thirdlennox

The question we get asked most often by clients of ours when we wrap up an organizing project is, “Does your home look like this?”. The answer is…sort of…

Yes, I do make an effort every day to keep my home clean and clutter free. It’s a habit, but no, I do not have closets lined with white bins. In fact, I only use them in my garage and utility closet. We love those bins; they are fantastic for corralling all sorts of items. We use them in pantries, playrooms, craft rooms, closets, you name it! So, why don’t I use them much in my own home? I don’t have the stuff so I don’t need them.

This to me is the secret to staying organized once you get organized. Keeping the “stuff” under control; being very selective about what you allow to come into your home and what you keep…especially during holiday time! It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of things we accumulate during the holidays, but I’m hoping that after you read this you will feel like you can avoid the panic that follows the question of, “where is it all going to go?”. Hopefully, it doesn’t all just get stuffed in a closet somewhere!

So how can you keep your home organized when there’s so much coming in? I have one rule and one habit that helps me keep it under control.

First, I purge regularly. Like, every week. I usually dedicate 20 minutes every weekend to go through a dresser, cabinet or closet. I have 2 large bins in my basement, one is for donation and one is for consignment. I schedule a donation pick up almost every month. I’m constantly looking at things in my home asking the questions: Do I love it? Is it still useful? Do I have more than one? This applies to everything…my clothes, the kids clothes, toys, linens, gadgets, food, even (maybe especially) holiday decorations! I’m always surprised when I’m opening up holiday bins and discover things I completely forgot about (and often have repurchased), but regular editing helps reduce the volume and keeps things from spiraling out of control.

The other way is a rule I have and one that plays on repeat whenever I buy a a new item. One in, one out.

I’m like a lot of girls; I love clothes, bags and shoes, and I love home decor, but that can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to not falling into the trap of too much stuff. Following this rule helps in two ways. One, it makes me stop and question if the item I’m considering is really worth it because if I follow my own rule then it means I have to get rid of something I already have…do I really want to get rid of anything? Not always, so I pass. Second, and more obviously, if I buy something or keep something (yes, I apply this rule to gifts too) then it has to fit in an already existing space. I don’t create more room for stuff, I replace the old with the new. Maybe it’s not a rule so much as a mantra.

I think it’s important that I practice what I preach, and I hope by sharing this, it helps you to enjoy the gifts you and yours receive over the next couple weeks without worrying about where it’s all going to go.

Cheers!

We are thrilled to announce that we have partnered with Grove Collaborative, a company that curates the best all-natural products into an online shop and delivers them right to your front door for less than you’d typically pay at the grocery store.  They offer a wide range of products for cleaning, personal care, health & wellness, skin & hair, oral care and baby.  They carry a broad range of brands that you may or may not be familiar with like Method, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, Dr. Bronners, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Yes To, Grove Co, and many more.  We have been using Grove Collaborative for some time now and we think you’ll love it as much as we do mainly, because there are no harsh chemicals in their products.  Grove Co. created the “Dirty Ingredient List” and they promise you will never find these ingredients in the products they’ve sourced for you.  Their VIP program has great perks, like unlimited free shipping for $19.99 a year, 5 free full-size gifts each year, price matching on products, a 60-day free trial policy, email reminders that let you review, edit, delay or cancel scheduled orders plus a 100% guarantee – if you don’t like a product, send it back for a full refund!  What’s not to love!

A Few of our Favorite items from Grove Collaborative:

Cleaning Concentrate Kit: All cleaning products are made up of mostly water, so we end up spending money on plastic bottles filled with mostly water and then tossing them when we’re done, it’s an ugly cycle of waste.  These concentrates are genius!  Simply squeeze the contents into the glass spray bottle, fill the rest with water and start cleaning.  The kit includes a glass cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner, plus a tub & tile cleaner, and all are very effective.  The packaging is also recyclable and pretty, and since you know how we feel about clutter, these concentrate bottles take up very little space beneath your sink.

Anything by Acure:  Its’ not enough to simply create natural skin products, they also have to work!  Acure Organics is a family-owned company based in Florida and they believe in providing accessible pricing to steer people away from the chemical-filled beauty world — yes!  We love the The Brightening Scrub — it’s very scrubby — a little goes a long way.  It’s lightly scented, which we like, and very green because of the ingredient chlorella.   We love that Acure uses real plant and food based ingredients.  The Moroccan Argan Oil is liquid gold.  It’s 100% organic Moroccan argan oil so, be warned, it’s best used at night before bed as opposed to in the a.m.

The European Dish Cloth (2-pack):  These dishcloths are so absorbent, they’re the new “quicker, picker, upper” except these are reusable.  What?  They sure are.  They can be cleaned in the washing machine (no dryer please) or on the top rack of the dishwasher.  We purchased them for the color, and the rainbows of course, but we were blown away by their absorbency and recyclable qualities.  We’re hooked!

How it works?

1. Click the Grove logo below to get started.
2. Answer a few quick questions about your home that Grove Collaborative will then use to customize your first basket — it takes 30 seconds, we promise!
3. Once you’ve answered the questions, you can finalize your basket of products to suit your needs by adding or removing items. To receive this offer, your order needs to be a minimum of $20.

This post is sponsored by our favorite delivery service for natural and organic cleaning and beauty products, Grove Collaborative!  Click below to get started.  Happy shopping and please be sure to let us know which products you’ve tried!

We’ve had a lot of requests for kitchen deep cleans lately, and we’re listening!  We all know the heart of the home is the kitchen.  It’s not that we don’t want to keep this room clean & organized, but it’s where life happens; we rush to put groceries away before heading out again to basketball practice and gymnastics, and sometimes we forget to throw away that bag of kale that is no longer edible.  We open multiple bags of carrots, then forget which one is the new bag and before we know it, it’s been several months or years (no judgement) since we’ve cleaned the inside of that fridge…that goes for every part of your kitchen – it is the most neglected room in your home in terms of cleaning because there are so many places to hide.

Our kitchen detail includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Every cabinet will be emptied and all contents will be cleaned.
• The interior & exterior cabinets will be cleaned with an earth-friendly product (and usually that product smells like lemons).
• Every item will be placed back in a meaningful manner.
• Any glass door fronts will be cleaned front & back.
• The tops of your kitchen cabinets, if they do not go to the ceiling, will be vacuumed (yes, vacuumed!) and wiped clean.
• All lighting fixtures will be cleaned.
• The backsplash will be cleaned.
• The hardware will be shined.
• The microwave will be cleaned & sanitized.
• The oven will be deep cleaned, and that space under the oven, yes, we get under there too.
• The refrigerator & freezer will be deep cleaned by first removing all food (we’ll get rid of that old bag of kale for you, we promise), then all the shelving and door compartments will be removed to hand wash & dry.  Everything goes back in a meaningful manner, and yes, if that soy sauce bottle is a bit messy, we clean that up too.  The exterior gets love as well, and if we can move the fridge out to get back there, we will.
• The stovetop – of course!
• All countertop appliances will be deep cleaned as well.
• While all this is happening, we have one of our crew members doing baseboards, doors and woodwork in the kitchen area.
• Lastly, the floor will be swept a few times, then vacuumed thoroughly, spot cleaned for any sticky or dirty areas or stains, and finally, mopped.

It sounds like a lot but when we bring in our crew, and everyone has a particular task they specialize in, it all comes together so beautifully!