Category: Uncategorized

  • 2005–2025 – A Fond Farewell—for Now (A Big Thank You)

    John TroskoDear friends, readers, and fellow organizing enthusiasts,

    After many wonderful years of sharing ideas, tips, stories, and inspirations here at
    OrganizingLA (www.organizingla.com),
    I have some bittersweet news to share. Typepad, the platform that hosts this blog, is winding down its services.
    I’m currently migrating the entire archive—posts, photos, and memories—to a new home so everything is preserved.

    Stay Connected

    While the move happens, you can always find me at:
    🌐 www.organizingla.com
    📸 Instagram: @johntrosko

    What This Means

    • Temporary downtime: Some pages may be intermittently unavailable while I complete the move.
    • New home, same mission: Expect the same practical organizing advice, move-management insights, and behind-the-scenes stories—just with a refreshed setup.
    • Where to find me next: Please continue to visit
      www.organizingla.com
      and follow me on
      Instagram (@johntrosko)
      for updates and the latest posts.

    Thank You

    To everyone who has visited, commented, and shared over the years—thank you. Your encouragement has made this space meaningful and fun.
    This isn’t goodbye, just a short pause while I pack up (organizers do that well!). I can’t wait to welcome you to the new site soon.

    With gratitude,

    John Trosko
    OrganizingLA
    www.organizingla.com
    Instagram: @johntrosko


    Note: If you subscribe by RSS or email, I’ll update those feeds once the new site is live so you don’t miss a thing.

  • Watch This Commerical. Do Vacuum-Compressed Storage Bags Encourage Hoarding?

    Ziplock Pillow Commercial

    Ziplock Space Bag commercial screenshot – this gal is hoarding pillows inside her kitchen cabinets and her partner isn't thrilled.

    As a professional organizer I am often asked about my thoughts on vacuum-compressed storage bags. It seems like people have a love-hate relationship with them (you either love them, or hate them). In fact, I was most recently asked about them for a Tips for Storing Winter Clothing piece for About.com.

     

    My thoughts on vacuum-compressed storage bags

    "John (in About.com): If you don’t have room for large plastic bins, plastic vacuumed compressed storage bags are a great option because once they’re shrunk down, you can sneak them into just about anywhere like cabinet nooks and the tight space under your bed. Be aware that clothes may wrinkle inside the bags, the bags don’t sit square and they slide off each other if stacked on a shelf. They’re prone to “pop” open, too. In that case, use some heavy duty tape to seal the zippers so you won’t have the popping issue. Check the bags in the first few days of the summer for sweat or beads of water under the plastic surface."

     

    The Space Bag "I Really Like Pillows" Commercial:

    We've been seeing this Ziplock Space Bags-brand commercial the past few days. Space Bags are incredibly popular and this commercial is quite humorous. If you can't see the video below, click this link.

     

    iSpot.tv says "this woman, likely being a hoarder, likes pillows so much she ended up piling them in her closet, the kitchen cupboards and all over the living room. But, with the convenient storage Ziploc Space Bags provide, she can put away most of the pillows in order to make room for the special ones like the "His" and "Hers" pillows… and also make room for her husband's sanity."

     

    The commercial is really cute but I think they went overboard with the idea. I don't like that this gal:

    • Didn't part with any pillows – donate or sell any;
    • Put her need to collect over the value of her relationship;
    • Did not examine her shopping addictions.

     

    I know they're playing up the drama and at the end of the commercial, the couple are back on the couch existing as one happy couple– all in 30 seconds!

     

    Your Turn to Comment

    What do you think of the new Space Bag commercial? Do you think they've gone way over the line and encouraged people to continue to hoard their pillows? Do you use vacuum-compressed bags? Do you like them? Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check me out on Instagram (@johntrosko).

     

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  • Read Our Testimonials Page

     

    Ever wonder how our hands-on organizing clients feel after they've gone through our organization process?


    We have a brand-new testimonials page set up. It's all part of our ongoing blog makeover we started in November. The client review page can now be found on the header of our blog. As always it's an ongoing project, feel free to comment on the page itself, the reviews you read, or our blog in general.

     

    OrganizingLA Client Testimonials


     

  • Resource Page: How To Organize Your Small Office And Business in Los Angeles

    Los Angeles Office Desk
    No matter where or what city you do business, office organizing has pushed itself onto the forefront of everyone’s plate.

     

    We seem to all be struggling with:

     

    • physical clutter;
    • digital and electronics challenges;
    • wireless integration;
    • social networking and time management;
    • what do to with our actual desktop;
    • office supplies we access everyday;
    • work/residence share spaces compromises;
    • those pesky but necessary receipts and business cards;
    • new product solutions for specialized industries;
    • the paper trail that we never really got a handle on.

     

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    We Offer Solutions:

    While a lot of our hands-on organizing expertise evolves around home organizing, our background and expertise is in small business and creative corporate environments makes us equally excited to share new techniques and strategies.

     

    We’ve put together these office organizing resource topics to help you create a more productive environment. Click on the links for information.

     

    Organizing Your Office – Topics:


     

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    image courtesy Baubauhaus

  • Welcome to OrganizingLA

    For 7 years, we’ve transformed the homes, businesses, small offices and secret spaces of Los Angeles from fabulous messes to spectacular showcases. Join us here as we good-naturedly spill Hollywood’s domestic obsessions and our credence that being organized is better than a weekend at the new Hotel Bel-Air.

  • OrganizingLA Travel Dates for February, March and April

    LAX

    We'll be traveling on and off for the next three months.

    We're always delighted to meet new clients especially when we're on the road. We love to collaborate to create beautiful, functional spaces. Please e-mail us or call (323) 512-7039 to discuss your project, big or small.

    • Central New Jersey (Princeton-area): February 24 – February 28
    • New York City: March 1 – March 3
    • Philadelphia (Manayunk and the Main Line): March 4 – March 7
    • San Diego (Mission Valley): April 4 – April 12

    Image courtesy of the Artist, Peter Drake and Linda Warren Gallery

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