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: 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

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.

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 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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2022 Dorm Room Essentials

As families are starting to think about back-to-school and the dreaded task of setting up dorm rooms, we’ve been receiving questions from clients about our favorite dorm room organizing products. Prepping for dorm life is challenging. There’s limited space and very rarely are the layouts and measurements provided ahead of time.

We put together a list of products that maximize space, fit in almost any space, and most importantly, assist with productivity and efficiency which is crucial for those attending college, especially for the first time. 

Check out our list below for some of our favorite dorm room essentials.

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Footboard Storage

This is the perfect solution for a bedside table. This storage compartment fits at the foot of your bed, and it’s super roomy with eight different sized pockets!

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Charging Organizer

We’ve talked about these bamboo charging stations more than once simply because they are fantastic. We have so many devices to charge these days - laptops, AirPods, smart watches, iPhones, iPads, Kindles - and the cord situation can get unruly. This keeps everything contained and eliminates all the tangled wires everywhere. Plus having one home base to charge everything makes a huge difference in productivity.

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Shoe Cabinet

Shoe storage can be tough in a dorm, especially if closet space is very limited. We love this shoe cabinet because it is extremely slim but can still fit a number of shoes. This would be a great shared system if you have roommates!

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Slim Rolling Cart

This rolling cart has been a sneaky favorite of ours. We bought this for a very narrow space in a bathroom and were pleasantly surprised at its utility. We find ourselves using them in bathrooms, offices, kitchens and playrooms. It comes with hooks to hang items and we’ve added separate containers to the trays to corral smaller items like paper clips. It’s simple to put together too.

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Floating Wall Storage

We know there are restrictions in dorm rooms, like drilling holes in walls, so we like to use these floating storage units because there is no drilling required. Simply attach to the wall using the adhesive strips. These are also great for interior cabinets or the back of doors.

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Collapsible Laundry Basket

Laundry baskets can be so cumbersome and the laundry bags still look like a pile of clothes on the floor. We like this lightweight collapsible basket and it can be stored underneath the bed when not in use.

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Foldable Shower Caddy

A shower caddy is a must-have on the dorm list which is why there are a ton of versions out there, but after a lot of research we chose this foldable, plastic caddy that takes up little space when not in use.

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Plastic Storage Trays

Another Tidy Nest favorite….storage trays, compartments, organizers, containers, whatever you want to call them… we love them! You can find these products in a variety of materials, styles and price points. In this case, these plastic trays are budget-friendly, easy to clean, come in pretty colors and can be used in desk drawers, dressers, or that rolling cart we mentioned above!

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Space Saving Hangers

It seems like every guide we create has some kind of hanger. We are very particular about our hangers and while we usually don’t love plastic hangers, these are a great space saving option for small closets. 

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

Tidy Nest Featured Press: 15 Ways to Organize Your Makeup and Beauty Supplies (HGTV)

HGTV published “15 Ways to Organize Your Makeup and Beauty Supplies”. One of Shannon’s favorite ways to store makeup and beauty supplies was featured in the article (see slide 8).

Modular System

Keep all your makeup and beauty products in one place without hogging all the bathroom drawers.

Products used:

The Original Beauty Box

It seems like the Original Beauty Box no longer has a website - a great alternative is The Container Store’s Acrylic Modular Makeup System.

The Home Edit Vinyl Labels from The Container Store

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

Editing Your Beauty & Skincare Products

Editing is not just for clothes! Beauty products and skincare products need to be edited from time-to-time to avoid the clutter. Follow these easy steps to keep your product inventory manageable. 

1. Lay everything out on a solid background - think white towel - so you can easily see colors. 

2. Group items by makeup, skincare, haircare. 

3. Check the consistency of the products  - if things are discolored, smell different or the consistency has changed, set aside to discard. 

4. Check expiration dates. Discard anything that has expired. Check out our recent blog post on beauty expiration dates here.

5. Eliminate duplicates (give to friends, create a travel bag, set aside to discard).

6. Place remaining inventory back in your storage system grouping by type (makeup, skincare, haircare) then subcategorize as you see fit. Check out our previous blog posts on the systems we like to use.

7. Repeat this a few times a year!

Pro Tip: When it comes to discarding - If it’s unused, donate it. If it’s been used and still good but not in your repertoire, offer it to a friend. If the product has expired, check the packaging to see if it can be recycled. Some companies like Lush and MAC accept empties. Companies like Colgate and Garnier have partnered with TerraCycle and will accept empty product packaging from any brand. 

Links: 

Mac Cosmetics

Lush

Colgate

Garnier

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Product Spotlight: Acrylic Makeup System

Today’s consumer packaging is lightyears ahead of where it was say, 10 years ago (doesn’t that Method soap dispenser look nice next to your sink?) When you have makeup and products that have beautiful packaging, they should be on display and enjoyed as well. To help showcase our beauty products, we love to use acrylic systems, but they can get a little pricey after adding on all the various components for lipstick, brushes, pallets, etc. So we put together a list of our favorite systems for you in every price range — just click any link below. Enjoy!

$$$$ - The Original Beauty Box

$$$ - The Container Store

$$ - Target

$ - Amazon

If you haven’t used acrylic before, here’s an example of how the Beauty Box acrylic system can transform your makeup to make everything visible, more accessible and more attractive.

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