It seems that our smartphones have become appendages to bodies, rarely let go from the clutches of our hands.  And when we do let go, we tend to lay our phones on restaurant tables, store counters and other germ ridden spaces.  You see where I’m going here, don’t ya?

We hold phones close to our ears, nose and mouth… the areas where most bacteria enter our bodies, causing a variety of illnesses, from the common cold to pinkeye or worse yet, gastrointestinal viruses.  Hope you weren’t eating your lunch while reading this…sorry.

Yep, it’s a toss up as to which harbors more bacteria, your smartphone or your kitchen sink.  My money is on the phone and, unlike your kitchen sink, you can’t scrub it clean with some comet and a sponge.

A few months ago, I came across a super snazzy website called digitwirl, where the adorable Carly Knobloch dispenses valuable tech-related knowledge and advice. Carly’s video on the best way to clean your gadgets seemed to hold the answer to ridding my devices of those yucky germs. Carly recommends filling a small spray bottle with 50% rubbing alcohol and 50% water.  You simply spray a small amount on a microfiber or lint free cloth and wipe that nastiness away.  Thrilled to have found a simple, low-cost solution,  I have been happily using this method to clean my iphone, ipad and mac for the last few months.

That was until about two days ago when I found myself reading an article in that day’s Wall Street Journal that left me feeling a bit uneasy and somewhat concerned that my new cleaning method might not be so snazzy or safe afterall.

Not only are “people just as likely to get sick from their phones as from the handles of the bathroom, says Dr. Cain of The American Academy of Family Physicians,” but most of the cleaning options either don’t work or are dangerous to the glass screens.

The WSJ article quoted an engineer at Corning Gorilla Glass, who stated that “standard off-the-shelf cleaning products, such as alcohol wipes, won’t degrade the performance of the glass,” though he wouldn’t speak to smartphones’ performance directly. These phone cleaning cloths are about 99% effective which apparently isn’t good enough.  Since they fail to remove 100% of the germs and ingesting as few as 10 organisms can get you sick…lovely.

So while the jury is still out on the best way to clean your gadgets, I can tell you what not to do inorder to keep your expensive devices working properly.  Don’t use window cleaners, bleach or ammonia and never apply any approved cleanser directly onto the device.  Always apply the cleanser to a microfiber or lint free cloth and then clean the device.

In the meantime, read the full court press in the WSJ article, watch Carly’s video and let me know where you stand on this issue.  Have you found an alternate cleaning product that you think is effective and safe?

Call me crazy, but I think I was the first person to secure my wrist band and copy of The Truth About Style for Stacy London’s book signing last night at The Grove.  I am a big fan of her show, TLC’s What Not to Wear.  Sitting on my sofa, I vicariously watch, wishing I was Stacy, looking so stylish while dispensing fashion wisdom to the seemingly hapless bunch of “contributors”, the women featured in the show. While these gals may represent extremes in their fashion choices, I think we can all learn a few tips to dressing better.

I have to admit it was a bit of a thrill to see Stacy up close and personal, and yes, she is quite striking, tall and hysterically funny.

Stacy London book signing at The Grove

She’s either intrigued by my comments, or she’s critiquing my outfit!

Why did I wear this blouse????

Whether you’re a fashionista or simply want to look presentable, having an organized closet makes getting dressed a lot quicker and easier.  The first step to organizing a wardrobe closet is taking stock of its current contents and determining what works and what doesn’t.  Some of the key things to ask yourself include:

• Does it fit?
• Is it stained, tattered or otherwise seen better days?
• Do I like it?
• Is it dated ? (and no, it won’t come back in style the same way or same fabrication)
• Do I have multiples of the same thing?
• Have I worn it in the last year?
• Is it closet worthy…do I have room for this if I rarely wear it?
• Am I holding onto it because it was expensive?
• It was a gift and I feel bad not keeping yet (don’t, someone else will enjoy it)

As you go through each item in your closet (and drawers) ask yourself these questions. Since we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time keep only what you love and actually wear.  Having said that, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Most of us don’t attend weddings or black tie functions all that often so we have dressier items that are rarely worn but worthy of space in our closets.  If you have a second closet or guest room closet then this would be an ideal spot to store these items, leaving more real estate in your main closet for your go-to wardrobe.

Sort your clothes into four piles:

1. KEEP

2. DONATE

3. REPAIR AND/OR CLEAN

4. MAYBE

I’m giving you a MAYBE pile because I know there will be a few items that you just can’t part with yet, yet you know you should.  If at the end of this process you still aren’t sure, put them back in your closet.  If in six months you still haven’t worn them, it’s time to donate. Before you re-organize your closet take stock of your hangers and other organizing tools.  Pull out all the dry cleaner hangers and recycle them at your local cleaners. Are you using more than one type of hanger per garment, e.g., are all your pants on the same type of hanger, etc.?  This may seem trivial or unimportant, actually the opposite is true. Using uniform hangers allows your clothes to hang at the same level, making it much easier to find what you want quickly.  My clients and friends know that I am a big fan of huggable hangers.

Why do I love huggable hangers so much?

• they are the slimmest hanger around, practically doubling your closet space
• nothing will ever fall off
• no more unsightly marks or weird protrusions in the shoulders of sweaters & tees

You can find these amazing hangers at The Container Store or Bed Bath n’ Beyond makes a knock-off version.

Now for the fun part, actually organizing your closet.  Identify where everything will go and organize by putting like items together by color.  For example, when organizing your pants hang your jeans together, black pants, lighter colors, etc. Same goes for skirts, jackets, blouses and tees. I would take it a step further by also organizing by length, including sleeves, skirts, dresses, etc.  This system allows you to quickly see everything you have.

Beyond hangers, there are many other products that can help to beautify and organize your closet: baskets, bins, shoeboxes, scarf hanger, belt hanger, shelf dividers, etc.  The possibilities are endless. Depending on your budget and closet space, you can add them as you see fit.

There is so much to say on this topic. I couldn’t possibly cover it all in one blog. Look for future posts on closet organizing.  In the meantime, please let me know what you’ve done in your closet to make it organized.  Or, ask me a question.

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make us happy.  As a newbie organizer one of my first purchases was my Brother PTouch labelmaker.  It always amazes how this little device elicits such glee among my clients. They get so excited when they see me take it out of my bag of organizing goodies.

Even though I typically recommend and use clear containers, somehow once that little label is affixed on said container, it seems to complete things.  I think it’s the sense of having all our ducks in a row that creates a feeling of calm and order to our crazy, busy lives.

On a practical level, labeling makes it easy for all members of the household to put things away in their proper homes. There’s no excuse for not knowing where something belongs when it’s clearly labeled.

Labels are useful all over the house, particularly on clear storage bins and boxes. Some of favorite uses include shoe boxes, tools, first-aid kits, holiday decorations, out of season clothes, office supplies, household supplies, etc.  Truly, the list is endless.

I even label my spice jars. Being a woman of a certain age, the ‘ol eyes aren’t what they used to be!  My spices are kept in a corner cabinet which is basically a big lazy susan.  It’s so much easier to see the labels on top of the jars to quickly find what I need when preparing a meal.

While you can use a labelmaker on many surfaces and containers, there are some occasions where stick-on labels just don’t work. The good news is there are a slew of other fun options. My current obsession is with chalkboard labels.  Recently I purchased these lovelies on Etsy to use on small bins in my laundry closet.

Bradens Grace chalkboard tag labels

Are these not fun and cute?  They come with a chalkboard pen and can be easily wiped off with a damp cloth.  Using these labels even inspired me to write legibly, which isn’t easy.

If you have small children, here are some fun stick-on chalkboard picture labels:

Chalkboard labels come in lots of sizes and shapes and can be used in so many ways.  They’re perfect on jars and tins, thus making them ideal candidates to identify baking supplies, pasta or other pantry items.

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Who knew…all this time many of us have been storing our medications, vitamins and other prescriptions in our medicine cabinet or elsewhere in our bathrooms. Bathrooms can be hot and humid which causes medications to degrade over time making them less effective.

Storing drugs in a cool, dark place, like a kitchen cabinet or in a bedroom where the temperature range is 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit will allow them to remain effective until their expiration date. If you choose to move your meds to the kitchen, use a cabinet away from heat or cold, e.g., microwave, stove or fridge.

I am a big fan of corralling like items to allow for easy access.  There are several ways you can choose to organize these items.  One option is to assign a container for each family member.  Alternatively, you can organize by category, with a small container designated for each group:

• Over the counter meds: Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Benadryl, allergy pills, antacids, etc.
• Vitamins and supplements
• Mini-first aid kit: band-aids, Neosporin, rubbing alcohol, etc.  It’s always a good idea to keep some of these things in the kitchen for the inevitable small cut or burn.

If you have small children you might want to separate their medications from the adult containers, and of course place them in an unreachable area.  Rumor has it that I, as a young toddler, once ate an entire bottle of chewable baby aspirin. Fortunately there were no adverse reactions.

I don’t have children, but do have one husband, and one dog, and they both take a variety of meds; me, not so much.  Here is how I’ve organized their respective stashes:

I got so tired of all the pill bottles falling out as we reached for just one container.  My husband laughs, but I think he would agree this is a much better approach.

It is important to properly dispose of medications once they expire.  Throwing pills in the toilet or trash isn’t a good idea.  The LADWP provides guidelines on how to dispose of your unused drugs and hazardous waste. The FDA is another great resource.  On September 29th the DEA is sponsoring National Drug Take-Back Day. Check for a event location near you.

Summer is drawing to a close, the kids are headed back to school and we will soon be welcoming the fall season, or at least dreaming of it in warm, sunny, Los Angeles.

Much like spring cleaning, the end of summer is a great time to tackle some of those messy spots around the house that may be hiding in closets or behind closed drawers.

How about that kitchen utensil drawer?  Do you frequently curse to yourself as you are fumbling to find the tongs or wooden spatula?  Even if you only have 15 minutes, you’d be surprised how quickly you can organize a small space. Well, fret no more, here’s how:

Utensil Drawer before

Invest in an inexpensive drawer divider.  Empty out the utensil drawer and go through each item.  Toss out anything that is rusty, worn out or wooden spoons with cracks (a natural breeding ground for bacteria).  Donate items you no longer use or want.

Next, wipe down the drawer so it’s nice and clean and ready to be organized.

Organize your utensils in your nifty drawer divider, putting like items together – tongs, graters, ice cream scoopers, etc.  Wasn’t that fast and easy? Now you’re ready to try out that new Giada deLaurentis recipe, (oops, that would be me) but maybe you’ll be inspired to grate some cheese or scoop some ice cream!

Utensil Drawer after

Here are some other areas you can organize in 15 minutes or less:

• Make-up drawer
• Silverware drawer
• Under the kitchen sink
• Drinking glasses and coffee mugs

Simply apply the same principles as the utensil drawer – empty, toss and/or donate, clean and re-organize like items together.

What areas of your home have your organized easily and quickly? I’d love to hear your stories and inspirations.