Welcome to 2019! If you’re like most Americans you have made resolutions to exercise more, lose weight and get organized. Why is getting organized so high on the list of things to accomplish? It could be because it has been nagging at you for so long. You know you could do more if only you didn’t have to contend with so much clutter and disorder. Studies support this. Neuroscientists at Princeton have shown that clutter has a negative impact on your ability to be productive and focus. It bombards the brain with unimportant information. Psychologists at UCLA confirmed this with a study of families and their clutter. They determined that physical clutter overloads your senses and causes stress. This, in turn, decreases creativity.

Clutter can elicit many negative feelings: embarrassment, loss of self-esteem and guilt from having purchased so much stuff in the first place. We want to reduce our amount of stuff, but other feelings interfere with us doing this. Our items may have sentimental value and the more you have touched them over the years, the harder time you will have in letting them go. Ohio State University researchers have shown a correlation with the duration of physical contact with objects and how much value you place on them. The more you touch, the higher the value. This is why the Apple corporation has large showrooms where you can touch their high tech items for sale.

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization has a tool for measuring the magnitude of your clutter. It’s called the Clutter-Hoarding Scale©. It is a tool used by professional organizers when doing a residential assessment. There are five levels with five categories within each level. It starts with Level I Green – Low and ends with Level V Red – Severe. At Level III, the clutter obstructs functions in key living areas. By Level V, key living spaces are unusable. Hoarding is an extreme in household clutter. People with hoarding disorder have difficulty discarding items because of strong perceived need to save the items and/or the distress associated with discarding them. Special intervention is required for this disorder.

It can actually physically hurt to part with your stuff, too. At least that’s what research at Yale University pointed out. They identified two areas in the brain associated with pain that light up in response to letting go of items. People make a financial and emotional commitment to their possessions. Letting go can be traumatic. So? What’s a person to do? A sensitive professional organizer like the ones on staff at The Move Makers can come up with creative ways to keep the memory of the items alive while parting with the physical objects. They can provide strategies for reducing the pain of letting go. They know that once you have made the decision to part with stuff, it will boost your mood and counteract those negative feelings. Make an appointment today with one of our organizers so you can get started in an area of your home. You will feel better for it.

Modern couples typically do not order china and crystal for their wedding registries, or at least not like the old days. In fact, couples are marrying at older ages now and prefer online registries at places like Amazon, Home Depot or Honeyfund (for honeymoon trips). Many Millennials are choosing experiences, not seldom-used items that merely take up valuable space. We remember visiting older relatives and seeing the china and crystal in museum-like china cabinets. Then, it was passed down. Ask anyone. They will tell you about that box of china they have in the attic or garage or some inaccessible place in the kitchen. So? What should we do with it? There are many different opinions on the matter.

Overall, the trend appears to be to either use it or ditch it. People tend to use everyday dishes instead of expensive tableware. After all, it’s not often we throw fancy dinner parties. But, it turns out that china ( especially bone china) is very durable. Depending on whether it has metallic trim or not, it can go into the dishwasher and microwave. Gone are the days when you carefully washed your china by hand. You can use them for your everyday dishes. Break a dish? No problem. There are online registries where you can find replacement pieces. Some couples like to have eclectic collections of all kinds of colors, patterns and materials of dinnerware. It makes their table fun and colorful. If something breaks, they go to a resale store and buy some other appealing piece and add it to the mix. They don’t worry about it.

Many people have kitchens that are lacking in cabinet space. They do not like clutter and will jettison anything that doesn’t serve a function. Boxes of old china and crystal have no meaning for them. They view possessing it as a burden and not something of great value. They sell it or give it away with no regrets. But, there are also those that fondly remember their grandmother’s china cabinet and sitting around the Thanksgiving table with the best dinnerware and crystal taking center stage. It is a family tradition that must be passed on. They have to do their part as the current caretaker of the family heirlooms. It is their obligation. Otherwise, it could cause hurt feelings.

The times are changing and so are attitudes about what is valuable and what should occupy space within your home. Young people care more about experiences and less about “things.” They want to revere their elders, but are less likely to place value on items passed down unless it is of personal, historic or monetary value. They would rather keep a special piece of jewelry, a watch, a shirt, or old pictures that hold more personal meaning. Advice from experts says that you can consult with other family members who want to preserve the family china and crystal and give it to them if you don’t have the space to store it. If no other family members care about what happens to the keepsakes, then feel free to sell them, donate them or use them. Having them sit in boxes in your home does no one any good.

Does your playroom look like a tornado has hit? Do you find toys everywhere in your home? Are you constantly stepping on Legos or picking up puzzle pieces? I can relate. Having had three children in a ten year span, I know what having too many toys looks like. When my youngest was a toddler and the oldest was in junior high school, there were tons of toys for all age groups all over the floor of my house. I also had a girl and two boys which meant having additional toys to please each gender. I fell prey to the marketing of the era. To please your child meant buying them more stuff and I was not alone.

The toy industry worldwide sells $80 billion in toys each year. One-fourth of these are bought by people in North America. The United States ranks second only to the U.K. in toy purchases per child. They buy $438 in toys per child per year and the U.S. spends $371 (https://www.statista.com/) . Children in the U.S. own 40% of the toys consumed, yet only account for 3% of the world’s children. They have twice as many toys now as children did 50 years ago. (https://www.worldatlas.com/)

How do you know when you have too many toys? Often, with more toys comes confusion and boredom. The choices are so overwhelming that the children can’t decide what to do and often do nothing. We have all seen the child who unwraps a gift and ends up playing with the box and not the toy. Children can also become passively entertained with toys that do everything for them. Simpler can indeed be better. If children need to figure something out or create their own scenarios, they tend to learn and develop.

Kids with too many toys can be easily distracted and do not enjoy their play time as much. Toy overload can even cause negative effects on their developing psyches. Montessori school experts say that children have a natural sense of order that starts at birth and lasts until age 5 or 6. Without this order, children can seem lost and lacking in focus. To restore this order and produce independence and happiness, you need to remove some of the toys.

What can you do and how should you start? The holidays are coming, so now is a great time to take stock of what you already have and what you could part with. You will notice that kids seem to gravitate to certain favorite toys while others sit idly by just taking up space. There are many great ideas about what to do. The professional organizers at The Move Makers are specially-trained to give you insights and ideas. They have many resources at their disposal for advising and setting up systems. By simplifying and organizing the play area, the toys that you do keep will become more visible and used more often.

With toys, as with many things in life, less is more. By enlisting the aid of our experts, you will find that your children will have more fun and better quality playtime and you will have less clutter, hassles and headaches with toy storage and clean-up.

Make the Heart of Your Home Easier to Use

 
The kitchen is the heart of your home. It is increasingly being used for multiple purposes. It’s where family and visitors gather to prepare meals, have conversations, and build memories. As our lives become more casual, the kitchen becomes more important. It is the central meeting area for the family. By following some simple rules of accessibility you can make your kitchen one that is more comfortable and easy to use for everyone. Universal Design principles will reduce fatigue and allow for safer and more efficient use of your kitchen.

To start, the layout should be one that allows for flow through the three major areas of use: the refrigerator, the sink and the cooking area (stove, oven or microwave). To reduce steps, these stations should be located in close proximity, ideally in a triangle. If you have a galley kitchen or an L-shaped or U-shaped kitchen, keep the stations in logical order and close together if possible. Allow for a counter space between the sink and stove for preparing items for cooking. Standard counter height is 36” but counters can be lower if users are seated or in a wheelchair. Choose glare-free countertop materials and avoid sharp counter edges and corners.

The sink is the most often used item in the kitchen. Make sure that it is large enough or has dual basins. The faucet should be a single-lever type. It’s handy to have a pull-out sprayer built into the faucet. Stainless steel sinks are easier to maintain than porcelain ones. Appliance choice is next in importance. Refrigerators are designed in many different ways now and frequently have cold water and ice accessible in the door. Locating the freezer compartment below makes using the refrigerator section easier with less bending. If the user is in a wheelchair, a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer is best. Stoves now have easy to use push button controls. These are preferred to knobs or dials. Microwave ovens should be located at counter height. Removing hot items from upper cabinet height microwaves can be dangerous.

Cabinetry is very important. To reduce the stress of bending and trying to reach inside lower cabinets, install pull-out drawers and shelving. For upper cabinets, pull-down shelving is available. Otherwise, do not place items on upper shelves that are higher than you can comfortably reach. Many falls in the home involve step stools so avoid using them if you can. There are many new cabinet designs for pantries, wine racks, spices, plates, platters, and trays that are clever use of space. Remember to have locking cabinets for chemicals, sharp items and other things that you want to keep out of reach from children, pets, or those with dementia.

Natural lighting from kitchen windows is preferred. Overhead lighting can also be good, but make sure it is full-spectrum and LED for cost savings. Task lighting is very important for many cooking and baking chores and can be installed under your upper cabinets. Make sure your receptacles have ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) for avoiding shocks and burns. There are many other tips for making your kitchen accessible. The Move Makers employs a Certified Aging in Place Specialist who can review your kitchen and the entire house and offer recommendations for improvements. Contact us today at (503) 744-0826.

I have many pleasant memories of camping with my family – the beach, hiking, fishing and eating around the campfire. Everyone would dutifully unload the car upon our return, but then everyone would disappear. Somehow, it always fell upon mom to clean the camping supplies and put them away. I remember trying to put everything back where it came from, but somehow, it wouldn’t fit on the same garage shelves. How was this possible? Wasn’t it there before? Well, yes and no. We always seemed to buy new camp gear during each trip although we kept all the old gear for back-up. We would end up with multiples of everything. Too many sleeping bags and pads, coolers, stoves, lanterns and oodles of gadgets. You name it, we had it.

The gear began to creep into the floor of the garage in front of the camping shelves. Eventually, it started getting dirty and tattered-looking. Something had to be done? But, what? That’s when I found out about Gear Forward. This is a nonprofit that recycles camping gear to the Boy Scouts or other youth in need (see gearforward.org). You can also donate it to a local hiking or climbing club or the Sierra Club. They will put it to good use. REI and Goodwill have a program called the Give Back Box. You can go to REI.com/givebackbox and print out a shipping label. Put your donations in a box, attach the label and then drop it off at any U.S. post office or UPS store. Making donations to nonprofits will keep huge amounts of gear and clothing out of landfills. Of course, people can also sell excess gear on eBay, Craigslist or Geartrade.com.

How do you arrange your camp gear on shelves in your garage? Please check out our related article in this newsletter on garage accessibility. Garages can be divided into regions for different items: automotive, tools, lawn and garden, recycling, sports and recreation, etc. Use open storage as much as possible. There are all ranges of shelving from very inexpensive plastic shelves to very expensive customized metal and wooden shelves. Pegboard with sturdy hooks can hang some items. Be careful not store things too high and out of reach. Accessing items overhead can be risky when you have to climb a step stool or ladder to get to them. Remember to leave at least 3-4 feet in front of shelves for easy access and put heavier items closest to the floor.

Now, my kids are all grown and gone. The camp gear went to their homes since I no longer have a garage. Although I am welcome to join them on camping trips, my idea of roughing it is to rent a hotel without room service.