Reboot Day

I try to stay pretty organized. Clutter is really bad for Feng Shui. A large amount of clutter saps your energy, reduces your productivity and causes frustration. That being said, in a household of 6 people, four of which have a very hard time cleaning up, keeping things in their place can be a challenge. So I have come up with a new idea...."Reboot Day". This last weekend I used one day to "reboot" the house. Here's what a reboot entails.

Take a look at this closet. It isn't that messy but things have definitely become undone. Stacks of sheet are always a conundrum for me. No matter how many times I watch Martha Stewart fold a fitted sheet I just can't get it to be the same shape as the flat sheet. That makes for messy stacks.

Also, the box of medicine is overflowing, the cleaners and the soaps have gotten mixed together and things are hard to find. This closet is the organization center for the second floor. Not only does it hold all of the sheets, it contains the towels, cleaners, soap, lotion, my husbands office supplies (his home office is upstairs) as well as play make-up that I don't want readily available for my daughters. So I figured if I just organize this one area the rest of the up-stairs would follow.


I saw this ribbon idea someplace, I can't remember where. Put your sheet sets together and then tie them together like a present. This make it so easy to find the set and, best of all, it makes the sets stack perfectly. The ribbons pull everything together and make anyone look like a perfect folder.
Also, that organization guy, Peter Walsh, always says to put like things together. It definitely make it easy to find things as well as looking better. I went through the medicine box and other containers to throw away any expired items. This cleared out alot of space.

Now, after reorganizing the closet I was able to fit more things in here and the rest of the upper level fell in place. I forgot to mention one of my tricks. I always have a bag that is on its way to Goodwill. That way anytime I see a toy or piece of clothing that is not useful for us anymore I know exactly where to put it. That bags was helpful with this closet. Towels and sheet that I didn't need anymore went right away. When the bag is full, put it in the car, like you would put garbage out when it is full, that way you can drop it off next time you are out. I love Goodwill because they have a drivethru drop off, they make it so easy.

I was done with this within a few hours an was able to tackle the basement/family room closet which houses coats, boots, games, clothes and craft items.

How is this different than Spring/Fall cleaning? Well, I'm not really cleaning and changing out the season. I am just quickly reorganizing so that things run smoothly in the house.

Feng Shui Myth - The Red Door

Have you ever heard that it is “good Feng Shui” to paint your door red? A common misconception is that a red door can bring success and prosperity to the home or business. Feng Shui is a complex science; what is true for one house is not true for all. Let’s take a look the concept of color and what color might be most supportive to your home or business.

There are actually eight different house types that correspond to the eight trigrams. The eight trigrams are the basis for Feng Shui analysis and calculations and come from the ancient Chinese book the I'Ching (sometimes called The Book Of Changes) and yin yang theory. Each trigram is representative of one of the eight compass directions and also corresponds to one of the five elements; wood, metal, fire, water and earth.

How do you find out which color is best for your house? The first thing you do is determine which side of your house is the front. In older houses or houses with traditional floor plans, this is easy. The side facing the street with the front door would be the front or facing side. The opposite side or the back of the house is called the sitting side. If your house has a complicated contemporary plan, I would suggest seeking the help of a Feng Shui practitioner to help you determine front and back.

Now you will need a compass. Stand outside at the front of your home, with your back against the house. Which of the eight directions does your house face?

Below is a list of supportive colors and the directions to which they are linked. Since Feng Shui compass readings need to be exact to be correct, I will list the degrees in with each of the directions should fall.
• South facing (157.5 to 202.5 degrees) is a water element house; blue or black are supportive colors.
• East and southeast facing (67.5 to 112.5 degrees) are metal element houses; white, gray or gold (yellow) are supportive colors.
• West and northwest facing (247.5 to 337.5 degrees) are wood element houses; shades of green would be supportive colors.
• Northeast (22.5 to 67.5 degrees) and southwest (202.5 to 247.5 degrees) are earth element houses; earth tones like browns and tans would be supportive.
• North facing (0 to 22.5 degrees and 337.5 to 360 degrees) houses are fire element houses; red or purple are supportive colors.

Now that you have found your home’s most supportive colors, where do you use them?

The best place is in trim and door paint, this will highlight the colors. You can also carry these colors into your landscaping by picking flowers and shrubs that support this. Be creative! How about bright blue chairs for your south facing house or bright yellow pots in the front to accent your east facing house?
Have fun with color.

Matching the colors on the outside of your home to its element may not bring prosperity. What it will do is match the energy of the home and give it a more calm, sensible feeling.