Cleaning and Organizing by Ashley

Can't believe we just had daylight savings this past weekend. That means weather is changing and we are moving into Thanksgiving and Christmas. Can't believe how fast this year went. With that being said, it's a great time to get some things organized. Decorations for instance everyone loves to decorate during the holidays. Every year I bet you find that decoration that you just have to have because it's just perfect for your house.  This year I motivate you to get rid of the lights that don't work or the decorations you haven't used in a few years. Down size so when Christmas is over you only need to put away a couple containers. You might the one that likes decorating your front yard, but you have way to much stuff. What you don't you use this year donate because I know someone who can't afford to buy decorations would love to use your used ones. Remember it's not about what you own it's your family that matters the most. Those who have child...

Everyone is on some kind of budget. Trying to find things for a deal. I always look for something cheap so I can buy more of them. As for organizing your home you want to find things on sale. Most likely you will need more then one. Did you know you can organize your home with dollar store items. They have all kinds of containers for just a dollar. Medicine cabinet you can use those containers that are long and skinny (use for pencils). Bathroom drawers can use the rectangular containers for your makeup and toothbrush.  You don't like the colors of the baskets you can paint them to make them any color you want. You have stainless in your kitchen and you don't want blue baskets holding your apples. Paint them silver.  Who has a pantry that is not organized. All you need are some containers that all look the same and you can write on them. Take stuff out of boxes and put into baskets or containers. You will be much happier with a organized pantry.  How about those bath...

We ask this question a lot when we are at the mall or at your favorite store. What is your answer?  Most of say yes I need this because it's so cute I could wear it with my boots this winter. Then you go home put it in your closet and before you know it winter comes along and you forgot about that thing you just had to have to wear with your favorite boots. Before you know it your closet is full of stuff you don't need. Rule of thumb is if you have to have it you must get rid of something in your closet before you find a new hanger. Something new, get rid of something old. This rule applies to anything you buy. I have organizied to many closets that have way to many things. I bet you wear about half of your clothes in your closet. Who would like to try an experiment? Separate your clothes in your closet. Put half of your clothes you wear often and the stuff you barely wear on the opposite side. In two weeks I would love your feedback about how many times did you go to the bar...

Do you ask your self sometimes "What is too much?  Do I have to many clothes, shoes, underwear, dishes, cups, and so forth? Really how many shoes does one person need! My experiences with this question is that life is much more enjoyable without so much stuff. Your stuff can really stress you out if you have too much. Things start to accumulate and to start to feel overwhelmed and stressful. You get to a point that you don't know where to start the declutter routine. I want to give to some helpful ideas to how to keep your stuff limited. Really how many pairs of shoes do you really wear. I bet if you went into your closet right now and pulled out all of your shoes and you tell me you have worn all of those shoes in 6 months. If you have worn all of them, then find a good shoe storage, but I bet you wore about 5-10 of them.  If you have not worn them, then I bet you never will wear them. So that is a good sign to donate them. If you can't part from them then to must wear ...

I hear from my future clients that they have no idea what kind of things to buy before I visit to help them clear out the clutter.  I have put together a cheat sheet for my clients so when I meet them to talk about what needs to be done they can see what to buy before I visit. Today I visited two different Goodwill's in my area, I was amazed on what I found for less then $15.  I got baskets, containers, and much more to help with my organizing jobs.  My clients have the option to purchase before I visit or use what I have for a small fee.  I will post a few pictures I got today.  So its best to visit those thrift stores ever so often to find some treasures.  I am excited because I have a bunch of people interested in my organize services.  Here are my finds today. 

So I have always wanted to help people organize there homes. I love that I can help people who just don't know where to start. I know I have not posted in a while, the good news is because I am booked with clients. Cleaning and organizing. I have got some awesome reviews about me and my work. I wanted to share them with you. I love hearing from them. It makes me really love my job. And I finally can do what I love. I look forward to growing my business and helping more people. If you have stuff in your closets, drawers, and tables that don't belong there but just don't know where to start please contact me. I would love to help. I also give my clients ideas for when I leave to keep up with it. Here are some of the reviews I got. Thank you so much Ashley - what you do is so much more than cleaning and organizing - you make lives better and relieve stress!  You make it all so much easier and manageable. It makes all the difference in the world to you have your help, experti...

My good friend asked me to help her to organize her office. She also let me take pictures of before and after. We worked together but gave her the motivation to get it done. It was at that point where do I start so she needed a little help with the start and we got it cleaned and organized. So it is ready for her to work in a clean and organized environment. How we started, I took everything off her desk by sorting things she had just bought for her blogging and put in a container so she can put away in right order. Then we threw everything that needed to be in the trash. Put all the cords in one area, pens, mail in basket, and so forth. Before you know it was clean. Here are some pictures to see what it looked like to now.

Are you that person that can't seem to throw that one thing away because you think you might use it some day. In the many homes that I have helped organize, I find they have a hard time figuring out where things should go or if they will need it some day. My rule of thumb is if you have not used it in 8 months you probably won't use it again. If you can't part from it just yet then get a box label it with the days date and 6 months from that date, if you don't go in that box in the six months then donate it. Don't open the box just donate it. This goes with everything you own, say you have a bunch of Christmas decorations and you don't use it one year you are most likely not going to use it again. Because each year you buy something new. What about all those clothes in your closest. I bet you don't wear 1/2 of the stuff in your closet. You can pretend you are about to move into a small house "tiny home" you only need a few of everything. Organi...

Who has a garage that is full of stuff that you can't pull your car into it. Well if you live where it gets cold in the winter, it's a good time to clean it out. So you can park inside. Where to start. First you want to get 3 large boxes. Write donate, throw away and keep. Once you have done that. Start going through by taking things outside in your driveway. Trying to weed though and put your stuff into the boxes. Once to have got everything out and put into the boxes. Tape up the box to donate and take to local good well or donation place. My garage has built in shelves so I put my stuff into bins. Another idea would be get some rectangular card tables and put bins on top and under. Store things like holiday decorations, things you don't need out. Another thing that works for us is a shelf near the door to my house where I can store paper towels and toilet paper, baskets for hats, gloves and a place for our winter boots. Great storage for winter stuff. Another great p...

Even though its not spring, its always good to do some kind of major cleaning.  I like to get things organized either in the beginning of summer, when school starts, or for each season.  Life happens and things get placed in places you didn't even know you had, so its good to go though every 4-6 months.  Its amazing how much stuff we have and how much stuff really matters.  Today I sent my son to Kindergarten for the first time and I came home and did a big cleaning.  I threw away stuff, I moved stuff and cleaned.  It feels good to know I am clutter free.   If you don't have time to do the whole house take steps.  Make a plan and do it when you can, but make sure you do it.  Believe me you will feel better when you  de-cluttered.   If you aren't sure if you should throw it away, take the  6 month rule.  If you have not worn it, used it or needed it you will probably won't use or wear it.  Some helpful ways to k...

With school back in session that means school papers start coming home and you are not sure if you should keep it or to throw it away. I have a few helpful ideas to make your decision easier and to not to have a stack of papers all around your home.  Hopefully you took my idea about keeping your child's backpacks in a area with a place to store papers when they come home from school. You should have two separate areas. One for stuff to return to school the next day and papers to store and keep.   Once you receive those keep papers or art work then place them in a pile for you to sort either at the end of the week or month.  Visit your local office store and buy folders and file box. Bring home and place folders in the box. Most of us like to capture the first day and the last day of each year if you are one of those then you can put those pictures on front of each year. If you are not then you can put school picture or just write the year. Another fun thing, is to ...

As school has started or about to start it's time to get back into the swing of things and get on some kind of routine. Who hates making lunches in the morning for kids to take to school?How about after school when your kids are hungry and you seem to always have to make them a snack? Here are some helpful ideas to make your mornings flow without feeling stressed or after school you can actually enjoy spending time with your kiddos instead of catering to them when they want snacks. Whether you shop for your groceries on Saturday or Sunday. Sunday evening is the best time to get ready for the week. Make as much as you can for the lunches for the week. Prepare fruit in bags, cheese and meat in containers, make sandwiches, get everything organized so during the week all you have to do is put it in the lunch box. You can also put kids stuff on the bottom on the fridge so they can make their own lunches. Just have everything lined up for each day and they can be independent and do ...

Who has a kitchen that feels like it's always a mess. A mess could be your counters are full of stuff. Or you have food in every cabinet? How about cabinets with all sorts of stuff that just doesn't work for your family. Today I helped a client who feft like that so I came over and made it work for them. I moved all the kids cups and plates to a kid level so she doesn't have to get them for them. Let them be independent. I organized her counters and now she has lots of counter space, I organized the pantry to make it kid friendly. Before I start any job I go to meet the client and discuss what the needs to be done and this client did her homework and got some of things done before I arrived today. I pointed her in the right direction and gave her a bunch of great ideas. To make your kitchen work for you. Here are some simple things to make it easier for you. Go to your kitchen take all food that you have in your kitchen cabinets and pantry. Throw away expired food, do y...

So I am having mixed emotions about the school year. I have a different feeling this year and it's sometimes a sad feeling because my baby boy starts kindergarten soon and sometimes I feel excited because we need to get on a routine and be more organized. Summer is great but we don't stay on a good routine and I feel disorganized. Here are some things I am going to try to work on and try to stick with, because it's important to have the same routine for everyone. I will confess I am really good at starting things with good intentions but then life happens and it falls through. My goal is to stick with it for all of us to have a stress-free school year. One of our big stuggles is getting ready in the morning. First of all he sleeps in. Then he takes for ever picking out his outfits. So I decided that every Sunday evening we are picking out 6 outfits and I got a organize hanging thing for closet where he can put his 6 things he can wear during the week. He will not be abl...

I have a few friends that are moving this summer. It can be very stressful if you are the one doing it. The first thing to do before packing up everything you own go through the house and throw away stuff you have not used in 8 months. If you haven't used it in that amount of time you are probably not going to use it. That goes with glassware, clothes, and anything else you have laying around. We have two many wine glasses, and dishes we never use. So if I was moving I would sell those or give away before packing it. Try not to pack things you don't need. More than likely you won't use it in your new home. If you are moving to a bigger home and won't have enough stuff to put in all the rooms, a great way to fill the home with not breaking the bank is visit your local thrift store and find furniture that can be made in to something new. Add some of your favorite color chalk paint and you have a new piece of furniture. Or you might have something in you own house that c...

I am excited because my son will be starting Kindergarten in a month and I am getting his area ready, because we always had to find it when he attending preschool and we always forgot something.  I wanted to be more organized, now that he will be starting Kindergarten. Can you believe it: school will be back in session before you know it.  Who has child who just drops the backpack right at the door as they come in, or take the backpack somewhere in the house so when it comes to leaving for school the next day, you have no idea where the it is.  Well, I wanted to give you some helpful hints to keep everything in one place and easy to find. First you need to find a place in your home with some wall space.  Once you have found that go out to your local Target or Walmart and pick up some hooks, any kind will work.  You can hang those hooks on the wall or door near where you would be leaving to go to school.  Also if you have a table, or room on the wall to ...

Do you have a room in your house or multiple rooms that are full of stuff that you just don't know where to start. It could be a toy room, or your office, kitchen and even your garage. The best way to start would be to get a couple garbage bags because I know for sure that you will find something that is broken or missing pieces.           When I start a big project I set up a game plan on what I want to do for the room. I also look around the house for different containers, baskets to put things in, I also use the stuff in the room for a different purpose. So let's say the toy room has books in a basket I would take the books out and find a new home for the books and find a new home for the basket. Sometimes it just takes little things to make something work better. Or what you have a game with lots of pieces and it's in a box that is about the break. Find a container to put that game in and put on a shelf. It's not hard to organize you just have find your s...

Who loves DIY projects. I love when you can make something out of something you already own, or find at a garage sale, thrift store, or even on the side of the road. Those seem to be the best finds. Sometimes you need to shop at your local craft store like Jo Ann's. To add to your project. Let's say you find a cabinet and you need paint or baskets for it. You most likely visit your local craft store. I have a link that you can click to get the new app for Jo Ann's and get a chance to win a free gift certificate for Jo Ann's. The app is also great for getting coupons. I use the app every time I shop there. https://m.quikly.com/2945-joannstores/t/3Xmkr8i-lnk

This past weekend I went to thrift king and good will and found so many different kinds of baskets, containers, office supplies to put papers in. I actually got so much stuff. When I come to your home to organize I will provide supplies if needed. Visit your local thrift store and you will be surprised on how much you can find to organize your home. Here are some pictures of my good finds.

Good evening everyone, hope you all had a great weekend. I wanted to give my followers a challenge. Walk around your home everyday this week and throw something away. Things you can get rid of: * Old magazines * Books that are broken *Old cell phones * Expired food * Old newspapers * Unread books * Broken toys * Clothes you have not worn in 8 months or more * Expired cleaning supplies * Old make up If you don't want to throw them away you can take to a thift store or give old books to a retirement home. Post on Facebook page what you cleaned out.

Did you know they have a store for organization?  I think I just found my favorite store.  https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/plastic-bins-baskets/12 They have everything you need to organize your home. It's amazing how a couple storage bins or baskets can help you organize a room. If you need some help figuring out where things need to go please contact me.

Organize on a budget. Sometimes it takes a lot of money to get the right basket, container, or shelf. That is ok because guess what you probably have stuff laying around that you can use or reuse for a different purpose. I love going down to the basement or other rooms in the house to find things that will work. Go around your home and look around and find anything that can hold something. Look in your house how you can use that container or basket. Maybe you have blankets that need a home, or some magazines that are taking over your dresser. If you just don't have time to get your house together and want help, I would love to come over and discuss a plan with you. If you are in the greenburg, irwin, and Latrobe areas please contact me. I do travel outside that area if need be.

Welcome everyone, I wanted to start a blog to help people with organizing tips and much more.  Sometime you just need a little help with figuring out where everything should go.  Well no worries you have me to come in and help you.  Maybe you have a house full of little ones and all you can do is focus on cleaning a bathroom or bedroom and your house seems like your stuff is taking over.  Do you just feel overwhelmed and just can't find the time to clean the playroom or do you need help going though your closet. These are all things I can help you with.  I love to organize! Let me help you.  With this blog I will be posting ideas for all your stuff, and give you hints on how to keep your home together. Thanks everyone.  Please let me know if you need my help. Visit my facebook page or you can email me. www.facebook.com/alcleaningandorganizing ajanglin88@hotmail.com