea organizational goodness cost my client? Roughly $900. Money well-spent, don’t you agree?

What organizational solutions have you uncovered at your local Ikea store?

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Bedroom Closet Makeover Reveal: Elfa to the Rescue (Again!)

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If you are a regular blog reader, you probably remember my Guest Room Closet Makeover Reveal post from February of this year. In that post, I confessed that there are several areas within my own home that are crying out for an organizational overhaul. One such space was my daughter’s closet.

Although the closet is quite spacious, the space wasn’t being utilized to its maximum potential. Storage containers consisted of a mishmash of old, inherited furniture pieces, random plastic drawers, and cardboard boxes. To make matters worse, all of the clothing hangers were inherited from retail stores who give you their hanger along with your purchased garments.

Since the closet was fairly functional, redesigning/organizing it was a home improvement project that stayed on the back burner, until…

Once the front drawer of this 50-year old hand-me down piece fell off, I took it as a sign to move the closet makeover to the front burner. So the first task was to examine what I call the closet “skeleton” (a.k.a., its basic infrastructure) to see how I might improve upon it. Here it is in all o

Once again, here’s where the Container Store comes to the rescue! As you all know, I am a huge fan of the Container Store’s Elfa storage systems (read my Elfa post to learn why). I spoke with an Elfa design consultant by phone, and together, we arrived at a design that would work for my daughter’s storage needs. Her need for drawer space trumps her need for hang space, so our design incorporated a whopping eight Elfa Mesh Hanging Drawers. Our design also included an additional shelf that allows for out-of-the-way storage of items that are seldom accessed (e.g., memorabilia).

So the transformation began with the removal of the builder-installed stationary shelves. I prepared myself for the inevitable ginormous holes that result from this process. Nothing that a lot of spackle and some paint can’t conceal!

Yes, that’s right. I said paint. I took advantage of the opportunity to add a fresh coat of paint to the closet walls when it was emptied prior to installing the new shelving.

Installing an Elfa closet system was a piece of cake; the Container Store walked me through each step of the installation process via their online video tutorials. I installed this on my own over the course of approximately 2 hours.

Ready for the “Before & After” shot?

By far, my favorite part of the “makeover” is the Elfa drawers. Unlike the drawer systems that I used in the guest closet (which were the freestanding type), these mesh drawers are built into the wall track system via a hanging drawer frame.

They glide open effortlessly, and provide more than enough space to store my daughter’s pajamas, t-shirts, sweatshirts, off-season shoe collection, and her assortment of purses and tote bags. As you can see in the photo below, there was just enough room to squeeze in a cool square mesh hamper that I purchased on clearance at Target (score!).

We made use of the walls on either side of the closet system by installing several Command Hooks. The hooks are used to hang my daughter’s scarves, robe, and Girl Scout vest. The right wing wall contains a cute cork board for her to use as additional display space in her room.

Did you actually think I was going to use that mismatched collection of plastic department store hangers? Surely you jest. Who could pass up these adorable kid-sized huggable hangers?

One vestige of the original closet set-up that continues to work like an organizational charm is this over-the-door shoe organizer. This tool is one of the most versatile organizing products available. For this space, the many compartments are used to store small toys and trinkets that would normally invade all of the flat surfaces of my daughter’s room.

I typically opt for the clear shoe organizers, but I couldn’t pass up this opaque one when I found it on clearance. It was just a matter of labeling the compartments to ensure that items are returned to their proper home.

My daughter was so ecstatic about this closet makeover that she asked me for a bedroom “makeover” for her birthday gift earlier this year. It only took me 10 months, but I finally completed that project! Be sure to check out next week’s blog post to see the Before and After photos…

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Organizing Kids’ Art

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Now that the school year is in full swing, it’s the ideal time to set up systems for processing the various types of paper that you’ll begin to find in your child’s backpack on a regular basis. In a previous post, I proposed a system for handling school memorabilia. Today, we’ll tackle the vexing problem of what do with all of that artwork .

Create an Art Gallery Wall

Find a place in your home where you can prominently display your child’s best pieces of art. Your kids spend a great deal of time and effort producing these gems; creating formal displays that go beyond the front of the fridge demonstrate to them that you value their hard work and creativity! Switch out the pieces on a regular basis as new art comes in.

In addition to using traditional frames to create a kids’ art gallery in your home, you can get creative! One of my favorite methods for displaying art is to use a simple wire and clip system on a long wall. I also love the Lil’ Davinci Art Cabinet, which provides another hassle-free way to frequently change out your art display.

Designate a Temporary Holding Container

For artwork that isn’t quite “gallery-worthy”, designate a container for each child that will serve as a temporary place for all incoming art to be stored until the end of the school year. Make sure that the container is sufficiently large to accommodate oversized paintings and 3-dimensional pieces. I like to use under-bed storage boxes, since that’s where the holding containers live at our house.

Review Your Collection at Year’s End

At the conclusion of the school year, take some time to sort through the holding bin with your child and determine whether the collection needs to be culled down prior to “archiving” it. As you review the collection, you and your child will likely identify pieces that are not significant to either one of you (e.g., coloring pages, etc.).

Give yourself permission to discard these and keep only the pieces that reflect your child’s talent, creativity, and interests. I recommend conducting this end-of-year review with your child; that way, you won’t be tossing any piece that is important to her (even if you don’t attribute any significance to it).

Archive and Share Each Year’s Collection

Once you’ve culled your collection, you may choose to keep the original art and store it in an archival quality container. Alternatively, you can archive the collection by creating digital images of each piece of art. I am a huge fan of this method. Not only does it eliminate the necessity of devoting space in your home for storing tons of artwork, it opens up so many possibilities for sharing your child’s precious creations!

Artsonia

Artsonia enables you to upload your digital images to create an online art gallery to share with friends and family. It also serves as a “virtual museum”, in which your child can display their artwork publicly on the web. This service is available to parents, as well as school teachers!

Artkive

The Artkive app is another option for creating an online art gallery that can be shared with family and friends. Artkive is a free app that boasts some great organizing features, including the ability to categorize your art by school grade, child, and child’s age. You can even name each piece of art. In addition, you have the ability to produce a photo book of your child’s art collection with a few clicks of a button.

Photo Books

Creating digital images of your child’s art work enables you to take advantage of the dizzying array of online resources for creating digital photo books. Sites such as Shutterfly, MyPublisher, Snapfish, and Mixbook make it easy for anyone to create a photo book these days.

You can create a digital photo book for each school year, or create larger books that curate art across several school years. I’ve created photo books for my children’s artwork using Artkive, Shutterfly and MyPublisher. These books can get pricey, so I suggest searching Groupon for current deals when you are ready to create your books.

Photo books are a terrific way to enjoy your child’s artwork for years to come…

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Using the Right Tools is Key to Maximizing Dorm Room Storage

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A universal truth about dorm dwelling is that you will be living in much tighter quarters than you are accustomed to at home, AND you will likely be required to share your tight quarters with one or more roommates. For these reasons, you will need to maximize storage space in your small corner of the campus.

Luckily, there are some great organizing and storage tools out there to assist you in taking advantage of every square foot of real estate within your dorm space. These tools will enable you to find storage space you didn’t realize you had in unexpected places, such as:

In The Desk “Zone”

1. Rolling Drawer Cart: One area that you may not have considered when hunting for additional storage space is the area under your desk. Use a rolling drawer cart to store everything from office supplies, electronics, to food. Simply roll it out and slide it over temporarily when you are seated at your desk. Sterilite 3-Drawer Wide White Cart

2. Desk Hutch: An add-on desk hutch (specifically sized for a dorm desk) takes advantage of vertical space above your desk, without the need to fasten something to the wall (which is typically prohibited). It provides a place to house your text books, notebooks, etc. without sacrificing work space on your desk surface. Classic Dorm Desk Bookshelf

3. Desk Chair Storage Pocket: When space is at a premium, you need to “think vertical” and store items in creative ways. For example, using a chair storage pocket takes advantage of the “dead space” on the back of your desk chair, which can be used to store small items such as notebooks, pens/pencils, and electronic devices. Aussie Pouch Chair Pocket

On the Back of Doors

4. Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer: The backs of doors are the most overlooked area for finding hidden storage space. One of my favorite general organizing tools is the over-the-door shoe organizer. It can be used to store just about anything…food, jewelry, accessories, electronics, and yes, even shoes. Be sure to opt for one that has clear pouches, since visibility is key. 24 Pocket Blue Shoe Organizer

5. Over-the-Door Towel Holder: Dorm dwellers need to store their wet towels in their dorm room. What better place to stow them out of the way than on the back of your door! 4-Swing Rack Towel Holder

In the Closet

6. Double Hang Rod: New dorm dwellers will likely be shocked to discover how tiny their dorm room closet is. Take heed! There are a number of ways to maximize space in the closet. If you hang the majority of your clothes, you will definitely want to take advantage of a double hang rod. It does precisely what its name implies…it literally doubles the size of your hang space. Closet Doubler

7. Slimline Hangers: Slimline or “huggable” hangers are a must in your dorm room closet. Their ultra-slim profile will enable you to maximize the number of garments you can hang in that tiny closet. Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers

In the Bed “Zone”

8. Bed Risers: My #1 piece of advice for maximizing dorm room storage space is to raise your bed off the floor so that you can utilize the space underneath it. The best case scenario would be to loft the bed high enough to create usable living space underneath it. If this is not an option, utilize bed risers to raise the bed high enough to accommodate under-the-bed storage containers. Colored Bed Risers

9. Bedside Storage Caddy: You will likely need to go without a nightstand as a dorm dweller. The bedside storage caddy is your new place for housing those “nightstand” items, such as glasses, books, reading light, tissue, etc. Bedside Storage Caddy

On the Walls

10. Wall Organizer: Although you may be tempted to use your walls strictly for displaying decor, be sure to earmark some of the wall space for vertical wall-mounted storage solutions, such as a wall organizer. These can do wonders for keeping desktop paper piles at bay! Smead Cascading Vertical Wall Organizer

11. Adhesive Hooks: One ironic aspect of dorm dwelling is that you’ve never needed to use wall space more, BUT you are typically prohibited from using any type of permanent fastener to hang items on the walls. That’s where adhesive hooks come to the rescue! Be sure to pack a bucketful of adhesive hooks in a variety of sizes. You will be shocked at all of the items you can hang on your walls and doors, as well as inside the walls of your closet (robes, jackets, belts, hats, keys, purses, totes, etc.) using hooks. Command Hook

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Is Self Storage The Answer?

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The Self Storage Association’s 2013 Fact Sheet presents some staggering statistics regarding the self storage “epidemic”:

Approximately 1 out of every 10 U.S. households currently rents a self-storage unit (which translates into 21 square feet of self storage space per household)
Self storage facilities report an average 85% occupancy rate
30% of self storage renters have rented their unit for more than 2 years

On more than one occasion, I’ve had a client who has wondered whether a self storage unit might be an appropriate solution to decluttering their home. My answer? I believe that self storage can be a smart solution in certain circumstances…those that involve a circumscribed time frame with a clear end date. For example, I may suggest self storage for staging clients who have an excessive amount of furniture, clothing, and household items that need “edited out” in order for their property to show well while on the market.

When to Consider a Self Storage Unit

Self storage can also be quite useful for people who are “between homes”, such as those who are building a home and have had to vacate their former home before the new home is ready for occupancy. Another situation where a self storage unit may come in handy is during a major home renovation, in order to protect your belongings from the inevitable construction dust storm. For those who are temporarily moving cross country or overseas as a consequence of a job transfer or military deployment, self storage is a great solution for temporarily housing your belongings.

Situations Where a Self Storage in NOT a Good Solution

When is self storage a bad idea? When you are using it as a cop out for avoiding the hard work associated with decluttering. When you simply don’t feel like making the tough decisions about what should stay or what should go. When you don’t have a clear endpoint in mind for when you will remove the items out of storage.

There is a cost associated with keeping and storing things, whether it’s in your own home or somewhere else. The typical rent for a 10×10 (non-climate controlled) storage unit is $115/month. That’s a pretty hefty price to pay for storing items that you may use someday…that you don’t necessary use or like.

One of my clients recently decided to clear out her storage unit that she’d kept in excess of 12 years. It was heartbreaking to learn that the vast majority of the contents consisted of items that she did not need or want. Since she hadn’t accessed the unit in several years, she didn’t even remember what was in the majority of the boxes. She estimated the total cost of storing her unit “full of junk” to be somewhere in the vicinity of $13,000 over the course of those 12 years.

Don’t let this be you.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Garage Organization 101: Tips from a Local Professional

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Now that Polar Vortex 2014 is becoming a distant memory, we are all anxious to roll up our sleeves and begin sprucing up the exterior areas of our homes. Of course, we all know that spring is the ideal time to give the garage an organizing “overhaul”. In order to assist with the process, I invited Paige Norton of Top Shelf Transformations to provide some basic tips for banishing garage clutter and creating a functional space that you can be proud of this spring!

Make Decisions:

When you begin to go through the items in your garage, think about how often you use them. If you haven’t used an item in the last few years, you probably won’t use it in the future. Separate your items into “keep” and “toss” piles.

Once you’ve decided what to keep and what to toss, consider donating those items in the toss pile to your local charity. Donating gently used items to a local charity is a great way to recycle and give back to your own community. Now that you’ve gotten rid of unnecessary clutter, it’s time to organize what will remain in the garage.

Separate and Categorize:

Now that you’re left with the essentials, it’s time to separate them into specific categories such as: sports equipment, seasonal items, tools and yard equipment. Storing multiple items together into a category will help you identify their whereabouts easily when needed.

Once you’ve separated your items into specific categories, you will then need to assign them to a spot in the garage. Think about how often you use each item. Seasonal and holiday items are used only a certain amount of times per year and should be stored out of the way. Yard equipment, tools and sports equipment are used more frequently and should be stored in an area of easy access.

Maximize Space:

To maximize your available storage space, consider storing things up high on walls, above windows and doors and hanging from the ceiling. Utilizing these typically unused overhead areas allows you to take advantage of all the potential storage space your garage has to offer and keeps things up off the floor. As mentioned before, seasonal, less-frequently used items should be stored out of the way. Utilize overhead racks and shelving to store things up out of the way while still allowing for easy access to them when needed.

More frequently used items such as tools and yard and sports equipment should be stored in an area where items are easily accessible. Hang these items lower on walls and in cabinets for easy daily access.

Select the Right Storage Containers:

Avoid storing things in cardboard boxes. Sturdy, plastic bins are easier to stack and protect your items. Use clear plastic bins to help you easily identify the contents, or clearly label each bin.

Select the Right Storage System and Accessories:

Everyone’s storage needs are different. After separating your storage items and deciding where to store them, it’s time to decide how to store them. There are many storage solutions out there. Shelving, hooks, racks and cabinets are all great options for storing items up off the floor. Select the system and accessories that fit your specific storage needs and maximize your particular garage layout.

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Garage Organization Giveaway!

Now that you know the steps to complete your garage “makeover”, I invite you to head over to the Refined Rooms blog and enter to win a fantastic garage organization tool from Monkey Bars Storage. Refined Rooms is giving away a Garden Tool Rack to one lucky blog reader!

Paige Norton is the Community Manager at Top Shelf Transformations, Northeast Ohio’s exclusive, authorized dealer of Monkey Bars Garage Storage Systems. Top Shelf Transformations provides expert garage storage and organization solutions.

If you’d like to learn more about Monkey Bars Garage Storage Systems, you can find them here:
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Become an Organized Maxxinista! Shop T.J. Maxx for Inexpensive Organizing Tools

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Part of the job description of a professional organizer is to know where to buy various organizing products for the best possible price. When you’re in search of containers and tools for corraling your clutter and maximizing your space, some typical places that you might shop for these items include Target, The Container Store, and Lowes. But did you ever think to scour the back aisles of your local T.J. Maxx? You might be very surprised at the treasure trove of organizing goodies you will find.

Of course, there are the “usual suspects” that you might expect to find, like this smorgasbord of attractive baskets. The possibilities for organizing with open-top baskets such as these are endless:

Looking for a way to contain your kids’ toys in a stylish way? Why not pick up a few of these large containers…

Now for the unexpected…

Search those back aisles and you will discover organizing products for every room in your home! For example, in the aisle featured above, I spied a rack to use in the kitchen cupboard for vertical storage of cookie sheets/cutting boards, a drawer organizer for dressers, a shoe organizer (this product offers a universe of organizing possibilities), as well as a closet organizer for sweater storage. Can you say SCORE?!?

So let’s say you are in the process of organizing your bedroom. What might you uncover at T.J. Maxx that would be useful for your project? Let’s start out with your closet. Non-slip hangers are a must for maximizing space in a small closet. In fact, these hangers made my “Top 10 List of Organizing Products”.

If you are a regular reader of the Refined Rooms blog, you may remember these cute little numbers that were featured as part of the Refined Product Best Pick series. These jewelry and scarf organizers might come in handy as part of your closet organization process as well.

You might also find bed risers and under the bed storage containers; these tools would enable you to take advantage of the square footage under your bed for storing off-season clothing, or other items that you access infrequently.

The Cap Rack is another useful gadget for organizing baseball hats in your bedroom closet (or on the back of any door or wall space for that matter).

Got a kitchen organizing project in your future? Move one aisle over at T.J. Maxx and you may uncover some hidden gems, such as these plastic dry goods containers for your pantry (although I would recommend avoiding the round containers and selecting the square/rectangular containers instead, since they waste significantly less space).

I must say that my heart went pitter patter when I discovered one of my absolute favorite kitchen organizing tools…Fridge and Freezer Binz! Compartmentalizing the food in your fridge and freezer is an easy, yet super effective way to facilitate finding the items that you need quickly.

Here’s another nifty kitchen clutter control tool…an over-the-cabinet basket. I love to free up drawer space in the kitchen by using the backs of cabinet doors for storage. This tool makes it easy. (I actually purchased one of these to use in my bathroom to store my hair dryer and flat iron).

Last, but not least, are these colorful sets of drawer organizers, which can be used to organize virtually any drawer in your home. As the packaging states, they “make organizing as easy as 1, 2, 3.”!

So go ahead and explore your local T.J. Maxx (or Marshalls for that matter, since they are basically the same store) and report back to share the treasures you discover on your hunt for inexpensive organizing products.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com