Super Bowl LVI ended in a 23-20 win for the Los Angeles Rams over the Cincinnati Bengals. As is the custom, the gridiron action was framed by record-settingly expensive ads, but maybe for the first time, selling more #stuff wasn’t on the agenda. Apps, consumable snacks and experiences led the way this year, with even the biggest consumer products pitched — automobiles — being mostly #sustainable electric vehicles. It’s too soon to tell, but The Organizing Blog thinks that maybe this is an indication that the country has finally turned the corner on #clutter.
Tag: clutter-free
Clear the Air With a Winter Deep-Clean
Spring cleaning may get most of the publicity, but there is no time like #winter to #deep-clean your house. For one thing, that’s when you spend the most time indoors, and a #clean, #uncluttered home is a happier and #healthier home. Indoor air quality improves when you dust and change furnace filters frequently. Also consider disinfecting garbage cans; cleaning windows, sills and drapes; and vacuuming under the beds. “An organized, clean home promotes an atmosphere of peace and tranquility,” says Bliss Maid. “It lifts the emotional state of most people to simply come home to a clean, #clutter-free space.”
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
So goes the old Frank Loesser hit. Never intended to be a holiday anthem, the song tells the tale of a suitor looking far ahead on the calendar as a testament an plea for enduring love. As we prepare for the new year, though, the question looms.
With a new variant driving COVID case numbers up, one acceptable answer is “nothing” — or at least nothing far from the confines of your own home. Gathering in large groups has again become a risky proposition, so a quiet night in might be the safest option.
If you do celebrate, keep parties small to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. A Zoom, Skype or FaceTime session is always a good option if you wish to see faraway friends and relatives faces unmasked.
Small gatherings are safest, with only the people you know have taken the appropriate precautions invited. Epidemiologists told The New York Times that those who are at low risk for serious illness and have received a booster shot can celebrate with less worry.
For planners who still want to ring in the new year in style, Reader’s Digest offers 20 themed party ideas that can keep things interesting for small groups of almost any age — game nights, pajama parties and so on.
Weather permitting, the safest way for groups made up of members of different households to celebrate is outdoors. A socially distanced bonfire, beach walk or campout might make a memorable way to ring in 2022.
Another option exists for those worn out by 2021: Get comfortable, order some food, binge-watch a show and relax. You may even choose to go to bed well ahead of the ball drop in Times Square.
Or you could begin a #clutter-free new year one day early by taking down all of those #holiday #decorations and storing the ones you’ll want to use next year. Set aside the extras and contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation #pickup.
Consider it an early start to your #spring cleaning and part of your #resolution to be more #organized in the new year. Happy New Year from the Vietnam Veterans of America and ClothingDonations.org!
Decluttering the Home for Remote Learning
“#Organization and #clutter control are critical” to distance learning, says Boulder Valley Waldorf School. If you haven’t already #decluttered a space for your child’s remote and hybrid lessons, now is the time — COVID-19 may soon be less of a problem, but some of the changes it wrought will likely become permanent. Remove the visual chaos so that the kids can focus on schoolwork, and make #organizing a part of everyone’s daily routine. And as always, set aside anything you no longer need as you #delutter and contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation #pickup.
So You Shopped the President’s Day Sales
Happy President’s Day!
We at the Organizing Blog know that we’re a little late in telling you this, but since retailers were trotting out the deals over the long weekend, you may have celebrated your day off shopping for mattresses, furniture or other household goods.
Having recently moved in to a new home, we did the same. And some of the discounts were incredible! But that doesn’t mean we bought a lot — some things weren’t that great a deal, most we didn’t need, and many would have created more problems than they solved.
Unless you’re starting over, any decorative item or piece of furniture you buy is likely redundant. If you’re short on space, you need to make sure whatever you buy actually replaces an existing item, or you’ll wind up surrounding yourself with #clutter.
You can buy things and still avoid this problem. Is your living room already crowded with furniture and knickknacks? One new couch might be able to do the work of two old loveseats, or a new wall unit could help you make sense of what’s on display.
Some furniture — like beds frames with storage underneath — can actually create space by offering a place to store some of your stuff out of sight. But you’ll need to observe a strict out-with-the-old policy to avoid #clutter.
With large items like beds, mattresses and couches, the ultraminimalist one in/two out rule doesn’t always apply. But be sure to get rid of the one old thing as quickly as you find its replacement, and donate it to ClothingDonations.org if it has some life left in it.
For smaller stuff, make an attempt to find two items in the same category to get rid of as soon as something else enters the inventory. This will preserve the thrill of the shopping “hunt” while slowly downsizing your possessions — or at least keeping them in check.
Observe this simple #decluttering rule, and before you know it, any new stuff you find at the weekend sales will help your home look brand new, stylish and spotless, and the old stuff that survives will consist only of things you truly cherish.
You don’t necessarily have to stop shopping to keep the #clutter at bay!