Roxann's Top 10 things for organization Review

I have struggled since Junior High with my organization skills... just ask Mr. B, my 7th grade Dean... he even signed me up for a class on organization. As a wife, mother, and office worker I am learning the importance of organization and picking up helpful hints to keep me that way. I thought I'd make a top ten list on here to share these with all of you.

In no particular order...

Clothes Pins- I use these to clip on to my clothes hanging in the closet (like a poor woman's huggable hanger). They keep my clothes on the hangers and off my closet floor. Nuff said! ;)

Over the door laundry bag - I didn't like what these did when hung over my door (got caught once.... snapped and sent a piece flying at my face.... ouch). Now I have them hanging on the wall in my bedroom with Hercule's Hooks (see below). I like that these: are the perfect size for a load in my washer, give me more floor space without hampers, are cheap enough that I can buy one for every type of load I do (darks, lights, whites, and towels), and are easy to carry to the laundry room as soon as one fills up. These were a super space saver for me.

Hercules Hooks- I use these for EVERYTHING!  I have them hanging by my doors to hang coats and keys on. I have them in my bedroom holding my laundry hamper bags. They're holding pictures, paintings, and a clock in my living room. These are great in an apartment setting because I don't need to disturb my neighbors by using a hammer (the holes they leave behind are actually bigger than they advertise though).

Plastic shower caddy - My apartment building has a laundry room where we all get a storage locker to keep Christmas decorations, bikes, etc. I keep my laundry supplies in there as well. I recently got a plastic shower caddy to keep in there to hold my Downy ball, dryer sheets, quarters, and a towel I use to wipe up the machine when I'm done.

3M Hooks with Command Adhesive- The adhesive part doesn't impress me too much, it took off a chunk of plaster with the paint in my sons room... then in other places the hooks just fall off (I add super glue... shhh... don't tell the landlord). I have these hanging on the insides of my kitchen sink holding my bottle brush and dish rags. They're hanging on the sides of my cabinets that border my stove and hold my pot holders and measuring cups. I have one on the side of my dishwasher that I use to hold the hoses upright when not in use. Basically, I only use these in places that are okay to add superglue (tile, my personal items, and unfinished wood). The regular adhesive is too strong on paint, but not strong enough on tile, wood, or metal.

Mesh Shower Caddy - I have two of these wonderful contraptions. They are so nice because you can hang them in two different ways: the first way is using the bar that comes with to hang it over the shower head (like conventional shower caddies) or you can toss the bar and thread your shower curtain rings through the holes at the top and hang it from your shower curtain. I have one hanging from the shower head that I keep all of my shower needs in (razor with spare heads, shower gel, shampoo, etc.). The other one I have hanging from my shower curtain and I keep all of the baby's bath toys in there. I love these because they are mesh so, things can breathe and don't mildew in there, they hold things tight unlike the metal shower caddies with shelves for things to fall off of, and they were cheap (two for five dollars).

Flylady.com- I couldn't possibly tell you everything flylady does for the cleaners/organizers in the households... but I'll name a few. You'll have to check her out to get the whole picture. She has a control journal that helps you get organized by telling you what to clean/do, when. Some of her major philosophies are: you should always be dressed to the shoes for motivation, everything you do should only be for 15 minutes at a time... even if you don't finish, a shiny sink is the best way to wake up in the morning, and even if you are a SAHM you should get dressed every morning like you have to go to work... to spread the message to yourself, your husband, and your children that you are worth it. I haven't even touched upon the all-encompassing flylady... check her out yourself... it all just starts with shining your sink.

Page Protector Sleeves- I have one of these hanging on my refrigerator. On the inside there is one sheet for every day of the week. I print on there the things I need to do for the day (thanks to flylady). The page protector acts as a laminator so I can use a dry erase marker to cross off each task after I finish it. At the end of the day I wipe off the sleeve, put the next day's sheet in front and go to bed. I also use these in my recipe binder. I keep my recipes I've printed off the computer, in a binder next to my stove. I keep them each in a protector sleeve so they don't get ruined if something spills on it.

Honeywell Locking Fire Safe - I keep everything in here that I want safe from fire or intruders. Including: birth certificates, social security cards, important pictures, my Grandma's jewelry, tax documents, etc. Having this safe not only created an extra place to put papers so that they're out of the way... but it created a SAFE place. Now my marriage certificate isn't in an accordian file of things to put away. It has a key so I can lock everything up nice and cozy. It was fairly cheap at Aldi's too. It was a win-win purchase.

3 pc Nursery Basket Set - I got two sets of these from my baby shower and loved them. When the baby was tiny (and we were living at my mom's house) I used them for all of his stuff... diapers in one; wipes, desatin, and baby powder in one; grooming supplies in another, etc.Now that we have our own place I only use maybe 2 for his grooming supplies and the rest are all mine! I took the Classic Pooh netting off and use them all over the house. I have one on the back of my toilet with bath salts, tweezers, etc. I have two in my closet that hold all of our perscription bottles and OTC medicines.

Well that's my 2 cents. I hope you are able to pick up at least one helpful hint from this. I will be doing individual review for some of the products that I LOVE and want highlighted better. This was my first "Top 10 review" so any helpful hints for future reviews would be great! However, I've been working on this for over 2 weeks, so be gentle. :)