Month: September 2022

stress-free-mornings

How to Organize for Stress-Free Back to School Mornings

Posted on | by Linda Barrett

Now that the kids are back in school and many parents are returning to the office, mornings can be hectic. With everyone trying to eat breakfast, make lunches and gather their items for the day, there is little time left over. Wouldn’t it be great to organize everyone to create stress-free back to school mornings? That’s where systems and organization can be a big help.

Declutter

Having too many items around creates havoc when you’re rushing to get out the door. Declutter areas where you and your children are trying to get ready in the morning. Put away items to keep and toss items you no longer need or want. If you have a lot of items you’d like to get rid of, contact 123JUNK!

To prevent clutter from building up, create drop bins for trash and items that need to be put away. Create one bin for each person that they can take to their rooms at the end of each day.

Create a Command Center

Dedicate one space as your home’s Command Center, and outfit it with anything required for last-minute preparation. Stock it with a clock, pens and pencils, the weekly schedule, a calendar, paper pads, safety pins, Band-Aids, stapler, ruler, tape, erasers, and a parent’s inbox for important papers that need to be signed and returned.

Create Stress-Free Morning Zones

Create a zone for each person into which they can put items needed for the following day. It’s a great way to “grab and go” for a stress-free back to school morning routine. Install cubbies near the front door for bookbags and briefcases. Dedicate a section of the kitchen counter or island for lunch preparation. Place non-perishable lunch items into marked bins, and refrigerated items in one section of the appliance. Here’s how one mom does it.

Develop Stress-Free Routines and Schedules

A key to creating a stress-free morning is to not have to think about what to do. That’s where a routine comes in handy. Create a schedule for the kids of what time to get up, what grooming items to perform (making the bed, brushing teeth, combing hair, washing face, getting dressed, etc.), and what time to come to the table for breakfast. Keep in mind the ultimate schedule item of what time they must leave for school. Have clocks available in each area in order to keep track of time. For younger children, create a picture chart.

If the children are involved in making their own lunches, make a schedule for that too. Assign individual responsibilities, or take turns each week as lunch makers. If the children will be buying lunch at school, make sure they have their lunch money, or establish a school lunch account with the school.

Start the Night Before

Each evening, lay out the items that will be required for the next day. This can significantly help create a stress-free morning. Make sure homework, bookbags and jackets are in the cubbies. Lay out the outfit and shoes. Pack non-perishable items in lunch bags and lunch boxes. Get baths out of the way. And check the schedule and family calendar for any out-of-the-ordinary schedule changes.

123JUNK Loves Stress-Free Back to School Mornings

As a junk removal company, we are probably more aware than others of the chaos clutter can cause. We see it every day in our job. That’s one reason we transitioned to a paperless office! And we try to implement these tips into our own mornings to reduce stress and get our families out the door on time.

Our goal at 123JUNK is to provide home and business owners throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC with one trusted resource for junk removal. We also make it our mission to protect our environment with our 1-2-3 Process of Donate-Recycle-Dispose. Our clients love that too.

When you need junk hauling, contact 123JUNK and talk to a live representative.

 

Check out the recent Redfin article we were
featured in: Create a Clean and Organized Home
with These 22 Tips

It’s easy for homes to become disorganized and
full of clutter. Whether you have numerous
belongings or always seem to accumulate more,
it’s easy for it to become unmanageable. If so,
consider incorporating structure into your
cleaning routine. Creating simple habits will help
you avoid the clutter and mess that always
seems to accumulate at home. Once you begin
practicing these new habits, you’ll notice how
much easier it is to create a clean and organized
home.

Read the full article here: Create a Clean and
Organized Home with These 22 Tips | Redfin

 

 

landfill-global-warming

Landfills Contribute to Global Warming

Posted on | by Linda Barrett

There are more than 1,250 landfills in the United States, primarily located in the Southern and Western states. And although the number of landfills has decreased significantly since the 1990s, landfills still contribute to global warming more that we would like.

“Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 14.5 percent of these emissions in 2020,
reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “The methane emissions from landfills in 2020 were approximately equivalent to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from about 20.3 million passenger vehicles driven for one year, or the carbon dioxide emissions from nearly 11.9 million homes’ energy use for one year.”

Landfill Greenhouse Gases Lead to Global Warming

Greenhouse gases are perhaps the biggest environment threat posed by landfills and huge contributors to global warming and climate change. In the U.S., landfills are the 3rd largest source of methane emissions.

The methane gas that landfills produce is about 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and a threat to our climate. Their odors can permeate neighborhoods and the gases can produce birth defects, respiratory diseases, headaches, sleeping difficulties and irritation of the eyes, throat and nose for those living near landfills. Methane is also highly flammable and combustible, and can lead to landfill fires that destroy neighboring habitats and pollute the air.

Other Effects of Landfills

More than 254 million tons of waste are tossed into landfills each year. That’s about 4.4 pounds of trash per day per person. When trash is buried in a landfill, it is extremely slow to break down. In addition, pests are attracted, runoff poisons our soil and groundwater, and the land is destroyed for any future purpose. The effects can last for years—and generations.

Electronic waste is added can contain a long list of hazardous toxins including mercury, acids, lead, PVC and cadmium. Other dangerous toxins can come from fertilizers, expired products and pharmaceutical waste.

Related: Land of Waste: American Landfills and Waste Production

How Can You Help Landfills NOT Contribute to Global Warming?

Our mission at 123JUNK has become even more important as our planet is seeing the increased impacts of global warming, where fires, floods, droughts rage through communities, putting lives and futures at risk.

Because we know that landfills contribute to global warming, through our 1-2-3 Process of Donate-Recycle-Dispose, we pledge to keep as much of the items we pick up from your homes and offices out of our area landfills as possible. We separate out the perfectly-good items, or items you want to donate, and deliver them to our hand-picked charitable partners, who provide them to families in need or sell them in their donation centers to raise money for their causes. You don’t need to separate out the items you’ve identified for removal. We’ll do it for you.

After we’ve determined which items we can donate, we’ll divide out recyclable items like bundles of newspapers, books, wood, aluminum, plastics and electronics and deliver those items to the appropriate local recycling centers where their materials can be recycled into other products.

And only when we have exhausted all ways to repurpose your items do we deliver the remainder to the landfills.

Choose 123JUNK for Environmentally-Conscious Junk Removal in NoVA, MD and DC

You can do your bit to help negate global warming by contacting 123JUNK for your home or office junk removal. Donate furniture and household goods. Recycle electronics. And let us help keep landfills from contributing to global warming and climate changes.

Contact 123JUNK today at 1-800-364-5778 to learn more about our donation pickup and delivery services, or to schedule your pick in Northern VA, Washington DC, or Maryland.