Have you ever wondered what it takes for a successful organization project to go off without a hitch? Most of those answers can be found in our famous “Mary Poppins bag” that holds all of our supplies and tricks of the trade! Here are the supplies our organizers swear by, and that we suggest having on hand for your own personal projects!
-BINS or BOXES: use for sorting categories and taking action (relocate, donate, shred, recycle, give to friends, family members, etc.)
-TRASH BAGS AND DONATION BAGS: great to have on hand so you can immediately place garbage into trash bags and dispose of it. Use blue or clear bags for donations so it is visually clear which items go to trash vs. donation. At the end of each session take the trash out and put donations in the car or staging area and remove them from the home right away.
-CLEANING CLOTH and BROOM/DUST PAN: once a space is clear and free of items and before putting things away, give those shelves a good wipe down and sweep the floor.
-GLOVES: for tackling a dusty space like an attic or garage, or a space with chemicals or liquids like a bathroom or laundry room.
-BAGGIES: all the sizes -snack, sandwich, quart and gallon - to corral small items and to keep pieces together.
-STICKY NOTES: sticky notes are great for labeling categories or identifying action to be taken.
-PERMANENT MARKERS: to write on sticky notes, boxes, tape, etc.
-TAPE: blue painter’s tape and packing tape are both a must to secure boxes or use as a temporary label.
-MEASURING TAPE: for measuring drawers, shelves, cabinets and objects. Remember to take all measurements - width, length, depth and height - whether measuring for space planning or for bins, baskets, drawer dividers, etc.
-SCISSORS OR BOX CUTTER: always good to have on hand to open boxes and remove tags or plastic.
-PHONE: snap a picture of items and share with friends or family for decision making or to ask if they are interested in an item. Having decisions right away helps with moving the item on for donation or to its proper home.
-LABEL MAKER: for the final steps in organization projects when it is time for permanent labels. You can find great deals on label makers at Costco or Amazon.
-APRON: Our team swears by our aprons. Aprons allow us to keep all of our important supplies easily accessible in our pockets so we don’t have to go searching for things when we need them most.
-MUSIC: Turn up the volume, roll up your sleeves and get to it!
-COFFEE AND SNACKS: Caffeination and snacks are a must for any project! Make sure you’re giving yourself plenty of breaks during your projects. Remember: organization is a marathon and not a sprint!
Has this post encouraged you to create your own organization supply bag or box for tackling your projects? Do you regularly use any supplies that we didn’t mention above? If so, let us know in the comments. We hope this look inside of our own “Mary Poppins” bag inspires you to create your own and go full steam ahead on the rest of your “52 Weeks of Organization” projects. Happy organizing, friends!