Simplify with Stephanie

DIVORCE/ SEPARATION A NEW SERVICE FOR A MOMENT THAT NEEDS IT.

When a marriage ends and it's time to move, the practical side of it can feel completely overwhelming.

Where do you even start? What goes with you? How do you pack up a life — possibly one you built over years — while holding everything else together?

This is exactly where we come in.

We are thrilled to introduce our new service specifically designed for anyone navigating separation or divorce — our Concierge Move Management Service.

We handle everything. The decluttering and sorting. The packing. The move itself. The unpacking at the other end so your new place feels like a home from the very first night.
And we go further. We can stock your pantry and refrigerator before you arrive — so when you walk through the door for the first time, everything is ready and waiting.

No judgment. Ever. Just a steady, caring pair of hands at a moment when you really need them.

Reach out for a confidential conversation. We're easy to talk to.
Less mess, less stress.
www.wearesws.com

ARTWORK AND MIRRORS NEED MORE THAN BUBBLE WRAP. HERE'S HOW WE PACK THEM.

Artwork and mirrors are among the most commonly damaged items in a move — and almost always because of how they were packed rather than how they were handled.

A few things we do on every move to protect them:

Oils -Packing paper goes on first — directly against the surface — before any bubble wrap. Bubble wrap applied directly to a painting or gilded frame can leave impressions and cause damage.

Bubble wrap goes on top of the paper, secured with tape — but tape never touches the frame or glass directly.

For any framed glass or mirrors: masking tape in an X across the glass before wrapping. If the glass breaks in transit, the tape holds everything together and prevents further damage.

Everything travels upright in the van — never flat. Large pieces go in purpose-made double-walled mirror boxes.

And every piece is labelled FRAGILE and THIS SIDE UP on all four sides.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

THE FOLDING METHOD THAT CHANGED DRAWERS FOREVER.
Have you tried file folding? If not, it might be the single most useful organizing technique for drawers — and it's easier than it sounds.

Made famous by Marie Kondo, the method involves folding clothes into compact rectangles that stand upright in a drawer — like files in a filing cabinet. Instead of a pile where you can only see the top item, every piece is visible at once. You open the drawer and immediately see everything in it.

It works on almost everything: t-shirts, jeans, sweaters, pajamas, workout gear, tank tops. Even linens and towels folded this way stack beautifully.

The basic fold: fold the garment in half lengthwise, bring the sides in to form a neat rectangle, then fold into thirds so it stands up on its own.

It takes a little practice on the first few items. Then it becomes completely automatic — and the difference in how much a drawer can hold, and how easy it is to find things, is remarkable.

We use this method on every drawer organizing job we do.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

DECLUTTER THE GARAGE BEFORE THE VAN ARRIVES. HERE'S WHY IT MATTERS
If there's one room to declutter before a move that most people overlook, it's the garage.

It tends to accumulate things over years — sports equipment that nobody uses anymore, tools that were replaced but never disposed of, boxes from the last move that were put in there temporarily and stayed. None of it needs to travel.

Decluttering the garage before packing begins makes the move faster, less expensive, and means the new garage starts the way a garage should — with what was chosen to be there, organized from day one.

We always declutter before we pack. Every room, every move, without exception. It's the first step — not an optional add-on.

If a move is coming up and you'd like the whole thing handled from declutter to set-up at the other end, we're easy to reach.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

THE CUPBOARD THAT DOES EVERYTHING. HERE'S HOW TO MAKE IT WORK.
The linen closet is one of those spaces that often ends up doing more than it was designed for — and that's not a bad thing, as long as it has the right system.

When space is tight, a linen closet can comfortably double as a catch-all: linens, cleaning supplies, spare toiletries, household essentials — all in one place, organized so that nothing gets lost and everything has a home.

What makes it work: dividers between different sizes of linen so sheets, pillowcases and towels each have their own clearly defined zone.
Labelled bins on the shelves for cleaning supplies, toiletries and miscellaneous items. Over-door storage on the back of the door for things that would otherwise end up on a shelf they don't belong on.
And hooks — on the door or the walls inside — for bags, a step stool, or a lightweight vacuum.

The back of a closet door is some of the most underused storage in any home. Used well, it changes what the whole closet can hold.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

THE MOVE ISN'T OVER WHEN THE VAN IS EMPTY. HERE'S HOW TO UNLOAD IT RIGHT.
The unloading stage of a move is where small decisions make a big difference — and where cutting corners tends to create problems.

A few things we are firm about on every move we manage:

No heavy boxes on top of anything labelled FRAGILE. It sounds obvious — but in the rush of unloading it's easily overlooked, and the results are obvious.

Boxes stacked no more than two high, especially in the kitchen. Higher stacks get knocked over, and items at the bottom get forgotten or damaged.

Kitchen boxes positioned away from cabinet doors so that unpacking can actually begin without having to move half the room first.

It sounds like a small thing until you're trying to find somewhere to put the dishes and every cupboard is blocked.

Every box delivered to its destination room before anything is opened. Unpacking in the right place saves enormous amounts of time and confusion.

The move isn't over until everything is where it should be.

Use our Certainty System for box destinations – contact us for a copy!


Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

IF YOU LOVE YOUR MORNING COFFEE, YOUR KITCHEN SHOULD SHOW IT.
One of the most enjoyable setups we create on any kitchen job: a dedicated coffee and tea station.

It sounds simple — and it is. But having one place where everything lives, from the coffee maker and kettle to the mugs, pods, tea bags and sweeteners, changes the morning routine completely.
No searching.
No cluttered counter. J
ust everything where it should be, ready to go.

The key is keeping it contained and edited. A dedicated spot on the counter near a power outlet.

Store mugs in a shelf or cabinet — or on a lazy Susan frees up cabinet space and looks great.

Use a small tray or riser to keep pods, bags and sweeteners organized and visible.

OR use a drawer with bins or dividers to keep organized

Only what you actually use every day lives here. Everything else goes elsewhere.

It's one of the details clients come back to again and again when they tell us what made the biggest difference. Simple, daily, and genuinely enjoyable.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

TOO MUCH ON THE SHELVES IS COSTING YOU ON THE SALE PRICE.
common mistakes sellers make — and one of the most fixable.

Too many books. Too many framed photos. Too many decorative items competing for attention. In a photograph, it reads as clutter — and clutter makes rooms look smaller and less appealing to buyers.

The rule we work to: less is always more.

Each shelf needs breathing room. A couple of books. One well-chosen decorative item. A small plant at most. The space between the items is as important as the items themselves.

We prepare homes for listing alongside realtors — decluttering, organizing, and styling each room so it photographs as well as it possibly can. Shelving is always one of the first things we address.

If you're a realtor with a listing coming up, or a seller wanting to present your home at its best, we're easy to reach.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

THE ONE BOX THAT TRAVELS IN THE CAR. NOT THE VAN.
Here's one of the most useful moving tips we give every client: pack a first night box — and make sure it travels in the car, not the van.

Moving day is exhausting. By the time everything is unloaded and inside, nobody has the energy to search through dozens of boxes for the things they need that night and the next morning.

The first night box takes care of that. It contains everything for the first 24 hours: bedding and towels, phone and laptop chargers, medication, a change of clothes, toiletries, coffee and the kettle, snacks, and whatever the children or pets need immediately.

It gets opened first. Everything else gets unpacked properly the next day.

A small thing to pack. A huge difference at the end of a long moving day.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com

THE GARAGE THAT WORKS AGAIN. TAKING SEPTEMBER BOOKINGS NOW.
September is when we start our garage organizing projects — and if yours has been on the list for a while, now is the time to get in touch.

A garage that works has three things: everything off the floor, proper shelving for storage, and clear zones so every category of item has a home and stays there.

Wall-mounted systems take care of bikes, tools, garden equipment and sports gear — off the floor, visible, reachable.

Heavy-duty shelving handles boxes, seasonal items and stored goods. And clear labelled zones — garden, sports, holiday, tools — mean the whole family knows where things live and where they go back.

The result: a garage you can actually use. And a car that fits back inside.

We're taking bookings for September now. If your garage needs this kind of day, reach out and we'll get you on the schedule.

Less mess, less stress.

www.wearesws.com