Pre-Holiday Organization Challenge!

When in doubt, rent a storage unit!

If you’re like me, every year around the holidays (before things get crazy) you feel a renewed motivation to get your home organized so that you can actually enjoy the parties, the out-of-towners, the gift giving, and the general merriment of the season. Let’s use that motivation and join the Amazing Spaces’ Pre-Holiday Organization Challenge!

~ Pre-Holiday Organization Challenge ~
This year Amazing Spaces Storage Centers is challenging its staff, friends, and customers to get organized before the holidays. We’ll post before and after pictures of our progress, and WE HOPE YOU DO TOO! Cleaning and organizing can be daunting but going through it together will provide much needed encouragement! Follow us on Facebook for weekly challenge reminders, before and after photos, and encouragement!

Day #15: Wild Card – You Pick!

Congratulations! After Day #15, you’re done! You’re home should be organized and ready for the holidays! If you still have odds and ends that don’t have a designated place in your home, look to storage. Renting a climate controlled unit during this time of the year can be a life saver especially with our current “Reclaim Your Space” holiday special and with our month-to-month contracts.
Day #14: Fridge / Freezer
In our final days of the Pre-Holiday Organizational challenge, we thought it best to tackle the fridge and freezer last so you can make room for holiday treats and feasts. Why let good food go to waste? Just whip up your favorite “clean out the fridge” casserole or soup this week to utilize what you have and to make room in the fridge.
Day #13: Game Room
With family coming to town, this room is sure to get a lot of use. Maybe spend some extra time making sure all of the pieces are there to your family’s favorite game. This is also a great chance to get rid of broken or outgrown toys so that there’s room for any new toys that Santa might bring.
Day #12: The Pantry
If the holidays are the only time of year you bake, you should consider replacing your baking powder and baking soda from last year – they lose potency over time. Check out more food expiration date guidelines here.

Day #11: Keepsakes

With our previous daily challenges, there have been many opportunities to get rid of old and rarely used items. That’s not the case with today’s challenge. With keepsakes, our main goal is to properly preserve them. Heat can destroy photos and delicate aging keepsakes, so boxing them up in the garage or attic is not an option. Consider investing in climate controlled storage to ensure your irreplaceable keepsakes remain secure.

Day #10: Office

Organizing the home office is critical. Once this area is fully stocked and organized, you’ll get tasks completed faster and as a result, you’re less likely to get frustrated, and you’ll have more time to do other things.

office OrgChallenge | Pre-Holiday Organization Challenge! | Amazing Spaces Storage Centers

Day #9: Under Bathroom Sink

Remember: beauty products have expiration dates too. Many products have a Period After Opening (PAO) icon which is designed to help you keep tabs on freshness. The PAO number indicates how many months the item should last after you crack the seal.
Day #8: Master Closet
Countless organizational “gurus” tout various methods for keeping the master closet organized. I have found that the best method is the one that I can actually stick to.
Day #7: Coat Closet
In many homes, cumbersome items other than just coats can make their way into this closet. Until I moved them to my storage unit, my coat closet once held luggage, sleeping bags and a violin. A storage unit is a great idea to remove the rarely used items from your home, so you can reclaim your space.

Day #6: Dresser Drawers
Two words: designate drawers

Day #5: Under the Kitchen Sink
Install a tension rod to hang cleaning supplies from and for quick access.

Day #4: Tupperware Cabinet
Personally, I have struck a balance between being able to find the right lid for the right container and being the most time efficient when emptying the dishwasher: I have a shelf for all lids and just below, is my shelf for all containers.

Day #3: Linen Closet
Get to folding! And for those pesky fitted sheets, take a tip from Martha. Also, a fabric drawer is great for those odds and ends that you keeping in your linen closet.

Day #2: Laundry Room
The laundry room can be tricky. Clothes cycle through so I never feel finished unless I have time to wash several loads on the same day. A great tip for feeling good about your laundry room is to invest in nice hampers; this alone might be enough to lift your spirits on laundry day.

Day #1: Junk Drawer
Start small. Though it appears to be non-threatening to your peace of mind, the ubiquitous “junk drawer” once organized will give its owners a sense of accomplishment which is much needed to tackle the rest of the house. Also, this small part of the home becomes not so small when you inevitably end up fighting with this drawer more than any other area of the house. Trust us, get the junk drawer organized and you’ll notice the minutes of spare time added to your daily routine now that you now longer waist time looking for a pen, a rubber band, matches, or the spare key.



BEFORE/AFTERs

Our staff took the challenge!
Here’s the results from one of our own completing Day #1’s challenge: the junk drawer.

junkDrawer before after | Pre-Holiday Organization Challenge! | Amazing Spaces Storage Centers

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