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Too many towels; too little space.

Monday, August 31st, 2009
If you’ve got too many towels and too little space for all of them, the first step is to get rid of any that have seen better days, haven’t been used in a long time or you just don’t like for whatever reason. If, after that, you’ve still got too many towels and not enough storage space for them in your linen closet, here’s a suggestion for storing them right in your bathroom. It’s a convenient, attractive option if you’re suffering from towel overload…and even if you’re not!
This is from The Container Store and their description of it reads:  “Enameled Steel Cube [white, 14"sq.] blends Italian design with the durability and strength of steel for urban-loft style and functionality. Easy to assemble and configure, the modular cubes can be used alone or in any combination to create a custom solution that conforms to your exact needs.”

I recommend mounting them over the bathroom door, if possible. It’s an often little used and overlooked location that won’t take up floor space or be in anyone’s way. I would suggest putting up 2 or 3 of them side-by-side, depending on how many towels and how much space you have. Unless you have a lot of oversize towels, these cubes are a good storage choice. They’re perforated for ventilation, rust-resistant; will match the sink in your bathroom, if it’s white(!);  have a great look, are easy to clean and your towels will fold and stack nicely in them, without falling over (or you can roll them up and stack them). Of course, measure first to see if the cubes will fit your particular space. I’m pretty handy and would have no trouble putting up these cubes, but for anyone who isn’t handy, doesn’t have the right tools, doesn’t want to be bothered or doesn’t have a super or handyman in the building who will do it for you, contact Handy In The City for help at (917) 841-8032 or email them at handyinthecity@yahoo.com.

If you’re “vertically challenged” – meaning not tall enough to reach your towels in their newly stowed spot – I’d suggest keeping a small step stool in the bathroom for quick and easy access to them. Here are a couple of possibilities from Bed, Bath & Beyond that don’t take up much space:

EZ Foldz 12″ Folding Step Stool

“This convenient step stool is lightweight and so easy to store, too. It folds up to less than 3″ wide so you can stash it anywhere. Step stool holds up to 300 lbs. and measures 18 1/2″ L x 12 3/4″ W folded out.”

E-Z Foldz® Folding Plastic Step Stool
“Use this sturdy and durable plastic step stool for standing up or sitting down anywhere you need it. Lightweight material makes it easy to move from room to room. Collapsible design lets you store it anywhere easily. Holds a maximum weight of 300 pounds. Measures 9″ H x 12″ L x 10 1/2″ D unfolded. Folds conveniently down to a mere 2″.”

Posted in bathrooms, products/resources, storage | Comments Off

Cord chaos: Before & (a fabulous!) After

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

A lovely client of mine is allowing me to share this with everyone else out there who finds themselves lost in a sea of electric cords. Thank you, client. You know who you are!

So, this client – probably like a lot of you – has a million corded devices in her office area. She also has three of the most wonderful cats I have ever seen. While the cats are wonderful, the fact that they – if left to their own devices – like to play with the surge protectors and cords is not so wonderful. As you can imagine, between them they produce a lot of fur, which is also not so wonderful for the equipment.

In order to protect the cords from her cats, my client laid the top of a plastic box over them. An admirable though not particularly lovely attempt nor a good permanent solution, she wondered if I could come up with something better. At first, I suggested enclosing the whole area. It’s a little hard to tell from the picture, but it’s a contained space at the bottom of her bookcase that I thought we could put some doors on. Well, she LOVED that idea and said she would check out her local hardware store, Lowe’s or Home Depot for door possibilities. She’s a very resourceful and handy woman and I was confident that she could get the job done.

The next day I was in The Container Store looking for some items for another client and I saw an attractive storage stool that I thought would be PERFECT to contain all that cord clutter. Even better, it was on sale! I sent her an email with a picture giving her a heads up about what I had found, how it could work for her in this instance (put the surge protectors inside and slip the cords through the open stool handles) and the fact that it was on sale, but she responded that she would probably go with the door option. OK. No problem. I’m all for whatever the client prefers that will get the job done.

Imagine my surprise when I got an email from her with the Before & After photos below and her praising my out-of-the-box thinking (pun intended!) to control her cord clutter as “brilliant”. While I love the appreciation, I love just as much that the product I suggested took care of the problem so beautifully and neatly. In fact, she liked the storage stool so much that she bought two and is using the other one to store her copy paper and to put her feet up on when she’s hard at work on her computer.

Before:

After:

Ah, just another problem solving day in the life of a Professional Organizer!

Posted in clutter, pets, products/resources | Comments Off

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