downsize Archives - SOS: Simple Organized Solutions LLC

Storage and Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2022-05-09T10:02:33-05:00May 11th, 2022|Categories: Decluttering|Tags: disposal, downsize, organize, recycle, safety|

Helping people downsize and/or organize their homes always includes managing household hazardous waste. This is something that most people don’t think about often, or maybe not at all. These common products used to maintain our homes, yards, and vehicles can cause damage to humans, pets, wildlife and the environment if not stored or disposed of properly. In and around St Louis, Missouri, we have 2 facilities where we can safely dispose of household hazardous waste. If you live elsewhere, I’m thinking there may be a facility near you. I encourage you to do some investigation to find one. If you’re [...]

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The Cost of Getting Rid of Things

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2021-11-17T09:57:10-06:00November 17th, 2021|Categories: Decluttering|Tags: cluttered, donated, downsize, organizing process, recycling, trash|

As I help clients to downsize their belongings, the biggest part of the process is decluttering, or getting rid of things. Decluttering comes in various forms such as donation, recycling - which can be a form of donation, returning borrowed items, gifting, and trash. Some things are in good condition and can be donated. Other things that are not worthy of donation, that can be recycled, go into the recycle bin. Then there are things to discard that are just plain trash. Getting rid of things can be expensive. I’m not talking about throwing out things via your weekly trash [...]

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Recycling Hard Cover Books

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2021-08-20T13:08:22-05:00August 25th, 2021|Categories: Recycle|Tags: curbside recycling, donation, downsize|

Recycling hard cover books? My book loving friends may be aghast at this idea, but sometimes it’s necessary. The main reason is probably when downsizing your belongings, especially to move to a smaller home. There are times when I’m helping a client to downsize, and they have a lot of books - paperback and hard cover books, and also magazines. Some of their books have seen better days and are not in good enough shape to donate, which is the best form of recycling. As I just mentioned, the best way to recycle is donation, as is typically the case [...]

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How to Recycle Fabrics

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2021-07-12T15:10:32-05:00July 14th, 2021|Categories: Recycle|Tags: clothes, donation, downsize, resale|

When I’m working with clients to downsize their belongings, the subject of how to recycle fabrics almost always comes up. Most clients want their unwanted things to go to a good home. There are always instances when we do have to trash items that are broken and can’t be recycled. Then the subject of what can be recycled comes up. Most are surprised when they learn that fabrics can be recycled, not in their curbside pickup bins, but in other places. According to the EPA’s 2017 Data tables on Advancing Sustainable Materials Management, in 2017, 16,890 tons of textiles were generated—only [...]

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Storage Furniture Works Great in Small Spaces

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:09-06:00October 28th, 2020|Categories: Storage|Tags: clutter, containers, downsize, save space, storage|

Storage furniture is not just for small spaces, but it does work well if that is your situation. You may be asking what I mean by that term. Just like containers, there are a lot of pieces of furniture that would fall into the storage category. The obvious pieces of storage furniture are bookcases, cabinets, armoires, dressers, desks, etc. There are also not so obvious pieces such as storage ottoman’s, benches and beds with built-in drawer’s underneath that do double duty. These pieces of furniture double as storage so you get more bang for your buck and save space at [...]

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Those Mysterious Keys – Where do They All Belong?

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:09-06:00October 21st, 2020|Categories: Decluttering|Tags: distractions, downsize, purging, recycling|

We all have mysterious keys that we find in our homes that we don’t know what lock they belong to. This happens a lot while we are purging. Perhaps we decide to downsize for whatever reason, or we are clearing out the home of a loved one that passed away. Finding mysterious keys tucked away in drawers all over the house derails us from our purging to contemplate which locks they belong to, it’s a distraction. We can’t get rid of them if we don’t know what they unlock, or we may never be able to unlock, or start something [...]

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Creating a Staging Area to Downsize For a Move

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:11-06:00September 2nd, 2020|Categories: Decluttering, Downsizing|Tags: donation, downsize, move, recycling, stored|

So just what exactly is a staging area? Here is the definition according to the Merriam Webster dictionary – ‘an area in which participants in a new especially military operation or mission are assembled and readied’. Of course, downsizing for a move is not a military operation, however, some similarities can be drawn. A staging area is a designated area, and the participants are actually items that are stored until they can be removed from a home. The first step in the downsizing process is to designate space for a staging area. As mentioned above, this area is where [...]

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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, [...]

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4 Reasons Why Attic Storage is Not a Good Idea

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:11-06:00August 19th, 2020|Categories: Downsizing, Storage|Tags: downsize, move, organization, solutions, storage|

There are many companies that provide attic storage solutions. Most of what I’ve seen in these solutions look like good ideas in terms of storage and organization. Installing these solutions, and then accessing the items, may make you rethink the solution. As with anything in life, there are pros and cons with attic storage. In my experience, there are not many pros that I could find if I decided to actually make a list. Most of my clients that use attic storage, put items up there and then forgot about them. Many years later, when they’re in their golden years [...]

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Navigating The Waters of Estate Sale Companies

By SOS Simple Organized Solutions|2020-11-17T13:41:11-06:00August 12th, 2020|Categories: Downsizing|Tags: downsize, move, overwhelm, reduce stress, resources|

Estate sale companies are not used solely when someone passes away to clear out a home. The name is actually a misnomer since many people use them as a resource when they move. Most everyone that I know downsizes, or reduces the amount of their belongings when they move to a new home. A lot of times when people downsize to move to a smaller home, they have excess that they feel could be sold instead of donating to a charity. However, they may not know how to, or want to do all the work associated with conducting a sale. [...]

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