Spring Cleaning: Items You Forget to Clean Pt. 5

It is spring time and here are some things we commonly forget to clean. You can check out posts from years past here, here, here & here.

• Your phone
• Shoes. Many you can throw in the wash or take to the cobbler to clean.
• Couch cushions
• Carpets & rugs
• Tiled surfaces. You can get them professionally cleaned. 
• Outdoor toys like slides and swing sets
• Art work
• Figurines and display items
• Candles
• Curtains
• Purses and travel bags

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10 Things That Make Me Happy: December 2019

Well I am still trying to catch up from posts from last year, so here are 10 things that made me happy in December.

1. Spending time with family. We got to see so much family and it was awesome.
2. Dinner at Rivas. It is always so fun and festive.
3. Tons of Christmas decorating and gift wrapping for clients, which I LOVE!
4. Decorating Christmas cookies with my cousins and grandparents.
5. Going to the Texans vs. Patriots game at the beginning of December with my father-in-law.
6. Going to the Texan vs. Titans game at the end of December with friends who were in town.
7. I dropped my phone and broke my camera on December 23rd, but I am thankful they could replace the camera and I didn't have to replace the whole phone because they are SO expensive now.
8. Spending New Years Eve in Wimberly with family. 
9. Spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the ones we love.
10. Surviving a busy, productive and stressful December. 

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Houston Professional Organizer // Client Downsizing: Pantry Organization Before & After

This was a fun pantry organizing project that we did last year for a client located in the Spring Branch area of Houston. They were downsizing from their Montrose home and moved into this new space. They had a decent size pantry so we helped them make it more efficient by adding:

• White bins (these are inexpensive and come in various colors)
• Can organizer
• Turntables

Here are some other things we did as well:

• We also added shelf liner to almost all the cabinets in the whole house, which takes time but with 2 organizers it took about a day and a half to measure and cut everything. 
• We get rid of all expired items.
• Sorted.
• Put like items together.
• Organized everything with bins and turntables.
• Labeled.

They were thrilled about how this organization project turned out and we couldn't be happier either. 

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Made in the USA // The Container Store

As you may know this blog features all kinds of things from professional organizing to concierge to eco topics. One of my favorite series that I have been doing on here for years is the Made in the USA series. So many products are now outsourced to other countries, which is fine, but personally I like using products that are made in the USA when I can. Since I am constantly working with professional organizing clients and The Container Store is my home away from home, I purchase and research A TON of products. The Container Store actually has a lot of products that I use frequently that are made in the USA. Here is a link to just some of the products from The Container Store that are made in the USA. You have probably of noticed that I feature a lot of The Container Store products under the Made in the USA section and sometimes they are products you would not think are made in the USA.

What stores sell some of your favorite made in the USA products?

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Happy First Day of Spring!

Happy First Day of Spring! What are your plans for the springtime?

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

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New Products We are Loving from The Container Store Pt. 2

As a professional organizer I am always checking out what is new in the industry. Since I love going to The Container Store and it is basically my home away from home, it is always fun seeing when they have new products. The Houston locations sell out very quickly of certain items so when I know clients want certain products I have to jump on them!

It is great to have fresh and different ideas for clients because all spaces are SO different. Clients are always excited when we bring new and different products. So here is part 2 of new products we are loving from The Container Store.

What are some of your favorite products to use?

Drop Front Shoe Box: We have used drop front boxes for shoes and clothes a lot, but now they come in red and blue.

Ash Wood Roll Out Cabinet: Pull out drawers in cabinets are a great idea for so many different. reasons, but they are especially helpful for heavy dishes. I can't tell you how many cast iron pots, pans and baking dishes we have stored in pull out drawers through the years because they are so heavy.

White Modular Canister Set: What I like about these is they are great for stacking.

Clear Large Lazy Susan: I LOVE a lazy susan and love this large clear one because it goes with a lot of other clear items The Container Store sells and it has a lip to help items not fall over.

Stackable Acacia Drawer Organizer: If you know us you know we love a drawer organizer. Plus, these stack, which is great if you have deep drawers.

The Laundress 1 Gallon Detergent: If you have been following along for a long time then you know I have used and LOVE The Laundress products. Now The Container Store sells their 1 gallon size, which I personally buy for my own home.

Stackers Jewelry Organizer Clear Lids: We have used stackers jewelry boxes for a lot of clients through the years and as you know the lids are not see through, but now they are! Clients will love this.

6" Deep Drawer Dividers: I love that Linus made 6" drawer divider because these are great for really deep drawers, especially in kitchens and closets.

Shelf Clip Labels: It is always great to have more labeling options!

All photos from The Container Store

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

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12 Things You Can Work on For Your Business When You have Downtime

We are hearing so much about COVID-19 and everyone is freaked out right now. Here at Eco Modern Concierge we are still very much in business as long as everyone is healthy and continuing on with our scheduled appointments. If you are a business owner and forced not to work try to find the silver lining. I thought I would make suggestions of some things to work on for your business in your downtime. This is also great for other times when you may have some downtime in your business. This stems a little bit from things I would love to work more on if I had a ton of downtime and some of it I either stay on top of or try to on a regular basis as a business owner.

1. Write blog posts. Do you have a blog or have you been wanting to start a blog? Now is the time to come up with blog ideas and get started with it! Write about what you know, tips you have related to your industry, etc. 
2. Schedule social media posts. I personally go through periods where I like to be on social media and times when I do not. The times when I do not, I often wish I had things scheduled so I could still stay current. I often know my limits and know it is ok to take social media breaks and do a social media detox. Scheduling posts is great for times when I don't feel like being on social media.
3. Take an online class. I am part of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and the National Concierge Association (NCA) and they offer various online continuing education classes. This is great to help you expand your knowledge in a certain areas or work towards some type of certification. Or research other online classes that pertain to your specific field. 
4. Update your website. Have you been wanting to update your website and just haven't? Why not try to tackle it while you have some time. Or research website professionals in your area that 
5. Prepare your taxes. The dreaded taxes come every year and if you haven't already done your business taxes or started on various components for them, now that you may have downtime would be a great time. 
6. Renew memberships. There are several memberships and organizations that I am a part of and require me to update them and renew memberships and for some reason they mostly seem to fall in the March & April months. 
7. Join a new professional organization or networking group online. Is there a professional organization you have been wanting to join? Now is great time to do the research and send an email with any questions you may have for that particular organization. Also, there are so many different online networking groups that could help you with your business or that are related to your particular field.
8. Update online profiles. Have you been wanting to update your online profiles like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp, etc.? These are often profiles we forget to update regularly especially if something has changed in your business.
9. Make lists. Make lists of all of things (or most of the things) you want to accomplish with your business and make those things happen. Or at least take the baby steps to make those things happen. 
10. Make videos. Have you been wanting to incorporate more videos into or for your business? Make several videos, edit them or not and get them out there. Let people know about your business, tips you want to share, products you love, etc. 
11. Follow up with past clients. Now is great time to follow up with past clients. Check on them and see how they are doing. Often times with I do this clients hire us to come back out and help them. 
12. Reach out to colleagues or vendors. Reach out to people in your industry or vendors you use in your industry to just chat, see how you can help each other, see if they are offering any new products or services. 

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

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Fun Easter Decor

I know that I don't post a lot of decor ideas, but we get asked to put up decorations all the time, style bookshelves, etc. Professional organizer and concierge has so many different meanings to us, we are a jack of all trades ;)

Moss Bunny: These are super cute if you

Golden Easter Egg Candy Dish: Looking for a different kind of candy dish? This golden egg one is fun.

Easter Napkins: Love the simplicity of these Easter napkins.

Alabaster Eggs: I recently found some alabaster eggs at a local resale shop and think they are so cute.

Bunny Wreath: I bought this, this year and have it in a window of ours and it is super fun.

Bunny: I also bought this, this year and it look great next to a bowl of eggs on our kitchen table.

Assorted Eggs: The pictures don't do these justice, but I have the glitter ones and they are super cute in a glass bowl.

Glass Basket: This is great to put the glitter or alabaster eggs in.

Easter Garland: Fun and simple garland to decorate with.

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Best of Houzz for 2019 and 2020: Eco Modern Concierge

Little did I know that Eco Modern Concierge was named Best of Houzz in the service category for 2019 AND 2020!! I am guessing for our professional organizing and concierge work. How fun and exciting. Last year I tried to step up my game on Houzz for a moment and I guess it worked. Thank you to all the amazing clients who have supported myself and my small business, Eco Modern Concierge, for the last 15 years. It means a lot to me!

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