Less Mess, More Yes

Don’t Be Fooled This Weekend!

By Heather Kilduff of Sterilite Corporation

As the cost of groceries continues to rise, so does my awareness of what I keep in my refrigerator. I’m not a fool, I want to save money any way I can these days. Most of the fresh veggies and snacks I buy each week have a noticeably longer shelf life when stored properly in latching food containers within the fridge. Some examples include lettuce, celery, deli meats, and cheese.

Call it a food taboo if you will, but I am very finicky about food staying in the refrigerator more than three days. That’s when I start inspecting it, smelling it, making someone else test it for me to guarantee its freshness.

I won’t say that these food containers have cured me of this food paranoia but they certainly keep food fresher longer, thereby saving me money each week.

Don’t be an April fool – try ‘em!

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Are Shoes Monopolizing Your Closet Space? Here’s How To Organize and Store Them Efficiently.

By Heather Kilduff of Sterilite Corporation

In the world of accessories, my number one weakness would have to be shoes. Be it a great pair of flats, heels, flip-flops, or boots-they all have a special place in my heart and in my closet!

I subscribe to the belief that if a pair of shoes is on sale, matches any single one outfit you own or is a color that you don’t typically see at retail, then by all means, buy ‘em! This mindset has forced me to develop a system within my closet to: 1. Store shoes that are out of season. 2. Create space for new purchases. 3. Maintain the lifespan of my shoes.

1. I store my out-of-season shoes in plastic shoe storage boxes. I spend about $1 on one of these little guys and it extends the life of the shoe by at least one year. It protects my shoes from being crushed or malformed and even from being lost. The containers I use are clear, so that I don’t need to label anything. I am able to see right through the box and can grab them if I need them. I stack the shoe boxes in a closet that I don’t access daily. Come Spring when I’m ready to swap out my winter shoes, the stored shoes are in great shape. And here’s a neat tip – store your shoes with a dryer sheet during the off-season.
2. Though my day-to-day shoe storage is different and more readily accessible, I still like keeping the shoes contained and under control. I need to see all my options at quick glance or I will forget what I have to choose from. I opt for stacking shoe drawers for most of these shoes. The stacking drawers are also clear so I can see what shoes are stored inside, and I can slide the drawer open and closed, keeping the area organized.
3. The rest of my day-to-day shoes I keep on a shoe rack secured to the back of my closet door. I like having some of my shoes there, but not all of them. Some shoe styles fall through the rack or just don’t fit properly. They are easy for me to see and to grab being stored out in the open like this, but too many shoes out in the open – well they smell like feet. The last smell I want near all of my clothes is feet!

So there you have it, my shoe organization steps. So go ahead and buy more, because you can never have too many pairs of shoes!

Move Over Winter Clothes, Spring Is Here!

By Heather Kilduff of Sterilite Corporation

At home in Boston, spring is in the air and every day the temperature gets closer and closer to 70 degrees. It’s been a beautiful, windows-open month of March for us New Englanders. I have decided that this weekend will be “Operation Winter/Spring Closet Swap!” Every sweater and long sleeve winter garment will be folded and packed away safely in Storage Totes until next fall. Would I like to keep all of my clothes in my closet and on hangers year round? Yes. But, do I have the closet space? Heck no! So clothes, until we meet again … in October.

Thinking of packing your winter clothes up too? Go for it! De-clutter, minimize and think spring!

Spring Has Sprung! How To Spring Yourself Into Action To Really Clean House

By Heather Kilduff of Sterilite Corporation

I have no problem admitting that I am a compulsive surface cleaner and that I hate deep cleaning my house. As a naturally organized person, I have zero tolerance for disorder and so I spend time each day tiding and cleaning spaces of my home – just enough that it appears to be clean. Reality check … it isn’t!

This year I am focusing on becoming a more thorough house cleaner. While spring cleaning isn’t glamorous, you have to admit that a clean house is both satisfying and healthy!

So I came up with some ideas that I think will help me. They might also help you, if you’re a CSC (compulsive surface cleaner) too.

KEEP THE PACE
I still focus on the little stuff daily to keep things from getting out of hand. For example, I might wipe down my bathroom counter, mirror and toilet every other day but I chose a day every couple of weeks to really shake things up. On those days, I plan to really deep clean the house. I give myself a good four to five hours. You really need to give it the time it deserves, based on the size of your house.

THE JOURNEY
My best friend on this adventure is the faithful cleaning caddy. I stock it up with everything I plan to use – from disinfecting wipes to glass/wood/all purpose cleaners – along the way. I truly believe that using a caddy cuts my cleaning time in half. Having the smaller cleaning essential at hand reduces my trips back and forth to the supply cabinets.

ONE SURFACE AT A TIME
I encounter many different types of surfaces during my cleaning process and I like to be prepared for them all. I have the obvious paper towels and such for windows and mirrors, but recently I discovered that I have had my best results when I use different sized buckets and pails for each cleaning need. When washing the kitchen floor, I fill up a 16 Quart Pail, as it is large enough to fit the head of my mop. For smaller jobs, such as cleaning doors or washing baseboards, I prefer to use a smaller sized pail that is easier to carry and fits just the right amount of water for tackling small jobs.

 ZONE BY ZONE
Do one zone at a time. A zone can be a room, an area of a room or maybe even a floor of your house. Try focusing on one zone one week, and another zone the next. For me, this can mean the difference between success and failure. Who wants to spend their entire weekend cleaning? I certainly don’t.

I believe that a big part of what I need to do in order to make housecleaning easier is to use the right tools for the right job. I’m convinced that this mind-set will simplify my way to a bright and organized spring season, and it just might work for you too!

Cosmetics and Makeup Out Of Hand? How To Organize What To Keep.

By Heather Kilduff of Sterilite Corporation

First things first, take a good look in your vanity, under your bathroom sink, in drawers and anywhere else you have been stashing cosmetics for months or even years. Your new motto will be “out with the old to make room for the new.” Once you have your beauty products under control with a system that works for you, you can rejoice that you have space for new stuff!

CHOOSE ONE SPACE AT A TIME TO PURGE AND ORGANIZE
I like to get myself a small stool, to sit on so that I am at drawer height. Making myself comfortable is important for me to keep the momentum of the project. Be sure to have a wet disinfecting cloth for wiping down anything that has collected dust or that pesky makeup residue. Grab a large empty wastebasket, and let the purging begin.

TOSS ANYTHING OVER 12 MONTHS OLD
For the record, makeup does not last FOREVER so say “see ya later” to that three-year-old mascara! Mascara should be discarded after 3 months, not 3 years. Anything that is empty, toss it. Almost empty, toss it! If you haven’t used it in a year, then you probably won’t ever use it again, so clear space for things that you use on a daily basis. And by all means, clear space for new things! I like to store my makeup in a small tray within a drawer. This way, the things I access most frequently are neatly stored but easily accessible to me every morning.

NAIL POLISH HAS A SHELF LIFE
The shelf life of nail polish does not directly relate to the bottle being empty. Toss polish and remover older than one year, or when it appears to look clumpy or separated in the bottle. Becoming a collector of cosmetics is something we all do. The average woman buys five nail polishes a year. So at age 30, that is potentially somewhere near 75 nail polishes. Buy them, love them, use them, and then toss them. I have added a small FlipTop organizer within a drawer to store all of my nail polish. I love this box because it is small, square, see-through, and it snaps shut. Make sure that each nail polish you store is smooth and free of clumps. Give it a good shake and try organizing the shades by color.

STAYING ORGANIZED
The key to staying organized is to choose an organizing style that works best for you and your space. Older homes tend to have smaller storage spaces — shallower, sometimes narrower drawers and overall less space to work with than some newer homes. Larger storage space isn’t always a good thing, the more space I have, the more space I use. Keep this in mind when you are organizing and customize it to your style and morning routine.