Clean & Organize Your Basement

Winter is a great time to tackle all of those tough indoor chores that have been on your "To Do List" for a while! Organizing and cleaning out your basement is for sure one of them. Unfinished basements tend to hold years of memories, gifts that were given but never used, photo albums from the past 20 or so years, plastic bins of photographs waiting to be placed onto a cd or into an album, holiday decorations that could use an overhaul along with bins of clothing that you will fit into someday or simply can't part with those expensive shoes that are clearly no longer in style. A solid way to start organizing is by categorizing sections in your basement:

*Items to Donate

*Items to Throw Away/Trash

*Items to Sell

*Items to Keep

One website that I found to be useful is http://www.freecycle.org/ - basically you sign up, post what you are giving away for free -someone responds and they schedule a pick up date at your home (I recommend that you leave all items on your front porch) and they come get it. Simple, easy and free.

Other organizing tips for your basement are use large clear, plastic totes to store items in so that you can identify them without having to haul around the tote. If you have light sensitive items such as pictures or videos I recommend a dark, plastic tub which will keep the UV lighting out. If you have to switch winter/summer clothing as I do, I keep clear plastic tubs for sandals and flip flops which turn into boots and winter shoes - along with a few heavy duty rolling racks for your clothes.

You can also cover them with a plastic sheet and hang a cedar closet chip which also will soak up any moisture/mildew in the air. Finish off that organized basement with heavy duty plastic adjustable shelves - as you keep organizing, you can keep tossing all year long.

Organize & Recycle Paint

If you live in the colder regions, you should always bring in your paint from your garage or shed. Be sure to label each color by dabbing a spot on top of the paint can or you can label the color with a sharpie marker. Another easy way to keep a record of your paint colors is by dipping a paint stick into each gallon, allowing it to dry and then keeping that paint stick readily available for decorating as well.

My handy tip- I recommend that you wrap the mouth of the paint can with cling wrap - basically sealing in the paint and then tightly secure the lid on. As we repaint and decorate rooms, we should do away with the old paints that are no longer in your home.

If your paint is old and has an odor, you should fill it with kitty litter and allow to get hard then recycle through your local waste management company. If you have various gallons of paint left, here are a few tips on recycling:

*Call your local Good Will or Thrift Store
*Contact your local high school's drama department - they are in need of supplies all the time!
*Call Habitat for Humanity

The new buzz word in the world of recycling is now "Precycle" - which is basically purchasing the correct amount of paint. No need to over buy paint..you can always go back and buy a quart for touch-ups as oppossed to storing a gallon for a few years! A few websites that can help you further recycle your paints:

*PaintCare.org
*Earth911.com
*www.local.com

Organize that Closet...Part 2

Now to share Part 2 of "Organize that Closet"...

1. After you have organized your clothes, did your donating, contemplated on the consignments and tossed a few bad sweat pants - if you're on the fence with blouse or low riders, take a post it "flag" and stick it on the hanger. If the flag is still there next year...donate!
2. Post it your shoe boxes as well. A brief description of which shoe is the box makes less mess.
3. Never leave your clothes in dry cleaner plastic bags, it does not allow the materials of your clothing to breath and your clothes will smell like dry cleaning chemicals after a while.
4. If at all possible, do a seasonal change of closets. I store all of my winter clothes in the XX-large hefty bags and then rotate when spring and summer comes along. Don't forget to use "under your bed" as storage!

Read Part I of "Organize that Closet"

Organize that Closet...Finally!

Yes, it's that time of year again...to clean out and organize your closet! I'd like to share a few simple tips that have helped me tremendously part my ways with clothes that I will never wear again but will donate and make someone very happy with their new find!

*Distinguish clothing and shoes that you wear and the for sure items that you will never wear again
*Golden Rule of Thumb for the above - if you have not worn it this past year, donate it
*Stop hanging on to those skinny jeans - donate again! When you hit your goal weight, you'll want to treat yourself to a new trendy pair of jeans anyway!
*Check with your local consignment shops as well. It's okay to make a few bucks on a piece of clothing that you paid a fortune for! Donate the rest!
*Be sure to reorganize your clothes, hang items you use frequently at eye level and rarely used items on the upper shelves.
*Save those clear shoe tubs or even shoe boxes - they are great for your bikinis, socks, belts and scarves.

So, stay tuned for a few more quick, realistic organizational tips this week!

Read Part II of "Organize that Closet"