OrganizingLA Blog

Can Something Pretty Make You Want To Do Housework?

If there is one thing we've learned running a professional organizing business it's that the right tool can get the job done. And an even better tool is one that you can leave out for display, or hang up in plain sight for easy access so it no only looks good, but functions well too.

 

This week I fell in love with this bamboo ironing board from Welm Elm on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. If you know me, I pretty much hate ironing anything other than pillow cases, cocktail napkins, tea towels, shams and placemats (anything flat and manageable). But I think this board will want to make me want to iron more and more. And it's a relative bargain at $79.99. If you add a chef's stripe ironing board cover @ $19.00 --  you will have a look that adds affordable functional style in traditional homes, Victorian-style, Spanish Renaissance, beach home, Colonial, Craftsman (you get the point).

 

West Elm continues to stock great organizing and homekeeping products that they inherited when Hold Everything home organization store closed down in 2006.  Check out these pictures.

 

This stylish ironing board features solid bamboo legs and a Fibertech® top made from natural plant fiber waste.

 

High quality homekeeping products can make chores more fun!

When working with clients we try to incorporate some style in the client's necessary functional activities and storage. And all the better if we can move away from plastic containers into wood (yea, I am obsessed with wood organizing boxes and storage pieces).

 

Take for instance my own bathroom. I repurposed these 1970's Maxwell House freeze-dried glass coffee jars in the bathroom to hold wooden Q-tips, cotton balls, cotton pads and wood toothbrushes (the last container was empty so I added some sea shells). The canisters sit on the shelf and they're not only maritime chic, they're are functional (and yes, we had to scrub these jars for an hour, they were previously used in a garage in Sierra Madre to hold nuts, bolts and drill bits!)

 

 

These re-purposed freeze-dried coffee canister sit on my bathroom shelves. They're not only pretty but functional too...something important to me personally and when working with clients.

So you can see from my Instagram picture post, when you incorporate looks and function, you might get a bonus: a burst of extra energy to tackle life's little details and complete your ironing (or any little chore) faster. And then we can move on to more important things like friends, family and Spring time fun.

 

 

Now is your chance to sound off:

 

What products do you like to have around you? Do stylish products really help you get the job done more efficiently? Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check me out on Instagram.

 

Don't miss these topics!

 

Want to learn smart and practical organizing tips for your home, office and life? Save time by signing up for free topic updates and receive them as soon as they're published. Plus, as a gift receive our exclusive Martha Stewart Living Radio recorded radio interview and transcript, chock full of strategies, tips and resources direct from John.

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A New Multi-Tasking Kitchen Tool

Time to multi-task your eating

We're always pushing our professional organizing clients to use kitchen tools that serve many functions. They'll take up less space yet have many more functions (than just one or two).

We had to share this iPod ramen serving bowl here. Hailed as the "anti-boredom" bowl, you can keep your hands-free while you combine solo eating and surfing. So much for the company of others! We wonder if they will fit Android?

 

Janet Charlton is right. When this bowl design finally comes to Hollywood, expect to see it marketed with an organic leafy green salad, with balsalmic dressing on the side.

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Transform Your Hidden Coins Into Fall Savings!

At any one time, approximately $10 billion worth of change is sitting idle in American homes through piggy banks, pickle jars, and unknowingly dropped in sofa cushions, junk drawers, under beds, stuck between car seats and in suit jackets.

Collect that lose change and forget about sorting, rolling and counting it all yourself. Save time this fall having your local self-service coin collection machine automatically do the dirty work. The machines (aptly named Coinstar, CoinMax, Penny Arcade) are located inside local grocery and drug stores, credit unions, banks and selected Starbucks nationwide.

Bring them your bags or jars and simply pour the coins into the counter. Once processed, the machines issue a voucher to turn in at the retail register.  While there's a fee (9.8%) if you insist on cash back, you'll save a lot of time not having to roll coins yourself.

Money Saving Tip:

 

Save the counting fees entirely by opting for a gift card from national retail brands, an eCertificate for online purchases or you can even choose to donate your counted coins to charity.

What have you done with your spare change? Tweet your answers to @johntrosko !

Sofa image from personal collection-Deco Home fabric store on La Brea in Los Angeles.

A different edited version of this piece above originally appeared on FitPerez, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity fitness and personal trainer expertise, diet, nutrition and  advice lifestyle experts. Click here to read this piece on FitPerez.

Like this Topic?

Want to learn smart and practical organizing tips for your home, office and life? Save time by signing up for free topic updates and receive them as soon as they're published. Plus, as a gift receive our exclusive Martha Stewart Living Radio recorded radio interview and transcript, chock full of strategies, tips and resources direct from John.

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Clutter-Free Holiday Gifts For Mom

Want an attractive alternative to traditional gifts this year?

According to the annual Black Friday shopping survey from The National Retail Federation, over 152 MILLION people were expected (and did) shop in stores or online the weekend following Thanksgiving.

While you head out into the frenzy to shop, consider giving thoughtful clutter-free gifts this year. Clutter-free gifts are gifts from the heart; offerings that are healthy, consumable, imaginative and not necessarily budget-busting.  Think how you can gussy up the presentation of clutter-free gifts with bows, ribbons, nice boxes and wrapping paper.

Top 10 Online Return Policies - Return Your Unused Purchases And Eliminate Clutter

Whether you are in Beverly Hills, New York City, San Francisco or Miami, we consider clutter to be unused and unloved treasures you once thought you'd have a place for in your home or office.

In our professional organizing business, we often suggest that savvy clients be prepared to ask themselves how often they use things, and the cost of ownership of those things. Along the way we both discover items with tags and price stickers that clearly can be returned depending on the store the item was purchased to. This is where clients can save considerable money by returning their unused items (within a reasonable amount of time after purchase!)

Return policies for brick and mortar and online retail stores are more complex than income tax laws. Buy online (and wanting to return) and you'll spend umpteen hours working your way through phone trees and waiting on hold to talk to a customer "service" representative. If you're lucky, you'll get a refund. Otherwise, it's a store credit from a store you may not wish to patronize again.

Humorously, many of these merchants claim to offer "hassle free" returns. Some retailers, on the other hand, genuinely believe in making the process as pain-free as possible.

FreeShipping did some research and came up with the following top 10 online return policies.

Sunny Los Angeles Inspires Organizational Solutions by Henry Road

For a while now we've been following the success of Henry Road, a Los Angeles home and decor boutique overseen by designer Paula Smail.

The small shop located in Studio City just off Ventura Boulevard features Smail's global-inspired color-filled pillows and table textiles supplemented by an eclectic, fun collection of home goods, furniture, organizational solutions and gifts. What grabs you at first are the colors and patterns made right here in the City, perfect for the sunny spaces of Los Angeles-- and beyond (they do surely ship). Her inventive use of color and cheerfulness was incorporated not only in her table textiles but in her organizing products.

New Organizing Products Just Announced:

Smail and Company just announced some new items for the summer. We thought we'd bring you a few of the newer organizational solutions and some of their sturdy standbys. With quality comes price, none of these items are inexpensive. But your space is surely going to speak of function and beauty if you choose them. The windowed tins and the wonderful ceramic crate are brand new.

 

White Porcelain Storage Crate (perfect for magazines, small bowls, office paper, nice enough to leave out) $150

Windowbox Storage Tin (great for crafting, tea lights, office supplies, sewing kit, buttons and receipts-- wonderful for folks who need to "see their stuff") $26 (small) - $46 (large)

Wood Bakery Bin (We love these for the kitchen counter, guest room bathroom, or as a mail bin by the front door) $40

Storage Sacks (recycled coffee sacks sewn with Henry Road's own fabrics... fill them with CDs, toys or fruit in the kitchen) $35 (available in four colors).

Ceramic French Road Can (a really nice organic look to store utensils, bathroom accessories or use as a vase) $30

Vintage Film Cases (we're in Hollywood after all... fill these boxes with photos, note cards, markers, DVDs and small games) $55

Read More:

Henry Road - blog

Henry Road - website

Henry Road - facebook

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