A space for waste…is never a wasted space! I recommend to all of my clients that EVERY room (except for a formal dining or living room) must have some dedicated wastebin! It can be as big as a 50-gallon bin for yard waste, or as small as an empty tissue box in your laundry closet for dryer lint.

First, ask yourself, what am I chucking away, and where? This will help you decide which bin you need. If you compost, then you need a lidded bin with a handle to easily take it outside. If your trash bin is not hidden in a cabinet or under a sink in your kitchen or bathroom then INVEST in it! Get an attractive lidded bin, perhaps with an auto sensing lid to make tossing even easier! This is an item that you are using multiple times a day—it makes sense to spend a bit extra to get something appealing and functional!

Even walk-in closets can benefit from a small canister for pitching dry-cleaning bags, garment tags, and pocket discards.
Also think about receptacle PLACEMENT. For example, switching the location of your recycling bin to be right next to where you sort your mail will help ensure that junk gets tossed faster. Or, if you are right handed, having your office trash under your desk to the right side will help things find their way there.

Remember: just because it’s waste, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t waste a thought on how it gets out of your home. Let us know your trash-removal techniques!

Are you the sentimental type? Do you still have Valentines from elementary school while your own kids are in college? I encourage you to manage your memorabilia according to the following mantras:

“Does it bring me happy memories?”
Don’t save that breakup letter (text or email either) from the guy that broke your heart. You know it happened, you don’t need a physical (or electronic) reminder to bring you negative feelings.

“Is it the best example I have?” 
Your best friend sends you a birthday card every year and you love her for that.  But do you need to save them ALL? Find the one card in which she wrote an especially meaningful paragraph on your decades-long friendship, and tuck it away in your “memories box.” The others, which she likely slapped her signature on while in line at the post office, you can toss.

“Do I need it all?”
Instead of saving all of a deceased loved one’s clothes because of the cherished memories they bring, I encourage you to create a quilt out of them​, as I did with my mother’s clothes. You can also have quilts made of marathon t-shirts or beloved baby clothes. This way you honor the items by re-purposing them with something you can USE.

Or, instead of storing the entire 18-piece set of your grandmother’s china in your studio apartment, save two tea cups and saucers to display and drink from. You know your grandmother loved you, so don’t let separation guilt prevent you from keeping a small selection of her belongings and giving the rest away.

If your memorabilia is in a mess, let me know how else I can help you manage it!

As temperatures climb, and the end-of-school countdown begins, you may be planning a summer getaway. Whether you’re flying or driving to your destination, you can benefit from some universal packing strategies:

The first simple step you should take is creating a personalized packing list. There are many templates online to choose from to customize to your needs. Be as specific as you can, and be sure to save your list electronically so you can print it out each time you prep for travel. (It’s also extra satisfying to check items off on a physical piece of paper!) I like to have one list for cold weather destinations (add: cozy sleeping socks) and one for warm weather destinations (add: enormous sun hat).

Next, especially if you travel often, assemble TWO go-to toiletry bags. Make one a sturdy TSA-compliant clear bag which you can toss in your carry-on. This toiletry bag only holds liquids less than 3 ounces—just enough supplies for a weekend away. Then, make a larger toiletry kit that contains enough supplies for a week or two. You can use this bag when you’re checking luggage.

Another toiletries tip: Go ahead and buy duplicates in SMALLER sizes, or use refillable containers, for all your favorite products. In my experience, it is always worth making space in your luggage for your tried and true favorites. That way, you have those products on hand, and needn’t worry about navigating a foreign pharmacy where you may not know the language, and where you will likely pay more for tourist necessities like sunscreen.

Finally, when you get home, REFILL your toiletry kits right away. Make refilling these bags a regular part of your unpacking and laundry routine. Then you’ll be ready to jet off at a moment’s notice should you have to travel unexpectedly. Or, you’ll simply save yourself stress the next time you prepare for a vacation.

Let us know where you are traveling this summer, and if you need any other packing advice, in the comments below. Bon voyage! 

At the Met Gala last night, we saw some gorgeous shoes on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum.

Do you want your shoes and your closet looking like the celebrities’? Just follow this simple fashion tip: display them heel to toe!

For each pair you own, show one shoe with the heel facing out, and show its match with the toe facing out. This method is especially attractive for storing heels, or shoes with details on both sides.

Seeing the sole and splendid embellishments of every shoe, you can “shop” your closet by heel height or toe detail to choose the perfect pair.

Using this fashionable system, you can fit more pairs of shoes on a shelf too! Another quick tip: an “average” pair of shoes takes up nine inches of width, so its better to choose a 36″ wide shelf than a 24″ wide one.

For shoe storage, I also recommend shelves where you can adjust their height. Flats take up only two to three inches of space, whereas some heels or wedges can take up to eight inches of height!

You should always let the container determine its contents.

For example, a carton of milk holds 8 ounces. Try and fit an ounce more, and it will be full to overflowing. Similarly, you don’t want to fill your home so full that it is overflowing.

This concept applies to all the containers in your home, and your home itself. Let each container give you a natural limit for the amount of contents it can hold.

To this end, I encourage people to only keep as many books as their dedicated book shelves can comfortably hold. The floor is not an option! It’s better to edit your collection (old textbooks and encyclopedias are excellent candidates for removal) and have the truly beloved books fit.

Your closet and drawers are the containers for your clothes—only keep as many garments as they can comfortably hold. Your fridge, freezer, and pantry are the containers for your food—the same rule applies.  

And if you have a long-term, off-site storage unit that you are paying for, I strongly encourage you to address the items it contains. Try to edit them down so that they all fit into your actual living container, your current home!

Let me know which of your containers are currently overflowing, and how you’re going to get their contents in check.

Today is the day: U.S. income taxes are due! So you’ve turned in your taxes, but what NOW? It’s time to archive the documents you may need in the rare case of an audit or mistake.

But WHAT documents do you need to keep, and HOW LONG do you need to keep them? See Nerd Wallet‘s straightforward guidelines for individuals, published in 2017. For small businesses, or self-employed individuals, see the IRS‘s official guidelines.

You might be surprised to find that THREE years is the length of time recommended to keep documents in almost all circumstances. And in just a few cases, SEVEN years is the very longest documents need to be kept.

I recommend you don’t invest too much time in archiving these papers—chances are you’ll never need to look at them again. Simply put them in a large envelope, or box, clearly labeled “TAX 2017” and tuck them far away in an attic or closet.

If you still have tax documents dating back a decade or more, I encourage you to discard them as you see fit (toss, burn, or shred) and feel confident doing so! Happy Tax Day 2018!

The aphorism “nature abhors a vacuum” rings especially true when it comes to maintaining clutter-free spaces. Creating a totally blank space where there was once a towering pile is counterproductive—that empty area inevitably becomes filled with clutter again. To prevent those pesky piles, I encourage my clients to PURPOSEFULLY FILL the cleared space, not with clutter, but with simple decor.

For example, after our team has finally cleared off a messy formal dining table, we try to actually SET the table as if the client is throwing a dinner party. Place mats, cloth napkins, and plates replace homework and hockey sticks. Rather than being plagued by piles, the table is poised to serve its real purpose as an elegant dining space.

Or once the kitchen island is clear, put a large decorative tray or basket near a fruit bowl, fresh flowers, or a beautiful plant. Any random things that accumulate can be contained in this basket, which is easy to clear in a moment.

Let me know where your piles collect, and the beautiful pieces you’re hoping to replace them with!