A MOVING MESSAGE

Recently we have been working with some clients who are getting ready to move to new residences. We have been organizing files, sorting items to keep and discard, suggesting storage alternatives and reviewing packing lists. We have been staging homes for sale and organizing selection of methods for storage and packing.

One client has given herself three weeks to move from a shared apartment to a new home several hundred miles away. Another client is planning to place their home for sale in the spring and hopefully sell by summer. They have to implement the improvements they want to make prior to sale and then find a buyer before they move thousands of miles to a another state.

Both of these clients are a little stressed with fitting the things they have to do in the time frame they have. We have developed plans to help them accomplish their goals and will give them the assistance they need to get the job done, but we have gotten a late start and have to compensate.

To be fair, we know that folks do not always have a long time to plan moves. A new job gets offered, an unexpected illness occurs, notices are given that require a quick getaway. We always find a way to get the basics done, but it requires diligence and commitment.

The moving message we want to give is this: When you have adequate time to plan, estimate the time it will take you to get everything done and double it. Life goes on while the move is being planned and work and family issues still need attending. Houses are staying on the market longer. In this area nine months is considered a quick sale. Consequently, the sooner the house is ready for showing, the more likely goals for sales and closing dates can be met.

Even if there is no sale required, having time to make the minor repairs to recoup retained deposits can make a difference in money available for the new digs.

No matter how much time you have to make your move, it is helpful to:

• Make a list of what you have to do. Work backwards from the moving date to set timelines. Don’t forget to include often overlooked items like picking up cleaning and making arrangements with the building supervisor to reserve the elevator and parking space for the moving van.


• Discard, sell, and give away anything you will not use at your new residence before you begin to pack.


• Keep important papers, moving documents and prescription drugs easily accessible and separate from packed items.


• Make arrangements to appropriately disconnect and package major appliances for transfer


• Keep an inventory of items packed for check off when your possessions arrive. This will allow easy identification of loss or damage.


• Do a complete walk-though before you leave. If possible ask someone to accompany you to provide an extra set of eyes to identify anything left behind.


• Take pictures of the premises as you leave it. These will come in handy if there is a dispute about the condition of rental property or the need to file insurance claims for vacant property.

A good professional organizer can be a valuable asset in helping you make the most of the time you dedicate to moving on to your next adventure.

Beverly & Kristen
http://www.keytransitions.net/

Pet Projects

Pets become members of our families. As much fun as they are to have around, they require time and care. They also have a host of products that we must keep around the house to make sure they are comfortable and happy. Pets come with their own brand of clutter—feeding dishes, pet beds, litter boxes, training paper, pet food and toys are just a few. There are some products on the market that provide a little order or a way to cover common eyesores associated with pet care.

Pet beds are more attractive than a heap of blankets on the floor. Some pet beds, disguised as furniture, offer attractive solutions to housing pets in small spaces where everything is in view. The dog bed/ cubby combination from Pottery Barn has a bed large enough for medium sized dogs topped with nine cubbies for storing pet supplies or family gear. Orvis carries “furniture crates”, pet crates in various wood finishes made like a dresser for animals up to seventy-five pounds and like an end table for smaller pets. The dresser has two functional drawers. At Precious Pets Paradise there is even a pet Murphy bed that folds into a cabinet and pulls down to provide a resting-place. Pet Smart carries a variety of cat furniture that provides a combination of perches, cylinders and cubes for scratching, perching and resting. Their bamboo bed with storage drawer is a convenient way to hide away toys. You can even hide the litter box with covers available in wood from Pet Smart and whicker from Orvis

These vendors also offer a number of solutions for feeding stations that come in wrought iron, porcelain and wood. Orvis carries a wooden feeding station in two heights and two finishes. They also offer attractive alternatives for storing pet food including hand made wooden barrels and a lift-and –store feeding station that stores twenty pounds of food underneath and has two feeding bowls on top. Pet Smart offers automatic feeders that are convenient for cats and a Drinkwell water fountain that encourages drinking and keeps water fresh, as well as a dog-proof cat feeding station for the 40% of dog owners who also have a cat.

When you take your dog for a walk or to the dog park, pack all his gear in the Olly dog park sling that has organizer pockets, a poop bag dispenser and dual leash attachments for hands-free walking. It is available in two sizes from REI Outlet.

Finally, organize all your pets information including papers, inoculations and medical information in a spiral bound organizer for important papers that includes a place to leave instructions for sitters and vets. This is available at Orvis.

Pets are a pleasure. There are ways to keep your home organization from going to the dogs while you enjoy their company.

Web sites
http://www.paradise-pets.com/
http://www.orvis.com/
http://www.petsmart.com/
http://www.potterybarn.com/
http://www.rei-outlet.com/



Beverly & Kristen

http://www.keytransitions.net/

Green and Tidy

With more of us committed to preserve limited resources by recycling, folks are searching for better ways to store recyclables between pickups or trips to the drop off point. Although nothing we have tried can be deemed perfect, there are a few products that not only look better than trash bags and metal cans, they offer some convenience as well.

One of the challenges that face recyclers is minimizing the space that the items occupy. Aluminum cans and plastic bottles are major culprits in this area

Every serious recycler needs a can crusher. Electric can crushers are efficient, but do not offer much over the manual models, which offer great exercise for the arms. Crushers can squash up to ten cans at a time and are widely available. Aubuchon Hardware at www.hardwarestore.com has an extensive catalogue that includes some models that crush plastic as well as aluminum and tin. Can crushers are also available at Get Organized, www.shopgetorganized.com, and at Miles Kimball, www.mileskimball.com. as well as local hardware stores.

Pre-sorting is more efficient than sorting at the time of disposal. Large bins or storage boxes can serve this purpose. These are available at hardware stores and super stores. Bins on wheels are available at Target, www.target.com, at Ikea, www.ikeausa.com, and Walmart, www.walmart.com. Get Organized at www.shopgetorganized.com offers a set of three color-coded snap together bins that are easily portable. Improvements at www.improvements.com offers stackable storage bins that offer easy access while stacked and Target www.target.com has a three-drawer storage tower that works well for single person households.

If you have money to spare take a look at these two products. The Butterfly Recycler at www.simplehuman.com has twin buckets and a small footprint. At $179.00 it comes with a ten-year warranty. Williams Sonoma, www.williamssonoma.com, sells the EcoPod System. It stores newspapers, glass bottles and plastic bags. It also crushes and stores plastic bottles and aluminum cans. It carries a $328.00 price tag.

Recycling is good for the planet and finding solutions for organizing recyclables is good for your peace of mind. It is possible to be green and tidy.

Organizing the “Guest Room”

Now that we have had time to recuperate from the holidays, many of us are looking forward to spending quality time with friends and family. Sometimes that involves having a guest in our home and that can be a pain or a pleasure. Take a look at you “guest space” and think of ways you can organize it to be more comfortable for your guest-and you.

Whether you have a master suite with bath, a foldout sofa in your home office or a blow up mattress in the den, there are amenities that will make your guest’s stay more pleasant for him and easier on you.

Just think about those times when you have been a guest in another’s home and consider what would have provided comfort and convenience during your stay. Here are our suggestions.

The first item of business is to make sure the space is clean and uncluttered. Dust vacuum, change the linens and clear surfaces of extraneous items.

Make sure you have space for your guest to store clothes on hangers in the closet or on a wrack and space to fold things in drawers. If that is not possible, have a sturdy surface on which to place a suitcase.

Gather clean towels and washcloths for your guest and place them in a basket or decorative box with some nice toiletry items. Milled soaps, lotion, mouthwash or aftershave are some ideas to consider.

Give guests an opportunity to take care of midnight munchies by providing a container of snacks and a bottle of water. Fresh flowers and some candy, fruit or cookies in the room are ways to let the guest know how special he is.

A comfortable place to sit, stationery and writing implements, an alarm clock, adequate lighting and a radio or television are nice to have available.

If the guest is going to be keeping a schedule that is different than yours, think about providing a house key, security codes, public transportation schedules and a list of taxi and limousine companies. A local map is also a helpful item for guests who are not familiar with the city.

When your guest arrives, give him a tour of the house paying special attention to location of the bathroom you expect him to use, the kitchen and location of the iron and ironing board. Explain methods of entry and any security issues as well as any house rules. Point out any computer connection he might use if he travels with his laptop.

Taking time to do the tour saves time in the long run and allows the guest to feel better able to take care of himself.

Hosting guests is supposed to be fun. So organize the space for their comfort and convenience, then sit back and enjoy the visit.