The Clutter Diet Blog

Got an Organizing Problem? Hang It Up!

A friend of mine sent this product website over to show me (thanks, Kim!)... this product collection of clear hanging bags might be just the thing for people who are very visual, "out-of-sight-out-of-mind" folks. Read my previous post "Are You an Abstract or Concrete Thinker?" for more on this. (photos from hangupbags.com website)

They are demonstrating the product for kids' toys, games, craft supplies, and household items. I think it's particularly good for anything creative, because creative people like being able to see all of their choices when creating something new. You can also store your projects together as shown here with cross stitch supplies. (Aby Garvey, do you know about this?)

I also like their hanging file bags. This would be great for manuals, CDs, and other bulky items you'd like to see readily in your files and stored securely. It looks like you have to call them to order- they don't appear to have a shopping cart on their site.

Are you a concrete thinker? What organizing problems do you have to solve because you need more visual cues? We help people every day in our member message boards with access to our team of experts, at less than the cost of a pizza. We'd love to help you with your specific situation.

Organizing Expo Finds, Part 3

In our continuing series about cool stuff we saw at the NAPO conference, I wanted to talk this time about Unikeep binders. I love these! I saw them again at the expo, but have been a fan of theirs for a long time. (photo here from Unikeep's website)

The binders close up and snap shut to make a case, so that things cannot fall out of them when you carry them, and that also makes them STACKABLE! Regular 3-ring binders are very lopsided both trying to stack them and putting them on a shelf, so it's a real pleasure to see a bunch of these very neatly sitting in a row together without a problem. I like using these to hold computer disks and documentation, like when you buy a new computer. You can fit a lot of stuff into these and just not worry about it (even if you cheat and don't punch holes in the papers!).

I also have been meaning to write about the Vital Records PortaVault since I saw them February in Los Angeles at the 2008 NAPO LA Organizing Awards (click here for great YouTube video coverage of our red carpet event! I am in there around 4:50). The creator of the product, Sherie Dodsworth, made it because she saw a big need during Katrina-- people were seen standing on their roofs with their most important possessions. She thought it would be great to have one easily-carried bag with all of your important documents in it, ready to grab and go. It even has a shoulder strap!

I hope you've enjoyed our conference round-up!

Organizing Expo Finds, Part 2

Quick- name the city in the US that most needs a non-smoking ordinance... if you said RENO, you're right! I am finally feeling better after recovering from a recurrence of a sinus infection brought on by being trapped in a Reno casino hotel for almost a week. It really knocked me out.

Now I can get back to telling you about the new things we saw there. I think the Shelfanator product is a really cool idea. The Shelfanator covers up wire shelving in pantries and closets and makes it much more functional. I have worked on pantries before with this problem... spices and packets and other small items falling through the cracks. A four foot length of Shelfanator is only about $20, so it's an affordable way to make your shelves work better. (photo below from Shelfanator's website)

A related favorite is Shelf Conversions. (Hi Allan!) They retrofit your cabinets with glide-out shelves, so you can make much better use of that silly half-shelf in the lower cabinets and avoid bending and stooping so much. (photo below from Shelf Conversions website) They come to your home and take measurements and give you an estimate, then they come back and install them for you.

More Expo Finds coming soon!

Organizing Expo Finds, Part 1

Yvette and I are back from Reno, where we attended the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) conference last week. Where to even start? I want to share with you several finds of new and interesting products at the expo, for one thing.

My favorite new find was the Tote Trac system. (photo from Tote Trac's website, click it to enlarge) It's ceiling-mounted storage using a simple system of wire tracks and your own tote bins of the size you choose. You buy a set of bins (hopefully on sale somewhere) that are uniform in size for the space you need, and then you slide them onto the Tote Tracs on your ceiling. Piece of cake! This is really good in a garage, but you can also use them in closets with shallower bins. They offer accessories like hooks for bikes and ladders, as shown in this photo.

I will be sharing more throughout the week from the expo. The big deal for me this year was our 1st annual NAPO talent show! My friend Shawn and I planned it and nobody thought we were serious until it actually happened! We had a great time and I want to thank all of the volunteers and participants that made it so great. You can see photos here on Flickr of the show. Enjoy!

UPDATE 5/13/08: ToteTrac has agreed to give our readers, members, and friends free FedEx expedited shipping if they use the coupon code "clutterdiet" in their shopping cart checkout!