Tag: donations pickup

When Dads Create Clutter

Posted on by Jordank

As #Father’s Day approaches, you may be thinking about ways to celebrate dear old #dad. Depending on his pastimes, a pizza oven, automotive accessory or gadgety gift may be in his very near future. But before you buy, consider for a second how dads create #clutter.

It may be a gross generalization to say that moms probably think about clutter and household #organization more. In a consumerist society, individuals of every gender can accumulate lots of #stuff as time goes by, and that stuff can pile up around the house.

But surveys say that women often spend more time cleaning than their spouses. They are also more adept at planning work-related tasks, travel and holiday celebrations. They largely dominate the professional #organizer field.

Dads may be prone to let things pile up. And they many build vast collections of tools, garden implements, collectibles and other highly specific and specialized #stuff that’s seldom used on a day-to-day basis.

If you have one of those dads, try to make Father’s Day a day free of added clutter. Focus on the experience: buy him tickets to a ball game, a round of golf or an online class. Or go for something consumable, such as a nice steak dinner — in or out — or a bottle of his favorite spirit.

Like with moms, you also can give the gift of #organization by actively helping #clean, sort and consolidate his stuff. Wash his car or have it professionally detailed. Install pegboard organizers in his home office or workshop. Help him clean out a storage closet or the garage.

If you find anything he no longer needs or wants, schedule a free #donation #pickup from ClothingDonations.org. That way, you’ll assist in clearing the extra unwanted #junk from the home environment, which will make dad’s life less stressful overall.

The best gift for any parent is not only #clutter-free, it’s also virtually free: spending quality time together. So whether he’s a hoarder or a neat-freak, that’s the best way to honor dad on Father’s Day. #FathersDay

Daylight Time Is Spring Cleaning Time

Posted on by Jordank

Daylight savings time — still observed in most states nationwide — begins again at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 5. The practice is rapidly declining in popularity, but most readers will temporarily lose an hour to the switch nonetheless.

The transition is increasingly associated with sleep deprivation and upticks in other dangers such car accidents, heart attacks and strokes. Daylight time apparently produces a mini-jet lag that can have subtle but marked consequence on the body and mind.

To reduce daylight time’s initial health impacts, Northwestern Medicine suggests adjusting one’s circadian rhythms by getting more natural morning light, exercising and going to bed an hour early in the week leading up to the change.

Even if you approach DST with little or no personal preparation, there are things you can do around the house to take advantage of the seasonal shift, Apartment Therapy says, and prepare for the longer nights of spring and summer.

First, of course, you’ll want to reset every clock. Then, take care of some of the seasonal chores that make your home safe and comfortable: Change the smoke detector batteries, reverse the ceiling fans to counterclockwise, and rotate or flip your mattresses and couch cushions.

This is also a great time to #sort and #declutter winter clothing. Chances are that those heavy coats and woolen sweaters are already falling into disuse, so make sure all of them are cleaned and stored, eliminating and #donating any that just didn’t make it into the rotation to ClothingDonations.org.

Outdoors, you’ll have an extra hour of light in the evening to #clean the gutters, #organize the garage, powerwash the deck or prepare your garden for #spring planting. Just be careful going up that ladder as your body slowly adjusts to the new time.

The mental health benefits of making your home #clean, #organized and #clutter-free are well-documented — and they may even outweigh the negative effects of losing an hour of sleep and adjusting to the change in light.

Until a proposal to make daylight time permanent becomes law, we’re stuck with it. So make the most of it by using it as a reminder to do the seasonal tasks you’ve been meaning to do. Time’s a-wastin’!

Celebrate Boxing Week Now and Into 2023

Posted on by Jordank

Long celebrated in the British commonwealth on Dec. 26, Boxing Day is the day to present servants, tradespeople and the less fortunate with gifts or cash. The name derives from alms boxes collecting money for the poor, some believe, or to boxes of gifts or bonuses given to employees on the day after Christmas.

Americans often erroneously associate Boxing Day with boxing up and putting away all of the holiday decorations once gift-giving and celebrating are done. While acknowledging this complete misinterpretation, The Organizing Blog would like readers to follow up on it this week and into 2023.

The holidays are notorious for clutter. You may have hauled out box after box of decorations, themed tchotchkes, wrapping paper and greeting cards in preparation for the holiday. Add all of the new stuff that accumulates during the season while shopping and giving, and you can easily create crisis-level #clutter.

As the season winds down, take advantage of the opportunity to edit some of that #stuff. Get a plastic bin (or several), and systematically de-stage your space. #Organize everything upfront, sorting like items into bins by room or purpose, #decluttering expert Vicky Silverthorn told Good Housekeeping — whatever works best when it’s time to display the items again.

Think of your future self: When you open these bins again in 11 months, you’ll want to find everything neatly packed and organized; it will make finding and using them easier. Also store boxes and bins away properly to eliminate more stress from decorating and add to your #holiday cheer.

Do not, however, pack and store anything you don’t plan on using again. If something is broken or compromised, trash it. If something just doesn’t suit your taste, #donate it. Schedule a #free, #contactless #donation #pickup from ClothingDonations.org, and a driver will whisk those lightly used castoffs out of your sight on the appointed day.

Since your #donations help fund #veterans programs, you’ll be merging the two meanings or traditions of Boxing Day, however archaic and/or misconstrued — giving and storing. What better way to observe the event?

Have a safe, happy and #clutter-free New Year!

The Perfect Time of Year for Renovations

Posted on by Jordank

Every season has pros and cons when it comes to home projects: Spring is best for starting new landscaping projects, for example, while summer is good for a kitchen overhaul since you can grill while your new stove is installed.

These seasons are the busiest time of year, however, so your project may face shortages of labor and materials — or pay top-dollar to get what you want, when you want it. Fall and winter may be equally good for a renovation project, Renofi says..

Right now, you can still install new flooring or finish your basement and finish in time for the holidays. Temperatures are still warm enough for exterior painting, too, as well as many landscaping projects such as reseeding a lawn or planting bulbs and shrubs.

Should your roof need repairs, don’t hesitate. In areas with significant amounts of snow buildup in winter, a faulty or damaged roof may not last until spring. Roofing has the benefit of being a fairly quick project that won’t disrupt your home’s interior.

Interior painting is a good project to tackle in the fall, since the lower humidity will help paint dry faster. You’ll be spending more time inside those rooms soon enough; why not do so in a fresh and clean environment?

Larger projects such as a kitchen or bath overhaul may take more foresight, experts say. Plan at least a month or two in advance to get those renovations started, whether you decide to do them yourself or hire a contractor.

Winter has the added benefit of being contractors’ slowest season, so if you’re eyeballing a big job such as a new kitchen, bathroom or whole-house renovation, start planning and booking workers now. The only downside is that the weather may be messy.

Big renovations are likely to test your patience, considering ongoing supply-chain issues and labor shortages. Project timelines may be three to five times as long as they were in the past, U.S. News & World Report warns, and prices for materials and labor have gone up.

But there’s no time like the present to get started. Just remember to contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, #contactless #donation #pickup of any castoffs you discover as you prepare to freshen your space.

Streamline Your Wardrobe as the Seasons Change

Posted on by Jordank

Fall begins on Thursday, Sept. 22, and most areas of the country will soon enjoy cooler, crisper weather. As the seasons change, one’s wardrobe has to change, too; shorts and T-shirts won’t be of much use as temperatures tumble from summery 70s and 80s to the 60s, 50s and below.

Without getting into the weeds on what the Vogue fashionistas say is and isn’t in style this season, The Organizing Blog would like to remind readers that this transitional time is a perfect opportunity to #edit your #wardrobe.

As you reintegrate cold-weather garb into the daily routine, take a look at the #summer clothes you did and didn’t wear this year. Sort out the items you wore back into a closet or a storage bin, and trash or #donate the rest. You didn’t need them this year, and you won’t in 2023.

Summer-only clothing that makes the cut but should definitely be packed and stored for next year includes short-sleeve tops, open-toed shoes, beachwear, summer shorts, tropical prints, and linens and other lightweight garments, says The Closet Edit.

Wash or dryclean these items and store them in tucked-away baskets, plastic bins or a closet that’s distinct from your main or go-to closet. Then you can begin to integrate all of the fall and winter clothing you stored last year into active rotation.

As you make room in your closets for those fall garments, you’ll find items that didn’t get worn and shouldn’t have been stored last year. #Trash or #donate these garments unless you have a compelling reason to keep them. Perhaps you lost a few pounds and those old pants fit again?

There will also be #transitional #clothing items that you wear year-round and #accessorize according to the weather. Since they are subject to heavy use, check to see what’s going to continue to serve you through the winter, and what’s come to the end of its useful life.

As always, bag up any lightly used garments that you don’t need or want and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, #contactless #donation #pickup. We’ll take those items off your hands and resell them to fund valuable #veterans programs.

Here’s to a fashionable, #streamlined and #organized fall and winter!