Organizing for the holidays

Spending time at home with family and friends during the holidays is a welcome respite for many of us. It’s a chance to spend quality time together, recharge, and reflect on our many blessings. As 2021 approaches, it’s a convenient time to think about how we can start the new year off on a good note and be more organized in all aspects of our lives.

This holiday season is a bit different. Our homes have become our classrooms, workspaces, and exercise areas. Designating “zones” in your home can help you stay focused on the task at hand.

Set up a “zone” in your home for work, school, or other activities that allow you to concentrate. Use a room divider to partition an open space to gain some privacy.

Stay focused with a timer. Distractions are inevitable whether you are at home, at the office, or elsewhere. A timer allows you to stay on track and get things done within the allotted time without being interrupted.

Declutter your home “hub” by setting reminders on your devices and committing to putting away toys, electronics, paper, and other items on a daily or weekly basis.

Donate unused, unwanted, or out of date items such as clothing, toys, or dry goods to your local charity or faith-based organization to make room for holiday gifts and purchases. Recycle obsolete consumer electronics such as cell phones, computers, and printers at your local electronics superstore, office retailer, or local recycling center.

If all of this feels overwhelming, enlisting the help of a Professional Organizer can help jump-start the process and provide you with the motivation, strategy, and expertise to tackle your home organizational challenges.

Organizing your life isn’t just about organizing the space in your home – it’s about accomplishing the goal of making your life simpler and easier so that you can spend more time doing the things you enjoy.

A Professional Organizer can provide you with a tailored and personalized organizational plan to accomplish your goals.

Consider the services of a Professional Organizer in 2021. Put your best foot forward and start your year off right.

Happy Holidays to you and your family from the
Lisa eOrganizer team!

Lisa Haubenstock is LisaTheOrganizer, a Professional Organizer and the owner of LisaTheOrganizer, LLC. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade & Palm Beach counties. She is a member of NAPO and serves on the board of the South residential organizing. Email Lisa at Lisa@lisatheorganizer.com.

Disinfecting in the age of coronavirus

  • Proper cleaning and disinfection are now more important than ever. COVID-19 has caused people to reevaluate the effectiveness and frequency of their cleaning procedures.

It is important to note that cleaning a surface – simply removing dirt and particles – is not the same as disinfecting it to kill viruses
and bacteria. And while cleaning high-traffic surfaces to remove contaminants and debris is critical, you still need to disinfect those surfaces.

Choosing the right products

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has compiled a list of disinfectant products that have been proved effective against COVID-19, including ready-to-use sprays, concentrates, and wipes. The list (published on www.epa.gov) also provides the contact time that is required to effectively kill viruses.

Selecting the right method

While using effective products is key, it is equally important to follow the proper techniques to thoroughly disinfect both hard and soft surfaces. As a result, many are turning to the use of disinfecting services to ensure the safety of their families and staff as well as their own personal safety. Before hiring a company, there are several factors that you should consider to ensure you are getting the most effective method with proven kill claims.

There are three common types of disinfecting services:

Spray/wipe methods

This standard method utilizes trigger sprays and disinfectant wipes like Lysol, Clorox, and soapy water and vinegar. The EPA advises letting the solution sit and remain wet on surfaces or objects for at least 10 minutes in order to kill 99.9 percent of germs.

This method is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and provides the least consistent coverage. It is also difficult to obtain complete coverage underneath tables, chairs, and shelves and soft surfaces like upholstery, carpets, and drapes.

Misters/fogging

This method involves saturating an area with a fine mist of disinfectant solution that deposits on surfaces based on the direction of spray and the effect of gravity. After treatment, it takes approximately one to two hours for the mist to dissipate and the air in the room to return to breathable levels.

Fogging can be highly effective; however, it is critical that the person performing the service is a trained professional that delivers absolute and even coverage of all surfaces.

Electrostatic

This method applies an electric charge to a solution to create a 3-D wrapping effect. Because the particles in the spray are positively charged, it allows the disinfectant solution to wrap around and evenly coat both hard and soft surfaces for complete coverage from top to bottom. The result is a uniform coating of sanitizer or disinfectant on sprayed objects, including hard-to-reach areas that other methods miss.

Electrostatic sprayers can cover a large area in minutes, and people can enter the room within five to ten minutes after service is completed.

Safety compliance regulations

As businesses re-open their doors, they now have new responsibilities and requirements to ensure they are complying with COVID-19 safety regulations, which includes providing a disinfected and safe environment for employees and customers.

Health and wellness companies like LiveWell 1440 (www.livewell1440.com) in Fort Lauderdale are available to guide business owners through the myriad of safety requirements to make sure they comply with the orders and avoid citations or shutdowns.

Regardless of the method you choose, routine cleaning and disinfecting are a necessary part of reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Using the CDC’s recommended best practices and maintaining safe daily habits will help reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and keep the community safer.

 

By Spiro Edgos

Spiro Edgos is the owner and operator of The Bin Doctor located
in Coral Springs. The Bin Doctor provides commercial and
residential interior disinfecting services as well as dumpster and
bin sanitizing services. Visit bindoctorUSA.com to learn more.