Orrville Library holds workshop on getting rid of clutter

  • Patricia Faulhaber
  • August 11, 2013
  • 383
                        
Summary: Minimizing, organizing and cleaning out clutter at home and at the office was the focus of recent workshop held at the Orrville Public Library. Main Article: Ever open the pantry door to grab a favorite box of cereal only to five minutes later give up trying to find it in the disorganized mess called the pantry? How about trying to find room to store one more container in a basement stacked floor to ceiling with other storage containers? Local residents attending a workshop at the Orrville Public Library came to hear suggestions on how to get rid of such clutter. The workshop, Dig into Your Entire Home…Declutter!, was held on Aug. 8 and offered workable solutions to getting rid of the excess and getting organized both at home and the office. Kandy Walker Sartori, a professional organizer and organizational cleaner, told the group that if you don’t use something in six months or more, donate it to someone that will be able to use it. “When a friend of mine and I decided to help another friend clean and organize her home, I didn’t know that it would lead me into this field, I really didn’t know there was such a field,” Sartori told the audience. Sartori spent the next hour going over organizational tips for every room of the house including the bedrooms, bathrooms, the kitchen, living room, basement, attic and garage. She also talked about filing tips for home office or other offices. Persons with extreme cases of disorganization and clutter can often fall into one of five levels on the hoarding chart. Sartori stressed that hoarding is a mental illness that can cause significant distress. Helping hoarders get decluttered is usually addressed by professionals like Sartori. “I worked on A&E’s Hoarders television show and helped a homeowner in Streetsboro last year,” Sartori said. Sartori founded her business, Organizational Cleaning, LLC in 2009. Before that, she spent 18 years working with Fortune 500 companies. She believes her skill of being able to see opportunities for spatial enhancements brought her to opening her own business. “A clean and organized environment provides relaxation, calmness and a sense of tranquility. I’ve had clients make major life changes, lose weight or start their own businesses after getting their home organized,” Sartori said. The easiest way to get started, Sartori said, is to start at the front of each room and work from top to bottom. She also suggested setting time limits on how long you work to avoid getting frustrated. Labeling boxes using an inexpensive label maker can help get and keep items organized. Sartori stressed that she favors donating unused items versus selling them at a garage sale or on eBay because many people tend to regret the way they price their items. Sartori suggested the following for the master bedroom: 1. No electronics such as televisions or tread mills 2. Do not store items under the beds. 3. Simplify the drawers. 4. For guest rooms, keep the closets empty and don’t store anything under the beds. Suggestions for organizing closets: 1. Keep a hamper for dirty clothes. 2. Donate all of the clothing items that don’t fit or have not been worn in 6 months or more. 3. Use plastic or wood hangers. 4. Do NOT use shoe racks, instead install metal shelving. Keep shoes that are not worn often in see through plastic shoe boxes. 5. Use dividers on the metal shelving to store purses upright. Organizing bathrooms and dining and living rooms: 1. Bathrooms should have items stored in plastic containers inside the cabinets. 2. Dining room tables should be completely empty except for a centerpiece. Avoid having stacks of paper cluttering the table. 3. Living rooms should have only 3 to 5 items on the shelves or end tables. Using three lamps in a living room helps make the room feel homey. Getting the kitchen and pantry organized: 1. Use organizes in the drawers. 2. Keep countertops clear of items including unused electrical appliances. 3. Only keep items on the counter that are used everyday including cutting boards. 4. For the pantry, keep the breakfast or lighter items on the top shelves, lunch type items in the middle and the heavier items or dinner items on the bottom shelves. Tips for the basement, garage and attic: 1. Use see through or labeled containers to store and organize holiday items. 2. Keep all specialized items in one place. For example keep all canning supplies grouped together in one area. 3. For those items left behind by adult children, give them to the children and let them make the decision to keep or discard. 4. Do NOT store anything in the attic. 5. For the garage, line the toolbox drawers, use bike racks on the walls and use big containers for items such as camping supplies.


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