All week we have been chatting about clutter control and getting rid of clutter in the living room. What did you do this week?

It is Friday and that means it is product review day. As a professional organizer as I work in people’s homes I encourage those who don’t use this product under their throw rugs to go right out and buy it.

Non Slip rug ‘liner’:

•It prevents accidents from happening as rugs aren’t slippery.
•It can actually (or so I have read) extend the life of your rugs.
•It can be used in the cupboard as a thin padding to put glasses on.
•It comes in many sizes and can be cut to fit.

I have never found that any one brand is better than another. Have you? You can find this product at all variety stores in the house ware section.

Please share your clutter control tip for the living room!

Last night we had an adventure in Barns and Noble. I’m signing my book Go Organize! and I’m giving a handy tip on how to best apply this book in your life to keep you ahead of the game.

I am always amazed at all the free services we can use to help us remember everything we want to remember that can also help with clutter control. I just came across a website called Evernote.com and I signed up to use this service. Whether you are a senior or you have senior moments this may be something you want to check out.

Instead of jotting notes and then misplacing them; send text or images to the site by e-mailing, sending a photo from your cell phone or copying online material into your account. The service stores and catalogs your data. You can save to-do- lists, photos and copies of business cards.

The basic service is free or you can pay only $5.00 a month for a premium account which includes more storage and faster image recognition. I am looking forward to using my account to copy online material so I can find it faster.

Have you ever used a service like this? If so how did it work for you? Did it help with clutter control in your life?

No matter what time of year it is we all have to be on guard to protect our identity. Sherie Dodsworth Ceo and founder of Securita on line wrote this very timely newsletter offering organizing ideas to protect our identity. At the end of the newsletter is information about the porta vault she developed, which I personally use and have found it invaluable to me and my family!

“The holiday season is the season for giving, and unfortunately also the peak stealing season for identity thieves and con artists. These criminals are out in full force during the biggest shopping season of the year, just waiting for the right opportunity to take advantage of stressed and distracted shoppers. You can never be too safe when it comes to your personal information. By understanding the risks and taking extra precautions, you can give yourself the best holiday gift of all: peace of mind that your identity is safe.

Online Shopping
Use only authenticated Web sites to conduct business online. Before submitting personal or financial information through a Web site, check for the locked padlock image on your browser’s status bar or look for “https://” (rather than http://) in your browser window. According to the Better Business Bureau, secure sites will have “https” instead of “http” in the Web address of the purchasing information page.If you have any concerns about the authenticity of a Web page, call the site’s owner to confirm the URL.

Shopping at the Mall
Be aware of people standing nearby when you are making purchases. Identity thefts have been known to copy credit card information or even take pictures of cards on their cell phone cameras. Shopping malls are especially crowded during the holidays, so carry your wallet or purse securely. Write “Check Photo ID” in permanent ink on your credit card, near your signature. This is an effective way to remind cashiers to check your identity before processing your card.”

This is one of my favorite organizing ideas that I feel protects my family as all of our important papers are together:

The Vital Records PortaVault is an easy-to-use, comprehensive system which IDENTIFIES, ORGANIZES, STORES AND TRANSPORTS all of the important records and documents commonly found in a home.
•Eliminate the guesswork in identifying important documents
•Does not require filling out a lot of forms
•Filled with helpful hints and guidance
•Ready when you are: just grab it & go
•Prevents chaos in emergency situations

Thank you Sheri for these timely tips. What do you do to protect your identy during the holidays and throughout the year?

My sweet 81 year old friend called today and told me she saved over $50.00 by using a suggestion from a sheet of organizing tips she had been given. Of course, I am always looking for organizing tips.

Now, I have to say, this tip is in the gray area between organizing and cleaning, but since I have several videos that border between organizing tips and other things (crafts, cleaning and interesting stuff) I am going to share this one.

Her dishwasher hadn’t completely drained the last two times she used it. She called the plumber who charged $50.00 just to come to the house. But he didn’t come when he said he would. She read on her sheet to use vinegar in the dishwasher to wash out the pipes. She used a gallon of vinegar without any dishes in it and ran the washer through a cycle. That took care of the problem. Imagine that one little idea saved her over $50.00!

Do you have any money saving organizing tips that we could use? If so, please share.

We’re never too old to start clearing clutter! My friend Bev (who was in her late 50’s) told me, “women my age just aren’t interested in organizing, if they haven’t done it by now then they never will, we are just set in our ways”. I gasped when she said this! That just isn’t true; no matter how old we are we will always be clearing clutter in our homes and in our lives. Clearing clutter frees us up for more interesting things to do every day. And if we aren’t consistently clearing clutter then it can become a problem for us.

Just look at Cloris Leachman who is 82 and was on “Dancing With The Stars” reality show. What an inspiration she is. It doesn’t matter how old we are, we can do anything we set our minds to. She had an amazing dance partner who helped her every step of the way and if we need help clearing clutter, then let’s get help. I recommend the encouragement and help from a friend, family member or professional organizer.

I am on a roll. Yesterday I checked my kitchen to see if there were five things I could get rid of and today I went through the cabinet in my main bathroom. (photo above) Some criteria I use to decide if I will keep it is; if I don’t ever use it, it doesn’t have a purpose, it doesn’t light me up or it is worn out I don’t keep it.

I am looking for five items in each room I can get rid of either by donating, putting them where they belong or tossing them. When I first heard the idea of going room by room and getting rid of five things I thought, “no way, I don’t have five things I can get rid of”. Now that I organize for women and seniors as a professional organizer my mind has gone back to this advice and I thought I would give it a serious try.

In my main bathroom I checked on the counter and in the cabinets. Because I go through my cupboards every couple of month things don’t pile up. But I did find one thing that has been there for over six months. (really!) It is a bracelet I need to fix. Finding this one thing was worth looking for five things to get rid of.

I challenge you to find five things in your bathroom you can get rid of to reduce clutter and create space. What were you able to get rid of? Please share, it is inspiring to everyone.

Yesterday a friend who is 85 said he had been to the doctor and was told there were no spare parts for his model. He said things are just wearing out. We all get older and at some point our body parts cease working as well as they used to.

When I organize for seniors I sometimes see that their very homes become obstacles.

The necessity of a walker, crutches, a chair in the shower, wheelchair, or other aid can quickly illuminate some of the “getting-around” difficulties in their homes but a few adjustments may need to be made. Even if it is something as simple as getting a different style of doorknob.

One place you can find home modification ideas is in ‘Easy Access Housing for Easier Living’, a booklet distributed by the Easter Seals Foundation. Call 800-221-6827 for a free copy.

Check out www.trspace.com if structural modifications are called for. They have a helpful manual called ‘The Right Space’ which has hundreds of 3-D drawings of how a modification should be undertaken.

I have always had cats and trying to bathe them was not worth the battle. We did have one cat who did like being in the tub and would stand and purr when she was dripping wet. Washing a dog is another story, here is a product I found that makes it easier for seniors and those who don’t like bending over to wash their dog easier.

Overcome the most difficult aspect of washing your dog – getting the dog into the bath! The Booster Bath helps prevent back pain by raising the tub 21 inches and keeps the dog in the tub with a 3 point collar containment system. Weighing only twenty-two pounds, the Booster Bath will hold up to 350 pounds. That sounds like a great idea to me.

With 360 degree access to your dog, a handy place to store shampoo, conditioner and a brush and a fan shaped spray nozzle with an on-off switch that adjusts the water pressure, bath time will become a pleasant bonding experience for you and your dog. Warm water can be used with the optional hose connector kit.
This product looks like it will be having your dog ask for a bath. (Well, that may be going a tad too far to say that).

Click the link below for more information on this awsome pet bath Dog Bath - Paws for Thought Booster Bath Pet Bath Tub

What is your funniest experience you’ve had when washing your dog?

When we think of aging we used to think of little old pink haired ladies hobbling along with a cane. We may even think that depending on when our parents died or other relatives and what their health was like we will be like them. However we can control more than 70 percent of how well and how long we live.

In the Costco Connection June 2008 one article points out those Eating foods rich in flavonoids, (that was a new word for me) vitamin-like substances that have been shown to decrease the rate of arterial and immune aging. It went on to say a flavonoid-rich diet can knock 3.2 years off your age eating 31 grams a day. Here is a list of such foods:

•Apples (1 cup), Broccoli (1 cup), cranberries (8 ozs.), Cranberry juice (8 ozs.)
•Grape juice (5 ozs.), Oats (1 cup), Onions (1 small), Strawberries (1 cup)
•Tomato juice (8 ozs)

Remember the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? It looks like there is some truth to that. As I organize seniors the idea of aging meaning a little old pink haired lady is certainly not true anymore. They are organizing just like anyone else, sorting, purging and either making their homes less cluttered while giving their treasures to those they want to have them and not waiting for someone else to make that decision for them.

Do you have a favorite flavonoid-rich food? I think mine is an apple with a chunk of cheese.