by Katherine DiGiovanni | Mar 18, 2020 | Kitchen Organization, Project of the Day
This may seem simple and small, but we’re trying to keep things pretty bite sized this week. If you’re anything like Nicole and me, you’re pretty overwhelmed and trying to tackle a big organizing project seems like too much. We’ll try to move to some bigger things next week, but we’re focused on small wins for the next few days.
Today, we’re going to thoroughly clean our kitchen counters. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Remove Everything from the Counters
Take everything off so that your counters are completely clear.
Step 2: Wipe Down Appliances and Items Stored on the Counters
Use a microfiber cloth or sponge and thoroughly wipe down every appliance. These things get dusty and sticky.
If you’re looking for a good microfiber cloth, I like E-Cloths. E-Cloths require no cleaning agents at all – you just need water. So no toxic chemicals or anything. Just water! Here are a few that I like:
E-Cloth Microfiber Home Cleaning Starter Pack
E-Cloth Kitchen Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
E-Cloth Stainless Steel Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Pack
Step 3: Wipe Down Your Counters
Now that they’re cleared off, give your counters a really good clean using a microfiber cloth or a sponge.
Bonus Step: Consider What Really Needs to Go Back on Your Counter
You would be amazed at how nice your kitchen looks when your counters are clear. Many of us store so many things on the counter: toasters, blenders, coffee makers, slow cookers, etc. Consider what you might be able to shift off of your counters and store elsewhere. It can make a big visual impact on your kitchen and leave it looking less cluttered and more stress free. And it will be easier to keep your counters clean without so many items covering it and collecting dust and kitchen grime.
Step 4: Put Everything Back!
It’s pretty simple! Just put all of your freshly cleaned items back. Now stand back and admire your work!
Please let us know how this project went for you. Thanks for following along!
by Katherine DiGiovanni | Mar 17, 2020 | Family Organization, Pantry, Project of the Day, Time Management, Uncategorized
With the dynamic situation in the world and all of our collective overwhelm at what’s happening, if your house is anything like mine, it’s gotten a little out of control. Lots of things have been taken out, played with, and used and not many things have been put away. It always makes me feel better – calmer and more under control – when I’ve taken a little bit of time to declutter.
If you live alone or have a full house with a family, this simple, yet effective practice will have you feeling calm, cool, and collected in no time. Nicole and I call this the #Neatnik15 or the #Family15. If you have a family, this is a great way to pull together as a team and to teach your children a feeling of responsibility and empowerment.
Here’s how it works:
Set a timer on your phone or the stove for 15 minutes. Everyone in the family does as much as they can for 15 minutes cleaning up, putting away, and decluttering. You can assign areas of the house or categories to each person or you can keep it more freewheeling. You would be amazed at how much you can accomplish in 15 minutes! If you don’t get it all done in 15 minutes, no problem. If you want to keep going, set the timer for another 15 minutes. If not, you’ve gotten a lot done and can do it again tomorrow or another time. Make this a regular part of your routine and your house will be well-organized in no time! (Share your experiences with this technique on social media using #Neatnik15 or #Family15 and tag us at @NeatnikDC!)
My family and I swear by these short, but effective clean up sessions. Try it and see how you feel. Please let us know about your experiences!
by Katherine DiGiovanni | Mar 16, 2020 | Car Organization, Project of the Day
Here we go, folks! We’re all using our social distancing super powers for the near future. It’s an unsettling and uncertain time, so let’s do what we can to make the most of it.
For Neatnik, this means, tackling those organizing and spring cleaning projects you never seem to have time to do. Today begins our “Project of the Day” series to help you optimize your time at home by tackling those projects we never seem to have time to do. If you’re suddenly working from home or no longer driving your kids to school, think about these projects as things to accomplish during the time you would have spent commuting or carpooling.
Please share these daily projects with your friends and family and suggest they follow Neatnik socials. We can follow along together to clean up and organize our houses—and share our experiences!
Project #1: Clean Out Your Car
Many of us spend hours each day commuting or transporting kids to activities. When you spend that much time in your car, you need a lot of stuff. Let’s face it: for many of us, our cars are disasters! Here’s a guide to getting it cleaned up:
Step 1: Take Everything Out
Start by taking everything out of your car. Throw away the trash and put away things that don’t belong in your car. Consider what actually needs to be in your car.
Step 2: Wipe Down the Inside of Your Car
Now that your car is empty, wipe everything down. Seats, steering wheel, dashboard, handles, everything. We like to use these products for this task:
Armor All Wipes 20 Wipes in a Pouch
E-Cloth Car Cleaning Kit
Casabella Microfiber Chenille Mini Duster, Assorted Color
Bonus Step: Vacuum Your Car
If you have time to do this and you feel like it, take out the rugs and vacuum them and the inside of your car.
I keep this in the car for vacuuming up messes as they arise and when I can:
ThisWorx Car Vacuum
Step 3: Get Organized
Think about what you really need to keep in your car. If you want to keep supplies such as hand sanitizer, wipes, pens, pencils, tissues, and some kids items in your car, make sure they’re all easily accessible.
Over-the-seat organizers work well for kids and can also be easily accessed from the front of the car, if necessary. There are a lot of good options available; just think through what you want to put in the organizer before making the purchase. Here’s one that we like:
Heavy Duty Back Seat Car Organizer
Another option for storing kids’ supplies — or just basic supplies for a back-seat passenger — is a simple, small bin with a lid. Items such as crayons, sticker books, juice boxes, snack packs and toys can be stored in a clear container that can be easily brought in and out of the car and restocked as necessary. Here is one that would work well:
IRIS Medium Deep Modular Latching Box – Silver Handle, 6 Pack
Lastly, there are some fancy organizers that can sit between two kids on a back-seat bench and are kept in place with a seat belt. If you’re looking for something more temporary and easy to take in and out, a couple of regular canvas bins can also hold snacks and supplies. Here are some options that we like in these categories:
High Road Kids Organizer
Awekris Large Storage Basket Bin Set
Step 4: Compartmentalize the trunk
Unless you’re regularly hauling large items around in your trunk (like we do!), consider keeping a few bins in the back to contain objects that are always in your car — items such as reusable shopping totes (you only need a few!), a first-aid kit, a blanket, a few water bottles and snacks, and sports equipment. It will save space to have these items organized in bins, and you won’t have random objects strewn around your car or rolling back and forth as you drive. Again, a couple of basic bins will work, but there are also storage products designed for the trunk of your car. Here are a few we like:
SCOUT Rump Roost Medium Storage Bin
MIU COLOR Foldable Car Trunk Organizer
A couple of other items you might want to keep in your car:
Mavoro Car Trash Can
Surviveware Small First Aid Kit
Down Under Outdoor Large Waterproof Windproof Stadium Blanket
Bonus Step: Keep Your Car Clean
Easier said than done, I know. But now that your car is clean, it’s pretty easy to keep it that way. Just regularly remove the trash and wipe it down. Each day, remove things that don’t belong there and put them away.
Neatnik hack: Every time I fill up my gas tank, I use that time to empty the trash out of the car and wipe everything down. The timing works out perfectly. I don’t have time to vacuum in that period of time, but the rest is done and it’s an easy way to keep up my car, which is full of snacking carpool kids most days. Try it and let me know how it works for you!
by Katherine DiGiovanni | Mar 13, 2020 | Family Organization, Kids Organization, Time Management
Our new reality is starting to settle in: They just closed schools here in Bethesda, Maryland for two weeks, and cancelled all events in the state with more than 250 people. We’re encouraged to practice social distancing (here’s a great article that explains that), and it looks like we’re all going to be spending a lot of time at home with our families.
The good news is that it gives us a lot of time to perhaps tackle some home projects that you’ve been neglecting. Neatnik will be rolling out organizing and spring cleaning projects that you can be working on at home over this period of time. Stay tuned to this blog and our social media for that.
The not-so-good news is that many of us are facing a long period of unstructured time at home with our children without having had much time to plan for it. And for parents and children, anxiety about this pandemic is very understandable. So, what can we do?
In this uneasy and unpredictable time, I find focusing on what we can control helps us and our children. Things like our to-do lists and daily schedules at home are things we have control over. So I’m getting my family – my children especially – focused on thinking about their days and things they want to do each day. This can be a great way to mitigate our anxieties, fears, and feelings of a lack of control over the general situation.
Here are a few things I’ve picked up to try to manage this unexpected time at home with my children:
(Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and Neatnik will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. We have experience with all of the products listed below and recommend them based on that experience. Please let us know if you have any questions about anything linked below!)
Mini White Boards
I think having a little contained space for your child or family to help schedule or manage their days can be really helpful. These can be used for a daily schedule, a to-do list, or a list of things they want to do. Having no structure to your or their days can be unsettling.
Dry Erase Markers
I like these because they have magnets in the caps that will stick to the white boards or the metal part of a clip board.
Clip Boards
You might also like to develop lists of things and place them on a special clip board for each child.
Let me know if you try these ideas and how they work for you. Let’s support each other with ways we can all organize and manage our time in the near future. Hang in there!
My son with his new white board!
by Katherine DiGiovanni | Mar 3, 2020 | Pantry
(Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and Neatnik will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. We have experience with all of the products listed below and recommend them based on that experience. Please let us know if you have any questions about anything linked to below!)
Many of us have goals this year to be more organized around the house. And some of us also have a goal around healthy eating and wellness – everything from cooking more meals at home, to eating less processed food, or making healthier choices that promote weight loss. These goals can be a challenge, but the good news is that you can tackle them all simultaneously by focusing on your pantry! They say the kitchen is the heart of the home – well, I say the pantry is the heart of the kitchen. Having an organized pantry can help you cook more, shop smartly and efficiently, and help foster the choices you and your family want to make with regard to food. And you can do all of this while creating a functional and aesthetically pleasing display just like those #pantrygoals posts on Pinterest!
Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to help create your very own pantry makeover at home:
Clean It Out
Start by taking everything out. Give the shelves a good wiping down. Sort through all of the food and discard stale and expired items and donate or toss items you don’t eat or don’t want to be eating. Sort everything else into categories – pastas, rice, condiments, baking supplies, etc. This helps you start with a clean slate and you’re organizing what you’ll actually use and consume.
Use Clear and Accessible Bins
When possible, use bins that allow you to see the contents on the shelves in your pantry. This helps you easily see what you have and if you’re running low on anything. The bins can be plastic, but they can also be wire baskets. Look for risers or tiered organizers for cans and bottles that can get crammed onto a shelf. The risers will help you see the items in the back. Lastly, think about using a Lazy Susan for spices, oils, or other bottles and cans. This makes everything more visible, accessible, and easy to use.
Decant When Logical
To decant or not to decant – it’s always the question. This is a personal choice of whether or not to empty bags and boxes of food into matching or at least more substantial and sustainable containers in your pantry. On the positive side, decanting things like flour, sugar, rice, and grains into your own jars can make them easier to use, easier to see when you’re running low, and a uniform, matching set of labeled jars or canisters can make your shelves look very pleasing to the eye. Having your own containers makes it much easier to buy items like lentils or grains from the bulk bins, too. I recommend you take packaged bars and snacks out of the often large cardboard boxes they are sold in. Decanting them into a bin or basket can save a lot of space. On the negative side, decanting can be an extra, annoying step that busy people don’t always feel like they have time to do. I personally have found that decanting things like flours, sugars, rice, and lentils makes a lot of sense for me. But for things like breakfast cereal, decanting it just not worth it for my family. We go through it too quickly to make decanting cereal something we can keep up with.
Make Frequently-Used Items Most Accessible
When putting your pantry in order, place the things you use the most, in the most accessible spots. For example, if you don’t bake often, don’t put your baking supplies front and center. Perhaps your morning smoothie supplies and your kids’ snacks would be items you’d want to make easiest to access. It’s all a personal preference, but you’ll want to think through what you will need to access most often when placing your items. When you’re placing your bins and baskets, place like with like and make each bin or space on the shelf a different category of food.
Help Your Pantry Support Your Goals
If, like me, you’re someone who is always striving to eat healthier and eat less processed food, these sorts of goals should be central to your pantry organization. As a professional organizer, I love to see the #pantrygoals photos on social media with all of the beautifully sorted bins of colorful chips, bars, and other processed snacks. But while those processed food colors look great, those products are foods I try to make more of a “sometimes treat” for my family. I say this because more than any other single factor, your environment influences your choices. If you’re working to choose less packaged snacks, for example, you may not want to have them on display or front and center in your pantry. It’s putting a visual temptation in a prominent place. Opt to put the healthier choices where you can your family and see them and reach for them!
Don’t Stock for Armageddon
While I know for some of us it can feel like the end of the world is coming, as a professional organizer, I’m here to tell you should not stock your pantry as if it is. You do not need to prepare and stock for a hurricane unless one is actually coming. When you buy things like paper towel or canned goods, think about how much you actually need in the near future and just buy that amount and store it. And then, as I like to say, “store the rest at the store!” Otherwise, you’re taking up valuable real estate in your home and cluttering up your pantry with unnecessary bulk. In most circumstances, you can buy more when you need it – I promise you!
(This blog was originally published on the Mabelhood, the blog of Mabel’s Labels, on February 20, 2020.)
