Free Tips & News

The Free Tips lets me pass on information about specific organizing issues. If you have questions you want to ask a professional organizer, please send them to me by e-mail. I’ll do my best to answer them and post the questions and answers here.

• Free Organizing Advice on Sat. Jan. 28

  In honor of National Get Organized Month, the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers will be dispensing free organizing advice at Cary Town Center shopping mall on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. We’ll be there from 10:00 until 2:00. Stop by and talk to the experts about your organizing challenges.

• Use A Mediator When Heirs Cannot Agree

  In November I received a call from someone in the Waukegan, Illinois area. You have no idea how exciting that was — to know someone is reading the information I’ve posted and asking for more! That call made my day!  Keep those calls, e-mails and questions coming.

  The caller wanted to know what to do if two (or more) heirs  want the same item and cannot agree on who will get it (she’d read the tip, “Shorten The Who-Gets-What Process”).

  This was my answer: If this is a conflict you cannot resolve  with the other person, please don’t ask your professional organizer to resolve the matter. Instead, get a mediator. A mediator is a person with training and, in many states, certification, in facilitating communication between two or  more parties in a dispute. The mediator helps the parties reach agreement  themselves. Mediation is almost always much less expensive and time-consuming  than taking a dispute to court. For more information on mediation, visit http://www.alabar.org/brochures/mediation.pdf.

• Expired Medications: Still Good or Not?

  Clients often tell me not to throw out expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medications because they’re still “good.” Is that really true, I wondered? I asked my pharmacist, Alice Dillard, at Triangle Pharmacy/True Value Hardware on Highway 54 in Durham (www.triangletruevalue.com). The answer: not true.

  According to Alice, by the time a drug reaches its expiration date it has lost ten percent of its effectiveness. After that, the drug continues to degrade until it loses all of its effectiveness.

  What does that mean? As compounds within medications breakdown they can become toxic. That means an expired drug may hurt or kill you. If you take an expired drug, “you have no idea read the entire article»»

• Upstairs, Downstairs, But Not On The Stairs

  Things that belong upstairs always seem to find their way downstairs, and vice versa. People often put things that need to go up or down on the steps. The problem is that the things often stay there for days, weeks or months.

  Obviously (I hope it’s obvious, anyway) objects on steps present a serious risk to life and limb. It’s easy to slip or trip on something on a step and fall. If you can’t reach the handrail because of all the stuff on the stairs, you’re really in big trouble.

  Solution: Put a basket, plastic or canvas read the entire article»»

• Why You Should Give Your Books A Sniff

  My grandmother was a librarian and taught me that books are friends, not mere objects. If you own books and they’re your friends, you need to check their health from time to time.

  Examine each book for signs of mold and/or mildew, and sniff each one for those telltale odors. If you find a book with mold or mildew, get it off the shelf and away from other books. Why? Mold and mildew can spread from one book to another causing irreparable damage.

  Food in and on books attracts bugs. So as you check your books, look for read the entire article»»

• Your Spooky Attic Could Be A Winner

  The folks who invented AtticMaxx (they’re from Apex, NC), a new attic storage system, announced at the NAPO-NC meeting on September 22 that they will soon sponsor a contest for the most spooky attic. The winner will receive a complete attic reorganization and AtticMaxx storage products. For more info on the contest, visit www.atticmaxx.com.

• Please Don’t Fight Over Screws

  Several years ago I worked with a married couple to clean out and organize their garage. They worked hard and quickly and made many decisions about getting rid of things: the baby stroller they no longer needed, boogie boards, tools, an extra leaf blower. Then we found a package of eight screws and everything came to a screeching halt. Both agreed they did not need the screws at that moment and that they might — at some unknown future date — need that kind of screw (or not). One insisted they should keep the screws while the other insisted they should be donated or thrown away. The argument went on and on (until I reminded them I was on the clock) and we put that little pack of screws into the “maybe” box.

  This situation, which is more common than you might think, raises a question you’ll need read the entire article»»

• Central Carolina Organizing Now Accepts Credit and Debit Cards Via Pay Pal!

  That’s right! As of July 18, 2011, you can pay for Central Carolina Organizing’s services using a credit or debit card via Pay Pal. Talk to Deanne for more information and instructions on using the button below.

  
  

• Inventory Your Collection Quickly and Accurately

  Looking for the perfect holiday gift for yourself? Go online and search for book barcode scanners. These hand-held devices scan the barcodes on books and store information about each book: title, author, ISBN and so on. You can then download the information to your computer and create a master list of everything in your collection. Of course, if your books are so old that they don’t have barcodes, then you’ll need to select another gift for yourself.

• Create Zoning Rules For Your Storage Areas

  One key to organizing attics, basements and garages is to create zones. For example, in your garage you might designate zones for sports equipment, tools, holiday decorations, lawn and gardening, pet supplies, and home improvement supplies. Label each zone by posting the zone name on the wall over the zone and store only the items that belong in that area in the zone. Then say good-bye to sorting through tangles of Christmas lights, golf balls, cat litter and paint cans to find your gardening gloves.

• How To Find An Organizer Outside The Triangle

  If your parent(s) or loved one does not live in North Carolina’s Triangle area, you can still locate a professional organizer to help your loved one with organizing challenges. Visit the National Association of Professional Organizers’ Web site at http://www.napo.net/ and click on Find An Organizer.

• Shorten The Who-Gets-What Process

  There’s a house full of furniture, knick-knacks, clothing, kitchen gadgets and other things to divide up between two or more heirs. Who wants what and who gets what can take up lots of time. One way to streamline the process is to give each heir a roll of movers tape. The tape comes in a variety of colors and each inch of tape has a number stamped on it. (Movers use the tape to inventory boxes and furniture during a move.) Assign a color to each heir and have each person put a piece of numbered tape on whatever they want and then have them leave the house. You can go back through and make lists based on the selections, clearly identifying what only one person wants and also which items more than one person wants. The tape does not leave sticky residue when it’s removed.

• How Many Blasts From The Past Will You Keep?

  All those letters, greeting cards and photos from friends you’ve saved over the years may be taking up more space in your home than you realize. If they’ve been in boxes or drawers for years and years, do you really need to keep them? Cold winter days are the perfect time to go through these mementos and decide what to keep and what to throw out. Recommendation: Get rid of greeting cards with only a signature, not a personal note. Another recommendation: Scan letters that mean a lot to you into your computer and store them electronically.

• 5 Ways Getting Organized Will Help You Weather Economic Hard Times

  1. Whether it’s printer cartridges, Mac `N Cheese, band-aids or postage stamps getting organized will give you a clear picture of what you have. Knowing what you have will prevent buying what you don’t need.
  2. If you know what you have on hand in your home or office, you’ll know what you’re about to run out of and you can start looking for coupons or sales on those items.
  3. With your paperwork organized you won’t pay the same bill twice because you’ll know what you’ve already paid for. Similarly, you’ll know which bills are due when so you can pay them on time and avoid late fees.
  4. You can sell or donate items you no longer need or want and make a little money (on a sale) or take a tax deduction (on donations). Alternatively, you could trade items with neighbors and friends for things you do need or want.
  5. You’ll be so busy having fun getting organized that you won’t be out at the mall or the movies. (Seriously: Getting organized is fun!)

• Spines Are The Key To Book Health

  If you need to pack books for storage or moving, always pack them so that the spines of the books are against the outside of the box or bag. This keeps the book’s pages together rather than smashed against the box, which might cause damage to them. Never pack books so tightly that the outline of a hardcover is (or will be) imprinted into the cover of a paperback.

• Start Preparing For Tax Season Now

  Before the holiday rush begins, take time to start rounding up your loved one’s medical and prescription drug receipts and put them in one place. You’ll need these documents to prepare 2008 tax returns if you itemize rather than taking the standard deduction. Separate prescription drug receipts from provider receipts, if possible, and put all the receipts in order by date. File folders and or storage boxes are great for storing these documents.

• How To Correctly Value What You Donate

  If you’re donating unwanted items to charities and plan to take a deduction on your income taxes for the donation, you are responsible for valuing the items you donate. The charity should not make the valuation for you. For advice on valuing donations, go to www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p561.pdf and take a look at IRS Publication 561.

• Thrift World Takes Used Medical Equipment

  Don’t throw away crutches, walkers, wheelchairs or electric scooters that are still in good condition. Thrift World accepts these items and sells them to people who cannot afford to pay the retail price for them. Thrift World is at 2000 Chapel Hill Road in Durham (919-490-1556).

• Uses For Plastic Ice Trays — Other Than Making Ice

  Plastic ice cube trays are great for organizing really small things. The trays come in a variety of sizes and colors, stack easily and usually have a lip on the end where you can attach a label identifying the contents. Here are five ideas for using ice trays for storage:

  1. Earrings
  2. Buttons
  3. Screws
  4. Paperclips
  5. Small barrettes

• Shoe Caddies Solve Brochure Storage Problem

  If your business produces or distributes a variety of brochures, you may find your office and storage room overrun with stacks that refuse to stay stacked. Solution: Over-the-door shoe storage. Clips at the top and bottom of the shoe caddy go over the top and under the bottom of the door and hold the caddy in place. Put the brochures into the clear plastic slots where shoes would go. The clear plastic lets you see brochure titles, access them easily and keep them from ending up all over your office.

• What To Do If You Break A Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb

  In the “old days” if an incandescent light bulb broke, you swept (or vacuumed) up the glass, put it in the trash and that was that. Today’s compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are a whole different story. The reason? They contain very small amounts of mercury. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recommends that if you break a CFL, you should get people and pets out of the room, open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more and turn off your central forced-air heating/cooling system. Clean-up depends on the surface you need to clean. For detailed instructions, go to the Energy Star web site and click on “How Should I clean up a broken compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL)?”

• Use Color To Separate Files

  Whatever color file folders you use for your own filing system, buy a different color for the files you create for your loved one’s paperwork. Alternatively, identify your loved one’s files with a colored dot on the file folder tab. Keeping the systems separate — and using color to do so — will make it easier to find what you need.

• Keep It Or Pitch It? 6 Tips On How To Decide

  Before you start sorting through your library, take a few minutes and make a list of criteria to guide you in deciding whether to keep an item. Among the things you may want to put on your list:

  1. Do you have multiple copies and if so, do you need multiple copies?
  2. Is the item in good physical condition?
  3. How often you use the item, whether reading or listening to it?
  4. Does it have sentimental value?
  5. Is it still current, relevant and accurate (hint: Your 1971 World Book Encyclopedia set isn’t current or accurate)?
  6. Is it worth a lot of money so that you might want to consider selling it?

• Take Your Old House With You

  Before you start packing to move, photograph your house, inside and out, just as it is today. Put the photos into an album and take the album with you. Be sure to get the details, like the chart on the doorframe where you measured your kids as they grew. Alternatively, you can make a video or DVD of your house and yard and take that with you to your new home.