Happy Memorial Day!

 

Happy Memorial Day!

Photo by Kelly Lacy from Pexels

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What to Wear as a Professional Organizer / Personal Concierge

When you are starting out as a professional organizer / personal concierge deciding how to present yourself and what to wear can always be challenging. Different companies do it different ways. Personally, at Eco Modern Concierge we do it several different ways and it all depends on what is going on for the day. You always need to plan ahead and figure out everything that you know your day will consist of. Like you may be organizing all day and then need to transition your outfit for a networking event in the evening. 

For organizing: almost all organizers wear workout pants and t-shirts that you can easily move around in. Whether this is branded t-shirts, an apron you wear with your logo on it or name tags that have your company info on it. Some organizers do wear jeans and other "regular" clothes, but the most important thing to thing about is movability and comfortability.  Most organizers wear tennis shoes because they are on their feet most of the day. If you are

Things to think about when organizing for clients and deciding on what to wear is:

•  Can you move around easily in what you are wearing?
• Are you clothing choices appropriate to wear in front of clients? Make sure your midriff is not showing, that your clothes are not so tight wear you can see EVERYTHING, there are no holes, major staines, etc., that the clothes are clean and not too wrinkly, etc. 
• Are they comfortable?
• Is is too load or distracting, where the client will not be able to get anything done because they can't stop staring?
• If you are working when it is hot out and you are wearing shorts, skorts, or skirts, make sure they are not too short, too tight or inappropriately showing your behind.
• Does the item wash well and can be worn on a regular basis?
• Does the item have pockets? 
• Will you logo your item? 
• You will more than likely get dirty on some type of project, are you going to be upset if that item gets ruined?
• Think of about your working conditions, will you be too hot or too cold? In Houston this is a factor because it can be so hot and humid May - November and because so many people blast the ac 
• Will you want to dress in layers? 
• Do you have comfortable shoes? 
• Will you wear compression socks or regular socks.

As a personal concierge services we have wear the same as for organizing, but we try to be a little more presentable and wear "regular" clothes as we are not always getting as dirty with personal concierge services as we are with the personal organizing side of things. We sometimes try to wear transitional items items if we know we are not going to get dirty that can go from one project to another. We often where jeans and t-shirts. If we are working events at night we try to dress nicer or according to what the event is. 

If we have to change and we are not near our houses, we often go to the gym because it's easy to change there and they have showers if need be. 

As a personal concierge and professional organizer it is always necessary to have good hygiene. 

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3 Moving and Storage Mistakes

We are move management experts based in Houston, TX so we know a thing or 2 about all things related to moves. Move season is beginning and about to be in full swing. Summer is considered move season because kids are out of school, so it is "easier" to move. We help with all things moving related and are a move concierge that helps you stay as organized as possible with your move to hopefully make it go WAY smoother. Like anything else, you never know what can happen and no matter how much you plan, sometimes things will go wrong. Below are 3 storage and moving mistakes that we often see. 

• Not planning ahead and getting the right professional help from the beginning. If you are able to, plan ahead in as far in advance as possible. People don't always realize how stressful and what a headache moving can be. We end up getting so many calls last minute because people did not plan ahead like they should have. Movers and packers are so worth the money. Get good, reputable movers versus the cheapest because in my 15 years of working with movers in business you will be glad you did. Often times there is less broken stuff, they have been with the company for many years and they are efficient. If you really don't want to deal with any of your move and have the resources, hire a move manager. Often times they are professional organizers and can recommend great movers, packers, organize you before & after the move, hire other vendors like cleaning professionals and handymen if needed, be there to manage the move and if items are going into storage, etc. 
  
• Moving things you don't really need or want. Many of times clients move items they don't need or want, but do it because they are in a hurry, don't want to take the time to go through items or feel overwhelmed. Hire a professional organizer to help you declutter before you ever move. This will save you time, money (especially if you are putting items into storage) and stressful unpacking situations. 
  
• Not labeling boxes. I can't tell you how many times we go to help clients just after they moved or help them get organized in storage units and they did not label any boxes, so they have no idea what is in them. Labeling is so important because it tells the movers where stuff needs to go, it lets you know what is in the box so you know if you are looking for a specific item and if you will be moving the items to storage temporarily while a house is being renovated, while you are in between situations or whatever the case may be it will make the next steps of the move so much easier. 

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10 Things That Make Me Happy: April 2021

1. Loving on our sweet boy and seeing him hit so many firsts
2. Celebrating my grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary
3. Seeing family for Easter
4. Watching Final Four games with my in laws
5. Game nights with neighbors
6. Astros baseball
7. Daily walks and getting out of the house as a family
8. Visiting family in east Texas to meet our sweet baby boy
9. Finally having our house cleaner start back up
10. Finishing a HUGE whole house project for a client that was pregnant. We were on a tight deadline and got it done 2 days before baby arrived. 

How to Start an Emergency Preparedness Kit and Things you Should Do

Emergencies can happen at any moment and without any warning. Sometimes there is a little bit of a warning, but many of times people are already in freak out mode and can't always think straight. Every year we help concierge and professional organizing clients prep and organize for various emergencies situations. Being in the Houston area, we are especially prone to hurricanes. And this past year we had a very unexpected freeze in February that caused a lot of damage for a lot of people because of busted pipes, etc. Below are some tips and things you can do in order to prepare for an emergency situation. 

Just dive right in. It can be really daunting to think about what you need when it comes to prepping for an emergency, so just think about common since items and start gathering them or at least know where they are located in the house. Below are links to several other blog posts that I have written through the years that goes over items that you would need to have on hand in the event of an emergency.

Gather all important documents. IDS, passports, medical records, pets, important contacts, deeds, insurance information, etc. These are all things that you NEED if you absolutely had to have them and you needed to get out of your house right away.

Have a physical copy and copy on a flash drive & /or on the cloud. Keep a physical copy with you on hand &/or a digital copy. I recommend having a physical copy and one somewhere where you can easily access it on the go if need be. It never hurts to have more than one incase something happens to the original or physical copy. 

Store in a fireproof safe. Store important documents a fireproof safe or the waterproof / fireproof envelope zip bags. You never know what can happen at any given moment, I always like to err on the side of caution. The waterproof / fireproof zippered envelopes and fireproof safes come in a variety of sizes and can fit many things that you may want to have on hand. 

Have the kit accessible. Know where your emergency kit is and have it easily accessible. That way if something happens you know exactly where it is and you are not stressing trying to look for it somewhere. Also, it helps you not waste as much time if you know exactly where things are. Time is precious when you are in an emergency situation. 

Heirlooms accessible. If you need to get out of the house or if you are staying at your house, depending on the situation, know where your heirlooms are. People often want to take or save their heirlooms in some capacity because they have a lot of sentimental value, so knowing where they are is critical. Especially if you need to move them to a higher level in your house, move them to a different room or take them with you. 

Know how to shut off water and gas if need be. If you are in the middle of a freeze, hurricane, etc. know where your shut off valves are so you don't risk flooding, starting a fire or blowing up your house. This is something every homeowner should know for sure. 

Here are some articles of related to all things emergency prep and emergency preparedness:

• What You Should Have in Your Emergency Go Bag
• Prepping for Hurricanes and Free Resources
• Get Organized Hurricane Preparedness

Do you have any emergency preparedness tips and tricks?

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Houston Professional Organizer Organizing Tip Use | Plastic Pouches

We use a variety of plastic pouches for all kinds of organizing projects that we may be working on. They are extremely versatile for so many different things from playroom organization to games to road trip essentials. Personally at Eco Modern Concierge we use the plastic pouches to hold things like marketing materials and thank you notes that we need to send to clients and various project materials & supplies we may need.

We often use these pouches or these pouches on client projects.

What do you use plastic pouches for?

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Baby & New Parent Items Used Frequently in the 1st Month

Through the years we have helped countless families and families with little ones get organized, prep for babies arrival, etc. For me being a first time mom I have learned A LOT along the way and what is needed, not needed, what has worked for us and what has not. Like the wedding industry, the baby industry has SO many things that are marketed to you. So many things are just a waist of money when it comes down to it, in my opinion. Everyone spends their money differently and I am sure there are some things that we don't have that others swear by and vice versa. I don't know what I don't know. So far these are some things that have been extremely helpful to us. Besides the essentials like car seats, diapers, bottles, etc.

Rags, burp clothes, etc.: These have gotten an endless amount of use EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. There is so much spit up, pee, spills, etc.

Carpet cleaner: Along those lines of spit up, pee, etc. we are constantly cleaning, so this carpet cleaner was something totally worth it for us. We were endlessly using washing cushions and everything in between, using Folex constantly, etc. We use this on the rugs, carpet, couch, etc. so worth the price. In my opinion a new parent must. 

The Laundress baby detergent: Well now that we do laundry at least 5x a week (we used to only do it 1x a week) this baby detergent is constantly getting used. We tried another brand, but think it was causing our little man to break out. 

Water bottle with handle: I use this RTIC water bottle that my brother in law got me ALL the time. I love it because it is slim and has a handle. 

Stroller: We have this Uppababy stroller that I didn't know if it would be worth the hype, but we LOVE it. A lot of our family members made comments about us getting it because it was expensive, but once our family members pushed our little man in it they see why we LOVE it. Plus, it converts and can be used with multiple kids if need be. 

Sanitizing bags: I was hesitant to use these and often compromise with my husband on things, but they have been extremely convenient to use and so helpful in sanitizing things. Boiling water just sometimes takes a lot of time to do.

Loungewear: I have basically lived in all things loungewear and then have changed a million times because of spit up, pee, etc. getting all on me. I really like these Amazon joggers linked.

Duplicates: We got duplicate covers for things like our doc a tot (family friends got this for us and and we use it every single day), Boppy, change pad, etc. We really underestimated how much laundry we would be doing lol, so having duplicates of things has cut down on our laundry a good bit. 

Vitamins: Our doctor recommend to continue taking prenatal or postnatal vitamins along with Vitamin D supplements that was recommended for us. I would consult with your doctor directly on what may be needed for you. 

Gripe water: I was kind of hesitant using this stuff, but when our son is super fussy it is usually because he is uncomfortable in some way whether it is a tummy ache, hiccups, etc. gripe water has helped him with.

Stain solution: I feel like SO much has pee, poop and spit up on it so stain solution for all your laundry needs is a must. I love The Laundress stain solution and we use Oxy Clean stain spray every so often as well. 

Haaka: This thing is essential if you are breastfeeding. It is SOOO helpful and catches the breast milk from the other breast that you are not breast feeding from. 

There are so many more things that have been SO useful to us, but off the top of my head these are the things that I can think of so far in this first month that have been extremely helpful.

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6 Question & Answers When It Comes to Book Organization

Being a professional organizing company we are constantly answering various organizing related questions to a wide array of media outlets in order to hopefully get exposure. Below are some questions related to book organization and various tips and tricks that we have when helping clients organize their book collection. We submitted these answers to various questions, which the questions have been condensed below. 

What are some questions you have related to book organization or getting your book collection organized?

1. Questions you are ask yourself when organizing books and deciding what to keep, donate, give away or toss:

Ask yourself these questions:

Do you reference it? 

Have you read it?

Will you read? 

Does it serve a specific purpose?

Why do you have it or how did you obtain it?

What is your reasoning for holding onto it?

2. Places you should take unwanted books you no longer need or want:

Your local library, school, donation center or free little library

3. Favorite ways to organize to organize books:

By category, by author, alphabetically, by color, &/ or by height

4. Helpful hints as to why organizing books this way below are helpful:

- Organizing books by color: People are stimulated by color and can often remember the color of something so it makes them happy to see it on the shelf and they can often quickly find what they need. When organizing by color, organize from big to small within the colors.

- Organizing books by author: Organizing by author is the classic way that you often see at the library &/ or bookstores within certain genres. This makes it extremely easy and helpful when you know what you are looking for.

- Organizing books by genre: If you have an idea of how you like books to be organized then organizing by genre is great because you will be able to find what you need when you are looking for it. Often times we organize by color within genres.

5. Creative ways people and clients like to display their books: 

People display books in all kinds of ways. Some ways include turning them backwards so you on see the pages, not the spines and taking the dust jackets off to give a monochromatic look. 

6. Unconventional ways to display books:

Displaying them on the floor rather than on a shelf, in bathrooms, in mudrooms, etc.

7. Advice when decluttering your book collection:

Think about the space that you have and see what books can be shared by others or passed on. Organize in a way that is functional and fun for you.

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A Houston Concierge and Professional Organizer's 9 Reasons Why You Should Use Local Junk Removal Companies

As professional organizers, one of the things that we help clients with the most is decluttering their spaces. Often times when we are doing huge decluttering sessions, like garages, we often schedule for junk removal on the same day because it helps clients get clutter out of the way quick and so it is not just sitting in their spaces and/or sitting there for a long time. We love using various local Houston and The Woodlands junk removal companies on client projects. There are so many different junk removal companies out there, but 2 that we use the most in Houston is College Hunks Hauling Junk and Junkluggers Houston. 

Here are some of the reasons that we love working with these 2 local Houston junk removal companies the most:

1. They are easy to work with
2. The franchise owners are accessible for any questions
3. They take paint and usually a small amount of construction material
4. They donate items that can be donated to charities
5. They will move items for you
6. They are often on time or ahead of schedule 
7. They give NAPO Houston members discounts, which Eco Modern Concierge passes onto clients
8. They often have last minute availability if it is needed
9. They are cost effective

Have you used local junk removal companies? How do you like them?

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How to Organize for a Weekend Getaway

With summer right around the corner, vacations will be in full swing for many people. Especially now that more and more people are getting the COVID vaccine and more places are opening back up. We often help personal assistant and concierge clients plan, organize and pack for their trips whether it is a weekend getaway or longer trips. For getaways that are quick when you just have a weekend to getaway here are some tips to plan for. 

Plan your budget. Before you go on any trip you should decide what your budget is because this will determine a lot of factors like where you will go, how you will get there, what you will do while you are on vacation, etc. 

Decide on where you want to go. Do you want to go somewhere to relax, off the grid, adventurous, a big city, a small city, near water, near mountains, etc. There are so many options that you can choose from.

Do you want to fly or drive. Depending on whether you want to fly or drive has a lot to do with where you will go. Also, it makes a big difference on your budget. If you have a limited amount of time off you will need to decide how much of the time you want to be travel time to and from places. 

Check the weather. Wherever you decide to go, check to weather because that will determine what you will do and what you will need to back. 

Book a place to stay. Will you be winging it, staying at a camp ground, hotel, hostel, airbnb, etc.?

Decide what to pack. I always suggest packing as light as possible because it makes traveling a lot easier and so much less stressful. This will be determined mostly based on where you will be going, the weather and what you will be doing.

Decide what types of snacks you will be taking. Decide your snack options based on if you will be driving or flying. If you have kids or don't have kids. I always like to have snacks on hand in case we get delayed somewhere, travel somewhere with limited pit stops, restaurants, gas stations, etc. 

Plan activities. Either plan or have an idea of activities that will be available based on where you are going. Maybe you don't want to do any activities and just completely decompress. If you have kids or know that you are the type that likes to get out and do things than plan, schedule or at least know of some things to do in the area.

Have fun! Above all else try to have as much fun as possible and if there are challenges along the way try to make the most of them because they will be great stories to tell one. 

Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels

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How to Throw an Awesome Fiesta | Happy Cinco De Mayo

As a professional organizer and concierge company based in Houston, TX it is often our job to help with all kinds of events that come through Houston for various companies and also residential clients that we work with. Fiestas are common themes here because it screams party and fun for many clients. We can throw a fiesta party with our eyes shut now because we have done it so many times. The images below are from a party we helped organize, plan, prep, manage and execute for a client. It was a fiesta / house warming party. All the guests seemed to be having a blast. 

Here are some things that we did that made the fiesta a success and so fun for everyone.

1. Got most party supplies from Arne's in Houston and decorated our client's home.
2. Ordered these cactus vases for florals. The florals were from Joybox Flowers in Houston. 
3. Catering was from Churrascos in Houston.
4. High tables and linens were rented . We used a variety of colors for the table linens. 
5. We hired someone to string the cafe lights in the backyard.
6. The client had ordered some floating pool lights similar to these.
7. The client sent out evites as invitations. 
8. We hired a mariachi band. 
9. We had an open bar for guests, which was perfect because the client has a bar where the window doors open to the main living areas.
10. The day of the fiesta we helped manage the caterers & mariachi band, went and got last minute supplies like ice, extra water, beverages, etc. and helped guests with whatever they needed. 

All and all it was a great success and it looked like the guests were having a great time. 

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How to Accomplish Large Projects | Houston Professional Organizer

As a professional organizer one of the hardest things for clients and often times why they call us is because they do not know where to begin. The large projects can be super overwhelming for clients, making it difficult and stressful on figuring out how to start these large projects. Working with a professional organizer we ask the right questions and help coach you through starting and finishing these large projects successfully. Everyone has different personalities so it can be easier for some clients start larger projects than others. 

What are some tips that help you start and finish these large projects?

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