DesireéSolutions
  • Home
  • Solutions
  • Services
  • Story
  • Contact

desireésolutions

Solutions to life's tasks big or small

Closet Organizing Solutions

3/22/2017

Comments

 

1. The Color Approach 

Picture
When organizing your closet by color use ROYGBIV or Roy G. Biv, an acronym for the sequence of hues which make up a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. White, beige and light neutrals go before the red while grey and black go after violet. Solids go before stripes, and stripes go before prints.

2. The Classification Approach

Picture
Putting like things together just makes sense. Dresses with dresses, jeans with jeans, tank tops with tank tops and so on and so forth. For the cleanest look organize tops and dresses not only by color, but by sleeve. Long sleeve first, followed by short sleeve, cap sleeve and sleeveless. 

3. The Outfit Approach

Picture
Children's closets are best for this approach. Not only will it save a ton of time, it will save fussing and fighting. Planning ahead during the school week and placing outfits in a hanging divider works like a charm, however I recommend dividing the rest of the closet by outfit/occasion. For example you can divide the closet into playtime clothes, church clothes, comfy clothes and if space allows keep creative dress up clothes in one area. Now when you ask your child to get dressed for church, you know everything in that category is appropriate while at the same time allowing independence and personal style to show through in your child's choice.

Other Tips & Tricks

  • Hang all clothing in the same direction.
  • Keep a valet hook outside of your closet. Having an extra hook will prove to be helpful. You can place tomorrow's outfit the night before or hang your dry cleaning before taking it. Whatever the case you will be happy you have it.
  • Avoid over doing your organization. Over customizing a closet, does not leave room for change. I see this most with shoe cubbies. Seriously, one day you will have more shoes than cubbies and end up with piles of shoes on the floor. Keep your closet more basic in some areas. allowing the use of products that will accommodate changes in your wardrobe.
  • Constantly reassess your wardrobe. Seasonally, pay attention to what you wear most and purge items that sit there.
  • My personal favorite, have your most honest, trusted friend/sister over for an afternoon fashion show. Make it fun with appetizers, beverages and even some music. (Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper). Try on your entire wardrobe and give her two signs, a thumbs up, or thumbs down. Take her opinion into serious consideration as sometimes we get so used to seeing ourselves, that we can't tell if we look great or not. Purge and then return the favor for her at a future date.
Comments

Home Inventory Solutions

8/16/2016

Comments

 
What does everyone know they need but very few people actually have?
​A home inventory.

What can a home inventory help with?
  • Keep track of items during a move
  • Home fire
  • Theft
  • Finding warranties
  • Renovations
  • Tax purposes: verifies losses or property owned
  • Natural disasters: speeds up claim process
  • Going through a divorce
  • Will preparation
  • Death of a family member
  • Preparing for garage/estate sale

Where do you begin? If you have the means I suggest hiring a professional to inventory your possessions. I have done several for clients and they are extremely involved and time consuming. The end result is definitely worth the investment, however it is so easy to get overwhelmed and quit.  Typically a professional will charge by square footage, however this cost may vary depending on the detail of inventory and quantity of possessions. 
If you choose to do it yourself, give yourself a realistic timeframe to complete your inventory. Three weeks is reasonable depending on the detail and size of your home. Here are some tips to help you along.
There are many apps and computer programs available to help with home inventories. Majority of them are helpful and will streamline the process. Regardless of what method you choose to inventory your home, you will need the following six items to begin.
  1. A notebook designated to your home inventory.
  2. A folder for warranties, receipts and other paperwork.
  3. A camera.
  4. A video camera.
  5. Coffee, coffee, coffee, or in my case Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi.
  6. Tons of patience. Home inventories are tedious, thus the reason not everyone has one. 
The best part of taking the time to do an inventory is you realize just how much you have accumulated over the years. It becomes a perfect time to organize and declutter. Start in a simple place with not much to catalog, such as the laundry room. 

Now it's time to begin
  1. Declutter and organize
  2. Take a video of  the space
  3. Take pictures of everything. All furniture, appliances and electronics. Do not forget to look inside drawers and cabinets.
  4. Write down serial numbers, make & model of electronics, appliances and furniture.
  5. Do not forget to include the garage as well as outdoor spaces. This includes vehicles, lawn equipment, pool accessories and other entertaining furniture you may have outdoors. 
  6. Choose what app or computer program you want to use for your inventory, and enter your information.
  7. Finally, gather all important documents, life insurance, home insurance, username and passwords to all financial information and place them in a file for easy and quick access in case of an emergency.​

Once you have inventoried every room, make three digital copies of all pictures, videos and paperwork. Why three copies? Three copies will ensure that no matter what disaster, with the exception of an Apocalypse, you will have a copy of your full inventory. Be sure to write down your username and password for your online inventory. and include with every inventory copy.
​Store your copies in the following places.
  1. In your home, preferably a fireproof safe.
  2. A safety deposit box.
  3. ​A relatives home who lives outside the state you reside in.

Hopefully you will never be in a position to have to use your inventory, but if disaster does come your way, you will have the comfort of knowing you are prepared.
Comments

Laundry Solutions Exposed

7/21/2016

Comments

 
There are hundreds of laundry solutions online, but do they really work?
​I have researched and tested some of the more popular ones. Here are the results...

​Wash
Vinegar-Adding one cup of vinegar at the beginning of the cycle will result in softer, fresher smelling laundry? TRUE

Baking Soda-Adding one cup baking soda will whiten  your whites?  TRUE
However adding 1/2 cup works just as well. 

​Blood Stains-Your own saliva removes blood stains? FALSE
The enzymes in your saliva do not break down the protein in your blood, however the water in your saliva does work to help remove the stain, so rather than spitting on your clothing, just use soap and water.

​Dry

Fold
Aluminum Foil-Using a small ball of aluminum foil in the dryer is a good substitute for dryer sheets? INCONCLUSIVE
This I can tell you, my towels felt just as fluffy as if I were using a dryer sheet. The towels smelled clean, however there was no additional scent since the dryer sheet was not used. (This may be a good solution if you or your loved ones are sensitive to perfumes used in products.) Although I am skeptical, it is said that the foil ball can be reused for six months​. I will have to wait and see on that one.

Fluffy Towel-Using a towel in the dryer will make your wet clothes dry faster? FALSE
While it is true that a fluffy towel will absorb much of the moisture during the first half of the drying process, it will take just as long, if not longer, for your entire load to dry. This is because the towel takes up surface area in the dryer, causing the entire load to dry at a slower pace.

Sun Drying-Drying clothing in the sun brightens whites? TRUE
​Hanging your clothes in the sun brightens whites, gives your clothing a fresh scent, and helps to naturally press them. The sun will bleach anything that is left in its rays, so be careful not to leave colors in the sun too long.
There are not many folding hacks or tips online that prove untrue, so here are some of my favorite tips and solutions for folding clothes with ease.
  • Remove clothes immediately from the dryer. Letting them sit will cause wrinkles to set in.
  • Shake and smooth each piece as it comes out of the dryer to reduce wrinkles and to maintain fluffiness in your towels.
  • If the clothing is slippery or hard to fold, it should be hung.
  • Do not fold bras in half. This will shift the padding and misshapen your undergarments. Lay them flat, one behind the other like you would see in a lingerie store.
  • Use organization products from stores like The Container Store to keep your drawers and closets neat and tidy.
Comments

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    About Desireé

    With a passion to help simplify the lives of others, I seek to share solutions for life's tasks big or small through creative organization, practical, yet beautiful design and an attitude of conquering any project I take on.

    Archives

    August 2019
    April 2019
    July 2018
    January 2018
    June 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    Closet Solutions
    Design Solutions
    Entertaining Solutions
    Holiday Solutions
    Home Solutions
    Moving Solutions
    Storage Solutions

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Solutions
  • Services
  • Story
  • Contact