Things that Live in the Attic

Let’s discuss one of the most dreaded spaces in even the most organized person’s home. The attic…where things go to die in the Louisiana heat. When we moved into our last house, we promised ourselves we would only use our attic for holiday decorations because we have a ton. Name a season and I could probably compete with Hobby Lobby.

I absolutely love changing the décor in my house for each holiday or season. With that you need a lot of space, a lot of different size odd shaped boxes, a lot of labeling and a very nice spouse or friend willing to climb into the attic to help you haul it all down.

The attic is an area that can quickly slip into disarray because it is for the most part out of site and easily out of mind. It can become the “incase we need it” spot. The spot where we hide things.  The spot we store the stuff our kids will surely want as they get older.

When we moved, we realized we didn’t want or need 99% of things in our attic (decorations excluded). It was organized but it was organized junk.

Some people call this organized hoarding. This is a time when a professional organizer can help even the most organized person because once again the attic is an emotional tomb. If we put it in the attic there is a pretty good chance, we are tied to it emotionally.

Perhaps we want to keep the items presently stored in our attic but we have realized these items are not being stored properly and are ruining in this non-climate-controlled environment. This is when a professional organizer can help you visualize your spaces in a more efficient manner helping you find a better alternative storage location for these perishable items you hold so dearly.

The latest statistics show that there are 52,000 storage unit facilities across America.

What on earth is being stored in all of these units? These storage units far exceeded the amount of McDonalds in 2014.  Think about this a second. Don’t you feel like McDonalds are everywhere?

Now granted there is a time and a place for utilizing a storage unit. The average storage unit cost 1200 dollars a year. For this reason, we need to make sure we are storing things that actually hold the value of what we are paying to store them.

Try thinking about your attic space as if you were being charged. Would you pay for the things in the attic to be stored? If not it’s time to have someone help you sort through your things and decide what you should keep and ditch. Oh, and if you have a storage unit, they can help with that too! Even clutter we don’t see daily has a cost.

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Renovations

A couple of weeks ago we talked about why you need a professional organizer if you’re moving, but today we’re gonna talk about something that is just as stressful. Renovations.

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Perhaps you aren’t moving to a new location. Maybe you are renovating your current space. Many of us know families who had to rebuild after the floods in Baton Rouge and a year later in Houston. What an overwhelming experience! Martha-Carol and Lisa both flooded and know first-hand the trials and tribulations associated with these types of events.

Other renovations are not as involved as rebuilding an entire house or the first floor of a home but even renovating one room can be stressful. Regardless of the scope of your project, renovations are exhausting.

Example 1:

Your kitchen has lost its glam and function. You don’t know where to start but something must be done. Before heading to a kitchen show room, it would be wise to consider consulting a professional organizer. This professional can potentially save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars by helping you understand what is and most importantly is not working for your situation. A professional organizer can offer suggestions that you can then take to the kitchen show room to assist with your space planning.

Example 2:

You have done all the planning involved for your renovation and it is now time for the work to begin but before that can happen you need to empty the space and you do not have time to pack up. Before you start throwing items into an empty box think about hiring a professional organizer to pack your space. This professional will establish a plan that will make unpacking a pleasant and productive experience. You might even find you don’t need as much space as you initially thought to store your items as they can help you purge the unwanted items before the renovation even begins.

Example 3:

You have saved money and spent time collecting ideas for your renovation, you picked out new finishes and appliances, dealt with your contractor and subcontractors, eaten out for a month and now it is complete. It is everything you have dreamt it to be and you are too tired to even think about moving back into the space or where to put your things. You just want to prepare a homecooked meal for your family. This is a great example of when an organized person can feel unorganized. Much like moving, you long for normal and are too worn out to achieve it effectively. A professional organizer can help you plan your space making sure it is organized in the most functional way.

Have we convinced you of our organizational super powers yet?! Give us a ring for a consultation!

The Dreaded 3 D's

What are the dreaded 3 D’s you ask? Our guest blogger, Amber, is back to tell us why a professional organizer is the best person to help!

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Although it is difficult to discuss there are three situations that immediately bring consideration for hiring a professional organizer.  Downsizing, divorce, and death. All of these words stir up some serious emotions and rightly so. Moving is such a stressful time to begin with but moving tied to a life altering event can be devastating, overwhelming and paralyzing.

Many of us find ourselves wanting to help family and friends during these times and that help might best be found in a professional organizer. The right professional can help you help your loved ones. When someone has been in the same house for many years the process of sorting through the treasures, we feel define all we have done and who we are is quite frankly mind-boggling. Tie this to the loss of the person who shared this with us and it can become impossible to even begin to sort into simple categories. Even if you are incredibly organized, this is a time your super powers could use a sidekick. 

As we discussed previously with children’s rooms anytime you are dealing with someone else’s belongings it is incredibly helpful to have someone who can help you separate the emotions.

Call the professional organizers at Chaos Organizing today for a consultation!

Moving

Amber is back again with some very insightful reasons on why a professional organizer is KEY to a successful and stress-free move!

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A move. Yes, just typing the word MOVE makes me shudder…you, too right?

Last June we were informed we were being transferred from Houston to Taiwan and that transfer was happening in July! YES, JULY!!

This required dividing all of our things into categories. Now mind you we are a typical family of four with many things to divide. We had things that would go into climate controlled storage for three years, things we would give to family, subdivided into piles according to which family member, things we would bring with us in our luggage, things that would come to us in Taiwan via airfreight three weeks after our arrival, things we would sell, things we would donate and last but not least trash anyone? Is your head spinning yet? Mine did for weeks.

I realized being super organized is hard because you tend to overthink the categories. We may have had a few more piles than the average person moving but a local move can also send your mind into overload.

Oftentimes this packing event happens while your house is simultaneously on the market with showings happening at a moment’s notice. This requires an additional level of organization as potential buyers are checking out all of your private areas like your closets. That’s right, buyers will be looking in your cabinets and closets! No more throwing things behind closed doors.

Looking for a way to calm this chaos? A professional organizer is the solution. These experts understand the challenges you face with a move and pending sale. A professional organizer can help you develop solutions to quickly sort, donate, and pack your belongings. They will also teach you tricks for getting your family out of the door efficiently leaving your property in model home status within a moment’s notice. Most importantly, they will do it in the most gentle and comforting way.

What is worse than packing? Unpacking. Put simply, moving is exhausting.

Moving into a new home presents its own challenges. Now you have a new place with new storage and a new flow. How are you going to use this new space? Consider how amazing it could be if you could have someone come in and help you create your most functional house from the very beginning. A professional organizer can do just that!

While you are overwhelmed and tired and charged with duties like getting your family settled into a new job, school, routine, a professional organizer can unpack your belongings and help you get the most use of your new space.

Sounds like a dream doesn’t it?

Nature Vs. Nurture

Welcome back, my fellow organizers! Last week, we introduced our guest blogger, Amber, who is taking us on a very organized journey. Today it’s all about the kids and why THEY need an organizer!

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Let’s discuss children’s bedrooms and playrooms.

How is it possible that the organization gene didn’t get passed on to at least one or all of our kids?  I have an eleven-year-old daughter. Despite the fact her mother and father both have way too many organization genes that gene somehow skipped right over her.  And when a child collector meets head to head with a minimalist parent sparks are sure to fly.

Stuffed animals are my sworn enemy. Most people see cute little animal toys. I see dust collectors, space invaders with eyes. So, I ask…How many stuffed animals should you allow your child to keep? How long should you keep these dust mite homes? I mean, try throwing away stuffed animals belonging to an eleven-year-old girl…you will likely have a better chance of getting your hands on the Declaration of Independence!

Like many other mothers, a small wave of anxiety comes over me every time I decide to grab a rake and go into my daughters’ room to clean. She loves little things, erasers, barbie shoes, pieces of paper, and slime, oh the slime, so much slime. I literally have a panic attack thinking about cleaning her room worried I will accidentally throw away the most important thing in her life.

This my friends are times when a professional organizer could come in to help me.

Someone to declutter and clean with my daughter. Someone more effective than her parents. An organizer can help find ways to store stuffed animals and all the little things while guiding her through the keep, donate, trash steps. Sometimes a simple suggestion to donate a toy to someone for next year’s Mardi Gras parade float is all it takes to get it out of your house.  

This is the gift I want to give my daughter. This gift will give her power over her space while teaching her the value in her space. The best part?? It is achieved with the help of a professional not her mother so the eye rolling would be cut at least 50%!

This is also a great gift for a teen. Mom is off their backs and they end up with a clean space to study and work all while feeling in control of the decisions being made leading to a better chance of the space staying organized.

WIN-WIN!