Kathi,

My laundry room is in the garage and is an unorganized mess. What can I do to take the dread out of doing my laundry?

Tina, Leucadia

Tina,

Your first step is to imagine your laundry area organized. The average American household spends 2-4 hours every week sorting, cleaning, storing and shuffling dirty laundry. Creating a nice workspace will make a big difference for your laundry chores.

When laundry facilities are located in the garage, It’s nice have a rug to separate the laundry area. This helps keep it cleaner and more comfortable while you sort clothes.

If you have room, use rolling carts or bins to sort whites, colors, delicates and heavily soiled items. A countertop or table that is large enough to hold 2-3 baskets of laundry works well for sorting and folding. If possible, make this counter a bit taller than usual. A height of 36-42″ will save your back from needless stress. If you’re short on space for a counter or table, affix a fold-down shelf to the wall.

Keep a drying rack handy. For small spaces, install a spring-loaded clothesline that retracts when not in use. Attach an ironing board hanger to the wall or behind the door or buy a kit to install your ironing board into the wall between studs. These incredible kits are available at your local home improvement store. Items like these will keep the board and the iron out of the way, yet accessible.

Consider your cleaning supplies. Make sure they are at arms reach. Don’t forget the space above your washer and dryer. Decant detergents and fabric softeners from bulk boxes and jugs to smaller, easier-to-handle containers. Store small supplies in labeled boxes or bins. Keep rags, sponges and paper towels on hand to pre-treat stains. Organizing your supplies will make it easy to see when you need to restock.
Once your laundry area is optimized, you will not be as overwhelmed by the state of affairs in the rest of your garage.

Kathi,

My office just cut back on staff. Now I’m temporarily handling my normal workload along with two other missing team members. How can I work more efficiently? I’m tired of having dinner with the night janitor.

Ben, San Marcos

Ben,

Double up on certain tasks. Do small tasks simultaneously, such as sorting through mail while you are talking on the phone, or purging files while eating lunch.
Stand up while on the phone. Your conversations will automatically be shorter.
Use window envelopes where appropriate, saving time in writing or typing the name and address.
Purge your files annually. You will be better able to find files and decrease storage space.
And, my usual advice, take many short breaks throughout your day to stretch and refresh. You will inevitably accomplish more with less effort using this method.

Kathi,

I’ve been invited to an event and the invitation says it is semi-formal. What does this mean? Do I wear a knee length or long dress? Thanks for your help.

Deb, Cardiff

Deb,

Semi-formal invitations are the most tricky to decipher. Usually they imply that long dresses are not required, nor are tuxes. An evening wedding (after 6 PM) would still dictate a cocktail dress for her and a dark suit for him. Daytime semi-formal events mean a suit for him and an appropriate short dress or dressy suit for her.

If the invitation states Formal attire or Black Tie, you can wear a long dress, or a dressy evening gown. In trendier areas like LA, men could also wear a tux with a black shirt with no tie.
Black Tie Optional means you have the option of wearing a tuxedo or long gown. It can also tip you into the formality of the event, meaning a dark suit and tie would be your other option.

Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner based in San Diego California.

Please submit your questions to: advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
.
San Diego Professional Organizer