Earlier this month we started to share some of our own top tips for getting organized this year.  There were so many other quick and easy tips that we decided to continue our January Blog on your behalf.

Happy tidying – and don’t forget about rewarding yourself when all is said and done!

Create a Closet Revamp

If your closet has been stressing you out all season long because it’s bursting at the seams, turn decluttering into a game! Our family has done this for years, and honestly, it works! This month, face all your hangers the same way. Every time you wear an item, flip its hanger in the opposite direction.  

Embrace the One In, One Out Rule

Whether you are in the closet or cleaning items throughout the house, think about the “one in, one out rule.”  Got a new sweater from Santa?  Great!  Maybe it’s time to get rid of one you haven’t worn in years.  Ditto for shoes, blankets, rugs and even the shades of trendy-past lipstick or those dozen shirts from sports teams of the past.  And here’s the best part, if you keep this theme going throughout the year, think of all the new items you will have to brighten your life, while you donate some of your past favorites to those who need them most!

Write Down Important Dates for the Year

While you are sorting through all those papers, perhaps it’s time to get a good-old-fashioned calendar updated as well.  For those with smartphones, sure, it’s nice to have reminders; yet when there are other family members involved in your busy schedule, a quick glance at that calendar keeps everyone in sync.

 Create (and Maintain) a Command Center

This resolution can turn chaos into calm—especially if your household feels more like Grand Central Station than a quiet retreat. A family command center is your mission control: it keeps schedules, keys, backpacks, and notes all in one spot. Pick the busiest area—kitchen, mudroom, or entryway—so everyone’s in the loop. Deck it out with a calendar, a chalkboard for quick notes, a mail sorter, and hooks for grab-and-go essentials. Keep it fresh with weekly updates, and you’ll never again lose track of your keys or miss a doctor’s appointment. It’s organization, but with a dash of fun and teamwork.

Make a “Spoil Me More” List

As you continue to put some TLC into your home sweet home, don’t forget about yourself.  One of the greatest rewards of accomplishing the tasks above is to treat yourself to something FOR yourself.  Think: New sheets. A new pillow.  New towels for the kitchen and bath. Or a fluffy new blanket to keep you warm during our winter months.

Consider Wellness Goals

Now that your home is in good shape, it’s time to do the same for your mind and body.  Throughout Austin, there are MORE than enough fitness clubs to get you in gear or click into the web to find FREE online wellness advice and exercises to suit your personal goals and lifestyle.

The post Top Tips for a Clean and Organized Year to Come (Part Two) appeared first on Le Montreaux A Concierge Community Blog.

Earlier this month we started to share some of our own top tips for getting organized this year.  There were so many other quick and easy tips that we decided to continue our January Blog on your behalf.

Happy tidying – and don’t forget about rewarding yourself when all is said and done!

Create a Closet Revamp

If your closet has been stressing you out all season long because it’s bursting at the seams, turn decluttering into a game! Our family has done this for years, and honestly, it works! This month, face all your hangers the same way. Every time you wear an item, flip its hanger in the opposite direction.  

Embrace the One In, One Out Rule

Whether you are in the closet or cleaning items throughout the house, think about the “one in, one out rule.”  Got a new sweater from Santa?  Great!  Maybe it’s time to get rid of one you haven’t worn in years.  Ditto for shoes, blankets, rugs and even the shades of trendy-past lipstick or those dozen shirts from sports teams of the past.  And here’s the best part, if you keep this theme going throughout the year, think of all the new items you will have to brighten your life, while you donate some of your past favorites to those who need them most!

Write Down Important Dates for the Year

While you are sorting through all those papers, perhaps it’s time to get a good-old-fashioned calendar updated as well.  For those with smartphones, sure, it’s nice to have reminders; yet when there are other family members involved in your busy schedule, a quick glance at that calendar keeps everyone in sync.

 Create (and Maintain) a Command Center

This resolution can turn chaos into calm—especially if your household feels more like Grand Central Station than a quiet retreat. A family command center is your mission control: it keeps schedules, keys, backpacks, and notes all in one spot. Pick the busiest area—kitchen, mudroom, or entryway—so everyone’s in the loop. Deck it out with a calendar, a chalkboard for quick notes, a mail sorter, and hooks for grab-and-go essentials. Keep it fresh with weekly updates, and you’ll never again lose track of your keys or miss a doctor’s appointment. It’s organization, but with a dash of fun and teamwork.

Make a “Spoil Me More” List

As you continue to put some TLC into your home sweet home, don’t forget about yourself.  One of the greatest rewards of accomplishing the tasks above is to treat yourself to something FOR yourself.  Think: New sheets. A new pillow.  New towels for the kitchen and bath. Or a fluffy new blanket to keep you warm during our winter months.

Consider Wellness Goals

Now that your home is in good shape, it’s time to do the same for your mind and body.  Throughout Austin, there are MORE than enough fitness clubs to get you in gear or click into the web to find FREE online wellness advice and exercises to suit your personal goals and lifestyle.

The post Top Tips for a Clean and Organized Year to Come (Part Two) appeared first on Le Montreaux A Concierge Community Blog.

With the holidays of 2025 behind us, it’s time to focus on a brand-new year to come! To help you have a more organized home to leave more time for fun and adventure in Austin, our family at Le Montreaux apartments for rent in Austin put our ideas together to share with you!

Be sure to check in later this month for PART TWO on some of the top tips to organize your home in 2026!

Put Away Holiday Decorations

If you’re someone who takes down holiday decorations before the new year, turn the process into a mini-adventure! Challenge yourself to find creative ways to store your ornaments and lights—maybe color-code your bins, snap photos of your best setups for next year, or write funny notes to your future self. And don’t be afraid to say goodbye to any decorations that have lost their sparkle or survived one too many seasons; we recommend that you only keep what you truly love.

Lighten up The Freezer

Turn this usually-overlooked task into a treasure hunt— and don’t be surprised if you tackle this in just a few moments!  Make it a fun challenge: can you plan creative meals using only what’s in your freezer this week? We like to click into TasteofHome.com and list what we have uncovered, then see what the pros recommend. You might rediscover old favorites or invent a new go-to dish!

Deep Clean the Entire House

Don’t worry, be happy … with the end result.  This is not a task that has to last a full day. In fact, we suggest you take the concept of a “Deep Clean” and stretch it out over one week’s time. For example, maybe you clean your bedroom on Sunday, or the bathroom on Monday, you get the idea.  Honestly, we keep Saturday open for cleaning the kitchen, from top to bottom. That task is always an adventure as we find forgotten snacks, read the ‘expired’ labels (and make a list to replace the goods) and if you are really into it, alphabetize those spices!  You will appreciate the latter when it comes to saving time in the kitchen in the year to come. 

Corral Those Papers

If your home is a sea of stray papers, it’s time for a paperwork rescue mission!   Pick one day a week for a quick ‘paper power hour’: deal with the easy stuff on the spot, schedule time for trickier tasks, and file away what you need to keep. Turn on some music and see how much you can conquer before your favorite song ends!    

Next, play detective: scan the paperwork you actually need and file it safely in your favorite cloud system, then send the rest through the shredder with satisfaction. For the truly important originals—think birth certificates or passports—set up a VIP section in a small filing box or fireproof safe.

The post Top Tips for a Clean and Organized Year to Come (Part One) appeared first on Le Montreaux A Concierge Community Blog.

Time to Spit-Shine

Organize Your Space 

Streamline Your Life

The post New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home and Office appeared first on Le Montreaux A Concierge Community Blog.

Earlier this month we shared some of our top tips for spring cleaning.  The article was so popular we decided to do more research to help you get your apartment in Austin clean and shiny this spring!

Coffee Filter Cleaners

One of the most affordable tools in the house is probably sitting next to your coffee cups in the cupboard.  Time to pull them out and put them to a new use!  Did you know they worked really well as a dust rag?  Just wipe and toss and you will be on your way.

Even better, when placing food into the microwave, top it off with a coffee filter and say good-bye to spaghetti stains and other colorful sauces that used to pop all over inside!

Shoe Storage Savior

The next time you cannot find a match for your left shoe or right, go out to the local liquor store and pick-up a wine box.  It is the perfect home for storing your shoes together and saving space at the same time.

Computer Cord Caddy

Just before you toss that toilet paper or paper towel tube, hold on to it!  They are the ideal solution for gathering all those computer cords into one tidy bundle.  This works for electrical cords as well so save those handy cylinders and repurpose them today.

Another ideal container that works well for this same purpose is pipe insulation.  We got some at the hardware store and found that the ½ inch is the ideal size for seizing the mess under our desks.

Pie Plate Dustpan

For quick clean-ups of spilled dirt, sugar, flour and more, keep an aluminum pie plate handy.  Cut it in half, clean up your mess, and toss it all away into the trash.

Glove Dust Magnets

Here is a great tip for dusting off the knickknacks around your apartment in Austin.  Grab a pair of ‘cotton’ garden gloves, spray them with your favorite natural cleaner, and dust all those small accessories that have collected dust over the winter months.  This ‘fingertip’ cleaning tip is one of our favorite ways to keep our keepsakes clean throughout the year.

Designer Drawers

When was the last time you could not find something in your bathroom drawer? Gone are the days of trying to find the lip balm or toe-nail clippers!  We have found that a silverware drawer insert is the ideal solution for sorting out all sorts of stuff that deserves its own space.

If you have any more ideas that we should share with your neighbors at our pet friendly apartment community in Austin, send them our way!  And in the meantime, the best of success to you in your spring cleaning endeavors!

The post More Top Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Apartment in Austin, TX appeared first on Le Montreaux A Concierge Community Blog.

With spring officially around the corner, our team at Le Montreaux apartments in Austin, Tx, knows exactly what that means: It is Spring-Cleaning Season.

Luckily for most of us, all the things we need to clean our apartment without the harsh chemicals that are included in most cleaning agents, are right here in our kitchen.  Here is your list of items that will help you leave your apartment at Le Montreaux spic and span!

• Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Borax (or similar product)
• Plastic Spray Bottle
• Clean Soft Cloths

By following the tips on how to naturally clean your apartment in North Austin, TX, below, you will end up with some simple and affordable ways to clean your carpets, bathrooms, windows, and kitchen, without the intrusion of chemical fumes.

White Vinegar

Place mixture of ¼ part vinegar and ¾ parts water into a spray bottle. Then get to work.  I have found this combination to work well to remove hard-water spots throughout by bathroom, and well into the kitchen where it works to remove the spots on my coffee pot and other glassware.  It is a good one to take with you when you are washing windows or need to get gooey stickers off products that you recently purchased. 

When it comes to cleaning drains, my neighbor told me about the power of White Vinegar or Cider Vinegar.  It is much better for your pipes than any of the more toxic products.

It is also great for getting any lime scales or stains on your sink, shower, or tub.

One more plug for the power of vinegar.  Mix a cup of vinegar with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice – then go give your furniture a fresh and lemony dusting and polishing. 

Lemon Juice

I bet you have never thought about putting lemon juice in your wash machine.  Using a half cup of juice for every gallon of water will brighten those light and bright spring whites in no time.  For tougher stains on your clothes, or your countertops, just spray the juice (no water) right on the stain, let it sit, then wash or wipe it down.

We have also used lemon juice to clean our toilets.  Grab some baking soda and mix it with lemon juice – then use this paste to make your toilets lemony-fresh and clean.

If you are using lemons, and not the purchased lemon juice product, the juice from a fresh lemon works wonders in the fridge.  Just cut it in half and leave it on the shelf for a week or so.  You will know when it is time to toss it in the trash.

Baking Soda

Make a batch of this non-toxic abrasive cleaning product by mixing the baking soda with equal parts of salt.  

Apply the mixture on a wet sponge or cloth and head to the bathroom to spit-shine your sinks and tubs. 

This works wonders when cleaning your refrigerator.  Got fresh stains on the carpet?  Rub a bit on the spot, leave it for about an hour, then vacuum it out.  It should remove any unwanted smell as well.

One more note about baking soda – for your teeth.  Really!  Add a touch to your toothpaste then brush away!

Now that’s a shine that you can appreciate for years to come!

The post All-natural Top Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Apartment in Austin, TX appeared first on Le Montreaux A Concierge Community Blog.