home organization for CHAOTIC PEOPLE.

💕 Caroline
***

💕 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒

💕 𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓
Not For Everyone: @not4everyonepod
*available everywhere you get podcasts.

💕 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐏𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓
***

💕 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆

💕 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒
*I'm sorry, I'm not able to take on new design projects!

💕 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒
00:00 - Intro
1:40 - what this video covers
2:55 - the PROBLEM
3:30 - 2 main reasons you're cluttered
4:30 - the EMOTIONAL side of clutter
6:43 - the RED WINE HACK
8:04 - thanks to Brooklinen :)
10:50 - EASY clutter elimination
12:00 - give the eye a break
13:00 - satan's electronics
14:42 - open storage is a LIE
15:06 - the internet will DRAG ME for this!
16:05 - the difference between HOARDING and COLLECTING
18:40 - don't let anyone do THIS to you
19:50 - kids' organization tip!
21:00 - the story told by clutter
23:00 - GET A WITNESS

💕 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑
All opinions are my own. Some links listed are affiliate links which means I earn a small commission if anyone decides to purchase through them. Thank you so much for your support!

Please note that I am not a professional, in fact I am the literal opposite. I am just a plebeian out here loose on the streets. Things that I am NOT: a builder, trainer, craftsman, therapist, nutritionist, physical therapist, medical professional or anything else. All projects seen on my channel must be completed at your own risk and responsibility. Please see your own professional or counselor for professional support. Do your research and be safe!

#interiordesign #washingtondc

[kristin]

I am highly unwell. Got a heck of a lot of bipolar depression, a thriving Eating Disorder, and no sign of a cure. That said, I have an uncluttered, organized, and- as of recently- a clean! home. I’m the lady who cleaned her microwave after watching your depression video. The wild thing is- I’ve kept cleaning it every week. I created a whole weekly cleaning routine (nothing too fancy) and it always helps me feel like more of an adult functioning human. This is the kind of advice I need Caroline. You are my inspiration. And a laugh riot. Thank you. 😊❤️

[mirandadyer]

Tip for purging your closet: Do yourself up in your best hair or makeup and do all the things that make you feel beautiful before trying on old clothes

[Colley_co]

My spouse has ADHD and the best thing it has taught me is that he needs EVERYTHING for a task in arms reach so we have “stations” that allow you to stay in one area and frankly it’s helped me a lot too. So cat food goes by the bowl rather than the kitchen and everything to make coffee is in the drawers/cabinets right under the coffee machine. If you have to leave to get something it needs a new spot ❤ hope this helps someone! Y’all got this.

[sandrad]

“Open storage is no storage…It’s just uppity, high-maintenance decor.” 💯💯💯

[VSulota]

I went through an actual "red wine test" experience when I had a shelf collapse next to my laundry that had 1) a potted plant 2) a bottle of perfume spray, and 3) a decorative glass tube of chunky glitter. It's very hard to keep anything you don't need when it's covered in wet, sharp, sparkly dirt that smells like weapons-grade peachy sweetness.

[LB-ecuf]

I recently decided my house wasn't the family museum 15 YEARS after my mother died. Everyone got what they really wanted years ago. Never helped me purge what was left. If anyone says anything about what I've gotten rid of, I just look at them for 10 seconds and change the subject. There were more things that made me sad instead of happy. Have gotten rid of so much and don't have to explain anything to anybody. Feels great! I'm 63. 😊

[livnicole]

Favorite quotes from today's video:
"Bless this mess, no f*** this mess!"
"I don't need all these Chinos"
"Cords are the Devil's play things"
"Open storage is a lie"
"That's a personal preference but I decided it's the law"


Also: As a former personal organizer...I approve this message! 😆

[pisieh]

The wine spill test is genius! "Sparking joy" never really worked for me, but asking myself how devastated I would be to lose an object has unlocked something for me!

[han_str]

My FAVORITE closet organization tip is having a "half-dirty" hamper

I have a regular hamper for dirty clothes, and a second one next to it for clothes I don't quite want to put back into the drawer, but are clean enough I'd wear again. Prevents the dreaded pile on a chair or the floor! And when it's time to do laundry, I just wash em both!

[limeylena]

The Marie Kondo thing of basically saying "Thank you for your service" to something before dropping it in the trash or Goodwill bag has actually helped me a lot. It sort of helps ease the weird guilt of getting rid of something - if you used to love it, it acknowledges that; if you bought it and absolutely never used it, it gives you the space to appreciate that maybe it's purpose was just for the thrill of buying it; etc.

[marielaberge]

The amount of clothes that I keep just so I have clothes to wear when painting walls, even though I have NEVER done that, is actually insane

[mollymorgan]

"You deserve a safe space, a santuary, where you don't feel like you're trying to survive your own home!"

THIS!!!

[seame]

Just did this with a friend who hoarded for 15+ years, met with her twice a week for 1.5 months & we thinned down her entire home. We had a yard sale this past week. What didn’t sell went on market place or to the thrift store. Seeing how much this has changed her & her husband’s life & living space was thrilling for all involved. She got rid of soooo much. So proud of her!

[karmagination]

Hello Caroline! My mom passed away two months ago. She was 86, and we knew that she was a bit of a hoarder, but when my sister and I started cleaning out and decluttering her house, we were shocked at the amount of stuff she had accumulated over the years. The saddest part is that most of the objects that she was keeping and collecting for us, for our children and for our grandchildren (because she thought they were beautiful or fun or useful) had to be thrown away or donated in the end because no one was interested in them. She thought that we would want all those things but she had never asked whether we actually wanted to have them. All for nothing... so sad! We all picked a few objects to remember her by, but that's all we needed.

Also, she kept tons of stuff just in case she would need it later on. She kept so much and for so long that she eventually forgot she had all that junk and just bought more of the same things again. Keeping too much stuff only amounts to bigger piles of junk in the end.

So now I'm decluttering my own house, big time! My husband passed away as well last October, and there are still many boxes of belongings to go through...

-- Johanne (62 YO and loving your channel!)

[shmanda]

One tip that helped me get rid of boxes of sentimental stuff was to take a picture of each item before I threw it away. This way, I can still "look" at them on my phone for a dose of nostalgia or to trigger those specific memories without having to lug around boxes of movie tickets, cards, notes, random crap, etc, for the rest of my life. Such a relief!

[ShaferHart]

_It's not free to keep junk around your home. You pay a huge emotional price. And you pay a price in your home, it's no longer a safe space, it's now a cluttered space, confined space, a little claustrophobic. You're paying a price every day._

This is so true and 100% speaks to me since I keep a bunch of stuff out of frugality.

[heytheredelia]

A TV Show with Caroline visiting people with cluttering problems? I'd be totally down for it🤩

[psyche]

Similar to the basket idea: accept that certain things gravitate to certain spots and organize them in situ. Stop obsessing about the fact that a laundry basket doesn’t belong in the living room. If your husbands socks end up by the back door every day, put a tiny basket there for socks. He will never take his socks to the hamper in the bedroom! I always forget the take my earrings off until I’m already in bed and too lazy to get up. Put a little earring bowl next to the bed. That’s where the earrings belong!

[thehugheslife]

Things I've done to make organizing/cleaning easy for me:
1- keep a donate box in my car at all times, fill it up regularly, even if it's just 1 thing at a time.
2- slowly replace all my ugly stuff with pretty stuff so I want to take care of it, and it looks better on the open shelving I have to use in my tiny kitchen.
3- I hate folding clothes, so I don't. I have drawers and just throw the clothes in and hang what is prone to wrinkling.
4- I hate cleaning every day, so I don't. I have cleaning task lists for each room and as they need it, I will pull out the list and check off each box. Each room gets cleaned Mayne once a month, probably less. The lists take all the brain work out of it. Pop on an audiobook and go to town. Ends up being kind of fun.
5- close the kitchen every night. I spend most of my time in or around my kitchen and when it's dirty I am stressed. So every night I have just a few things I do that keeps it clean. Put all dishes away or in the dishwasher, start the dishwasher, wipe counter if needed, put away any food from today, and sorta clean the sink. Takes 5-10 minutes depending on how dirty it is.
6- do laundry more frequently. I have a laundry basket that's split into 3 bags. I sort the laundry as I take it off. I'll do laundry for me, hubby, and baby about every other day. Just one load, all of the way through, Wash, dry, and put away. No folding!
7- baskets for everything! Baskets for shoes so they're bot all over the doorway. Baskets for toys. Baskets for towels. Baskets for cleaning supplies. Etc.
8- toy rotations! I have a couple larger baskets with a variety of toys for my baby (she's 2). I'll keep all but 1 put away and rotate which basket is out for her. Seriously limits how many toys I have to deal with day to day, but keeps them interesting for her.
9- climbing toys instead of small parts toys. Kids need big body movements, give it to them!

Good luck finding what works for you!

[smallhouseinthemeadow]

This is one of my favorite videos you have done. My tip for everyone is for paper clutter. I mean the kind of paper you have to keep for legal reasons. I bought a large white binder at Wal-mart and the clear plastic sleeves. I put my marriage licenses, divorce papers(yes, those are plural), social secuity info, passport, car title-you get the picture...the crap you need right after you throw it away. This way, if there is ever a flood, fire, or emergency breakup, you can grab your "important papers/documents binder" filled with hard to replace papers and get out with it tucked under your arm. I have a seperate binder for my medical papers, pet medical-ie. rabies licenses/certfificates, microchip info, somgwriting, and one filled with greeting cards for people for birthdays/holidays so I am never short a card.I just buy everyon'es for the year in January and slip them into the clear plastic sleeve, and into the binder.