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Ask The Organizer

Ask The Organizer!

Do you have a question you'd love to ask a Professional Organizer but you aren't sure where to find one? You've come to the right place. Erin, aka "The Organizer" is happy to answer your questions. :-)

Maybe you're thinking about putting your home on the market and you want to know where to start. Do you go through everything first and have a garage sale? Or move unused items to storage while you stage your home?

Perhaps you have so many kids toys all over the house you can barely find a path from one room to the next. Or maybe the kids' clothes are becoming unmanageable. Ask the organizer!

Are you a creative artist who longs to be able to find what you're looking for faster but the thought of getting organized makes you want to run the other way? Do you like to spread out while working on a project and not put things away until you're done but still want an orderly room when guests stop by? Ask the organizer!

Has that spare closet or room become the "black hole" and now it's so full you can't open the door? Are you making the best use of the extra storage space you have by utilizing upper and lower space with shelves? Ask away!

Has a collection or hobby begun to take over your home and while you still love your stuff you need a way to manage it all better?

Maybe you're downsizing, moving a parent to a senior residence, have a son or daughter going to college or moving out into an apartment. Ask your questions here.

Whether you are young or older, completely disorganized or on the other end of the organizing spectrum your questions are welcome.

Ask Erin The Organizer about...

  • How to organize rooms
  • Best closet organizing ideas
  • Home business clutter control
  • Kitchen cabinet organization
  • How to organize kids toys
  • Clutter and decluttering
  • How to organize your garage
  • Simplify your life
  • Manage time better
  • Organizing lists and techniques
  • Home Office Organization
  • Best organizing books
  • Organize for the holidays
  • Do you need a professional organizer?
  • Anything organizing related!

And be sure to scroll through the questions already answered below. You may find an answer quicker than you thought possible!





Ask Your Organizing-Related Question Here

Do you have a question about getting organized that you haven't found the answer to? Have you been wondering just where to start on your quest to simplify your life? This is the place to ask!

Other questions visitors have asked The Organizer

Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...

Various projects & activities to keep up with 
Hi! I'm the community club leader for a local youth group, with lots of papers that I have to keep to turn in at the end of the program year, plus the …

Overwhelmed with stuff 
I'm sure my question has been asked in various ways before but here goes. I used to be a die-hard "garage saler". I would go to dozens of garage sales …

How to be an organized cook 
Hi, I've been married for a few years. We have a toddler and another on the way. Praise the Lord! My mom was never really that into cooking but …

Need Paper Organizing Tips for Writers 
I'm a writer, which means I have a lot of paper around, and various letters that need keeping. Drafts, manuscripts and ideas get all mixed up among each …

How to get certified as a Professional Organizer 
How can I get a certification in Organization? I have come to my understand that I can get certified. Can you help me find this out? I am in California. …

How to sort, shop and organize around the kids 
I think it is hard to take everything out and then sort it, come up with shelving ideas and bin storage and then have to leave the piles in your room while …

Kids, Safety, Organized 
How do I keep my house child proof and safe and organized?

Where to get organizing certification 
I started a cleaning business back in June of 2008. I should say, it was suppose to be just a cleaning business. Well some where in the cleaning process, …

How to Organize Snail Mail 
Hi Erin, thanks for the financial give-away at the forum! I was visiting your site and was wondering if you had tips on "dealing with mail" (snail/mail) …

How to store/put away items and declutter 
I'm 55, disabled, and homemaker, my husband is 54, also disabled, he was forced into early retirement years ago from his illness. Our income is his S.S. …

Small closet space 
My teen daughter has a small closet because of a water heater. What can I do to give more space? Thank you, Tina

Keeping track of doctor appointments 
I am looking for a tool that allows me to keep track of Doctor appointments, when we went, what occurred, prescriptions etc. Now that my husband and …

Overwhelmed by Stuff 
I have a very large bedroom with two large closets. My 3 year old daughter shares the room with me and all of her stuff including a crib and tons of clothes, …

Organizing Clothing  
We need help organizing clothing. Also we have 5 others that come to stay with us bi-weekly and we have clothing here for them too. HELP!

Too Many Baby Toys 
My kids are 2 and 10 months. They share a room and their room is so cramped. I do not have enough space in my house for all of their stuff. They have to …

Small House Needs Organizing 
My house is so small I am having a hard time keeping it organized. Help. Rozie

Craft organizing ideas 
I have a hobby room - with all the little pieces to organize for crocheting, decoupage, scrapping, painting etc. and I am unsure how to organize it all. …

Too much stuff! 
We have too much stuff and not enough room. Jewelry gets thrown around and lost. Drawers are stuffed and we've cleaned them out several times. The furniture …

How to Organize Stuff on Existing Shelves 
I have racks on the top of my closet and down low on three of my walls. In the middle of the long wall there are shelves about the size of a shoe box. …

How to Organize Toys with Lots of Parts 
My son has many large toys and several small toys that contain lots of pieces, like train tracks and cars for example. He is 2 years old and I just can't …

How to Organize a Walk-in Hall Closet 
I could really use your advice! We just moved into a small rental house. On the main floor, there is a long walk-in closet, about 8' long by 5' wide. At …

Dining Room Cluttered with Toys 
My dining room is used as a toy room. It is ridiculously cluttered with toys. It is one of the first things you see when you walk in my house. There …

Sharing and Storage Tips for Toys  
I have two daughters in one room one is 7 1/2 and the other 5. Sometimes they play with the same items but have their own that they were given, i.e., different …

Moving and Downsizing Tips 
I'm drowning in disorganized clutter and need to move and downsize. Any tips on how to get started? I am overwhelmed. Marilyn from Illinois

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Small House Organizing Help 
Hi, I live in a very small house here in Mexico, my 3 year old son has a little room and a huge amount of toys. I do not know how to store them or how …

Organize Your Office Week 
I would like to learn more about your "Organize Your Office Week" and "Get Organized Month." Could you give me more details and dates please? Kindly, …

Organizing My Son's Books 
I need help organizing my young son's books. I have them on bookshelves and they are always falling over and getting pulled down to the floor - any ideas?!?!? …

Don't Know Where to Start Organizing 
You can not even see the floor in my room! Help! Marina

Organize and Store Clothes for When Kids are Older 
We have clothes purchased at garage/rummage sales for three children for future use (too large for them now). How should we organize them so they are not …

Twin Boys Sharing a Room 
Twin 4 yr old boys share a room. The books end up all over the room and closet (two book shelves, one of which is in the closet). One boy is neat, and …

Need Organizing Help for Three Boys in One Room 
I have my three boys in one bedroom. The room is fairly spacious since it is the master bedroom, but with three beds, clothes for three and lots of toys--the …

Organization Supplies for Construction Projects  
I am trying to find a dry erase board or white board that is good to keep construction project dates and project phases organized.

My rented flat 
I have books about dogs, photo albums, credit card files, company liquidation files, hospitalization files, dbase3plus books and other books on programming, …

How to Organize Paperwork 
I always have at least 2 piles of papers on my desk....they are usually things that I need to take care of, but sometimes they get buried as more and more …

How to keep your kids organized 
How do you keep your kids organized? My kids like to use their bedroom and living room and treat it like a trash can. We tell them to throw paper in trash …

How to organize photo prints 
Hi, I recently found a whole bunch of undeveloped rolls of film which I plan to develop. This reminded me of another project where I have several boxes …

How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets 
My question is where to put things in the cabinets? Does food always have to go into the pantry or can you keep dishes in there?

Organize Kids Stuff In The Car 
What's a good way to keep kids stuff organized in the car?

Teens Sharing Room With Limited Space 
Hi, my sister and I share a room and we have a ton of everything most teenagers have but limited space. What can we do to keep our things organized?

Home Office Problems 
Due to the nature of my work, I constantly deal with slips of paper on which is important information needed for a pending issue or communication. Consequently, …

Small Business Paperwork Out Of Control! 
Today I understand where my time goes, TO PAPERS! I run construction company, small, but the papers are getting out of my control. Between bills to pay, …

How to organize a multipurpose room? 
I have a bed room that I use as a home office, and sleeping area/ beauty station/ media center. I have trouble keeping things off my desk and off the floor. …

Keeping Paystubs 
How long would you generally keep paystubs for?

Keeping Records 
Recently, I shredded copies of tax returns that went back 25 years and I got to wondering, how long should I keep tax records and other legal papers, such …

Keeping the Foyer Uncluttered 
My foyer, the first area that everyone sees when entering my house, is often cluttered with shoes, umbrellas, and hanging jackets. Since I do not have …

Keeping Scrapbooking Supplies Hidden 
I love to scrapbook but the supplies are small and there are many. How do I keep it all organized, accessible and at the same time easy to put away and …

Organize Storage Areas In Your Home 
What is the best way to get the most possible storage space out of a garage or attic?

Organizing Newspapers 
How do I keep newspapers organized?

How to manage time for our personal and professional life  
Do you have tips on how to manage time for personal and professional life?

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Home Filing and Paper Management 
I need advice about keeping files and paper management in my home.

Finding Things Easily in the Kitchen 
How I can keep my kitchen in an organized manner so that I could find things easily without searching?

How to Organize Children's Rooms 
How do you organize children's rooms? I want to know what necessary things we should keep in children's rooms and all that stuff.

Organizing Plants in the Home 
I have a lot of flower pots in my garden. Now I wish to arrange them inside my house, especially in the guest room. Will you please suggest to me how …

Teaching Kids About Keeping Home Neat 
How do I teach my three kids to help keep our home, particularly the living room and kitchen, neat and orderly?

Clean and Attractive Kids' Rooms  
How do I make the kids' rooms look clean? How can I make the rooms more impressive to the kids?

How to Organize a Kitchen 
I need to know how to organize the kitchen?

Decluttering Your Dining Room Table 
What's the best way to keep a dining table organized?

Keeping Track Of Keys 
I always forget where the keys to my house and car are and it creates chaos daily. How can I get better at keeping track of keys? What is the best way …

Organizing Books in a Home Library 
How do you suggest for me to organize my books in my library?

Organizing Attic Storage 
How often should I go through items stored in my attic?

What is the best way to organize a pantry? 
What is the best way to organize my pantry so that I can find food easily and cut down on waste from expired products?

Organizing Craft Supplies 
I do alot of different crafts. From cross stitch, wreaths, stamping, stenciling, sewing, quilting, paint glass, plastic canvas etc. You get the picture …

Organize a room shared by 2 girls 
My two little girls share a room. They have a lot of toys. They also have lots of art and craft supplies. The toys have exceeded their already large storage …

How to Organize Socks? 
I need help! With a busy work schedule and three kids at home, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed by laundry. I read your page about organizing my laundry …

Kid's Keepsakes 
What is a good way to store and/or display kids artwork besides the fridge?

Organizing School Papers - What to Keep and What to Throw Away 
I have five kids, ages 6 through 23. The two oldest are in college and the 3 youngest are still in grades 1, 7 and 12. I have papers from everywhere! …

Decluttering Tips 
I need to declutter. Here are some details. My bedroom and kids bedrooms have large closets that are not organized and do not have enough room for all …

Organizing Recordkeeping Tasks  
How do I keep my company spreadsheet organized? Any secrets?

How to maximize space on a budget with 2 teens in one small room 
I've got a toughie for you. I have two teenage girls living in a room almost too small for one. One of them actually has her bed in the closet and it's …

What Papers Should Be Kept And For How Long Not rated yet
What papers should be kept and for how long? The Organizer: The first three months of the year are the best months to get your paperwork organized! …

Organize Bedroom Shared by Three Boys Not rated yet
I have three boys age 3, 5&6 that share one rather small room. I am overwhelmed by clothes, their room is always a mess. I need organization and storage …

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