The stickiness of books

Of all the items I've helped clients sort through and evaluate during my years as a professional organizer, it never fails to amaze me how books above pretty much all else are considered off limits for purging. People who otherwise have no qualms about donating all manner of other things, even about ditching sentimental items, have a thing about books.

On the one hand, I understand, because I have plenty of books in my apartment that I'm probably not going to read again, that still have value for me. But I'm able to be fairly rational about them and don't have qualms about taking those that really aren't useful or loved right down to the used bookstore or Goodwill.

I think books hold a lot of power for people because they seem them as containing knowledge, and if you own the book, than somehow you own the knowledge inside, too. Books can be very aspirational for people. I know I've been hanging on to a copy of Henry James's The Americans for a few years, thinking I'm going to read it, but it usually gets pushed down the reading list by the latest Eloisa James historical romance.

If you have enough bookshelf space for your books, then I'm not suggesting you have a book problem. But many people store books in boxes in garages, attics and basements. This is a recipe for ruined books.

It can be kind of fun to quickly scan your shelves and pull out those books you really didn't like when you read them, or that you have two of, or reference books that are completely outdated. Gather them up, put them in your car and drop them off at your nearest donation site. You'll be just as smart as you were before, I promise!

How do you feel about letting books go?

Goodwill Southern California

Last week, I went to the main campus of Goodwill Southern California with my NAPO Neighborhood Group. We spent an hour and a half touring the facility and learning about all the services that Goodwill offers. Goodwill's mission is Transforms Lives through the Power of Work, and that mission was clear through every aspect of their organization. As a professional organizer, it's always important to be able to communicate to clients exactly where their donated items will end up once they part with them and donate them to a charitable organization. Now I have a very clear picture of where items donated to any Goodwill Southern California location will go, and I feel extremely confident in recommending that my clients support this organization with their donations.

Our Goodwill tour group.

Some of things I learned on the tour:

• All e-waste that gets donated gets processed in an extremely secure part of the facility. Working electronics will get refurbished and sold, while everything else gets broken down into recyclable parts, hazardous waste, and recoverable materials that will get sold. They completely destroy any information left on a hard drive before selling it or stripping it.
• All shredding that gets brought to this particular facility is processed in a secure way that exceeds FBI standards. We got to see the floor where they shred (from behind a glass wall!) and watched the process at work. Fascinating.
• The people who work at the facility we toured are part of Goodwill's mission to train and find jobs for people with disabilities and disadvantages. They get job training and will eventually move on to jobs outside of Goodwill, or may stay on at Goodwill in a variety of capacities. 
• Over 90% of the profit realized by Goodwill from selling donated items either through their retail stores or by selling items in bulk goes into their education, job training and placement programs.
• Their long term goal is to have 0% of what gets donated to Goodwill end up in a landfill. For now, they keep millions of pounds out of landfills every year. Each item goes through many stages and has many opportunities to be resold, reused, or recycled before it gets taken to a landfill. 
• When you donate items in good condition, you are helping keep things out of landfills as well as supporting the service projects of the organization. They especially love to receive e-waste, books and clothes, shoes, etc. that are in good condition. Don't donate your trash, please, as that ends up by costing them money to process and dispose of.

I learned much more, so don't hesitate to ask if you have any burning questions about Goodwill!

Soles4Souls

I announced on my newsletter last week (you are signed up for my newsletter, aren't you?) that I'm participating in a service project with NAPO and Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization that accepts donated shoes in any condition and then uses them to help people all over the world. For more info on the specifics of how they do it, see their FAQs.

The project officially starts today, June 1st, and so far I have collected 24 pairs of shoes. If you are in the LA area and have one or more pairs to donate, I'll be happy to pick them up from you and send them to Soles4Souls. If you don't live in the LA area and want to participate, send me an email and I'll let you know how you can help.

Hundreds of thousands of pairs of shoes go to landfills every year in America. Shoes are something many of us take for granted. Most of us have multiple pairs we never wear. Lighten your closets and help someone in need by donating your unwanted pairs. Thank you.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com. Sign up for Lelah's News, a once-monthly newsletter.

Electronic waste de-cluttering made easy

There are two things that almost everyone has lurking around their home or office: used-up ink cartridges we know we shouldn't throw away, and cords, used electronics, scratched or irrelevant disks, even computers that are no longer in use and just sit in a drawer or in the basement, waiting. What are they waiting for? What are you waiting for? The retail chain Best Buy will take any and all of your electronic waste and recycle it for you. I make a trip there at least once a month with various odds and ends that I no longer want or need and know I shouldn't put in the trash. Many Goodwill donation centers will accept broken electronics items as well. As far as ink cartridges go, if you have a Staples nearby you can turn them in there and they will send you a voucher worth $2 in Staples credit for every ink cartridge you bring in, up to 10 a month.

There's no reason not to put a box of e-waste in your trunk the next time you are running errands and simply drop it off at Best Buy or Goodwill. It's better for the environment and doesn't take much extra time at all.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Bathroom blitz

Inspired by a session I had with a client recently, I de-cluttered my toiletries and makeup. Going through the bathroom drawers and cabinets to toss old makeup and bath products is just as satisfying as going through the fridge and tossing out old food. It's also just as important. When you open your fridge, it's pretty obvious what items are past their prime, and you don't hesitate to throw them away because you know eating them could make you sick. The same thing goes for expired and old makeup. Germs abound in mascara, lipstick, anything you touch with your body parts, and the ingredients in lotions and makeups will go bad after a while.

Here are some guidelines about how long it's safe to keep and use these products, but it's really pretty simple: if it smells funny, throw it away. If you didn't remember owning it, throw it away. If it was your wedding makeup and you are no longer a newlywed, throw it away.

Tiny samples of expensive lotions that you've been saving up - either use them in the next week, or throw them away. If you find a bunch of travel-sized toiletries items, consider donating them. Here's my post about how to do that: Travel size toiletries donation.

Your bathroom will feel lighter, cleaner and you won't be worried that the next mascara you pick up is going to give you an eye infection!

Creative Commons photo posted to flickr by pawpaw67

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

How to donate athletic shoes

I usually wear my athletic shoes until they transform into something closer to slippers than sneakers. For my birthday last week I received a brand new pair of Nikes, and they feel great! There are actually a lot of options for donating used tennis shoes, and I'm going to take my three-year old pair to a Nike store so they can get reused as part of the Reuse-a-Shoe program. I like the idea of the shoes being turned into useful playing surfaces like tracks and tennis courts.

For more ways to get those used athletic shoes our of your closet and far from a landfill, check out the site RecycledRunners.com. They have a directory of places to drop of your shoes for donation and recycling.

Creative Commons photo posted to flickr by DaveCrosby

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Travel size toiletries donation

I usually can't resist stashing the tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner from hotel bathrooms into my bag as I'm packing up from my stay. I might even use the bottles of lotion or small cakes of soap. But more often than not, the bottles just stack up in the bathroom cupboard, until I go into de-clutter mode.

If you have your own (unused, unopened) personal toiletry item collection, I urge you to let it go to a place where it will be really appreciated. Shelters for homeless people and other people in need always welcome those donations. Food banks will usually take them in addition to non-perishable foods. It's easier for them to offer travel-size toiletries as they can be used once per person, which is more hygienic than sharing.

Places in Los Angeles to donate these items:
San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission
Downtown Women's Center
Westside Food Bank

Creative Commons photo posted to Flickr by jeffgunn


Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Videos: My corner clutter

Even professional organizers have stuff they don't need in their homes. I went through my bookshelves a while back and have been steadily adding to a pile near the door other items that are no longer useful to me. Unfortunately, the pile is still there after several weeks.



Solution: Today, I'm taking the books to my local used bookstore and turning them in for credit. Any that they don't want, I will take to my nearest Goodwill drop of location along with the clothes and household items. I'll be sure to get a receipt that I can use if I decide to deduct to my donations on my taxes next year. That's it - two stops and I'll have my corner back, some books credit and a tax write-off. If I can do it, you can, too!

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com 

Clutter-free gifts: Financial and charitable

We've made it to the final category in the clutter-free gifts series. Money has not always been considered an appropriate gift at the holidays, but money can buy lots of useful things. Charitable giving, however, has been associated with the holidays as we use it as a time to help people in need. If you want to give a gift of money to your friend or relative, but don't necessarily want to hand them an envelope of cash, here are some ideas. If you want the money to go to a good cause, you can find ways to make that reflect on both you, the giver, as well as the person in whose honor will be making the donation.

• Contribute to an established savings account/college fund/CD for a child.
• Buy blue chip stocks for a child under a custodial account. You can buy a few at each holiday and birthday, and their pool will add up over time. They may not appreciate it until they are older, but you could use the gift as a teaching tool about investments.
• Buy a gift card that works like cash, such as American Express. 
• Charitable donation in name of receiver for a charity they are interested in—just ask where they'd like the money to go, rather than guessing!
• Allow the receiver to choose the charities of their choice by giving a Good Card. It's like a gift card for donations. (Via Jeri Dansky)
• Volunteer your time at a favorite charitable organization of the receiver, such as a retirement home, homeless shelter or food bank.

Creative Commons photo posted to Flickr by Photos8.com
Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com