Author: Martha Tobin

By Martha Tobin

Professional organizers often talk about ‘frequency of use determining degree of accessibility’ meaning that those items you use the most often should be the ones you have the easiest access to.

This applies to all items in your home but at this time of the year it is particularly relevant regarding swapping out your fall/winter clothing for your spring/summer clothing.

Here are 8 benefits of doing a seasonal wardrobe swap:

1. Increased closet and wardrobe space – packing up bulkier fall/winter clothing will open up more space
2. More organized spaces – when closets and wardrobes are not stuffed full they are easier to maintain and more functional
3. Less decision fatigue – less clothing clutter means you’ll be able to see more relevant options and get dressed easier and faster
4. Less overwhelm – packing away out of season clothing reduces items in closets and wardrobes and minimizes stress and frustration
5. The gift you give yourself – unpacking clothes you haven’t seen in awhile can feel like a gift with forgotten clothing bringing joy again
6. Saves money – being able to take inventory of what you already have reduces the risk you’ll buy a duplicate item
7. Increases clothing longevity -storing clothing more effectively means they are less likely to be damaged, wrinkled or misshapen
8. Feels good – donating clothing you know you’ll never wear again is a great way to give those items a second life with others

The fashion industry would have us believe that we need new, on trend clothing for every season but the reality is that most of us only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.

Instead of falling for that industry’s marketing tricks, create a more intentional, maintainable closet and wardrobe that is seasonally appropriate with clothing that you love and makes you feel fabulous.

By Martha Tobin

This month a local magazine featured myself and Declutter4Good in their article “How Glebe Resident Martha Tobin Helps Clients Reclaim Their Space and Mental Clarity”. Article by Hannah Sabourin

Read article HERE:

Spring is often when we look at our homes with ‘fresh eyes’. Clearing out our physical spaces is often a powerful way to also support our mental well-being.

Reach out to book a FREE consultation. And on any job we’ll take your donations away with us and donate those to others in need.

by Martha Tobin

Moving from any home can be stressful but moving from a larger home to a smaller dwelling (i.e. condo or retirement residence) can be even more challenging.

Here are 6 tips and tricks to help make the process easier:

1. Start early.  Even if you don’t have a move date in mind, it’s never too early to declutter items you no longer need, use, love or want.
2. Be realistic about the size of the next place you’ll likely be moving to (i.e. one bedroom, smaller kitchen, one bathroom, no basement or garage)
3. Start in the least used room of your current home (i.e. basement or spare room). Leave areas like the primary bedroom, bathrooms, office and kitchen for last.  
4. Work in one room at a time.  This reduces the daunting nature of the overall process and keeps you more focused.
5. In that room start with items on the floor first and work your way up (i.e. surfaces and then shelving).  This allows you to create space to sort and review items.
6. Set up three categories:  
   1. Keep for now  (items needed until you move)
   2. Keep for later (items only needed after you move)
   3. Items to purge (donate, give to others, sell trash or recycle)

Decluttering before you move (and ideally giving yourself lots of time to do it) will always reduce your stress and feelings of overwhelm when you are downsizing.

Reach out to book a FREE consultation.  And on any job we’ll take your donations away with us after every session.

by Martha Tobin

With spring approaching wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to have a garage that was more efficient for storage?

Here are 8 suggestions to maximize the storage in your garage:

1. add vertical shelving
2. make fall/winter sports equipment more accessible
3. add wall mounted tool holders
4. make the most of your garage ceiling with overhead storage
5. store bicycles on wall mounted racks to save floor space
6. organize similar items into clear plastic bins
7. use space-saving tire racks to store out of season tires
8. add a peg board to store frequently-used tools

Efficient garages can allow you to store many items as well as protect your vehicle from theft and weather damage.

Reach out to book a FREE consultation for any organizing and decluttering you’d like assistance with. 

And on any job we’ll take your donations away with us after every session.

by Martha Tobin

An easy way to maximize space in any room is with vertical storage.  Going vertical in any space is a great way to keep things organized and off your floors.  

One of the best options for doing this is with IKEA Kallax units as they can be configured to fit almost any room, style or storage need.

Here are my top 10 reasons that I love the Kallax shelving units:

1. They can maximize your vertical storage on a wall
2. They can be used as a room divider  (i.e. in a studio apartment)
3. Their cubby containers can be used to ‘hide’ many items
4. They can be used vertically or horizontally
5. The shelving units and cubby containers come in a variety of colours
6. The cubbies can be personalized with a wide range of inserts (i.e. drawers, doors, cat hideout, wine rack, etc)
7. They can be configured with other Kallax units to create a custom shelving unit for a specific space
8. They can be used to create a mix of open and closed storage
9. They can be mounted on a base with legs over a vent
10. They are a great alternative to custom cabinetry

Whether you are using them to store toys in a playroom, books and decor in your living room or office supplies in your home office, Kallax shelving units versatile, customizable as well as sturdy, easy to assemble and affordable.  What’s not to love!

Reach out to us if you would like some assistance with your organizing and decluttering and we’ll provide a FREE consultation.

And on any job we’ll take your donations away with us after every session.

By Martha Tobin

Now that winter is melting away, you can start to get excited about spring – a season of awakening, renewal, and transformation.

And decluttering is a great way to embrace this season of blooms by approaching it with a clearer mind in an organized, calming space. 

Here are a 8 areas to declutter in the next few weeks:

1. Kitchen junk drawer 
2. Purse
3. Front door ‘drop zone’ 
4. Toiletries you never use
5. Linen closet 
6. Coat closet
7. Car
8. Nightstand

Spring is nature’s way of offering us hope and optimism.  And decluttering is how you can give yourself the gift of ‘now’ so that you can live the life you imagined in a home that supports that vision.

By Martha Tobin

In last week’s post I spoke about digital and paper “decluttering”. Today I am going to focus on how to “organize” your documents for the upcoming 2026 tax deadline on April 30th.

I find it easiest way to think about filing is a ‘book’ analogy and organized filing follows the same idea:

Book = broad categories (i.e. Personal tax documents, Business tax documents)
Chapters = sub categories (ie. deductible expenses, sources of income)
Subheadings = smaller categories (i.e. individual family members)
Paragraphs = specific categories (i.e. specific expenses for individual family members like dental, medical, childcare etc)

By using this book analogy you can create an organized system to track, store and categorize paper or digital documents ensuring easy storage and fast retrieval.

Reach out to us if you would like some assistance with any of your organizing and decluttering and we’ll provide a FREE consultation.

by Martha Tobin

In this so-called digital world, many people struggle with staying on top of all the paper that seems to accumulate in their homes with surfaces, drawers and filing cabinets overflowing quickly.  

With tax season fast-approaching here are 8 decluttering tips that will free up space and allow for easy retrieval and filing of important documents:

1. Manuals – majority found online so no need to keep a paper copy
2. Junk mail – recycle as soon as it enters your home
3. Bills – go digital and create online folders to reference them
4. Other documents – go digital (i.e. bank statements, school newsletters, notices, etc)
5. Invitations – enter details into your calendar asap and recycle 
6. Kids’ artwork – date and keep select treasures and recycle or take photos of the others
7. Newspapers and magazines – if you’ve read them or they are too dated, recycle them
8. Receipts – choose digital receipts or only keep paper receipts needed for returns or business related expenses 

Remember to shred any documents with personal information on them to avoid identity theft. 

Getting into the habit of regular paper decluttering will allow you to take more control of your home and transform disorganized spaces into functional ones.

Reach out to us if you would like some assistance with your organizing and decluttering and we’ll provide a FREE consultation.

Martha Tobin

With the cold winter days of late you might be using this ‘indoor time’ to do some decluttering.  At Declutter4Good we know that it’s easier to let items go if you know where you can donate them.  Donating items not only gives items a second life with others in need but it also keeps items from going to landfill. So here is a list of some of the local organizations that we donate to at Declutter4Good:  (note: see our Charities page for a more complete list) —House2Home – Furniture, bedding, kitchen supplies, towels, sewing machines, carpets and art —Caldwell Family Centre – Clothing, unopened personal care items, linens and kitchen dishes and small appliances —Habitat for Humanity – Gently used home goods and building materials, furniture, housewares & décor, home appliances, electronics, fixtures, flooring, lighting, doors and windows (in good condition/full working order) —Hakim Optical – Eyeglasses (including both prescription and non-prescription sunglasses) —Humane Society – food, carriers, feeding bowls, toys, etc —Heartwood House – Computer equipment and other electronics for reuse, repair or environmentally friendly recycling —Helping with Furniture – small kitchen appliances, lamps, flatscreen TVs over 27′ and stands; couches, love seats, living room chairs, curtains, brackets/rods, bed frames, box springs, mattresses, tablets and laptops —Cornerstone Housing for Women: furniture, toiletries, linens, clothing for women —OrKidstra – Musical instruments in good working order (no pianos, keyboards, guitars or drum kits) —Ottawa Outdoor Gear library – A broad range of outdoor gear (i.e. camping, outdoor sports and games, and yoga) —Ottawa Tool Library – Household tools in good working order —Belong Ottawa at The Well – New and unopened toiletries —Friends of the Ottawa Library – books And for disposing of waste you can check out these places: —City of Ottawa Waste Explorer:  household items —Product Care Recycling – old/leftover residential paint and spray paint **Refer to the websites of these organization’s to determine what is being currently accepted Reach out to us if you would like some assistance with your decluttering and we’ll provide a FREE consultation. And on any job we’ll take your donations away with us after every session.

By Martha Tobin

Everyone has grand plans at the start of the year to organize their homes.  New year and a new you that will encourage more peace and mental clarity, better sleep and less feelings of overwhelm.

But achieving this can be difficult when obstacles come up.  

So here are 8 common organizing and decluttering obstacles and solutions to overcome them:

1. You have no idea where to start: pick a space that you want to focus on and then ask yourself what your vision is for this area (i.e. more productive home office, more calm bedroom, etc)
2. You’re feeling too overwhelmed to start:  begin with 15 minutes a day.  Maybe attach these 15 minutes to another daily habit (i.e. tackle a small area while your laundry is in)
3. You find it hard to get motivated: gather 5 medium sized boxes and label them:  ‘to donate’, ‘to sell’, ‘to recycle’, ‘trash/recycle’, ‘items that belong elsewhere or to be returned’
4. You get too distracted:  focus on one room and one space in that room at a time (i.e. desk, closet, kitchen drawers).
5. You’re scared you’ll keep too much:  keep in mind the peace of mind that you want for 2026.  Ask yourself if the items you are keeping are adding to your life or draining you.  
6. You know you’re holding onto too much memorabilia:  there is no need to save everything from your past.  If need be, take a photo of the item so that you can keep the memory and reclaim that space.
7. You don’t feel you have the right storage systems:  storage systems don’t need to be fancy or colour coordinated to work.  They just need to have ‘like with like’ items sorted into them and proper labelling.
8. You’d let go of more if you know where to donate items: there are many worthy organizations in Ottawa that are desperate for items.  Check out our Charities page for some options

Releasing items that are no longer serving you is a great way to start the year off and take back control of your life and your home,  

Make 2026 the year of choosing you so that you can breathe easily and feel less weary!

Would you like a FREE consultation so we can see how we can be of assistance with your Organizing and Decluttering? If so, reach out to me at Martha@Declutter4Good.ca