Decluttering Archives - Page 2 of 4 - SOS: Simple Organized Solutions LLC

How Cardboard Boxes Easily Become Clutter

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:11-06:00August 27th, 2020|Categories: Decluttering, Storage|Tags: clutter, downsize, move, organization, storage|

Cardboard boxes are great tools for temporary storage. Notice how I used the word ‘temporary’? They are not designed for long-term storage for obvious reasons. At some point over time, their stability comes into question due to the environment in which they live. Cardboard boxes have other temporary uses as well. They work great for moving your things from one home to another, or when you are downsizing to take donations of home goods to a local charity. Most don’t really like to buy cardboard boxes for the temporary uses as described above. That’s understandable, so when the need arises, [...]

Comments Off

Just In Case I May Need it Someday

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:19-06:00September 4th, 2019|Categories: Decluttering, Organizing Tips|Tags: decluttering, keep or discard, mindset, someday, storage|

“I’m keeping this just in case I may need it someday”. I hear this a lot from clients as we are decluttering. We run across an item that they forgot they had. They will actually tell me that they forgot they had this thing, but seem happy that they found it. It may be something that they don’t need now, but they may need it someday. In my experience, most of the time someday never comes. It’s living in fear, the fear that you may need this thing after you let it go. This mindset may be more prevalent in [...]

Comments Off

Shifting Things Around is Not Organizing

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:19-06:00August 14th, 2019|Categories: Decluttering|Tags: clutter, decisions, organizing|

There have been times while working with a client, that they want me to put something someplace just for now. We will be working in a room and find an item that belongs elsewhere but doesn’t have an assigned home. That’s when I’m asked to put something someplace just for now. What they would have me do is actually shifting things around. When this happens, I take the opportunity to discuss the item with the client. The act of shifting things around is not organizing, it’s postponing making decisions. It may free up space in the room or area where [...]

Comments Off

Ways That Clutter Steals Your Peace

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:19-06:00August 1st, 2019|Categories: Decluttering|Tags: clutter, motivation, organized, peace|

Clutter is invasive and steals your peace. Much like weeds in your garden that grow over and around the plants that you love. Those weeds can strangle and kill your beloved plants. Clutter accumulates on top and around things like the weeds in your garden. It will cover all the open space if you allow it which causes stagnant energy. Stagnant energy causes stress, and stress steals your peace. Think about your house when it’s closed up for a period of time, how it feels when you walk in the door. There’s no energy, or air moving around so it [...]

Comments Off

Use It or Remove It

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:20-06:00July 10th, 2019|Categories: Decluttering, Downsizing|Tags: clutter, decisions, inherited items, memories, sentimental attachments|

How many things do you have that you don’t use? I’m guessing the answer to that question is, a lot. Here’s a new mantra for you – ‘use it or remove it’. Inherited items come to mind. Most of us have things we don’t use that were inherited from a family member or multiple family members. We keep them whether we want them or not just because they were Grandma’s or Uncle Ed’s. We associate these things with memories of the person they belonged to. These items fill up our storage areas and then we don’t have room for our [...]

Comments Off

What’s Hiding in Your Closet?

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:21-06:00July 3rd, 2019|Categories: Decluttering, Home Organization|Tags: clutter, maintenance, organize, storage|

A closet is a great way to store, well, anything actually. Before they were designed in the build of a home, an armoire was used to store clothing. In modern times closets are designed and built into rooms in every house. Typically, a bedroom includes a closet to store clothing to replace an armoire of days gone by. A living room, or foyer may have one to store coats. It’s basically a confined space with a door intended for storage for that room or space. If space is an issue, a closet may be used as storage for multiple categories [...]

Comments Off

Recycling Locations Around St. Louis MO

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:21-06:00May 29th, 2019|Categories: Decluttering, Recycle|Tags: discard, donation, MO, recycle, St. Louis|

Whether you have curbside recycling or take your recyclables to a facility, some items are not allowed in the bins. Your service provider typically provides a list of items that they will accept. Some bins have stickers on them to show the acceptable items. There are items however, that need to be discarded but are not on the list of accepted items. Donation to a favorite charity is always an option for recycling for gently used items. You want to be a good steward of the earth and keep as much out of the landfill as possible, but may not [...]

Comments Off

Clearing Your Digital Clutter

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:21-06:00May 22nd, 2019|Categories: Decluttering, Organizing Tips|Tags: electronic files, email inbox, purge, smart phone|

Clutter is clutter whether you can actually touch it or not. Our minds get cluttered with information that we no longer need and when we sleep, our minds purge the excess. When our homes become cluttered, we typically go on a purging spree. But what about our digital clutter? We are living in the digital age and a lot of information that we rely on every day comes in a non-physical form. We can touch the electronic devices where this data resides but we can’t actually touch the data itself. These devices can become cluttered very quickly with data we [...]

Comments Off

What Approach Should I Use to Begin to Declutter my Home?

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:22-06:00April 10th, 2019|Categories: Decluttering, Organizing Tips|Tags: declutter, downsizing, organizing process, storage, strategy|

This is a common question I hear from new clients. The answer is not simple. There is no one size fits all answer to this question. In fact, there are very few scenarios in life where one size fits all. The approach you use to declutter your home will likely be different from anyone else. Your situation is different from others so your approach will have a different strategy. Not everyone needs a whole house declutter. Some just have areas that are clutter magnets and need some tweaking to existing solutions. Others may need to declutter their home from top [...]

Comments Off

How to Clear Out a Home to Sell After a Death

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:22-06:00March 27th, 2019|Categories: Decluttering, Organizing Tips|Tags: accumulation, after a death, grief, plan, sell a home, team|

Have you ever had to clear out a home to sell after a death? If so, then you know how much there is to do. You also know that it’s an emotional journey. We learn things about our loved ones that we didn’t know as we cull through their things. These things are small pieces of their lives that live on through the memories they leave behind. Several years ago, I had to clear out a home to get it ready to sell after my aunt passed away. I was her caregiver, although I didn’t live with her, for 8 [...]

Comments Off