home organization | Bradshaw GroupBradshaw Group

Category: home organization (6)

Jan

Clear Your Clutter

A new year is a great time for a fresh start! What do you need to do to get your home in better shape for 2019? Many have jumped on the Kondo bandwagon with the launch of Marie Kondo’s new show on Netflix – “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” The show offers practical steps to address clutter that are useful if you want to enjoy your space more or to prepare for a move.

EVERYONE HAS CLUTTER

Whether you have a little or a lot, there’s surely an area (or more!) in need of TLC. We’re not here to suggest you aim for perfection, but we do love the idea of passing along items you no longer need. There are so many wonderful local charities that would benefit from your in-kind donations. Let us know if you need names of organizations to come pick your items up!

MAKING WAY FOR A MOVE

For those of you preparing for an upcoming move, particularly sellers, decluttering is a MUST. The first impression of your home is everything! When potential buyers don’t feel at ease in your space their attention shifts to your mess instead of the high points your home has to offer. We will work with you to get tidy before listing. If it’s a big job, we’ve got folks we can call in – like JDog Junk Removal or a professional stager to suggest ways to organize. Call on us anytime at 913.402.2599!

* HOMEOWNER TIP *

Find a place where you can tuck away a trash bag or box. When you come across items you no longer use, drop them in right away! This is a super easy way to collect on a regular basis. As your bags/boxes get full, call for a pick up and keep future clutter at bay!

Aug

Organization 101: Get Ready for Back to School

It’s almost time to send kids back to school and with that transition comes a change in routine at home. The start of the school year is always a busy time as everyone readjusts and works back into a school-year schedule. For many families, this requires additional planning with schedule changes to accommodate homework, sports and other extracurricular activities.

Before you find yourself in the thick of it, spend a little time looking ahead at your family calendar and identify ways to make this change smoother. If you’re a family that will be on-the-go a lot after school, perhaps weekly meal-planning and cooking on the weekends could be a game changer for you. For those of you who anticipate busy afternoons at home juggling homework, dinner prep and other house demands, maybe a snack station would take something off your plate.

Then there’s the paperwork that comes with school – and we’re not talking about homework! For those of you with one or more in grade school or higher, you know backpacks stuffed with papers, notifications and such are headed your way! Create a space to manage these before they become counter clutter. Search “organize school papers” on Pinterest and you’ll get more ideas that you’ll know what to do with! And while you’re at it, make a plan for special papers you want to hang onto throughout the year.

Evaluate your home as a whole. If you can set some time aside to tidy drawers, closets, your refrigerator, pantry and garage, you’ll quickly find yourself in a more organized space. We’re not suggesting a huge spring clean here, but you’ll be amazed how much clutter accumulates over summer! Even a few minutes spent in each area of the home can go a long way toward a fresh start to the school year. We wish you and your kiddos a great 2016-17!

For more back-to-school and home organization tips, visit our Get Organized board on Pinterest!

Jun

Summer Vacation Organization

School’s out for summer! For those of you with students at home, this means you have just been inundated with all the school materials recently sent home. Here are a few ideas to help you weed through things and get organized and on with your summer fun!

File Your Favorites: Go through special papers from the year with your children and decide which items they want to keep. Depending on what you have, buy a folder or storage box for each child, label it for the year and tuck it away.

Laurie gets a tub for each of her kids at the beginning of the school year for papers and marks it at the end of the year before storing in their basement. Whether it’s a folder, box or tub, this is a good spot to keep report cards and conference notes, as well as any awards and memorabilia. Everything will be kept together by grade, which will make it easier to find later!

Reuse, Recycle: As for leftover school supplies, can any items be set aside for next year? If not, can you use the supplies for summer art projects? You might also consider donating items that are in good condition to a local charity. From there, recycle what’s left and trash items that can’t be repurposed.

The key here is to set aside some time to tackle this project soon and get it out of the way before it becomes clutter! It won’t take long and it’s also a good excuse to spend some one-on-one time with your kids reviewing the year before moving on to summer and the grade ahead. Here’s to a great summer for all!

Aug

Back-to-School Organization Tips

Students across the metro are starting back to school this week and next. This period of transition can be hectic as families transition from summer schedules to routines of school, homework and extracurricular activities. Here are a few suggestions to help make this time of year a little easier around your home.

Plan Ahead for Peace of Mind

Afternoons and evenings are busy, but any time you can devote to preparing for the next day will make a smoother morning for everyone. Layout clothes and make lunches the night before when you can. If special items are needed for school or an extracurricular activity, set them aside before bed, too. This way in the morning, everyone can grab and go!

If your family cooks at home most nights, preparing a meal plan over the weekend and doing some prep work then can also ease some weeknight stress. Make your own plan, or steal one of these!

Keep a Calendar

Family calendars are key to home organization. Whether your family prefers a paper calendar or digital format doesn’t matter. It’s important to choose the style that fits your family best so everyone will use it as a resource. If a paper calendar is what you like, consider a large paper wall calendar or white board calendar that you can color code for each family member. If digital is your preference, here’s some good info to get a calendar started today.

Photo: Lowe’s

Fake a Mudroom

Mudrooms are popular in new construction homes. If you don’t have a designated mudroom in your home, fake one! Carve out a bit of space in your garage, laundry room or other home entry and use it to serve as an organizing station for your family. Ideally, you’ll have space to hang backpacks and coats, and place shoes and other gear. If space permits, make a column or section for each family member. This would be a great place to post that family calendar. Check out these “command centers” on Pinterest!

What works for your family? Share your back-to-school tips in the comments below!

Jan

How Are You Doing on Home Maintenance?

We’re halfway through the first month of 2014. Are you still sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions?

If being more organized was among your goals for the year, check out this calendar to help you care for your home. It provides guidance for how frequently home maintenance tasks need to be performed. Since your home is likely your largest investment, it’s smart to take steps to keep it in good order!

Use an app like BrightNest to help you remember these home management needs. This link also shows other handy apps for those DIY projects, like iHandyLevel, a free digital level, or Handy Man DIY, an app that allows you to enter room measurements to calculate how much paint, flooring or trim you need for your project.

Need more help? Consider registering with a free service like Home Spot to manage your home information. A service like this that can provide email alert maintenance and project reminders might be especially useful if you have multiple properties to keep track of. In addition to maintenance scheduling, it can store facts like parts, colors, services used and where you purchased materials to help you keep an ongoing record.

Here’s to a more organized 2014!