Friday, January 21, 2011

Congratulations to...

Congratulations to Megan, the winner of the January organization services giveaway! She is expecting her first child and needs to find space for playing, sewing and storage all in one. I can't wait to get started on this project; babies are so much fun!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Room by Room: Laundry (Products)

Ah, the smell of fresh, clean laundry. There's nothing like it, right?

Well, unless you get that fresh scent from hanging your clothes and sheets on the line, you may want to think again about why it smells that way. (There's one particular baby detergent that makes me sick to my stomach because of the artificial fragrance they use.) The more I get away from using mainstream cleaning products, the worse the others smell.

I've been saddened to learn that a lot of commercially available detergents use things like optical brighteners to make whites look whiter, and can also contain a host of carcinogenic ingredients. A lot of fabric softeners coat your clothing with chemicals and the dryer sheets are polyester, so once you throw them away, they don't really break down.

Here are a few more eco-friendly products that I've checked out in the past year or so, which you might want to give a try:
My wool dryer balls

Finally, I can't entirely vouch for objectivity of this article, or find out enough about the financial ties between organizations, the information about dioxane is interesting. I keep hoping the Environmental Working Group will come out with a database like their Cosmetics Database, where you can learn the ingredients and relative safety of a large percentage of cosmetics and toiletries.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Room by Room: Laundry (Troubleshooting)

Today's entry includes a hodge-podge of information abut laundering your clothes and troubleshooting some common problems.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Free Organization Services Giveaway for 2011

I am again giving away three hours of free organizing services. Want me to tackle a closet, basement or junk drawer? Just post a comment and let me know what you need done. The lucky winner will be selected at noon on January 21.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Room by Room: Laundry (Pre-Sorting)

Confession: I love doing laundry. I always have, even when I was a teenager. Perhaps it has something to do with sorting, folding and putting away, all of which feels organized. Or maybe it's the fresh smell of clean fabric. Whether you enjoy laundry, or merely tolerate it as a necessary chore, I hope today's tip will save you some time.

Consider getting a laundry basket or dedicating a bin of some sort to laundry in each bedroom. Also, have a few extra in your bedroom. (I don't want to get in a habit of suggesting you need to buy "organizing supplies", since that's not usually necessary. Repurpose a storage tote, canvas bag, etc. to save money.)


Here's what I do with my five baskets:
  • Whites
  • Darks
  • Towels and rags
  • Delicates/dress clothes
  • One basket in my son's room for his laundry, which I don't separate by color. His dirty towels and washcloths go in here.
We simply put clothes in the right basket as we take them off. It gives me quick visual so I only have to launder full loads (eco-friendly). I will combine loads if I'm close (say, adding towels in with whites) or adding my son's clothing to a load of darks. Plus, I can fold and return clothing using the same basket.

What's really great is that I can do laundry throughout the week when I see that it's accumulating.  No more mountain of clothing to sift through on Saturday morning. That's precious family time nowadays!