Have you noticed when you get home from vacation you somehow bring back more stuff than what you took with you? I swear we needed an extra suitcase to hold all the brochures our youngest son wanted to bring home so that he could play “Disney World Worker.”
Sometimes, even before we go on vacation, we start accumulating brochure, after brochure, after brochure because we’re just not sure where we want to go. We hold onto them all just in case we decide to go there ‘someday’… I understand that sometimes it’s nice to hold onto a brochure or two to remind us of trips we might want to take. However, if your drawer is exploding from vacation brochures or travel magazines, now might be a great time to “clear the clutter” and just save the most important one or two brochures for that trip you might plan. An even better idea would be to toss them all and just “Google” your next trip.
As with any vacation, you always manage to pick up a few momentos along the way. I know my purse was stuffed with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck…we’ve all dealt with this in some way, shape, or form.
So now that we’ve returned from vacation, let’s get organized.
1. As soon as you get home from your vacation, start your laundry. For a special treat to yourself, take it to a laundry service this one time so that you are not so overwhelmed.
2. To clean out your purse from the trip, turn it upside down on your kitchen counter and start tossing out brochures, candy wrappers, tickets, food, or maps from a local area and other signs of your vacation.
3. As soon as you get home, it’s best to completely empty out your bags, suitcases, toiletry bags and wallet.
4. If you purchased small travel bottles of shampoo or soap wash them out so that are ready to be filled again.
5. Keep the toiletry bags stocked for your next trip. Stick a note in your suitcase if you ran out of something or if you wanted to remember to bring Qtips or ear plugs for next time.
Now what do we do with all those hundreds of photos you took on vacation? I feel another blog post coming on!
Want to read more of my “Clear the Clutter” posts? You can find them under Organizing and Cleaning Tips.
Author Michelle Lehman of Organizing Solutions “Clear the Clutter” Michelle is a Professional Organizer in the Tulsa area. Her articles have been featured in the Tulsa World, The Oklahoman, and The Chicago Post-Tribune. Michelle appears on Fox23 News DayBreak giving organizing tips and recommendations.
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