Rubbermaid - Adventures in Organization

Pre-Garage Sale

We've been really busy with college visits and out-of-town guests, but we’re finally getting organized for our Garage Sale.

My husband and I decided to divide and conquer. He took the garage and miscellaneous shelves/storage areas in the house while I weeded through closets, one by one.

My husband did a good job cleaning up some dusty furniture, file cabinets and sports equipment no longer in use. My daughter definitely had an overstock of baby tees and blouses she could part with. I found a ½ dozen prom and bridesmaid dresses and a full dozen of nice dress slacks my husband hasn’t worn since we got married.

     
 

Combine that with 3 sets of old dishes, 4 sets of matching bedding, a small library of paperback books, a TV, boombox and stereo and I think our driveway is full.

We now have an almost empty closet we can now use for seasonal clothing. 
And remember the teenagers room? Messy room   Look at it now!

 

This is exciting!  We bought in-expensive dot stickers at the office supply store to price everything and bright neon cardboard for signs. I’ll let you know how it goes.

My Wife's Tidy Closet

Sometimes silence is more effective then words.

In my last blog post I talked about how messiness had returned to my wife's closet despite the Configurations makeover we'd given it over a year ago.

 

I asked people if I should take comfort in the fact that 'at least' she could now close her door or if I should keep pushing for an organized closet.

Our readership was clear...."if she keeps the door shut....you keep your mouth shut."

 

And I did.

Instead I went about my usual Fall closet conversion (Summer clothes in totes to the basement, Fall/Winter clothes up) without a word of nagging or even a hopeful suggestion that she do the same.

It turns out that silence was more powerful.

Not only did she clean out her closet and fill three bags of purged clothes for Good Will, but she actually asked me to install another basket. She got engaged in making the space work for her!

 

Now I'm not under the illusion that the closet won't drift back to clutter but this is a huge victory.

My lessons are simple:

 

1) System Matters: In the dark days (about a week ago) I fretted that the system didn't matter if the person in question wasn't committed. But after our little miracle I realize that her Configurations Closet did play a big role.

a. It tamed her mess and stopped it from spilling out on the floor

b. It helped her see the benefits of an organized closet and tipped her back into action

c. It was flexible so we could easily alter its set-up (remove shelves and add a basket)

 

2) Lead by Example: It probably won't work for kids but if you're unhappy with a parner's messiness;

a. let it be known

b. do all you can to help

c. let it  be. In my case the fact that I'd "given up on her" really propelled her to action.

 

I have to thank everyone who nudged me in this direction.....the sound of silence.

My Wife's Messy Closet

What’s the difference between a strategic withdrawal and an outright surrender? More specifically, should I be happy that my wife’s mess is contained behind bi-fold closet doors or should I press on….striving for the nirvana of a reformed and cheerily organized wife?

Way back in June 2008 boasted about how I’d convinced my wife to organize her closet. I waited for the right moment, got her involved in the process, and had her put the finishing touches on….. amazing!

And for a while it was.

But now fifteen months later, the shine has come off. Today the inside of my wife’s closet is a jumble of clothes proving that the system is only as good as the operator. She doesn’t take the time to fold and hang, to put things back, to use the sliding basket or put her shoes on the shoe shelves.  She doesn’t see how much better her day would start without the frustration of wrestling with her cluttered closet…..

But she does keep her mess contained enough so that she can close her door.

 

Pre-June 2008 Brian really hated that her closet vomited clothes onto the floor of our room and disturbed the Zen like atmosphere. That’s been taken care of. But I do cringe whenever she opens it. Should I care? Should I risk more arguments or just take pleasure in my incremental (yet partial) victory …

Help me?

I need advice.

Configurations & Homefree Closets

Configurations and Homefree closets are the perfect answer to a cluttered closet.  With no cutting involved, installation is a breeze.  For the most part.

 

In working with consumers, a common question regarding these systems is bracket installation.  The closet kits offer 2 different depths of shelves,which allows for the two shelves to be overlapped to achieve the desired length without having to cut a longer shelf to size.  The bracket, once installed into the vertical upright, will have two "notches" at the back of the bracket that will hold the different shelves. 

 

The deepest shelf (Shelf B) will sit in the back notch closest to the upright and the smaller shelf (Shelf A) will set in the front notch.  When both shelves overlap on the bracket, be sure to have Shelf A under Shelf B.  See the photo below for a close-up of the bracket installed into an upright, showing the 2 different "notches".

 

For further assistance, please contact Rubbermaid Consumer Services at 1-888-895-2110 Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm ET.

 

Closet Installation Tip - Wall End Brackets

Working in Consumer Services for Rubbermaid I get to hear about all the different types of questions you have regarding our products. So I put together a tip on installing the Wall End Brackets on closet systems. I hope you find it helpful.

For installation of the wall end brackets, below are tips on how to measure the holes for insertion.  These instructions are for ½” drywall only.
 
Wall End Brackets (for Linen, Tight Mesh, and Wardrobe)

1. On side wall, mark a hole location where the lip of the shelf is (ie. 12”, 16”, or 20” – this is the same height level as the back clips).  Mark another hole 2 ¾” below first mark.
2. Drill (2) 1/4 “ diameter holes, insert stems of bracket all the way into the wall and drive pin by tapping with hammer until seated (do not hammer harder than necessary). 
3. Secure shelf to back wall with back clips.
4. Drop shelf down and nest front wires into bracket.

FreeSlide Wall End Bracket

1. On side wall, mark a hole location where the lip of the shelf is (ie. 12”, 16”, or 20” – this is the same height level as the back clips).  Mark another hole 3 ¾” below first mark.
2. Drill (2) 1/4 “ diameter holes, insert stems of bracket all the way into the wall and drive pin by tapping with hammer until seated (do not hammer harder than necessary). 
3. Secure shelf to back wall with back clips.
4. Drop shelf down and nest front wires into bracket.

FreeSlide Wall End Bracket

Purse Solution

Erin -I empathize with your purse storage problems!   I have used canvas Configurations baskets to organize my purses.  One contains medium sized, and the other keeps small clutches.

If you have any that you are tired of wearing, I would also suggest having either a purse swap where your friends bring all the ones they are also tired of, and you go "shopping" for each others purses as a way to freshen up your wardrobe & accessories.  I have never done this, but sounds fun!

Purses, Suitcases, and Bags...OH MY!

So I have a problem. I do not buy shoes or really own that many clothes. Instead I buy bags and jewelry. I have a TON of bags and purses. I have waaaay to many earrings and necklaces (I'm starting to really like braclets too!!!). Over the years of living in extremely small places...like one room or hey sharing a room smaller than my bedroom with another person (yay college)...I have found some extremely interesting ways to organize my jewelry and bags.

Today we're focusing on how I organize my bags, purses, and suitcase (oh my!).  

I have a really nice, HUGE suitcase that I use to travel on week long vacations (usually these "vacations" are just going to my parents house). I have previous stored this in my closet and that worked well. Now it is housed under my bed which works even better because I hardly ever use it.

Inside my suitcase, I store all my extra bags that I travel with or use just occassinally (aka the ones in the above picture). Why just keep the suitcase empy? It's a huge hollow thing that takes up room. Put stuff in there baby!

My purses have always presented more of an organizational challenge. Here are some things I have tried:

• In my apartment in Athens, I used them as wall decorations. I placed command hooks on my wall and hung my purses on the hook. It was an extremely easy and convient storage method but not very decorative.
• In my last apartment, I used over the door hooks. The problem with this is I had too many purses. They stuck out and the door wouldn't open even half-way.
• My mom's kitchen counter which has always ended with one purse in the trash can and me digging through the trash to find my wallet. Convienent but not practical.

I think I have finally found the solution. It is an over the door hanger that I found at Target. It is so great...and has room for more purses!!! Shopping here I come :)

How do you organize your purses, bags, or suitcases?

Organizing Your Shoes

My mom will tell you that shoes are an organization problem for me. I never put them away and am constantly running around the house looking for the pair of shoes that I want. She has yelled at me a thousand times as she has tripped over a pair of shoes.

I recently moved (AGAIN!!! AHHHHH). I was trying to organize everything I own and I could not decide what to do with my shoes. They were in a huge pile in the middle of my floor. Then Julie (@organizedhome) from Organized Home, Inc. tweeted this:

I retweeted it because I thought it was a good idea and my friend Katie (@katieDawg) responded with this:

 

So that settled it in my mind. I had to try this! I went home and put my shoes into three containers that I have. One for work shoes, one for flip flops, and one for tennis shoes/athletic shoes.

So far this has been the perfect solution! It is so easy to just throw my shoes in the bin when I get home. I'll let you know if I can keep it up and solve my shoe organizational problem!

Even kids can update their closets with Configurations

About two weeks ago I took a look into my 11 year old daughter's closet and realized she was in need of a closet reorganization project. About a year and a half ago I had installed the Rubbermaid Configuration closet system in her closet. But since the original installation my daughter has grown, she's accumulated more clothing and she has decided to hang most of her clothes instead of stuffing them in her drawer.  Unfortunately the 'configuration' of her current closet wasn't cutting the mustard.

I however looked at this project as an opportunity to do a blog post on two things. First, I was excited to do another before and after project. Second, this project would allow me to talk about how the Rubbermaid Configurations system could easily be rearranged (plus I would have the opportunity to actually see it for myself).

However I ran into a BIG snag. I walked into my daughter's room last night to find she was in the middle of rearranging her closet by herself. My first reaction was... sigh... I wanted to rearrange the closet.  My second reaction was... Wow!  An 11 year old kid was able to rearrange the Configurations closet system with no help from an adult.

To make a long story short.  I don't have any before and after photos. I don't have a before and after blog post. But what I do have is the ability to honestly say... "The Rubbermaid Configurations closet system is so easy to rearrange that even a kid can do it."  And that's 100% true.

Ideas for Under the Bed Storage

I really liked this post from Julie at @organizedhome on things you can store under beds....for those of us who don't have linen closets (like me), this is very helpful!