No Storage Room???

Sometimes when I am talking to new clients, over the phone, they are not sure what they really want to do with there storage space and how to make it work..." that is what I am for " you say... true true but remembering for a minute that the clients house is their home ... 

Before starting any project you must get rid of as much clutter as possible... remember if you are not sure whether you want to keep it or throw it you can place those items in a box... get a thick black marker and put a date on top of 6-12 months from the day you put the items in .... if after all that time there are still things in the box that don't get used... donate them to charity or sell them online.

Next job is to measure up the area you are about to tackle....

Jump online to your favourite storage solution shops... here in Australia I use... Big W, Howard's Storage World, Bunnings, Ikea and Office Works to name a few. This step should help you find your best solutions to your needs.

The rule of thumb... if you are a renter make sure you chose solutions that you can take with you when you move... home owners make sure if you chose a storage solution that is a permanent fixture that it will make your life easier and is eye appealing not just because of the price... if it is an expensive solution just wait until you have the money or buy bit by bit if you can.

Remember at the end of the day you can always call me or email me if you have any obstacles or need help... send me a photo and I can offer some advice.

Nadene: phone: 0403800010  or email: nadene.prior@live.com.au 

The Garage

Ok ... so you have a garage... or maybe it is actually your storage/junk room.... You know when you watch a movie and the actor goes out to the garage to get in the car ... you look at the space they have and how clean it is ... no oil on the floor no junk all over the benches and definitely no stack of boxes in the corner that haven't been looked at in over 10 years...

1. If you are able to get your car in the garage... take it out.
2. Wheel the Wheelie bin into the garage and start getting rid of the old paint, terps etc that you know is past the useby date or will never get used.
3. Place items into the following categories: 1. Garage Sale Items  2. Rubbish for the Tip  3. Use full items for keepsake  4. Old items for charity  5. Recyclable / Creative items for making things with
4. Get the kids to help if you can.. make sure all items go into one of the above categories... try not to keep too much otherwise your efforts will just be in vein. 
5. With the items in the Garage Sale area... you should have enough to put a sign in the local paper or get the kids to just put up signs around the neighbourhood every Sunday till it is all gone... you can work on the garage at the same time as the garage sale.
6. I don't have to tell you what to do with the 2. Rubbish for the tip category do I????
7. Grab a couple of large 90L plus plastic containers with lids... put any large items such as material etc into these making sure to label them and put to one side for now.

In the Kitchen: Part 3

Open the cupboard underneath the sink: Ok what do you see .... is it a mess... This is cupboard in the kitchen which is most likely to attract nasty mess.... what I mean is chemicals for cleaning, rubbish bins and unwanted dish cloths etc.

Today we will focus on making this a more user friendly cupboard.

1.  Make sure if you store a bin in this area it has a lid. 
2. Place a few shelf savers in this cupboard so that you can use the full height of this cupboard.
3. Store Chemicals in a plastic container so they are all confined to one area... perhaps the top of the cupboard... or at the top of a shelf saver.
4. Keep plastic lidded containers in here with your dish-washing powder and soaps so that kids can't get the lids off. Looks better than packets as well.
5. Sore rubber gloves and scrubbing brushes in their own containers. If you look at the shelves they should be as clean as the fridge.. so contain the individual items in containers as if they were food.
6. Throw away old scourers and brushes that look like the dog has been playing with them... take pride and buy some fresh ones next time your at the store...most of theses items are only a $1 to buy... 
7. If you are going to keep your dustpan and shovel in this cupboard: recycle a grocery bag and store it in their.
8. Most of the time this cupboard is moist so don't store food items in here... if you are going to have a bin in this cupboard definitely don't store food in here.
9. Take pride.. when you buy cleaning cloths and brushes from the supermarket... don't just throw them in the draw or in the cupboard... give them a place.... make sure that when you finish using them for cleaning that you wash them and dry them out thoroughly before placing them back in the cupboard to avoid bacteria growing and nasty smells...if you are a paper towel freak like me then make sure you have a roll storer or stand for it so that you don't end up leaving the paper towel roll living on the bench etc.

Don't forget to visit the Love to be Organised website at www.lovetobeorganised.com.au