cut clutter

Garage Sale Tips: Clear Clutter With A Yard Sale

Posted March 25, 2009 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

garage saleGarage sale, tag sale, yard sale--whatever you call it, the garage or yard sale is part and parcel of the American way of life.

On sunny weekend mornings, slow-moving cars ("I brake for yard sales!") circle suburban neighborhoods as their occupants hunt baby toys and French-fry makers, auto parts and cocktail shakers.

If you're in active declutter mode, the next stop is your house! A yard sale can clear clutter and score some cash, but it helps to have a road map.

Try these tips for a successful yard sale:



Sew Organized: Declutter The Sewing Room

Posted December 5, 2008 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

The verdict is in: a big house is not the answer to the clutter problem.

Biggest culprit: CEO's sewing area. One small room. Two large closets face one another in the hall outside with facing mirrors. Perfect for storing fabric and supplies, and just the thing for checking fit and marking hems!

Except that who can pin a hem in the middle of this? Check out this unretouched photo to see the bitter, bitter truth!

Time to kick some clutter butt! Experts like Michelle Passoff recommend beginning with your biggest clutter challenge. I'm game! Spring is here and the wardrobe is empty. Let's get started!

Set Up Clutter Central!

Choose a workspace and sweep the counter clean, if you must. I've assembled my Clutter Central essentials: notebook computer, Perry the teddy bear, 3-by-5s for notes, planner, pens, boxes, black garbage bags, and boxes for storage and give away items.



Clothing Declutter: Who's Living In Your Closet?

Posted October 21, 2008 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

Once again, I mark the coming of autumn with a clothing closet declutter. I wade into the closet and find the boxes of out-of-season clothing. Try everything on, skin itching at the touch of wool when the temperature's 80 degrees.

Sort the summer's keepers from items to donate. Look for "holes" and orphans in my autumn wardrobe. Count the upcoming dinners and fund-raisers, and divide them by the number of my cocktail dresses. Try, for the 900th time, to locate some good transitional outfits: cool enough for warm autumn days, but not too summery or too bare.

A closet declutter is more a ritual celebration of the change of seasons. It's a time for reflection, a time to face up to changing identities. Who's living in your clothes closet?



Changing Seasons: Clothes Closet Declutter

Posted October 11, 2008 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

It's the time of the season: summer's heat begins to wane as shorter days, cooler temperatures herald the coming of autumn. What better time to head for those dim, dark, cool closets?

A closet clean-out clears the decks for the new season and gives even the most frazzled home manager a feeling of accomplishment.

Whether in the children's closets or in your own, follow these principles for efficient, organized clothing storage:



Declutter 101: Cut Clutter At Home

By Cynthia Townley Ewer
Editor, OrganizedHome.com
Author, Houseworks: Cut the Clutter, Speed Your Cleaning and Calm the Chaos

Here at OrganizedHome.Com, the e-mails arrive every week: "Help! I'm drowning in clutter and don't know where to begin!" Whether it's due to poor habits, a packrat spouse, or an advanced case of affluenza, too many home managers struggle under the burden of household clutter.

Clutter can clog the smooth workings of any home, imposing heavy costs on the household. Each day, time is lost searching for missing keys, phones or permission slips. A cluttered desk plays Hide The Credit Card Statement, yielding up the bill only after late fees are invoked. Belongings lost to clutter must be replaced, with the original surfacing just as soon as the replacement enters the house. Gotcha!

Time to declutter! But when you're peering over piles, mounds and stacks of stuff, it's hard to know where to begin and what to do.


The Clutter Within: What's Your Clutter Personality?

Posted April 27, 2008 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

It's silent. It's sneaky. It creeps about in corners: clutter. When the state of the house aggravates you to your last nerve, it's tempting to launch an all-out battle in the war against clutter.

First, though, know your enemy! There are as many reasons for household clutter as there are clutterers. As Pogo says, "We have seen the enemy, and he is us!"

Take aim on your household's clutter problem by going to the root of the problem: your own thinking.

What's your clutter personality ... and which of these internal voices strikes a chord?



Store It! Create A Household Storage Plan

Posted September 9, 2007 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

How to handle household storage? It's a battle. You, the innocent home manager, want only to find holiday decorations or seasonal clothing. Your nemesis? Bins and bags and boxes. Crammed cabinets, bursting basements, and inaccessible attics. The Garage from The Black Lagoon. For most of us, an efficient household storage system seems like an impossible dream.

Squeezed by the storage shuffle, many home managers yearn for larger quarters. Let me burst the bubble (as one who knows): a bigger house is not the answer. Stored stuff has an amazing bread-dough quality--it rises to fill the space available, and then makes a sticky mess as it slops over the sides of the container. No matter how many closets, cupboards or square feet of attic space, surplus stuff will find a way to take over while your back is turned.

The answer? A household storage plan. Yes, it will take some work, but the principles involved are as easy as ABC:



Save Time, Cut Clutter With A Kitchen Declutter

Posted September 9, 2007 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

Open the cabinets and you know it's time!

Pudding mixes perch on top of the cereal, showering down onto the head of a sleepy, squawking teen each morning. To reach the oatmeal pan, you must shove aside a stack of pizza coupons, the bread machine pan and a glass jar of pickles. The top of the refrigerator is a greasy, dusty jumble of unfinished crafts projects, the dog's leash, empty prescription bottles, broken toys and fast-food drink cups.

Time to declutter the kitchen! Here are our best tips for streamlining and sorting kitchen clutter:



Master Bathroom Declutter: Easy as A-B-C!

Posted September 7, 2007 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

12:15 p.m.
Location: a master bathroom in any suburban location. Goal: a clean, uncluttered space for personal care.

Home to grooming rituals and personal care chores--and heir to all sorts of oddments and obsessions--a master bathroom can hold surprises of all sorts.

Time to cut the clutter with a session of sorting, tossing and decision-making. A simple A-B-C concept will make short work of organizing the bathroom's limited space.