Peter Walsh Blog

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My new iPhone app is finally here and available at the iTunes store! Lookup my "Get Organized! - Peter Walsh" app and I'll guide you step-by-step and room-by-room, turning the clutter and chaos into peace and calm.

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Tip of the Week: Sweater Storage

Protect the investment you make in your sweaters by caring for them well & storing them appropriately. Arrange sweaters in one area of your closet or dresser so that you can quickly & easily find the item you're looking for. Simple closet or shelving solutions help keep sweaters neatly folded and together. Ensure your sweaters are never stored for a long period without being laundered as moths and other insects are attracted by body odors. As we enter winter check for worn or damaged sweaters that you no longer like or will wear. Donate those now to a worthy cause. Wear what you love & rock your winter sweaters!

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Tip of the Week: Boot Organizers

With Fall upon us, it's a great time to declutter those shoes and boots that you'll never use; to repair any footwear that needs a little attention and to organize storage solutions that will keep your shoes in great condition and readily available. You've invested a lot of money in your shoes and boots, a simple shoe rack, hanging canvas caddies or even something as simple as a photo of the shoe attached to the end of the shoe box will make your life easier and your footwear happier!

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Tip of the Week: Receipts, Coupons & Gift Card Organizers

Get those Coupons, Receipts & Gift Cards organized! Clipping coupons to save your family some money makes sense... especially in these tough economic times! Remembering to use those coupons and gift cards is sometimes another story. An easy way to get started organizing is with a great filing system. Once you get it started, you'll be amazed at how much money you can save!

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FINAL SHOOT DAY: Today we're wrapping Season 2 of my show. Newsflash: The show is now called 'Extreme Clutter' and there's a sneak preview mid-December on OWN. Details to come!

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Clutter Challenge 32: Ties & Belts

When was the last time you looked through your belts or ties? You know how quickly you can get rid of old belts and ties? If you have belts that go back a waist size or two, it's time to let it go! Let me know how easy it is for you to get rid of this clutter and photo replies are encouraged!

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Tip of the Week: Ties & Belts

The truth is we wear the same belts over and over again.  Why?  Because many of the belts that are in our closets don’t fit us anymore or have gone out of style! That’s the truth.  Step one is to clear out those belts you no longer wear.  Step two is to get those belts out of an overstuffed drawer and use some vertical space to hang them.  When it comes to ties, check to see which ties are in the back of the closet.  My guess is that some of them have been there since the 1990s (if not before).  Clearing out the ties you no longer wear, and then storing the ones you do wear neatly will make getting dressed that much easier.  Check out some of these great solutions for belt and tie storage – I’m sure you’ll find something there that will help!

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If you missed yesterday's show, Nate and I declutter, organize and transform a cluttered kitchen. Watch out for one of the funniest moments I've ever had with Nate when the homeowner gleefully declares that she loves organization more than design. Nate goes nuts - it's hilarious!!

If you're looking for the great products I used in organizing the kitchen on the Nate Berkus Show, go to The Peter Walsh Store at Organize.com - you can also sign up there for weekly organizing tips and for the weekly Clutter Challenge. Come join those working to crush the clutter!!

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SO NOW I'M A 'CLUTTER CRUSHER' - YIKES!! If you want to see me crush some clutter check out this clip from yesterday's Nate Berkus Show. I'm thinking .... if I were a super-hero maybe I could be a clutter crusher ... or a mess minimizer .... that's all too weird to think about!! Love to hear what you think of the clip.

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Stop Annoying Junk Mail

I've been inundated with people asking how they can stop the inflow of junk mail. Here are a couple of suggestions: to stop the junk mail, go to Catalog Choice to get your name off lists. To stop those annoying credit card offers call toll-free [phone] and get your name removed from the mailings. I hope these suggestions help - I'd love to hear any other ideas that you can share for what's worked for you.

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Clutter Challenge 31: Remotes & Gaming

If you’ve ever dived under your couch looking for a remote or game controller this challenge is for you. Gather all remotes together. Place the remotes and controllers you use often in one bin that is easy to reach and close at hand; place the other remotes that you seldom use in another container on a shelf in your TV room. Simple bins work wonders here!

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Managing your Mail

I just noticed a great article in a recent issue of Good Housekeeping magazine that gives some great tips for dealing with what is perhaps the No. 1 clutter problem in most home - the mail! Dealing with that constant inflow of paper can be a real pain in the postage stamp so check out this article for some excellent and practical ideas. How do you manage your mail - or does it manage you?

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Makeover for the Holidays! I'm shooting a great makeover today for O Magazine on how to best prepare for the holiday season. Small spaces, lots of stuff, wanting to entertain: what to do? What are your challenges for the upcoming holidays?

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Clutter Challenge 30: Garages

We can do this the hard or the easy way. Easy: every day for the next month spend an hour in your garage sorting & discarding items you just don’t need or use. Hard: drag it all onto the front lawn this weekend & get everyone involved. Either way – you need to establish clear ZONES for like items & clear LIMITS for how much you’ll store there. I hear your garage calling your name – do you?

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Tip of the Week: Organizing your Garage

Garages are one of the greatest challenges for modern man! Where did all that stuff comes from? The only way to manage the stuff in your garage is to create clear ‘zones’ for what you store there; and then establish a clear ‘limit’ for how much will fit into that zone. Garages are never about ‘too little space’, they’re always about ‘too much stuff’! Decrease the volume of stuff in your garage, use the zones and limits approach, use vertical space wherever possible and stop believing it’s a bottomless pit for storage. You (and your garage) deserve better!

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Clutter Challenge 29: Warranties & Manuals

Gather all your manuals & warranties together. Go through & discard any for products that you no longer own. Create a file, binder or simple magazine file to store all printed information on your household products. Check online for the electronic version of your manuals: create a ‘Manuals’ icon on your desktop for storing digital versions. Where are your manuals & warranties?

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Tip of the Week: Warranties & Manuals

Usually when you need a warranty or product manual you need it NOW! Get into the habit of keeping all your warranties and manuals in one central location like a filing cabinet, tote or file in your kitchen or home office. Create a ‘Warranties’ folder on your home computer where you can store the electronic version of all warranties and manuals for quick reference. Regularly go through your files (paper or digital) to delete information on products or appliances that you no longer own.