Do you know where your toothbrush is?
Elizabeth Lee posted on 13th April 2009 CATEGORY: OrganizingEven a pair of simple cotton undies deserve respect.
When you wake up in the morning and you go to brush your teeth you probably don’t have many problems finding your toothbrush do you? And then when you are done brushing your teeth chances are that you put your toothbrush back right where you found it. Am I right? Floss might be a different story because it could be there on the sink or in the medicine cabinet or maybe you don’t floss at all. You can always find your toothbrush because it has a home and so should all of your other belongings, especially those that you use on a regular basis. 
Case Study: Last week we helped this great gal organize her bedroom. Her email said that her room was a “hot mess” and that “it looked like a 13 year old lived there with 2 dogs and fiancé.” In my own life I have 2 dogs, teenage twin boys who rule the roost, a handsome hubby, but no “hot mess” to speak of.
When my partner and I arrive at the job, the place appears nice and neat and tidy with some basic storage issues going on but nothing out of the ordinary. “Wait” she says, “come to the bedroom”. Well let me tell you THAT PLACE WAS A HOT MESS!! This poor girl had clothes everywhere. Clothes falling out of the closet, on the floor, on the bed, on the TV, on the window ledge, on the bathroom counter….E V E R Y W H E R E.
After a brief scolding (“How can you throw your clothes all over the floor?”; “Do you know how to use a hanger?; “How many tank tops does one person need?”) we got down to work. Pulling out everything (yes, everything) from the closet, small cabinet, unpacked suitcases and unpacked moving boxes in the kitchen (clothes had been there for 1 year) and piling it all on her stripped bed we began to create 4 piles:
KEEP (You love it and wear it)
TRASH (It is damaged and could be considered a rag)
DONATE (Someone else will love it)
CONSIGN (You paid a lot for it so get some money back if you can)
…oh and one more laundry/dry clean, (dog fur was everywhere)
After we sorted all of the clothes and cleared out at least 2/3 of them we were able to address some of the basic issues at hand. If you are going to have a lot of clothes you need to have proper storage solutions. Invest in a dresser whether a nice one, or if your budget won’t permit, one from a discount store or tag sale. If all else fails, purchase some clear plastic bins for overflow items and stack them neatly. Buy more shirt hangers (send the wire ones back to the dry cleaners if you have them) and vertical skirt/pant hangers with clips that hold 5 to 6 items to take up less room. Homegoods stores have all sorts of hooks, drawers and shelves for what you need.
So, we have come to the part of the story where I disclose something about myself. Perhaps many of you can relate to this. I am 43 and while a select few think I still have it “going on” (thanks honey), I am not and have never been a Victoria Secret kind of girl. I am your basic cotton panties sort and if need be something depending on the outfit.
It therefore came as a shock, and then major amusement, when we discovered no less than 45 pairs of thong panties strewn throughout this room. Strewn you ask??? Yes strewn. So I ask our client “What’s up with the panties?” She tells me that whenever she can’t find clean ones she just goes and buys more. I immediately think she can certainly afford our rates and this is out of control. “YOU BUY NEW UNDERWEAR WHEN THE OTHER STUFF IS DIRTY??” “Well no, I do the laundry, I just can’t find the clean ones so I have to buy more” she replied.
Life lesson: Underwear and socks need to have homes too.
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