reorganize

Mar

2020

Things To Get Rid Of To Improve Your Home

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Feeling bored? If you are one of the millions of people out there who are in a lockdown because of the coronavirus, now is the perfect time to clean and organize your home. A clean house is good for you and your overall wellbeing. Just look around you, for sure, there are things to get rid of to improve your home.

When your environment is clean you feel happy, motivated and healthy.
– Lailah Gifty Akita

According to a study by Nicole R. Keith, PhD, associate professor of Indiana University; people who live in cleaner houses are healthier and more active. On the contrary, another study reveals that people who live in cluttered areas are more likely to be depressed. Clutter affects people’s feelings and satisfaction about life.

Normally, people are so busy that they don’t have enough time to clean and declutter the house. That is the reason why things just accumulate over time. If you want a better and healthier life, take advantage of this time to get rid of things or clutter in your house. Here are top 10 things that you need to get rid of as starters:

1. Expired Food

Go through your refrigerator and your pantry. Avoid health risks by getting rid of anything that is already expired! If there are foods that you don’t eat, it is much better to give them away so that someone else can enjoy them.

2. Expired Medicine

Do you have any unused or expired medicines in your cabinet? You really have no use for expired medicine. It is best that you throw them away. Check the dates on the labels of each box or bottle. The ones that you will still keep should be properly labeled. Take inventory of those that you no longer need such as pain relievers or antibiotics. It is recommended that you throw them away also. Remember, they are prescribed specifically for you. It is not wise to let others take the medicines that was originally intended for you.

3. Expired Beauty Products

So, you can’t bear to part with an half-consumed expensive beauty product that you bought a year ago. Unfortunately, hanging on to expired beauty products might be doing your skin more harm than good. They might even become the cause of a skin problem.

In a study published by the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, results showed that about 70% of women in the study used expired beauty products and that 67% of the make-up samples used by these women were contaminated. If you use expired beauty product, there is a big probability that it is contaminated.

4. Clothes You Don’t Use

You might have shoes or clothes that you don’t wear anymore that are just taking up space in your closet. If you do, this is the best time to get rid of them. They may be outdated or do not fit anymore. Whatever the reason is, if you have not used them for over a year now, that’s a clear sign that you should get rid of them already.

5. Old Magazines

Let’s face it, you are not going to re-read old magazines or subscriptions. Before they even pile up and start cluttering your home, why not donate them instead to local charities, schools, libraries or free clinics?

6. Unused Plastic or Bottle Containers

It is always best to recycle plastic and bottle containers. However, if you have kept them for so long and they are still unused up to this time, it is best that you dispose of them already. Just may sure to dispose of them properly so that they can be recycle elsewhere. There are companies that buy unused plastic and bottle containers for recycling.

7. Outdated or Broken Technology

If you have old or outdated technology, that is considered an eWaste, short for electronic waste. These kind of waste can be extremely harmful to the environment because of the materials used in its production such as lead, mercury and arsenic. So, if you have old technology at home such us gadgets, TV remotes, cords, chargers and many others; it is best that you dispose of them properly. Include used and old batteries that are just lying around.

8. Old Toys

Throw away broken toys. Donate old toys that are no longer in used but are in still good condition so that you can make other children who are less fortunate a little happy. With the new toys that the children received over the years, they won’t notice if some of the old toys went missing.

9. Paper Clutter

Even in this digital day and age, you have probably still accumulated a lot of paper clutter in the house. Sort them out and throw away old newspapers, receipts, pamphlets, brochures, old bills, your children’s test papers and scribbled notepads.

10. Other Broken Items

Do you have any other broken furniture or items like chipped mugs, pens that are not working or broken jewelries in the house? Now is the best time to get rid of those. Remove clutter and get rid of items that are useless, broken and can no longer be repaired nor be given as gifts.

Edited Version. First published in Pinoy Smart Living 01.07.2019.
Feature Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay Images.

Jan

2020

5 Tips on How to Get A New Wardrobe

Reading Time: 4 minutes

If your closet is crowded because of too many clothes and you’re not wearing most of them, then it’s time to clean out your closet and get a new wardrobe. If you’ve just graduated from college and need clothes to go to work, or you’ve lost weight and your old clothes don’t fit you anymore, or if you just want to look differently to align with your future goals, then a new wardrobe is a good idea.

Here are some tips to get you started on getting a new wardrobe.

1. Review Your Lifestyle

Take a look at your daily schedule and see what activities you often do. Do you exercise daily? Then you need some exercise clothes. Does your office require corporate attire?

Then to dress for success, you will need some tops, bottoms and a blazer or a suit for your daily work. Assess the kind of clothes that you need for daily activities as these will be the items that you will need to invest in first.

Of course, you will need to put in your list some clothes for activities like going out to dinner with friends or for swimming or clothes for the airport if you travel a lot. Consider the types of footwear that you will need to go with each clothing category too.

2. Declutter Your Closet

Now that you have an assessment of what clothes you need to for your lifestyle, it’s time to do the same for your closet. Sort them out according to the different activities that you use them for. Then for each category, decide which ones you can keep for your new wardrobe and which ones to toss, sell or give away.

You will need to be ruthless about deciding which clothes to actually keep and let go of because this is the only way you can make room for new items in your closet. If you want to achieve the lifestyle that you truly want, then you can start by dressing for success. Tailoring your closet staples to your goals is a good first step.

3. Create a Plan

Clearing out your close space should help you declutter your mind as well. Then it’s time to sit down with a pen, paper and a calculator and create a plan.

First, review the clothes you are keeping and list down what clothing items you need to buy in order to complete your ward robe. If you’re aiming for a promotion to girl boss, consider these tips on power dressing must-haves. If you’re just starting out to build your wardrobe, then check if you already have the basic pieces in your closet or check out the must have’s for a man’s wardrobe or a woman’s wardrobe.

Next, you will need to create a budget for the new clothes you will buy. Figure out what each item of clothing costs and how much you will need in total to buy them all. Remember to look for good quality items so that they will last for a long time. Your wardrobe is an investment after all. Then, see how much of your budget you can save for new clothes each month.

4. Go Shopping

Once you’ve figured out your shopping list and your budget, you can set your plan of attack. You can decide to save until you can buy all of the items you need in one go. Or you can buy one to two items each month.

A good tip is to shop in different stores instead of the ones you used to go to. This way, you can see different clothing styles and even sharpen your fashion sense as to what combinations of styles you can do for your own wardrobe. Consider these tips on how to look expensive on a budget.

Remember to buy the ones you need at the moment first and save up on buying the others items that you will need for a later season.

5. Organize Your New Wardrobe

Now that you have new clothes in your closet, it’s time to organize your closet again. This time, display all the clothing items that you will use daily. You can mix and match them or color coordinate them if you want. You can also start pairing them up with the accessories and shoes and bags that you have.

There will be clothes that you won’t use as yet so store them neatly so you that easily take them out when you’re ready to wear them for the next season.

Once you’ve completed your wardrobe staples, then go ahead and enjoy the experience. In the future, if you decide to change your style and create your own, then you will have an easier time in making the transition.

We hope these wardrobe tips help you get ready to work on your goals every day. We would love to hear about your wardrobe transformations too. If you already have a wardrobe , then check out these tips on how to organize your wardrobe.

First published on Pinoy Smart Living 07.27.2019.
Original photo by Alyssa Strohmann on Unsplash.

Jan

2020

Tips to Organize Your Wardrobe

Reading Time: 2 minutes

We all need our clothes, shoes and bags for our daily work but we don’t need all of them all the time. The changing seasons also means that we use a different set of our wardrobe for a different season. Here are 5 tips to organize your wardrobe. An organized wardrobe keep your stuffs in order and keep clutter at bay.

1. Store Off Season Clothes

If it’s summer don’t keep clothes for cold season on the rack or on your shelves. Store them away so you can keep them clean and not have to pick them up on the floor every time you’re choosing what to wear. This keeps them in good condition and saves space in your closet. You can then take them out when it’s the season to wear them and store the previous season’s clothes away.

2. Organize Your Closet

Sort your clothes and decide what organizers you need and what your closet or cabinet allows. For example, if your closet has a hanging rod but you want more shelving, then you can buy hanging shelving to store clothes you don’t want stretched out on hangers. You can do the same for bags and other accessories

3. Use a Garment Rack

To clear more space in your closet, use a garment rack to hang clothes you use most of the time such as your favorite jacket, blazer or shawl; your go-to jeans and blouse, etc. You can also hang your favorite accessories here such as your fave scarf, hat, sunglasses, handbag, etc. The floor space can be used to line up your shoes too.

4. Organize Your Accessories

Gather your accessories and sort them out. Do you have a lot of bracelets or watches? You can DIY an accessory organizer customized to your collection so you can easily display them on your dresser or DIY separators to organize them neatly in your drawers. You can also DIY or purchase a jewelry organizer that you can hang in your closet or on a wall to save more space. You can also hang your scarves and belts for easier access. This makes it easier to see what you have so you can easily decide what to use.

5. Display Your Shoes

If you have the wall space, use tension rods to display your shoes or get shoe organizers the you can hang on your door. This means you don’t have to go thru boxes each time you need to select what shoes to wear with your outfit.

These quick tips to organize your wardrobe might take some work but it’s all worth it. If you can see what clothes and accessories you have, you will be able to use all of them. Having them organized also lets you spend less effort trying to remember what you have and searching for what you want. Remember that you only need a few basic pieces in your closet to stay stylish and chic.

First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 04.20.2019
Feature Image: Original Photo by Yasmine Boheas on Unsplash