Store garments like formal dresses, coats, silk or leather on wooden hangers in a breathable garment bag, never in dry cleaning bags which trap chemicals and moisture, causing yellowing.
Natural fiber clothing need air circulation. Airtight bins are great for space conservation, so if you are using them, poke holes in them. This will avoid mold and mildew, yellowing or a musty odor. If your clothing is shelved, cover the stack with a pillowcase to keep the dust off.
Time to empty out that big kitchen box. We are not performing science fair experiments in there are we? Empty and toss the expired foods, I guarantee they are lurking in there. Sanitize the drawers and shelves. Deodorize the inside walls with all-purpose cleaner and vacuum the coils behind, soak the ice cube catcher in baking soda.
When putting items back in, wipe them off so the old gunk doesn’t return. Organize the contents… condiments in the side door, dairy together, meat in the meat drawer, produce in the produce drawer and NOW… your fridge and food are fresh and that big box will run more efficiently.
It should be just cash and…
Two credit cards. Yep that’s it. Choose the one with the best rewards or lowest interest rate and keep the others at home in a lockbox. Photocopy cards, front and back, storing the copy in your lockbox.
Consolidate store loyalty cards, coupons, and other people’s business cards by downloading apps, like CamCard, Keyring or Grocery Pal.
Refuse receipts from grocery stores, delis and coffee shops. Throw out any in your wallet right now! Planning on returning an item? Keep those receipts in a folder, or tape them to the return. When offered an email receipt, accept the offer, then set up an email account just for receipts to protect your main email address from mailing lists.
Even though your wallet has a compartment for coins… use it for emergency items like band-aids, safety pins, earring backs. Drop loose change into your pocket and use it that day. If not, it goes into the change jar when you get home.
Never carry your Social Security card. This belongs in your lockbox away from identity thieves.
Toss old lottery tickets, casino vouchers, to-do notes, shopping lists and scraps with phone numbers… need I say more? Your handbag is now lighter and your back pocket won’t slouch.
One of the most common accumulations I see with clients is books. Seriously? With all the E-readers we still accumulate books? When moving, this means endless heavy boxes and trips from house to truck and truck to house of books! Not many of us have dedicated library rooms and it is time to consider book de-cluttering.
The most common statement I hear is “I might read it again.” How many of your books have you actually read again? Unless you are a professor or scholar very rarely will ordinary people read the book again.
Pay it forward! Donate your books to your local library. Libraries will either shelve them for others or sell them at book drives whose proceeds go to buy more books for the library so we are never without books, books and more books Oh! My!
The book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo has over 3 million copies sold and I am proud to be one of those 3 million. Here are just a few quotes from this helpful book: “when you put your house in order you put your affairs and your past in order too”, “surround yourself with only the things you love”, “tidy a little each day and you’ll be tidying forever”, when de-cluttering ask yourself, “does this item spark joy? If not dispose of it.”
This website will continue to post more ideas from this neat little book… stay tuned.
