Tidy Tips: 5 Things You Should Toss Before Hosting Guests

We love to host and frequently have friends coming and going. In general, we have a long list of ways to prepare for visits -- from food shopping (taking into account allergies), cleaning extensively (especially the kitchen), organizing and decluttering.

Today we’re sharing some tips that are not so glamorous but trust us, it goes a lot way. It’s important that your guests feel welcome and comfortable and we know these tasks help you to prepare for their stay!

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5 things to toss before your guests arrive:

Garbage & Recycling

The kitchen garbage and recycling. The kitchen is the busiest room in the house and you're bound to spend time in there with guests. Smelly and unsightly garbage is a quick way to dampen the vibe. 

Bathroom Trash

Similarly, empty out any trash cans in the bathrooms and guest rooms. We want our guests to feel like they're at a B&B when they visit - and basic cleanliness is a must. 

Old Food

Throw out old food in your fridge. Our favorite guests are the ones who get whatever they need from our fridge because it means they're comfortable in our home. To that end, we don't need them seeing week old meatloaf.

Used/Expired Toiletries

Used and/or expired toiletries in the bathroom. For example, we're not fans of soap bars. We don't want to use yours, and we don't really want you to use ours either. Go ahead and toss the bar next to your sink and replace it with a soap dispenser. 

Pet Hair

Pet Hair. This one sounds strange because you don't necessarily think about 'throwing out' pet hair, but we throw out handfuls of it! It's essential to clean and remove pet hair from carpets, couches, blankets, pillows, etc... before having guests. Not only is it unsightly, but so many people have allergies these days. The last thing you want (which we've experienced) is a dinner guest with red eyes and the sniffles who can barely stay awake because of the emergency Benadryl dose they had to take.

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PRO TIP

Change out the framed photos in your guest room with photos of you and your guests together — seeing those memories always makes guests feel more welcome.

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Tidy Nest Featured Press: 5 Things Pro Organizers Say Are Must-Haves In A Small Bathroom (Homes & Gardens)

Bathrooms are tight on space so maximizing every inch of space is crucial. But regardless of the size of your bathroom, drawer organization is key to maintaining order which we explained to Homes & Gardens when they asked us about bathroom organization tips.

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Plastic Organizers

We like to use plastic drop-in organizers because they are easy to wipe clean

Bamboo Organizers

Use bamboo organizers for a more eco-friendly option plus it’s a great win when they match the interior of the drawers.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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disclaimer:

Photos from The Container Store & Amazon.

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: Where To Store Spices In A Small Kitchen– 9 Space-Saving Places To Stash Spices In Style (Homes & Gardens)

There are so many ways to store spices in kitchens.

• on the counter top

• laying flat in a drawer

• standing up in a pull-out drawer

• in a cabinet on a tiered shelf

• in a cabinet on a turntable

We spoke to Homes & Gardens and shared our most important spice organizational tip.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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disclaimer:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: 10 Alternative Ways To Contain Your Culinary Tools (Homes & Gardens)

Can you imagine having a kitchen without drawers? While it’s uncommon, we occasionally come across this design choice which requires us to get a little creative.

Check out our go-to hack for storing kitchen utensils in a kitchen without drawers in the latest Homes & Garden article below.

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Our Favorite Countertop Utensil Storage

Farmhouse Pottery Crock

Let’s be honest we love just about everything from Farmhouse Pottery. This crock is beautiful to contain utensils, kitchen tools or even flowers.

Le Creuset Utensil Croc

If you’re looking for something fun and vibrant, this is it! We love these crocks for the variety of gorgeous colors they come in.

Williams Sonoma Marble Partitioned Utensil Holder

Our favorite thing about this crock is the divider inside. It keeps your favorite tools separated and easier to remove while prepping, cooking and serving.

Crate & Barrel Acacia Utensil Holder

Sleek and minimal, this is a great accent to your counter and fits a good amount of utensils! We love that they have matching canisters too.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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disclaimer:

Photos from Le Creuset, Food52, Crate & Barrel & Williams Sonoma

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: How To Organize Your Home Without Spending Any Money– 8 Pro Tips (Homes & Gardens)

One common misconception with organizing is that you have to spend a lot of money on products.

That is so not true.

If you’re the DIY type, raid the recycle bin for discard boxes and follow the step below.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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disclaimer:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: Decluttering Makeup And Skincare– 10 Ways To Streamline Your Stash Beautifully (Homes & Gardens)

Bathrooms are generally tight on space and can get unruly if the space isn’t edited frequently. We encourage frequent editing of this space by checking expiration dates, identifying duplicates and unnecessary products. We try our best not to dump everything in the trash and so we have found creative ways to repurpose and recycle products and the packaging.

We shared one of our favorite ways to repurpose mascara wands with Homes & Gardens.

If you feel inspired to tackle the bathroom this weekend, we have a step-by-step guide linked below to help you along.

Wands for Wildlife

Click here for more information on the program

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FEATURED PRESS

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Tidy Nest Featured Press: 7 Things To Declutter Before Summer Starts– For A Stress-Free, Organized Space (Homes & Gardens)

It’s Summer (woohoo) and that means lots of outdoor activities. To be properly prepared requires just a little bit of planning, and that little bit of planning can make all the difference in creating your picture perfect summer.

We shared with Homes & Gardens some of our favorite summer organizing tips to get you ready for the grill, the beach, road trips and picnics.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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Tidy Nest Featured Press: 12 Home Organizing Products From Amazon That Professional Organizers Swear By (Realtor.com)

The amount of organizing products that are on the market is overwhelming. It’s hard to determine what’s useful vs. what’s a marketing ploy.

We frequently find organizing supply graveyards at our clients home - piles of products that won’t fit their spaces, that are poor quality or that are not functional. So we spoke to Realtor.com and shared some of our favorite Amazon organizing products for tackling counter top and drawer cutter.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Realtor.com over the years

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disclaimers:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: How To Fold Clothes For Packing– For Wrinkle-Free Results And To Free Up Space In Your Case (Homes & Gardens)

Fun fact: Shannon is so good at packing for vacations that clients hire her to pack for their vacations. So when Homes & Gardens asked for packing tips, Shannon jumped on it right away.

Below are some of her favorite packing tips for clothing.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

What We're Reading: Simple Shui for Every Day: 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life by Amanda Gibby Peters - April

We’re on a 3-month streak sharing our monthly tips from our favorite book Simple Shui for Every Day: 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life by Amanda Gibby Peters. Below are some of the feng shui tips we incorporated throughout the month of April.

The short version is Amanda is the "Martha Stewart of Feng Shui". Amanda makes Feng Shui more digestible and accessible with a "home improvement-meets-self empowerment” approach. 

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Here are some of the practices we incorporated in our home throughout April:

April 1

Adding water to your front door will welcome more money into your life, so we pulled out the birdbath and added it to the right of the front door. 

April 9

The kitchen nourishes and replenishes you so it should be free of clutter. We did a quick edit of the kitchen, tackling easy wins first - expired items, take-out utensils and sauce packets, mismatched Tupperware. 

Take a look at our quick decluttering checklist for more inspiration

April 12

A mirror amplifies what it reflects so make sure it’s dusted and that it’s reflecting something inspiring or beautiful, not a pile of laundry or stack of papers. We’re guilty of this so we moved that laundry basket far away from the mirror’s reflection. We don’t need to double our to-do list.

April 17

When you’re an entrepreneur it’s hard to shut off your work brain. And it’s even harder when your office is in your home. Try shutting your office door when you’ve clocked out for the day. This will keep your work from spilling into your personal life. 

April 21

Keep the toilet seats down and covered to eliminate energy drains. 

April 22

Add more red to your life and home. It’s a power color that promotes energy, courage, and attraction. We have bright red kitchen chairs that we were going to replace but we’ll keep them for a little longer now that we know this! 

April 24

Your clothing relates to your identity and personality so when we’re working with clients' wardrobes we always ask them to think about who they want to be and how specific clothing makes them feel. If the item doesn’t make them feel their best or doesn’t represent the version they want to be then we encourage them to let it go. Amanda suggests leaving a little open space in your closet to attract new things - a fun tip we started using this spring. 

April 28

Our backyard is one giant hill and it’s very challenging to use (it’s a real uphill struggle - ha!) Amanda’s remedy to counteract this energy - adding a flag pole or a weathervane to the property! So now we’re on the hunt for a funky weathervane - any ideas? 

April 29

Ah, our favorite April suggestion….Get rid of 27 things! Yes, 27! It’s the quickest way to change the energy of your space. Why 27? It’s a powerful number in feng shui - we can talk more about that later. If removing 27 items from your life seems too daunting, try moving 27 items instead. 

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disclaimer:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: How To Fold Blankets – Easy Ways With Space-Saving Style (Homes & Gardens)

If your feeds are anything like ours then you have folding tutorials popping up on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. 24/7. While they are fun to watch, they are also super helpful. In this article for Homes & Gardens, we shared our favorite blanket folding techniques so say goodbye to those unsightly mountain of blankets on your couch.

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Do you want to see a video tutorial on folding blankets? Let us know below!

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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Tidy Tips: Decluttering Your Home

Decluttering can be overwhelming when you try to tackle your entire house in one weekend. 

So we’re breaking it down for you - not only by room but by the main categories*  that collect clutter. 

You can work with this document a few different ways:

1. You can tackle one room at a time, working down the list

2. You can start in one room and focus on just one category during that session. 

The key is to take a break from decluttering before you get decision fatigue (yes, it’s a real thing). 

*These main categories were determined based on our experience working in these spaces.*

Kitchen

-Expired food & spices 

-Condiment packets 

-Plastic utensils 

-Vases

-Menus 

-Tupperware

-Plastic bags 

-Countertop

Bedrooms

-Mismatched / torn socks

-Stained / damaged clothing 

-Old shoes

-Broken jewelry 

-Hats & gloves 

-Nightstand drawers 

-Hidden items under the bed

-Miscellaneous items on top of dresser

Family/ Living Room

-Magazines 

-Games / puzzles

-DVDs

-Candles

-Old electronics 

-Miscellaneous wires

-Books

-Throws & throw pillows

Bathrooms

-Expired medicine 

-Expired beauty products

-Empty products 

-Samples / travel sized items

-Towels 

-Nail polish

-Products in shower

-Countertop

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If you’re on a roll and looking to tackle more spaces, take a look at our decluttering CHECKLIST below!

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Tidy Tips: Our Guide to Editing

When it comes to decluttering and editing, we are constantly asked: 

“How do you know how to get rid of stuff”? 

We have an in-depth process when it comes to editing with clients, but we wanted to share some important questions to ask yourself when you’re decluttering. 

When you're decluttering, ask yourself:

-Is it useful? 

-Is it something I use?

-Does it currently serve a purpose?

-When was the last time I used it?

-Would I buy this again today? 

-Do I have similar items / duplicates? Do I need multiples? 

-Does this item make my life easier?

-Have I tried to get rid of this item in the past?

-Do I need more space for new items?

-Can this item be replaced if necessary?

When you’re editing clothing, ask yourself:

-Does the item still fit? 

-Is it in good condition?

-Does it make me feel good when I wear it?

-What kind of maintenance does this item require? 

-Does this item remind me of a negative time / experience?

When you’re editing memorable items, ask yourself:

-What memory does this spark for me?

-When, where and how did I acquire this item (or wear this item)? 

-How does it make me feel to see (or wear) this item?

-Who gave me this item?

-Why have I been saving this item?

Sometimes we find clients associate the item with a memory and if the item leaves then so will the memory. 

We have a few exercises to try that may help you get rid of the item while still honoring and preserving the memory associated with the item.

Take A Photo

Snap a photo of the item and create a digital album for “special treasures”. Add the answers to the questions above in the caption of each photo. 

Create A Journal

Create a journal for all your special treasures. Add a photo of the item, draw the item or simply describe it. Answer some of the prompts listed above. 

Do It With A Friend

Invite a friend over and share the stories with them. Have your friend help you donate or find new homes for these items. 

Tidy Nest Featured Press: Decluttering Trends We’ve Fallen Out of Love With in 2023 (Homes & Gardens)

We chatted with Homes & Gardens about some of the decluttering trends we’re saying goodbye to in 2023 - check out our contributions below.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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Tidy Tips: Energy Clearing

Everything you’re bringing from outside will impact the energy of a space, including guests (invited or uninvited!) The events within the home will add energy- an illness, strong emotions like anger, grief or depression, or a party, celebration or other kind of ritual.

Have you ever had an argument and felt the tension in the room sort of lingering afterwards?

We ask a lot of our spaces, energetically and functionally, especially now that we’re spending more time in our homes. Our home, our office or any space we spend significant time in, should bring peace and positive energy. But let’s face it, we dump a lot of energy into these spaces which can already have old, stagnant or even negative energy that is hard to shake. Whether it’s a home that still has the previous owners energy, a cluttered space you just can’t get ahold of or a room that just witnessed an argument, spaces need to be cleared frequently.

There are many ways to do this and there are no right or wrong techniques. Below are some ways we like to clear energy in a room.

Remove Trash & Clutter

Remove obvious trash, clutter and broken items. Clutter drags down the energy in a room. Trash and broken items create difficulty for energy to flow through your space.

Open The Windows

Open the windows and allow fresh air into your space!

Use Lemon Oil

Wipe down surfaces with a mixture of lemon essential oil and water. Don’t forget door knobs, door frames, window sills and window frames - doors and windows are where outside energy enters your home so it’s important to keep these spaces clean. Plus any citrus scents are energizing and purifying.

Burn Herbs, Wood Or Incense

Burn your choice of herbs, wood or incense - just make sure it was sustainably sourced as many of these smoke cleansing tools have been harvested unethically. We like to start in the doorway of the room and walk around counter clockwise to clear negative energy wafting the smoke in all the corners of the room and then again clockwise to bring in positive energy.

Ring A Bell

If you’re sensitive to smoke/ smell, try ringing a bell or even clapping three times in each or the corners to break up the stagnant energy.

Add Crystals

Add a piece of selenite to your windowsill, an amethyst in your bedroom or black tourmaline by your entryway.

Add Salt

Add a small bowl of salt to the corners of the room and let it sit for 48 hours then discard back to the earth. The salt can act as a magnet pulling out any negative energy that is lingering.

Create Intentions

Create an intention for each space and recite it while doing one of the techniques above. Think about the intention of each room when creating your mantra. For example: “I release the stagnant energy from this space and invite in new opportunities for my best and highest good.”

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Tidy Nest Featured Press: Professional Organizers Say You Can Declutter So Much Crap With Any Of These Genius Tricks (Bustle)

Decluttering is one of the most important tasks one can do whether it’s before a move, before a renovation, as quarterly maintenance or as a form of self-care. We are constantly asked to share our tips and tricks on ways to easily declutter spaces.

We recently spoke with Bustle and shared some tips on how to tackle paper piles and the thought process behind one of our favorite decluttering techniques - trial separation.

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What We're Reading: Simple Shui for Every Day: 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life by Amanda Gibby Peters- March

We’re on a roll sharing our monthly tips from our favorite book Simple Shui for Every Day: 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life by Amanda Gibby Peters.

The short version is Amanda is the "Martha Stewart of Feng Shui". Amanda makes Feng Shui more digestible and accessible with a "home improvement-meets-self empowerment” approach. 

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Here are some of the practices we incorporated in our home throughout March:

March 6

Before you start a new project, clean and clear your desk area. Remove everything and wipe down the desk (I like to use a few drops of lemon essential oil either mixed in a spray bottle with water or a few drops on a damp cloth). Repopulate the desk with only the items that are needed and used. The key is to leave a small empty space to encourage room for creativity.

March 12

Instead of writing down your to-do’s and reminders in various places (both physically and digitally), pick just one way and try to stick to that method. Having notes and reminders scattered throughout your phone or on various notebooks not only causes mental and physical clutter but energetic clutter as well. As Amanda says, “Everything is energy - even if it’s Post It's” 

Pick a method that works for you - Jared & Shannon prefer a physical notebook and Jess prefers the note app.

March 15

Try this simple ritual when donating items. Say “thank you” before parting with the item as this facilitates closure.

March 16

Salt provides protection against unwanted energy. When your space gets heavy or you simply need a cleanse, leave a small bowl of salt in your space for a day. After a day, dispose of the salt (we like to toss our salt outside). You can repeat this as often as you need.

March 17

Clutter is a major culprit for daily stress and anxiety.  Instead of tackling the clutter all at once, do it daily. Amanda says to streamline trips around the house - so if you’re heading past your coat closet and there’s a coat tossed across the banister  (....we’re looking at you, Jared) grab it on your walk past the closet - make tidying a daily habit! Shannon’s grandma would say something similar - “Don't walk around the house empty handed” which was her motto for daily tidying.

March 23

Amanda says “How people feel about and remember a home is tied directly to how they’re feeling as they approach the door”. Make sure the entrance to your house is clean, obstacle free and inviting.

March 29

Under the bed storage is one of Shannon’s favorite topics. When asked what should be stored under the bed, the answer is always “nothing.” Clutter under the bed causes agitation. Try to keep this space completely clear. However, if you’re tight on space, store soft items only - like bedding or clothing or towels (in breathable cloth storage bins). Shannon even chatted with Apartment Therapy about this very topic:

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disclaimer:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.

Tidy Nest Featured Press: Organizing Trends We’ve Fallen Out of Love With in 2023 (Homes & Gardens)

We are thankful that the organizing industry has received immense exposure over the last few years.

It seems like everywhere we look there’s a new product that is the answer to all organizing woes or yet another TikTok video showing a color-coded refrigerator or another organizing hack.

Some tips and products are super helpful and some just add to clutter and disorganization.

We chatted with Homes & Gardens about some of the trends we’re saying goodbye to in 2023 - check out our contributions below.

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FEATURED PRESS

Take a look at our other interviews with Home & Gardens over the years

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Tidy Tips: Best Crystals For The Home

We (okay, just Shannon & Marilyn) are big believers of the power of crystal healing so if you think they are just rocks you might want to skip this one. 

If you don’t know Shannon well, she has an extensive crystal collection. We’re talking about over 100 crystal specimens displayed in her office - some are display pieces, some are in jewelry form, some are eye masks and beauty tools, some go in her water bottle, some are strategically placed in corners of the house… can you see Jared’s eyes rolling…

Basically, she has a crystal for everything - just give her an ailment or a problem you’re trying to sold and she’ll prescribe a crystal.

This goes for the home too! Here’s her crystal recommendation for select rooms in the house:

Crystal: Selenite

Space: Living Room 

Healing: Use in corners of your home or on your window sill to protect your space from unwanted energy.

Crystal: Amethyst

Space: Bedroom

Healing: Place next to your bed to calm emotional energy and encourage restful sleep.

Crystal: Black Tourmaline

Space: Front Door 

Healing: Add this near your front door or entrances to ​​protect negative thoughts, patterns and energies from entering your home.

Crystal: Rose Quartz

Space: Kitchen

Healing: Incorporate this into your kitchen as it’s the universal love stone and the kitchen is the heart of the home.

Crystal: Clear Quartz

Space: Bathroom

Healing: This crystal clears and purifies physical and energetic bodies so place in your shower, next to your bathtub or on your vanity for some extra cleansing.

Crystal: Shungite

Space: Office

Healing: Place next to your electronics or computer as it absorbs electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) and will keep you grounded while you’re working.

What We're Reading: Simple Shui for Every Day: 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life by Amanda Gibby Peters - February

You may recall that last year (and probably the year before that), we tried to share weekly and monthly tips from our favorite book Simple Shui for Every Day: 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life by Amanda Gibby Peters but we were not as consistent as we would have liked (sigh, life gets in the way) but we’re trying again in 2023!

If you’re not familiar with Amanda, you can read more about her here.

The short version - Amanda is the "Martha Stewart of Feng Shui". Amanda makes Feng Shui more digestible and accessible with a "home improvement-meets-self empowerment” approach.

We love her.

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Here are some of the practices we incorporated in our home throughout February:

February 4

Clear out that refrigerator and freezer. Take out everything, wipe down the shelving and drawers and only re-add items you use!

February 5

Don’t store your purse on the floor. Amanda says “what you appreciate appreciates and the better your money forecast looks.”

February 9

Drink more water! It’s the element of replenishment.

February 10

We 1000% agree with Amanda on this one - one “junk drawer” is allowed in the house. But no more! And we like to call that “junk drawer” a utility drawer :)

February 17

Add crystals to your space! Need some help choosing the right crystals?

February 18

Remove any obstacles, bags, piles of stuff around doors and entryways as this limits new opportunities.

February 25

Is life moving to fast? Is your to-do list causing your brain to run a mile a minute? Grab some rocks and place them in a bowl in the center of your space. The weight of the rocks is a reminder to sloooooow down.

February 28

Organize the cash in your wallet so all bills face the same direction.

This tip made me laugh because I’ve been doing this since as long as I had cash in my possession! 

Amanda says when you show respect for your money, you show the ability to handle more.

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disclaimer:

If you purchase from one of our LTK links, we may earn a small commission.