Painless Unpacking

After a vacation, do the remnants hang around the house for weeks, cluttering up your space? Follow these steps to remove the vacation remnants before they become clutter.

As soon as possible after arriving at home:

1. Unpack the car completely, including the trash.

2. Gather laundry baskets or large containers to use for sorting.

3. Empty all luggage, sorting the contents into containers. Suggested categories:

• Laundry
• Clean clothing
• Toiletries
• Memorabilia

4. Return the items to where they belong.

5. Return luggage to storage area.

Shortly after the vacation:

1. Replenish depleted items from your toiletry bag and store with your luggage.

2. Memorabilia: Process photos in your preferred method. Sort through memorabilia: get rid of duplicates and keep only what has significance for you. Store in a large envelope or small memorabilia box, labeled with the location of the vacation and the date.

Now that you're unpacked, you can enjoy "home sweet home" and the memories of your wonderful vacation!

I Love My Walk In Closet!

This closet already had some organization to it, prior to my visit. Out-of-season bedding was bagged and stored on the top shelf. Some clothing to give away had been sorted, bagged, and was ready to go.

Still, reaching the back rod was difficult due to the items on the floor. Laundry baskets kept in the bedroom were also storing clothing, because their was no room in the closet.

After six hours of sorting and organizing, a van full of items were donated, and the closet, dressers & bedroom were functioning as the client wanted. She was exhausted and thrilled!

Purge Hazardous Waste Properly

Purging unused belongings is a great step in getting organized. Not every household item can be put in the garbage. When getting rid of your clutter, be aware of what items can harm the environment and learn how to dispose of those properly.

Here are just some items that are hazardous:

• Aerosol cans
• Batteries (rechargeable and button)
• Break/transmission fluid and antifreeze
• Car batteries
• Computers, TVs, cell phones
• Fluorescent tubes
• Gasoline and other flammables
• Household cleaners
• Mercury thermometers and switches
• Motor oil and filters (used)
• Needles & syringes - home generated (Seal in hard plastic or metal containers)
• Paint (oil based) and paint thinners – in most areas, latex paints can be put in the garbage after the paint is completely dried. Adding kitty litter to the paint will expedite this.
• Pesticides and herbicides
• Pool chemicals and poisons
• Propane tanks
• Solvents

Many counties have household hazardous waste programs. Two or more times per year the county will collect certain hazardous products. Residents must drop items at a specified location on the collection days. Types of items accepted vary by county. Contact your local town hall or sanitation company for information about hazardous waste collections in your area.

Taking care of household hazardous waste products safely improves the quality of your home environment by getting toxins out of area and leaves more space for the things you use and love!