One thing we don’t pay enough attention to is indoor air quality. Are there improvements you can make?

• Add houseplants * Many common houseplants help filter indoor air quality. Try philodendron, dracaena, English ivy, spider plant, weeping fig, golden pothos, peace lily, Chinese evergreen, bamboo, and snake plant – all recommended by NASA.
• Reduce plastics * Swap your plastic shower curtain liner for a fabric one (you can wash it, too!).
• Change air fresheners * Stop using commercial sprays and plug-ins (really – that’s wasting electricity, too). Google “essential oil air fresheners” to find recipes for making your own. Bonus – you’ll always have the scent you want. And don’t forget to open the windows. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
• Ban the dry cleaning * When you bring home dry cleaning, take the clothes out of the bag and hang them in the garage overnight. Then bring the clothes in. The solvents used in dry cleaning are toxic, and have no place in your home. Search out a dry cleaner that uses non-toxic materials, too.

Yesterday you cleaned up that sock drawer – today it’s your undies. Starting your day by looking at a few organized drawers can really make you feel accomplished. And isn’t that a great feeling to have before the day gets complicated and difficult?

Toss those old baggy undies that even Aunt Mabel would be embarrassed to wear – that includes anything with stretched out elastic. Get rid of anything you don’t want the paramedics to see if you’re hit by the proverbial bus. And for Pete’s sake, if they’re too small, get rid of them.

This is a good time to see what undies you need to replace. You may want to invest in some of the new microfiber undies, or something that doesn’t leave you with VPL. You may want to splurge on something bright or pretty (winter can be long and gray). You may want to try a different style – a thong or boy-shorts for the ladies, boxer-briefs or bikini style for the guys.

Take 15 minutes to straighten out your drawers.
(get it? drawers?)
You’ll like the result. We promise.

You know how, when your life gets a little out of control, if there’s one small thing that’s “together” and organized and working well – and you can count on it being that way every day – that there seems to be hope for the rest of your life?

Maybe it’s just us, but having a couple of really organized drawers makes all the difference in the world when we’re getting ready to face another day of chaos.

Today, go through your sock drawer and get rid of the socks that don’t have mates, the socks that have holes, the socks you never wear (because we all have some socks in funky colors, or that just feel weird, or that are some crazy holiday gift that fall into that “if I’m hit by a bus, I don’t want anyone in the emergency room seeing me in these!” category).

Get rid of the tights and nylons that have runs, or have funky patterns that make your legs look diseased, or that are really too small or too big – you know, the ones that have the crotch that doesn’t stay up, or that give your ankles elephantitis.

Then put back the socks you like in neat, logical stacks. Keep your workout socks separate, and maybe stack the rest by color or length or season.

With 15 minutes of effort, you can enjoy that sense of “all’s right with the world” every morning when you open your sock drawer.

As you move through your living space, always keep an eye on what needs to be thrown out, put away, or taken to another part of the house.

Pick it up and deal with it when you see it.

Keep this up, and your home will start to declutter itself.

Number one on our Christmas list this year is a Closet Genie. No, that’s not something we saw on a late night infomercial. It’s someone who can organize our closets for us.

If you have that organizing skill, consider giving your services as a gift to your friends. Most of us cannot make rational decisions when it comes to getting rid of the “best date I ever had” outfit from 1989. Or the “these make my booty look amazing” jeans that haven’t fit in this century.

While we wait for the Closet Genies to appear, here are a few tips on organizing your own closet.

1. Remove everything. This lets you see exactly the space you have to work with. Prepare to be shocked by the pile of stuff that came out of that closet.
2. Now that you can see the light of day, give your closet a good cleaning from top to bottom. If you can, follow that cleaning with a fresh coat of white paint.
3. Separate the items you removed into three piles: keep, sell/donate and throw away. Most people hate this step because it means getting rid of everything they do not use or wear. Face it – all of the stuff you’re looking at is not ever going to fit in that closet again, so take a breath and just do it. Here are some general sorting guidelines to follow.

Keep: Put only items into this bin that you have worn or used at least twice in the past year. Be brutally harsh. If it doesn’t fit today, it’s not likely to fit anytime soon. Get rid of it. If in doubt, do not put it into this bin.

Sell or donate: Clothes and other items that are not right for you (seriously – you never wear them, so you know they’re not right) but still have a useful life for someone else should go into this bin. What you consider ugly may be perfect to someone else. Take them to a consignment store or donate them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. You may get a tax break, but more than that you’ll feel good. Put all of these items in your car. You’re more likely to get rid of them quickly if they’re in the passenger seat staring at you.

Throw away: Clothes and shoes that are worn out, hopelessly stained, broken or in some other state of calamity go into this bin. If you won’t wear it because it’s wrecked, no one else wants it either. Use a black plastic yard waste bag, so you can’t see what throwing away.

Okay, this next step is for the advanced class. If it sounds like too much work, move on to step 5. Better to make a little progress you can feel good about, right?


4. Divide the “Keep” bin by season, type and use. If possible, keep out-of-season items in a separate storage place in your home. Next, sort your work or professional clothes and casual attire. Now divide each pile into common-wear and infrequent-wear, arranging them so the items you wear most often are the most handy.
5. Use closet organizers. At the minimum you need a sturdy shoe rack, good hangers and shelves in addition to your standard hanging rod. Investing in a few good organizational pieces will make organizing your closet, and keeping it organized, a snap!

We love the scents of fall – especially cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin.

They can be dangerous smells, though, if we only smell them because we’ve been baking – all those treats we don’t need in the house! They can also be dangerous smells if they come from air fresheners – those are usually made from chemicals, or put chemicals into the air.

Get some candles in fall scents that you love. We like soy candles because they seem to burn cleaner. Essential oils and essential oil mists, and reed diffusers are other good options.

They’ll add to your decor, and make the house smell like … home.