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5 Tips for Organizing Gift Wrap

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5 Tips for Organizing Gift Wrap Title

Gift wrap organization is often a challenge in many homes.   I’ve seen wrap and bags ruined by being stored behind or under items in closets or cabinets, or damaged by temperature changes in basements or attics.  Gift wrap doesn’t seem to have an obvious home, so here are some tips and storage ideas.

Store gift wrapping supplies near where you use them

If you wrap in a home office, the office closet may be the best location.  If you wrap in the dining room, the dining buffet cabinet may be a good choice.  Think about where and when you need to access these items.

Keep all gift supplies together

In addition to long rolls of wrap, gift supplies can include various sizes of gift bags, tissue paper, bows, ribbon, tape, scissors and greeting cards.  Assign one place for all of these items.

Store in a climate controlled and clean area

Paper can easily disintegrate, wrinkle, or be ruined by dust, moisture, temperature changes or pests.  To keep it all clean and usable, do not store these items in a non-climate controlled area such as a basement, garage, or attic.

Sort, purge & categorize your gifting supplies

Once you’ve gathered all supplies together, sort through them and recycle or donate anything that you don’t see yourself using.  Next, categorize items by type, size, and possibly by holiday.  Most people find it helpful to separate birthday wrap from Christmas wrap.  Next, if you feel you need more supplies for upcoming events, buy them now, and add those to your gift wrap supplies collection.

Decide on the right storage product for your needs

The gift storage product you use will depend on how much you have and the location where you would like to store the supplies.  Sometimes a clear plastic lidded bin, a basket or fabric bin on a shelf or in a cabinet, or a long underbed box is all that is needed.  For larger collections, you may want a gift wrap cart, a back of the door wall rack, or a hanging gift wrap organizer.  Smaller boxes like this card keeper can be used to store greeting cards.  Ribbon can be stored in ribbon boxes or hung on a ribbon storage rack.

Once you have all of your gift wrapping supplies organized in one place, you will find it much less stressful to prepare for special events, holidays and birthdays, making the gift-giving experience even more enjoyable.

On Task Organizing, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Laundry Room Storage Tips

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Laundry Room Storage Tips Title
The laundry room is often one of the smaller spaces in a home.  Whether you have a dedicated laundry room, or a small laundry closet, some of these storage products and tips can help improve organization in that area.

Laundry Room Storage Tips

Place a thin rolling cart in between or next to the washer and dryer,

Hang the ironing board and iron on the back of the door with an over the door ironing board holder or use a stowaway in-wall ironing board cabinet .

Use an over-the-washer shelf for storing detergents.

If you have wire shelving in your laundry room, add a shelf liner to prevent spills and drips from detergents and powders.

If you have a wire shelf in your laundry room, a hanging under shelf basket will add a great storage spot for laundry supplies.

If there’s a clothing rod, use a folding clip dryer for air-drying delicates.

A retractable clothesline is also helpful for air drying items.

A wall-mounted accordion clothes drying rack is another great option for drying clothing.

Use space-saving stackable laundry baskets.

Pop-up laundry hampers are also space saving because they can be easily folded when not in use.

For managing large bottles of laundry detergent, try the laundry soap station.

If you store smaller bottles cleaning supplies in your laundry room, try storing them in a cleaning caddy.

Hang a hanger hamper from a closet rod or hook on the wall.

Create extra storage space along the walls by adding floating shelves to hold laundry supplies or decorative items.

The top shelves or cabinets in most laundry rooms are difficult to reach.  Use these spaces to store infrequently used items inside bins or baskets, or designate these shelves or cabinets for paper goods that you may buy in bulk such as paper towels and toilet paper.

On Task Organizing, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Organizing Decorations for all Seasons

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organizing decorations for all seasons title

Decorating for all seasons brings beauty and fun to each holiday.  Many people decorate their homes year-round, and they need a functional way to store decorations when not in use.  Decorations may be needed for holidays such as New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Graduations, Pool Parties, Birthdays, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and more.  With so many holidays, there’s a constant shuffle of what needs to be displayed or stored.  Here are some tips for safely storing your seasonal decorations so you can find everything throughout the year.

Guidelines for Storing Seasonal Decorations

Determine a Storage Location for Decorations

Choose just one or two locations to store all of your holiday decorations.  I only suggest 2 locations because you may want to store indoor and outdoor decorations separately.  Think about a space that is easy for you to access, and a space that is large enough to hold your decoration collection. Large closets often work best.

Store Indoor Decorations in a Climate Controlled Area

Outdoor decorations are usually fine when stored in a garage, shed, attic, or basement.  To prevent damage from temperature changes, indoor decorations should be stored in a climate controlled area such as a climate controlled storage unit, inside a hall closet, bonus room closet, or guest room closet.

Use Shelving

To prevent stacking, use shelving so you can easily slide items in and out of the storage area.  Hardware stores offer both adjustable freestanding or wall shelving systems.

Create a Container for Each Holiday

Ideally, each holiday will have its own bin or container, so you can keep everything together.  Obviously, some holidays may have multiple containers.  If you do not have enough items from one holiday to fill an entire box, decorations from the same season such as Halloween and Thanksgiving could be stored together in a box labeled “Fall Decorations”.

Label Everything

Be sure to label each shelf and each bin or container, to save time searching for items.  This makes it easier to retrieve or put away decorations in the proper location.

Color Code or Use Clear Bins

If you prefer, you may want to color-code these boxes with black and orange bins for Halloween, red and pink bins for Valentine’s Day, etc.  Colors are easier to see than labels, however using clear bins is another way to help you see what is inside at a glance.

Use Specialty Storage Products for Odd Shaped Items

Decor such as wreaths, lights, artificial trees and other odd shaped items may need specialty storage products.  Invest in these storage products to prolong the life of your decor.  See the blog, 10 Tips for Organizing Holiday Decorations,  for more information.

Regularly Sort & Purge Decorations

At the end of each holiday, if you’ve bought new decor, or there are some items you know you will never use again, sell or donate those to make room for the new decorations.  If items start overflowing, buy a new container for that holiday, but only if you have the storage space for it.

If you need assistance in setting up an organized storage system for your holiday decorations, On Task Organizing offers hands-on organizing services in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, and virtual organizing services elsewhere.  Contact us for your free phone consultation to get started on your home organizing project.

Organizing Inventory in a Home Business

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Organizing Inventory in a Home Business Title
Running a business out of your home can be challenging, especially with space constraints and and a lot of inventory.  I have worked with home business owners selling a variety of items from their home.   I’ve helped organize inventory such as clothing, jewelry, make-up, skin care products, essential oils, gift baskets, sports equipment, cooking supplies, books and model cars.  No matter what the product, my clients have all had the same goals: to best utilize the space, and to have a functional system where they can quickly access supplies and fulfill customer orders.  Here are some of my tips on organizing inventory in a home business.

Tips for Organizing Inventory in a Home Business

Determine where to store items

Assess the space in your home and decide on the best location to store your business inventory, this may be in a bonus room, extra bedroom, closet, garage, attic or basement.  If you lack space in your home, you may need to rent an off site storage unit.

Consider climate controlled storage

Many products can be damaged if not stored in a climate controlled area.  Severe temperature changes, moisture, pests, dirt and dust can impact your inventory.  If this is a concern for you, check the temperature and insulation of your home inventory storage location, or request a climate controlled storage unit.

Stack vertically

Make the most of your storage space, by stacking inventory items vertically.  Sturdy metal shelves can provide efficient storage for home business inventory.

Label storage shelves

Label storage shelves by using numbers or letters, so an item can be quickly found.

Organize by type

Sort and organize your products by type, and store similar products together.

Label all boxes

Place text labels or digital photos on unlabeled boxes,  so you know what is inside each box.

Store popular products nearby

Store the most frequently sold items in the area that is easiest to access.

Set up “departments”

Layout your home office or storage area in “departments” such as incoming new inventory, inventory in storage, shipping and receiving.

Use software programs and apps such as these to help managing inventory

SOS Inventory

Cashier Live w/ Big Commerce

A well organized home business inventory will lower stress and improve productivity.  If you need assistance with organizing your home business, please contact us for a free phone consultation about our home and business organizing services including hands-on organization in the Raleigh, NC area and virtual organization to distant locations.

Pool & Beach Storage Tips

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Pool & Beach Storage Tips Title
As summer approaches, you may need to get your pool or beach items ready for the season.  If you have a backyard pool, neighborhood pool, or even a lake or beach nearby, you need to consider the best way to store and organize all of those wet items such as towels, rafts, goggles, sunscreen, and pool toys.  Here are some suggestions for storage products and ways to best organize pool and beach items.

Choose a space to store these types of items in your home such as a screened in porch, covered deck, laundry room, garage or mud room.  If you don’t have any of these areas, set up a storage space in a bathroom or along the wall near the door you most frequently use.

Hang extra hooks or towel rods in the area where you plan to hang wet towels in your home.  If necessary, set up a laundry drying rack specifically for wet towels and swimsuits.

Store rafts and floating toys in mesh bins.  If you need portability, try the Intex foldable mesh storage caddy.  For storing rafts by your pool, a poolside float organizer or rolling pool storage bins will work well.

Use mesh or waterproof bags to carry supplies to and from the pool or beach.  For individuals at the pool, Speedo swim bags or backpacks are a great option.  The Travel Happens Wet Bag is great for storing wet swimwear while traveling.

To make it easy for children to carry sand toys, try the EocuSun mesh drawstring backpack.

Be sure to have waterproof bag or case for your smart phone whenever you’re near the pool or beach.

For a neat way to carry small items like keys and sunscreen, and to bring your own pillow to the beach, try the L.A. Wedge beach & storage pillow.

Try using rolling beach carts or wagons to help make travel to and from the beach or pool much easier.

For a full day at the beach or pool, I recommend a cooler with wheels and a handle like this Igloo Island Breeze cooler with wheels.

With all of these available storage products, I hope some of them will make your summer trips easier, better organized, and more enjoyable.

On Task Organizing, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

7 Hacks for Living in Small Spaces

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7 Hacks for Living in Small Spaces title
Living in small spaces like dorms, studio apartments or starter homes can bring about organizing challenges.  Creating additional storage space can help your small living space become more organized and less cluttered.  Here are some of my suggestions for storage products and organizing techniques for living in small spaces.

7 Hacks for Living in Small Spaces

1.Make use of the space behind every door by using hanging shoe organizers to hold a variety of items such as hats, gloves, scarves, cleaning supplies, haircare supplies and pantry snacks.

2. Create space on the inside of kitchen cabinet doors by hanging hooks, baskets, or even magnetic boards or bulletin boards to hold various items.

3. Take advantage of vertical space by placing tall shelving units in your living area.

4. Invest in furniture with extra storage capacity such as an ottoman or coffee table that has hidden storage inside, a bed frame with under-bed drawers, or a headboard with shelves.

5. Use furniture that serves a dual purpose such as a futon or fold-out sofa.

6. If you have space above your cabinets or fridge, store excess items in decorative bins or baskets there.

7. Always have a folding step stool in the your dorm, home or apartment so you can easily reach items stored on tall shelves and above cabinets.

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