Two days ago, the East Coast had a rare earthquake scare and that very same night, this midwest girl’s bed shook in San Francisco. You would think that I would immediately know that I was experiencing my first small earthquake but no…. I thought there was someone under my bed! Seriously, I even got up and checked.
As organizers in San Francisco, we are finding that most of the homes that we work in all have a small area designated to earthquake preparedness. And by small, we mean water jugs full of water, dry food, blankets, flashlights, trashcans on wheels, emergency kits, etc., etc. We have quickly learned that one flashlight next to our bed doesn’t count as prepard for an earthquake. It works fine to scare of the monsters though!
Since we like everything to have a designated place and a lot of the items needed in an earthquake are small, we thought we would share some suggestions for ways to store your earthquake essentials.
We suggest putting them in a waterproof backpack so that it can be easily transportable and stored in compact spaces. Trust me, we tried to find a cute pink one to no avail, so green will have to do!
Another option would be a storage cart on wheels if you have more items than the amount that would fill a backpack.
Or for those of you who are minimalists, we love this retro first aid kit!
For more information on what you should have in your earthquake kit, visit this site
by admin on August 25th, 2011 | No Comments »
Filed under: Storage |
Tags: earthquakes,
kits,
Storage
“Octo-Mom” Nadya Suleman has made headlines for years after giving birth to eight children at one time, but lets face it – raising even one child can be a total handful! Here are some simple tips to help organize your child and make your life one million times easier:
Keep a Daily Schedule: When your child knows what to expect from the day, your day will become less of a battle to get things done.
Use the Same Storage Containers and Label them with Predictable Words: NEAT prefers the shoe bins from the container store with Avery labels. That way, your child can see what is inside and can predict the word on the front. This makes for easy cleaning and also fosters early literacy skills.
Stick to Your Guns: If you do not want to spend the rest of your life picking up after your children, then take away things when they are not picked up properly; and for the love of parents and teachers everywhere – do not clean up after them!
by admin on July 8th, 2011 | No Comments »
Filed under: Children's Room |
Tags: Children,
kids,
Nadya Suleman,
Organization,
Routine,
Schedule,
Storage,
Toys
With only two short weeks until the official start of summer, it’s time to get a jumpstart on the season by giving your closet a fresh summer look. Summer is a time where bright colors, fun florals and carefree dresses hold precedent over boots, sweaters and hats. If your closet looks more like a spring tornado hit, it will be hard to find your favorites and flaunt those great summer trends. Here are five quick tips to give your closet the visual appeal it deserves and to make your clothes feel new again.
Tip Number One: Purge
The best place to start freshening up your closet is to get rid of the things that you no longer wear. Did you wear it last year? If the answer is no, it is time to part ways. Not only do these clothes take up valuable hanger space, but they also distract your eye from picking the clothes that make you feel great. A tip that NEAT gives all of their clients is to pick a place to donate that inspires you to get rid of all unnecessary items..
Tip Number Two: Store Out of Season Clothes
Even the summer months can have some cold weather days but that is not an excuse to wear your favorite wool sweater and corduroy pants. Storing out of season clothes can accomplish two important things. First, it can help you to wear only what is appropriate for the season. Second, when clothes are stored in bins for the season, they tend to feel new again when they are brought back out. Nothing beats that “new clothes” feeling especially when it is with clothes that you already own.
Tip Number Three: Matching Hangers
NEAT insists that every client have matching hangers in their closet. It is important to make your closet a place that you are proud of and enjoy opening. The right hangers can have a larger impact than most people think. We prefer, “Huggable Hangers” because they are thin and their velvety texture keeps clothes hanging. When all clothes are on matching hangers it begins to give your closet an unbeatable visual appeal.
Tip Number Four: Color Code Your Clothes
Color coding your clothes may seem like an over the top type ‘A’ thing, but it will help you to find your favorite green shirt much faster than before. NEAT prefers to have whites first, then the good old ROY G BIV and finally grays, browns, and finish with black. If you are really feeling good about the way your closet looks after your color-coding, take it one step further and organize within the color. For example, put tanks first, then t-shirts and finish with long sleeves. NEAT prefers to keep all dresses, suits, and pants separate so that clothes that are typically the same length stay together.
Tip Number Five: Treat Yourself
When NEAT organizes a client’s closet, nine times out of ten the client finds something that they either forgot they had or swore they lost. We hope that by organizing your own closet, you rediscover your favorite top that you haven’t seen in a while. After some hands-on organizing, the NEAT team LOVES to get a good manicure. We suggest you put on your favorite outfit from your newly revamped closet and treat yourself too! Have dinner with friends, go out for a drink, get a manicure, you look good, and you deserve it!
For more information on where to find some of NEAT’s favorite organizing solutions, follow the links below. To learn more about NEAT San Francisco, please visit our website at www.neatsanfrancisco.com
Places to Donate
www.goodwill.org
http://www.soles4souls.org/
http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/www_use.nsf
To Store Your out of Season Clothes
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10000166&N=&Ntt=container+Store+brand+storage+bins
For the Hangers NEAT Loves http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10023850&N=&Ntt=huggable+hangers
If you are a Costco member, they can also be found for a great price in boxes of 50 www.costco.com
by admin on June 13th, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Filed under: Bedroom,
Closets |
Tags: closets,
organizing,
Storage,
tips
Lately, NEAT has been organizing many kitchens! Our good friend Martha (friend is such an ambiguous word isn’t it) has some AMAZING quick kitchen fixes that we had to share with you!
This simple tray solves your barware stacking issues! Our arch enemy is the martini/margarita glass – but this issue has been put aside thanks to this little problem solver 
One time, the NEAT team watched “Hoarders”…. NEVER AGAIN! The episode featured a woman who hoarded food and lost track of expiration dates! (Seriously, nightmares for weeks) BUT let’s be honest, we all put things in the freezer and can’t remember how long they have been there…. Try using these ADORABLE stickers and don’t look back!
When NEAT organizes pots and pans in a client’s home, we always follow the rule, “tops on top, pans on the bottom.” This usually helps our clients to create a routine that keeps the pans tidy and manageable. This lid organizer is the perfect addition to our rule. Consider NEAT’s rule amended!
by admin on April 22nd, 2011 | No Comments »
Filed under: Kitchen |
Tags: Freezer,
Glasses,
Kitchen,
organizing,
Pots and Pans,
Refrigerator,
Storage
