How to Tame Your Overstuffed Bookshelves in 48 Hours
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the September 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
There comes a time, in every library, when a purge is required. What do you keep? What do you toss? When is it time to get rid of that unopened copy of the complete works of Emily Dickinson? Sara Nelson, O's books editor, says you have to be both careful and ruthless as you cull. Gather your tomes around you, she advises, and ask the following questions:
1. Have you owned it without reading it for less than two years? Then move it to a probationary shelf, where it can remain for another 12 months. But if it has been hanging around unread since the Clinton administration, out it goes.
2. Was it a gift, inscribed by an old friend or boyfriend or even the author? Don't give a book like this away, ever; it's a diary, a literary road map to your past.
3. Would you recommend the book to a friend? If so, it's okay to keep one copy for yourself and one to give away. I used to be like a squirrel in winter: I'd have one book to keep, one to lend, and one just in case I lost the other two. What I've learned—books are not nuts. Don't do that.
4. Will you really read Jude the Obscure? Right. Toss. Ditto all that other homework. And guess what? Your teenager couldn't care less about the collegiate scribblings in your Signet Shakespeares, however charming you think they are. (And anybody can read all about Henry IV for free on Google Books these days.) Having loved something in school is not justification for clutter.
5. Does it complete an author's body of work? If so, you might want to keep the family together. But if you're letting a title stay only because of what you think (or hope) it says about you, forget it. Books, like clothes, cars, and homes, are reflections of ourselves—so the first step to making over your library is looking not on the shelves but in the mirror.
MY THOUGHTS
Another project in the making. I'm sure I have several books that I bought years ago but had not had the time to read. But that's not my real problem. My real concern is my lack of desire to throw away books that I've already read. Time to let go.
Showing posts with label storage space. Show all posts
Showing posts with label storage space. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 5)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 5)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 5: Monday
Liner Note
20 minutes
Drawers and cabinets looking a little drab? Give them a pick me- up by inserting some drawer and shelf liners. These are easy-to-clean plastic liners with adhesive backing that come in lots of pretty patterns. Before you scoff, consider how these liners can change your life. Not only do they serve to protect your drawers and cabinetry (a big concern, to be sure), they also kick the aesthetic appeal up a notch. You can even get liners in scented varieties, adding another sensory dimension to the experience of looking for a measuring cup. And goodness< knows, the hunt for a measuring cup should be a stimulating one.
Week 5: Tuesday
It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. It’s a Grapefruit!
15 minutes
By now, you should be storing most of your fruit in the fridge (see “Relocate Fruit to the Fridge”), but there may be some stragglers (bananas, ripening apricots, plums, and so on) that you don’t know what to do with. Pick up a handy-dandy hanging basket set, which gets fruits and veggies up off the counter and into the air. Most hanging baskets have two or three tiers; you can devote one to fruits, one to vegetables, and one to the special items that don’t play well with others. For example, bananas emit ethylene, a gas that causes other fruit to ripen at an increased rate. And garlic can transfer its strong smell to other fruits and vegetables it’s hanging out with. Keep these separate from the group, and everyone will be happier.
Week 5: Wednesday
You Stink, Microwave
5 minutes
Got a smelly microwave with splatters and smears of food as decoration? Time to do something about it. Fill a microwaveable bowl three-quarters of the way with water and add ¼ cup lemon juice to the bowl. Put the bowl with the water-lemon juice mixture into the microwave and run it on high for one minute. When it beeps, remove the bowl and wipe out the microwave using a damp rag or sponge and the condensation that has formed from the lemon water. And there you have it: a nice, clean microwave that smells lemony fresh!
Week 5: Thursday
Buy a Breadbox
10 minutes
If you’re like most families, you don’t really know what to do with all the bread you buy. Maybe it’s tossed on the top of your fridge or piled up on your counter. Solve this problem by heading to your local Ikea (or Target, or anywhere you can buy kitchen items) and pick up a breadbox. Gather all your loaves, rolls, and muffins together and put them in their new, crumbfree home. As a bonus, you now have a visual for all those times when someone asks you if an item is “bigger than a breadbox.”
Week 5: Friday
Control Coffeemaker Chaos
10 minutes
Coffee is delicious, and the caffeine sure does come in handy, but is all this really necessary? You have a French press on the counter, a drip coffeemaker on the table, and a moka pot on the stovetop. There’s also a bag of coffee beans, a grinder, a package of filters, a strainer . . . the list goes on forever. To simplify, choose your favorite style of coffee and get rid of the rest. Give the extraneous machinery and coffee to a good cause, such as your coworker who oversleeps and arrives late to work every day. Both your kitchen—and your coworker—will thank you.
Week 5: Saturday
Got Stovetop Splatters?
30 minutes
There are two ways to clean a stovetop: the hard way and the easy way. The hard way involves rubber gloves and scrubber sponges and elbow grease. Sounds fun, right? Not so much. To that end, we’re going to keep it simple and just talk about the easy way to get rid of that caked-on stovetop gunk. Simply spray the surface with an all-purpose kitchen cleaner, such as Formula 409, and let it sit for about twenty minutes. Then take a damp sponge and wipe up the splatters, which should have softened for easy cleanup. Also make sure you clean the area around the burners. If it’s a gas stove, remove the burner plates and soak them in hot, soapy water while you let the allpurpose cleaner do its work on the stovetop. When you come back, just rinse the burner plates, wipe off the stovetop, and you’re ready to go do something a lot more fun.
Week 5: Sunday
Create a Cooking Station
10 minutes
If you cook at home a lot, you probably have a few spices, oils, or other staples that you use in most of your recipes. A great way to prevent unnecessary trips to the cabinet and to make cooking easier is to set up a little station right next to your stove. A great tool to use is a desktop organizer, which has lots of slots and sections for a variety of different-sized items. For example, you might keep a set of salt and pepper shakers in the notepad holder, a small bottle of olive oil where the Wite-Out would go, and a couple of mixing utensils in the pen cup. Many of these desktop organizers are on turntables for easy access to all the products therein.
MY THOUGHTS
i'm lucky i don't have a stove. but the microwave needs some cleaning. i wonder where i could get those scented cabinet liners. i really like that idea.
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 5: Monday
Liner Note
20 minutes
Drawers and cabinets looking a little drab? Give them a pick me- up by inserting some drawer and shelf liners. These are easy-to-clean plastic liners with adhesive backing that come in lots of pretty patterns. Before you scoff, consider how these liners can change your life. Not only do they serve to protect your drawers and cabinetry (a big concern, to be sure), they also kick the aesthetic appeal up a notch. You can even get liners in scented varieties, adding another sensory dimension to the experience of looking for a measuring cup. And goodness< knows, the hunt for a measuring cup should be a stimulating one.
Week 5: Tuesday
It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. It’s a Grapefruit!
15 minutes
By now, you should be storing most of your fruit in the fridge (see “Relocate Fruit to the Fridge”), but there may be some stragglers (bananas, ripening apricots, plums, and so on) that you don’t know what to do with. Pick up a handy-dandy hanging basket set, which gets fruits and veggies up off the counter and into the air. Most hanging baskets have two or three tiers; you can devote one to fruits, one to vegetables, and one to the special items that don’t play well with others. For example, bananas emit ethylene, a gas that causes other fruit to ripen at an increased rate. And garlic can transfer its strong smell to other fruits and vegetables it’s hanging out with. Keep these separate from the group, and everyone will be happier.
Week 5: Wednesday
You Stink, Microwave
5 minutes
Got a smelly microwave with splatters and smears of food as decoration? Time to do something about it. Fill a microwaveable bowl three-quarters of the way with water and add ¼ cup lemon juice to the bowl. Put the bowl with the water-lemon juice mixture into the microwave and run it on high for one minute. When it beeps, remove the bowl and wipe out the microwave using a damp rag or sponge and the condensation that has formed from the lemon water. And there you have it: a nice, clean microwave that smells lemony fresh!
Week 5: Thursday
Buy a Breadbox
10 minutes
If you’re like most families, you don’t really know what to do with all the bread you buy. Maybe it’s tossed on the top of your fridge or piled up on your counter. Solve this problem by heading to your local Ikea (or Target, or anywhere you can buy kitchen items) and pick up a breadbox. Gather all your loaves, rolls, and muffins together and put them in their new, crumbfree home. As a bonus, you now have a visual for all those times when someone asks you if an item is “bigger than a breadbox.”
Week 5: Friday
Control Coffeemaker Chaos
10 minutes
Coffee is delicious, and the caffeine sure does come in handy, but is all this really necessary? You have a French press on the counter, a drip coffeemaker on the table, and a moka pot on the stovetop. There’s also a bag of coffee beans, a grinder, a package of filters, a strainer . . . the list goes on forever. To simplify, choose your favorite style of coffee and get rid of the rest. Give the extraneous machinery and coffee to a good cause, such as your coworker who oversleeps and arrives late to work every day. Both your kitchen—and your coworker—will thank you.
Week 5: Saturday
Got Stovetop Splatters?
30 minutes
There are two ways to clean a stovetop: the hard way and the easy way. The hard way involves rubber gloves and scrubber sponges and elbow grease. Sounds fun, right? Not so much. To that end, we’re going to keep it simple and just talk about the easy way to get rid of that caked-on stovetop gunk. Simply spray the surface with an all-purpose kitchen cleaner, such as Formula 409, and let it sit for about twenty minutes. Then take a damp sponge and wipe up the splatters, which should have softened for easy cleanup. Also make sure you clean the area around the burners. If it’s a gas stove, remove the burner plates and soak them in hot, soapy water while you let the allpurpose cleaner do its work on the stovetop. When you come back, just rinse the burner plates, wipe off the stovetop, and you’re ready to go do something a lot more fun.
Week 5: Sunday
Create a Cooking Station
10 minutes
If you cook at home a lot, you probably have a few spices, oils, or other staples that you use in most of your recipes. A great way to prevent unnecessary trips to the cabinet and to make cooking easier is to set up a little station right next to your stove. A great tool to use is a desktop organizer, which has lots of slots and sections for a variety of different-sized items. For example, you might keep a set of salt and pepper shakers in the notepad holder, a small bottle of olive oil where the Wite-Out would go, and a couple of mixing utensils in the pen cup. Many of these desktop organizers are on turntables for easy access to all the products therein.
MY THOUGHTS
i'm lucky i don't have a stove. but the microwave needs some cleaning. i wonder where i could get those scented cabinet liners. i really like that idea.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 4)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 4)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 4: Monday
Pare Down Plastics
20 minutes
A familiar slapstick scene played out in kitchens far and wide is opening a cabinet door and being awash in a shower of tubs and lids. Don’t let this happen to you! First, buy plastic containers in a single shape. Go for square or round, but don’t have both. Mismatched shapes will take up extra cabinet space and prevent you from stacking to the max. Mount a separate rack for lids inside the cabinet door and your shelves will look department-store neat. Also, are you still squirreling away the plastic tubs and containers from cottage cheese, margarine, and Chinese takeout? Do you really need to save every last one of them? Instead, recycle them or donate them to a school art class.
Week 4: Tuesday
Hang It Up!
20 minutes
Are you running low on cabinet space but have some good looking pots and pans or mugs that you wouldn’t mind putting on display? Overhead pot racks suspended from the ceiling are a creative use of air space. Make sure the rack is securely bolted in place and up to the task of handling a heavy weight load. Hanging pot racks run the gamut of styles, from ornate ironwork to thin minimalist wooden strips, to match just about any décor. Some have built-in shelves for lids or additional display storage. You can also install a few hooks underneath a cabinet to hang attractive mugs or teacups. This will free up some cabinet space while adding a homey touch to the look of the room.
Week 4: Wednesday
Attention, Magnet Maniacs!
15 minutes
In many homes, the refrigerator winds up becoming a giant, messy canvas for magnet collages. While it’s nice to have the phone number of your favorite pizza delivery service handy, and it’s easy to tack up all the photos of your nieces and nephews you get in holiday cards, you can put the refrigerator’s magnetic properties to better use. Instead, make your magnets into a work of art. Buy a magnetic board and install it on a wall in your kitchen. Display magnets from trips you’ve taken or choose a few of your favorite photos and put them in magnetic frames. Just don’t go overboard.
Week 4: Thursday
Find a Place for Pesky Plastic Bags
15 minutes
From grocery bags to the bags the newspaper comes in, plastic bags are everywhere. While they are useful to hang on to, things can quickly get out of hand. Instead of just shoving them in the cabinet under the kitchen sink or stuffing them into a drawer, come up with a system that saves space by making the bags as compact as possible. For instance, pick up a plastic bag holder that can be mounted on the inside of a cabinet door, or a hanging sleeve that can go in a pantry or closet. Load bags into the top of the device, pressing down in order to remove all the air, and then, when you need a bag, just pull one from the bottom.
Week 4: Friday
Filter Water at the Source
20 minutes
If you’re someone who doesn’t like to drink water straight from the tap, you may be the proud owner of one of those large, plastic filtering jugs. While it’s nice to have cold, filtered water at the ready, this device takes up a lot of space in your fridge or on your countertop. An alternative is a filtering fixture that can be installed right on your kitchen faucet. Most of these fixtures have on and off settings or can simply be moved aside when you’re just washing dishes and don’t need filtered water. This device does have a filter that will need to be changed every so often, but overall it will save some precious space and make your kitchen a little less cluttered.
Week 4: Saturday
Do Some Drawer and Cabinet Maintenance
40 minutes
Take a tour of your kitchen. Are there any drawers with missing pulls or wheels that have come off the track? Are there any cabinets with creaky hinges or doors that don’t close all the way? If you have missing or damaged drawer pulls, take this opportunity to choose a new design and replace them all. For creaky hinges, apply some household lubricant and open and close the cabinet door two or three times to help it circulate. If you find a cabinet door that always hangs open just slightly, pick up a cabinet magnet kit. Simply affix one magnet to the surface of the open cabinet and the other to the inside of the cabinet door. When you close the door, they should meet and attract, keeping the door closed.
Week 4: Sunday
Get a Knife Makeover
20 minutes
What kind of shape are your knives in? Are the blades dull and the handles loose? Dull blades require you to put in twice the effort, and loose handles can cause you to slip and cut yourself. While you don’t need more stuff on your kitchen countertop, there is one item that is worth the several square inches it takes up: a knife block. Essentially, it’s just a block of wood with slits of different sizes for all your different size knives: the chopping knife, the bread knife, the paring knife, and so on. Some knife blocks also come with a sharpener so you can sharpen your own knives at home. Others include slots for kitchen shears and other handy tools. If counter space is seriously at a premium, another option is a wall-mounted magnetic knife strip.
MY THOUGHTS
i plead guilty. once again on all counts. but i've taken action. yes, i've thrown away all those plastic containers. for someone whose meals are almost always store-bought, those containers can accumulate.and i promised myself to just keep on throwing them away. washing them and stacking them up defeats the purpose.
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 4: Monday
Pare Down Plastics
20 minutes
A familiar slapstick scene played out in kitchens far and wide is opening a cabinet door and being awash in a shower of tubs and lids. Don’t let this happen to you! First, buy plastic containers in a single shape. Go for square or round, but don’t have both. Mismatched shapes will take up extra cabinet space and prevent you from stacking to the max. Mount a separate rack for lids inside the cabinet door and your shelves will look department-store neat. Also, are you still squirreling away the plastic tubs and containers from cottage cheese, margarine, and Chinese takeout? Do you really need to save every last one of them? Instead, recycle them or donate them to a school art class.
Week 4: Tuesday
Hang It Up!
20 minutes
Are you running low on cabinet space but have some good looking pots and pans or mugs that you wouldn’t mind putting on display? Overhead pot racks suspended from the ceiling are a creative use of air space. Make sure the rack is securely bolted in place and up to the task of handling a heavy weight load. Hanging pot racks run the gamut of styles, from ornate ironwork to thin minimalist wooden strips, to match just about any décor. Some have built-in shelves for lids or additional display storage. You can also install a few hooks underneath a cabinet to hang attractive mugs or teacups. This will free up some cabinet space while adding a homey touch to the look of the room.
Week 4: Wednesday
Attention, Magnet Maniacs!
15 minutes
In many homes, the refrigerator winds up becoming a giant, messy canvas for magnet collages. While it’s nice to have the phone number of your favorite pizza delivery service handy, and it’s easy to tack up all the photos of your nieces and nephews you get in holiday cards, you can put the refrigerator’s magnetic properties to better use. Instead, make your magnets into a work of art. Buy a magnetic board and install it on a wall in your kitchen. Display magnets from trips you’ve taken or choose a few of your favorite photos and put them in magnetic frames. Just don’t go overboard.
Week 4: Thursday
Find a Place for Pesky Plastic Bags
15 minutes
From grocery bags to the bags the newspaper comes in, plastic bags are everywhere. While they are useful to hang on to, things can quickly get out of hand. Instead of just shoving them in the cabinet under the kitchen sink or stuffing them into a drawer, come up with a system that saves space by making the bags as compact as possible. For instance, pick up a plastic bag holder that can be mounted on the inside of a cabinet door, or a hanging sleeve that can go in a pantry or closet. Load bags into the top of the device, pressing down in order to remove all the air, and then, when you need a bag, just pull one from the bottom.
Week 4: Friday
Filter Water at the Source
20 minutes
If you’re someone who doesn’t like to drink water straight from the tap, you may be the proud owner of one of those large, plastic filtering jugs. While it’s nice to have cold, filtered water at the ready, this device takes up a lot of space in your fridge or on your countertop. An alternative is a filtering fixture that can be installed right on your kitchen faucet. Most of these fixtures have on and off settings or can simply be moved aside when you’re just washing dishes and don’t need filtered water. This device does have a filter that will need to be changed every so often, but overall it will save some precious space and make your kitchen a little less cluttered.
Week 4: Saturday
Do Some Drawer and Cabinet Maintenance
40 minutes
Take a tour of your kitchen. Are there any drawers with missing pulls or wheels that have come off the track? Are there any cabinets with creaky hinges or doors that don’t close all the way? If you have missing or damaged drawer pulls, take this opportunity to choose a new design and replace them all. For creaky hinges, apply some household lubricant and open and close the cabinet door two or three times to help it circulate. If you find a cabinet door that always hangs open just slightly, pick up a cabinet magnet kit. Simply affix one magnet to the surface of the open cabinet and the other to the inside of the cabinet door. When you close the door, they should meet and attract, keeping the door closed.
Week 4: Sunday
Get a Knife Makeover
20 minutes
What kind of shape are your knives in? Are the blades dull and the handles loose? Dull blades require you to put in twice the effort, and loose handles can cause you to slip and cut yourself. While you don’t need more stuff on your kitchen countertop, there is one item that is worth the several square inches it takes up: a knife block. Essentially, it’s just a block of wood with slits of different sizes for all your different size knives: the chopping knife, the bread knife, the paring knife, and so on. Some knife blocks also come with a sharpener so you can sharpen your own knives at home. Others include slots for kitchen shears and other handy tools. If counter space is seriously at a premium, another option is a wall-mounted magnetic knife strip.
MY THOUGHTS
i plead guilty. once again on all counts. but i've taken action. yes, i've thrown away all those plastic containers. for someone whose meals are almost always store-bought, those containers can accumulate.and i promised myself to just keep on throwing them away. washing them and stacking them up defeats the purpose.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 2)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up!
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 2: Monday
Pay the Fridge a Visit
30 minutes
Ah, the refrigerator. You’ve probably been avoiding this one. Spoiled food, old, sticky spills . . . who wants to dive into that? Whether you want to or not, this task is a must. The first step in organizing your refrigerator is to empty it out and clean it, but you can do this a little at a time. Remove all the items from one shelf and wipe it down. Once that’s done, start sorting. Throw away anything that’s expired or questionable and let go of items that you know you’ll never eat. Next, take inventory of the items that remain and decide how you’ll organize them. Keep similar items together. Take full advantage of the drawers, shelves, and refrigerator door.
Week 2: Tuesday
Get Rid of Lingering Smells
5 minutes
Even if your fridge is white-glove clean (and let’s be honest here, it probably isn’t), it may still smell a little. It makes sense, though, right? Think of everything you keep in your fridge: fish, yesterday’s takeout, burritos, cat food, curry, cheese, and plenty of items that are just waiting for next week’s trash day, like just-past-its-expiration-date milk, fruit, and so on. You name it . . . it’s stored in your fridge. An easy way to solve this problem is to stick an open container or box of baking soda in the back of your fridge. The baking soda will suck up the majority of smells and keep your fridge smelling like a dream—or a just-clean-enough fridge as the case may be.
Week 2: Wednesday
Control Your Cutlery
15 minutes
If you’re like most people, you probably have a cutlery drawer that is brimming with more than just cutlery. Perhaps you’ve got a few rubber bands, some plastic baggies, a box of toothpicks, a set of corncob holders, and a bundle of twist ties. Sound familiar? Here’s what you do: Remove everything from the drawer that is not a fork, knife, or spoon. If you don’t already have one, buy yourself a cutlery holder to help keep the drawer organized. Also, make sure you have the right number of pieces of cutlery for your situation. If you have a family of seven, you’re going to need more than three forks. If you live alone, you probably don’t need sixteen spoons. Take out any extras and donate them. You’ll be much happier when you can open that drawer and see exactly what you
need.
Week 2: Thursday
Relocate Fruit to the Fridge
5 minutes
A bowl of fresh fruit can look lovely on a counter or tabletop, but if you have a small kitchen, it might also be contributing to a cluttered look. If this is the case in your kitchen, consider moving your fresh fruit to the refrigerator. But before you do so, check the ripeness. Most fruits, like lemons, oranges, apples and grapes, do not continue to ripen after they’ve been picked, so they’ll do best in your refrigerator. In fact, they will stay fresher longer in the fridge, especially in the hot summer months. However, fruits like mangos and nectarines will continue to ripen in your fruit bowl on the counter, so if they’re harder than you’d like when you buy them, leave them out for a few days before transferring them to the fridge. And finally, never put bananas in the refrigerator as they will turn brown in no time.
Week 2: Friday
Try Nesting
10 minutes
This is not a recommendation that you have a child in order to get your kitchen organized; that would actually be counterproductive. We’re talking about kitchen items that come in various sizes that can be stacked and stored together—taking up less space. Nesting mixing bowls are great for various tasks. Use the smallest bowl to beat an egg, the medium-sized bowl to prepare a fruit salad, and the largest bowl to mix up a big batch of cookie dough. Drinking glasses that fit inside one another will take up less space in your cabinet, and nesting measuring cups will only need a corner of a drawer. So if you have nesting items already, make sure they are being stored together. If you don’t have these, consider replacing older items with these space savers.
Week 2: Saturday
Bring Order to Your Brooms and Mops
10 minutes
Brooms, mops, dusters, and similar items can be tough to place in the home. Many people keep them in the kitchen, but they’re not that pretty to look at so you don’t want them out in the open. What you need is a tall, narrow space where these will be accessible but still out of the way. This might be a corner of your food pantry or the sliver of space between your fridge and the wall. Wherever you choose to stash these items, be sure that you keep them neat and tidy. Don’t hang on to ratty old brooms and mops that are past their prime. A hair-clogged broom or filthy mop head will only transfer hair, dust, and dirt back onto your floors.
Week 2: Sunday
Clear Off Tops of Cabinets
30 minutes
While you may think no one really notices, all that stuff you store on top of your cabinets gives your kitchen a cluttered, messy look. See if you can relocate some of those items to places that are out of sight. Your kitchen will look cleaner and more spacious this way. If you absolutely need to utilize the space on top of your cabinets for storage, pick up some attractive baskets or bins that complement the existing décor. That way, you can store items in a neat and organized fashion that won’t detract from the overall look of the room.
MY THOUGHTS
that' right! i'm not eager to dive into my ref. i already did anyway. and i can almost feel my ref smiling back at me. it's not squeaky clean. but i can see what's inside. as for the broom, i don't have one. there's no where to store it. and i don't need it. my sister gave me this heavenly tool. you wrap those special napkins for dusting on the rectangular base,put together the long handle. dust and dirt stick to it like magic. i don't even need a dustpan. i use the same on the walls and ceilings. if you want to mop, there's the wet type of paper. very easy to use and very easy to store.
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 2: Monday
Pay the Fridge a Visit
30 minutes
Ah, the refrigerator. You’ve probably been avoiding this one. Spoiled food, old, sticky spills . . . who wants to dive into that? Whether you want to or not, this task is a must. The first step in organizing your refrigerator is to empty it out and clean it, but you can do this a little at a time. Remove all the items from one shelf and wipe it down. Once that’s done, start sorting. Throw away anything that’s expired or questionable and let go of items that you know you’ll never eat. Next, take inventory of the items that remain and decide how you’ll organize them. Keep similar items together. Take full advantage of the drawers, shelves, and refrigerator door.
Week 2: Tuesday
Get Rid of Lingering Smells
5 minutes
Even if your fridge is white-glove clean (and let’s be honest here, it probably isn’t), it may still smell a little. It makes sense, though, right? Think of everything you keep in your fridge: fish, yesterday’s takeout, burritos, cat food, curry, cheese, and plenty of items that are just waiting for next week’s trash day, like just-past-its-expiration-date milk, fruit, and so on. You name it . . . it’s stored in your fridge. An easy way to solve this problem is to stick an open container or box of baking soda in the back of your fridge. The baking soda will suck up the majority of smells and keep your fridge smelling like a dream—or a just-clean-enough fridge as the case may be.
Week 2: Wednesday
Control Your Cutlery
15 minutes
If you’re like most people, you probably have a cutlery drawer that is brimming with more than just cutlery. Perhaps you’ve got a few rubber bands, some plastic baggies, a box of toothpicks, a set of corncob holders, and a bundle of twist ties. Sound familiar? Here’s what you do: Remove everything from the drawer that is not a fork, knife, or spoon. If you don’t already have one, buy yourself a cutlery holder to help keep the drawer organized. Also, make sure you have the right number of pieces of cutlery for your situation. If you have a family of seven, you’re going to need more than three forks. If you live alone, you probably don’t need sixteen spoons. Take out any extras and donate them. You’ll be much happier when you can open that drawer and see exactly what you
need.
Week 2: Thursday
Relocate Fruit to the Fridge
5 minutes
A bowl of fresh fruit can look lovely on a counter or tabletop, but if you have a small kitchen, it might also be contributing to a cluttered look. If this is the case in your kitchen, consider moving your fresh fruit to the refrigerator. But before you do so, check the ripeness. Most fruits, like lemons, oranges, apples and grapes, do not continue to ripen after they’ve been picked, so they’ll do best in your refrigerator. In fact, they will stay fresher longer in the fridge, especially in the hot summer months. However, fruits like mangos and nectarines will continue to ripen in your fruit bowl on the counter, so if they’re harder than you’d like when you buy them, leave them out for a few days before transferring them to the fridge. And finally, never put bananas in the refrigerator as they will turn brown in no time.
Week 2: Friday
Try Nesting
10 minutes
This is not a recommendation that you have a child in order to get your kitchen organized; that would actually be counterproductive. We’re talking about kitchen items that come in various sizes that can be stacked and stored together—taking up less space. Nesting mixing bowls are great for various tasks. Use the smallest bowl to beat an egg, the medium-sized bowl to prepare a fruit salad, and the largest bowl to mix up a big batch of cookie dough. Drinking glasses that fit inside one another will take up less space in your cabinet, and nesting measuring cups will only need a corner of a drawer. So if you have nesting items already, make sure they are being stored together. If you don’t have these, consider replacing older items with these space savers.
Week 2: Saturday
Bring Order to Your Brooms and Mops
10 minutes
Brooms, mops, dusters, and similar items can be tough to place in the home. Many people keep them in the kitchen, but they’re not that pretty to look at so you don’t want them out in the open. What you need is a tall, narrow space where these will be accessible but still out of the way. This might be a corner of your food pantry or the sliver of space between your fridge and the wall. Wherever you choose to stash these items, be sure that you keep them neat and tidy. Don’t hang on to ratty old brooms and mops that are past their prime. A hair-clogged broom or filthy mop head will only transfer hair, dust, and dirt back onto your floors.
Week 2: Sunday
Clear Off Tops of Cabinets
30 minutes
While you may think no one really notices, all that stuff you store on top of your cabinets gives your kitchen a cluttered, messy look. See if you can relocate some of those items to places that are out of sight. Your kitchen will look cleaner and more spacious this way. If you absolutely need to utilize the space on top of your cabinets for storage, pick up some attractive baskets or bins that complement the existing décor. That way, you can store items in a neat and organized fashion that won’t detract from the overall look of the room.
MY THOUGHTS
that' right! i'm not eager to dive into my ref. i already did anyway. and i can almost feel my ref smiling back at me. it's not squeaky clean. but i can see what's inside. as for the broom, i don't have one. there's no where to store it. and i don't need it. my sister gave me this heavenly tool. you wrap those special napkins for dusting on the rectangular base,put together the long handle. dust and dirt stick to it like magic. i don't even need a dustpan. i use the same on the walls and ceilings. if you want to mop, there's the wet type of paper. very easy to use and very easy to store.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Great Kitchen Clean-Up (Week 1)
The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 1)
Did you cook up a storm all holiday season long? Time to give your overworked kitchen some attention. Try this week-by-week clean kitchen makeover plan, excerpted from the new book Just Clean Enough by I.B Caruso and Jenny Schroedel (37 Photos)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Stand mixer. Coffee maker. Athletic equipment? Sound familiar? Yes, the kitchen tends to be a gathering place in the house. Great! You want to be able to socialize. But you don’t want it to turn into a storage locker, home office, or a playroom. What to do with all that crap currently piled up on your counters? Get it out of there! You want a clean, organized, beautiful kitchen, so roll up your sleeves and get down to business.
Love these tips and tricks? Find out how to clean and organize your entire home with cleaning experts I.B Caruso, Jenny Schroedel and their new book, Just Clean Enough.
Plus, get more kitchen design ideas with our Home Inspiration Galleries!
Week 1: Monday
Clear Off Those Counters
20 minutes
Believe it or not, your kitchen is not actually the best place for your laptop, your son’s backpack, last week’s newspaper, the unfolded laundry, or that birthday gift for your niece that you haven’t gotten a chance to mail yet. Assess the items on your counters. Do all of them belong there? Remove those that don’t and evaluate those that remain. Are there small appliances on your counters that you don’t use often? Tuck them away in a cabinet or give them to someone who will use them. To free up counter space, utilize a paper-towel rack that hangs on the wall and consider appliances (such as a microwave) that can be installed under your cabinets.
Week 1: Tuesday
Take Out the Trash
10 minutes
Is your trashcan working for you? This may sound like a ridiculous question, but one of the most common problem areas of the kitchen is the trash. Take a look at your trashcan. If it’s broken, missing its lid, or just not meeting your needs, kick it to the curb and get a new one. Trashcans with lids are ideal for keeping bad smells in and pets out, and a can with a foot pedal keeps your hands free from bacteria when throwing things away. Once you have a trashcan that meets your needs, take care of it. Clean it and spray it with disinfectant on a regular basis.
Week 1: Wednesday
Dish Rack Duty
5 minutes
If you do your dishes by hand, you probably have a dish rack next to your sink. This is fine, but if your dish rack has been taken over by yucky stains and buildup, throw it out and get a new one. Going forward, clean your dish rack regularly and put away your dishes as soon as they’re dry. If you leave them sitting there, other members of your household will just pile theirs on top, and before you know it you’ll have a leaning tower of plates—and an ideal climate for mold and bacteria—on your hands.
Week 1: Thursday
What’s under the Kitchen Sink?
20 minutes
Most likely the cabinet under your kitchen sink is brimming with household cleaners. Open up this cabinet and go through the items one by one. Separate those that you use on a regular basis from those that you never use or can’t identify. Don’t pour these cleaners down the drain or throw them in the trash; they may be toxic. Contact your local environmental agency or government office to find out how to dispose of these items safely. Once you’ve whittled your cleaners down to the necessities, wipe out the cabinet and replace them in an orderly fashion. Consider investing in adjustable-height shelving that slides out along rails and is specially designed to fit around awkward drainpipes.
Week 1: Friday
Keep Spices Looking Nice
15 minutes
The spice rack or cabinet is typically a war zone. But take heart! There are a few different solutions to this problem. If you keep your spices in a cabinet, consider investing in a lazy Susan. The turntable action of this device offers 360-degree access to stored items. You could also buy a wall-mounted spice rack and hang it near your stove or another area where you prepare food. Then your spices will be right at your fingertips. You can also get small canisters that have magnets on the back so you can store items on your refrigerator. If your fridge is
near your cooking area, this might be the perfect spice solution for you.
Week 1: Saturday
Make a Mess
40 minutes
Ever heard the expression, “It has to get worse before it gets better”? This applies perfectly to the task at hand. Before you can organize your kitchen, you have to pull it apart and see what’s there. That means emptying all cabinets and sorting through items one at a time. To begin, pull everything out of a single cabinet and take a look at the contents. What do you need and what can you get rid of? As you reduce the bulk in each cabinet, you’ll find that it will be much easier to keep it clean.
Week 1: Sunday
Just Say No to Junk
20 minutes
Ever heard the term junk drawer? Chances are you have at least one in your kitchen. When going through these, take on the role of a drill sergeant. Inspect each item and be merciless. Any chipped, broken, or outdated items go straight into the trash. If you find yourself hemming and hawing over something, throw it out. Ask yourself when you last used your strawberry huller, apple corer, or hard-boiled-egg slicer. If you can’t remember, you have your answer. And don’t hang onto things because you just might need them one day. Anything that’s outlived its usefulness in your home might just find a purpose in someone else’s.
MY THOUGHTS
i don't think i have a kitchen! i have a small sink, a ref, a microwave, a coffee maker, a kettle, a waffle maker and a solo blender. imagine all of them cramped in 2 small counter tops. together with all the glass jars and stuff. and yes, sometimes, the laptop joins them in that clutter.
well, finally, the mess got too much. i found this article (a series). and my counter tops look so neat i don't want to use it. i still need to attack the cabinets. i enjoy organizing anyway.
Did you cook up a storm all holiday season long? Time to give your overworked kitchen some attention. Try this week-by-week clean kitchen makeover plan, excerpted from the new book Just Clean Enough by I.B Caruso and Jenny Schroedel (37 Photos)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Stand mixer. Coffee maker. Athletic equipment? Sound familiar? Yes, the kitchen tends to be a gathering place in the house. Great! You want to be able to socialize. But you don’t want it to turn into a storage locker, home office, or a playroom. What to do with all that crap currently piled up on your counters? Get it out of there! You want a clean, organized, beautiful kitchen, so roll up your sleeves and get down to business.
Love these tips and tricks? Find out how to clean and organize your entire home with cleaning experts I.B Caruso, Jenny Schroedel and their new book, Just Clean Enough.
Plus, get more kitchen design ideas with our Home Inspiration Galleries!
Week 1: Monday
Clear Off Those Counters
20 minutes
Believe it or not, your kitchen is not actually the best place for your laptop, your son’s backpack, last week’s newspaper, the unfolded laundry, or that birthday gift for your niece that you haven’t gotten a chance to mail yet. Assess the items on your counters. Do all of them belong there? Remove those that don’t and evaluate those that remain. Are there small appliances on your counters that you don’t use often? Tuck them away in a cabinet or give them to someone who will use them. To free up counter space, utilize a paper-towel rack that hangs on the wall and consider appliances (such as a microwave) that can be installed under your cabinets.
Week 1: Tuesday
Take Out the Trash
10 minutes
Is your trashcan working for you? This may sound like a ridiculous question, but one of the most common problem areas of the kitchen is the trash. Take a look at your trashcan. If it’s broken, missing its lid, or just not meeting your needs, kick it to the curb and get a new one. Trashcans with lids are ideal for keeping bad smells in and pets out, and a can with a foot pedal keeps your hands free from bacteria when throwing things away. Once you have a trashcan that meets your needs, take care of it. Clean it and spray it with disinfectant on a regular basis.
Week 1: Wednesday
Dish Rack Duty
5 minutes
If you do your dishes by hand, you probably have a dish rack next to your sink. This is fine, but if your dish rack has been taken over by yucky stains and buildup, throw it out and get a new one. Going forward, clean your dish rack regularly and put away your dishes as soon as they’re dry. If you leave them sitting there, other members of your household will just pile theirs on top, and before you know it you’ll have a leaning tower of plates—and an ideal climate for mold and bacteria—on your hands.
Week 1: Thursday
What’s under the Kitchen Sink?
20 minutes
Most likely the cabinet under your kitchen sink is brimming with household cleaners. Open up this cabinet and go through the items one by one. Separate those that you use on a regular basis from those that you never use or can’t identify. Don’t pour these cleaners down the drain or throw them in the trash; they may be toxic. Contact your local environmental agency or government office to find out how to dispose of these items safely. Once you’ve whittled your cleaners down to the necessities, wipe out the cabinet and replace them in an orderly fashion. Consider investing in adjustable-height shelving that slides out along rails and is specially designed to fit around awkward drainpipes.
Week 1: Friday
Keep Spices Looking Nice
15 minutes
The spice rack or cabinet is typically a war zone. But take heart! There are a few different solutions to this problem. If you keep your spices in a cabinet, consider investing in a lazy Susan. The turntable action of this device offers 360-degree access to stored items. You could also buy a wall-mounted spice rack and hang it near your stove or another area where you prepare food. Then your spices will be right at your fingertips. You can also get small canisters that have magnets on the back so you can store items on your refrigerator. If your fridge is
near your cooking area, this might be the perfect spice solution for you.
Week 1: Saturday
Make a Mess
40 minutes
Ever heard the expression, “It has to get worse before it gets better”? This applies perfectly to the task at hand. Before you can organize your kitchen, you have to pull it apart and see what’s there. That means emptying all cabinets and sorting through items one at a time. To begin, pull everything out of a single cabinet and take a look at the contents. What do you need and what can you get rid of? As you reduce the bulk in each cabinet, you’ll find that it will be much easier to keep it clean.
Week 1: Sunday
Just Say No to Junk
20 minutes
Ever heard the term junk drawer? Chances are you have at least one in your kitchen. When going through these, take on the role of a drill sergeant. Inspect each item and be merciless. Any chipped, broken, or outdated items go straight into the trash. If you find yourself hemming and hawing over something, throw it out. Ask yourself when you last used your strawberry huller, apple corer, or hard-boiled-egg slicer. If you can’t remember, you have your answer. And don’t hang onto things because you just might need them one day. Anything that’s outlived its usefulness in your home might just find a purpose in someone else’s.
MY THOUGHTS
i don't think i have a kitchen! i have a small sink, a ref, a microwave, a coffee maker, a kettle, a waffle maker and a solo blender. imagine all of them cramped in 2 small counter tops. together with all the glass jars and stuff. and yes, sometimes, the laptop joins them in that clutter.
well, finally, the mess got too much. i found this article (a series). and my counter tops look so neat i don't want to use it. i still need to attack the cabinets. i enjoy organizing anyway.
Monday, November 1, 2010
closet organizing: put order
Order in the Closet
Clothing-obsessed celebs such as Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton are famous for their luxurious closets with shelves of shoes that seem to stretch on for miles and boutique-like racks of designer apparel. While most of us have neither the square footage (nor the desire) to create our own wardrobe wonders, we could still strive for what those divas have perfected: the well-organized storage space.
"Every type of person" struggles with closet clutter, says Alejandra Costello, a co-founder of Arlington-based professional organizing service Color-Coded (866-612-6567). But learning to store your belongings in a neat, easy-to-maintain manner can help you spend less time searching for shoes and more time showing off the perfect outfit.
Even chaotic hallway closets can benefit from a face-lift; nobody wants to be digging through piles of first-aid supplies when they have a migraine or be assaulted from above by improperly stashed winter scarves.
Those "I've created a monster in my closet!" moments are just when professional organizers can swoop in to help. The pros charge between $50 and $100 per hour for their expertise, and their closet makeovers can take between six and 15 hours, depending on the size of the project, Costello says. But she's convinced this type of investment reaps long-term rewards.
"I always tell my clients, 'If you're going to spend money getting organized, you want to set up a system one time and do it right, instead of having to keep tweaking the system,'" Costello says.
Rehabbing your closet starts with an empty — not overloaded — space. "It's a lot easier to take everything out and go from there," Costello says. Color-Coded organizers often push clients to toss items that aren't in heavy rotation, in order to free up more space in small apartments or houses.
"We'll sort everything and go through each individual item asking, 'When was the last time you used this? Is it still good? Is it outdated?'" Costello says. After repurposing or donating any unwanted items, a complete makeover can commence.
We asked Costello to share some of her top tips for reorganizing any closet.
1) Shelve Your Issues
If blank walls make up a portion of your closet, consider adding custom shelving. While it's pricey, Color-Coded's Costello believes the installation is worth the money. She recommends the Elfa system, which is sold at The Container Store, because of its flexibility. "Once you install the shelving, you can always move shelves higher or lower depending on what you're storing," Costello says. "You can change a shelf into a hanging rod or a hanging rod into a shelf. You can add a basket. It's just very flexible."
2) Get More From Your Door
The back of your door — the side that faces the interior of your closet — is precious real estate. Hang up a door rack containing hooks or baskets to create a few extra storage nooks. Costello recommends using Elfa's Door and Wall Rack ($107) and attaching a few movable baskets. The installation is made for kitchens and living spaces but works equally well in closets, Costello says. "I love to use the baskets to store flip-flops, slippers, sunglasses, cosmetic bags and anything that you want to toss in, pull out or make easily accessible," she says. Another option to hang on your door: fabric pockets or shoe bag organizers. Try Christy Designs' versatile "Organizer" Gear Pocket ($35).
3) It's All About the Visuals
Sorting keeps a closet user-friendly. But all that order can get dull. Add intrigue with colored tabs that attach to the top of hangers. Costello recommends using the colored hanger snaps sold by Carlson JPM Store Fixtures ($3 for a bag of 50). "The more color you have in your space, the easier it is to organize," Costello says. "If you take a dress off a hanger that has a purple hanger snap, it's easy to say 'Purple belongs to dresses' and associate that hanger with the dress."
4) Label Liberally
If you have items to stash on shelves or in bins, keep track of everything with homemade labels. That's right, Costello recommends actually writing out "running shoes" for a bin holding your sneaks. It might be old-school, but "it makes a difference," she says. "A lot of people just put things back [into their closets] in a random order. If each item has a home in its section, I find that it's easier to maintain." Use pieces of Duct tape (in fancy new colors and patterns such as paisley and polka dots, such as the rolls above, sold by The Spoon Sisters; $9 per roll), covered with clear packing tape. Write what's inside each container or on each shelf using dry-erase markers — that way, you can re-label areas when you move things around.
5) Aim for Lots Of the Same
Most people amass a wide variety of hangers — it's hard to pass up free wire "We Love Our Customers" hangers from the dry cleaner — but an assortment of shapes and sizes encourages chaos. "Using uniform hangers is an absolute must in the closet," Costello says. She recommends sticking to wooden hangers ("The clothes hang off them really nicely," she says). Pick up a few sets at Ikea (five for $2).
MY THOUGHTS
good advice. i will need this in a couple of weeks as i attack my closets in my mom's house.
Clothing-obsessed celebs such as Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton are famous for their luxurious closets with shelves of shoes that seem to stretch on for miles and boutique-like racks of designer apparel. While most of us have neither the square footage (nor the desire) to create our own wardrobe wonders, we could still strive for what those divas have perfected: the well-organized storage space.
"Every type of person" struggles with closet clutter, says Alejandra Costello, a co-founder of Arlington-based professional organizing service Color-Coded (866-612-6567). But learning to store your belongings in a neat, easy-to-maintain manner can help you spend less time searching for shoes and more time showing off the perfect outfit.
Even chaotic hallway closets can benefit from a face-lift; nobody wants to be digging through piles of first-aid supplies when they have a migraine or be assaulted from above by improperly stashed winter scarves.
Those "I've created a monster in my closet!" moments are just when professional organizers can swoop in to help. The pros charge between $50 and $100 per hour for their expertise, and their closet makeovers can take between six and 15 hours, depending on the size of the project, Costello says. But she's convinced this type of investment reaps long-term rewards.
"I always tell my clients, 'If you're going to spend money getting organized, you want to set up a system one time and do it right, instead of having to keep tweaking the system,'" Costello says.
Rehabbing your closet starts with an empty — not overloaded — space. "It's a lot easier to take everything out and go from there," Costello says. Color-Coded organizers often push clients to toss items that aren't in heavy rotation, in order to free up more space in small apartments or houses.
"We'll sort everything and go through each individual item asking, 'When was the last time you used this? Is it still good? Is it outdated?'" Costello says. After repurposing or donating any unwanted items, a complete makeover can commence.
We asked Costello to share some of her top tips for reorganizing any closet.
1) Shelve Your Issues
If blank walls make up a portion of your closet, consider adding custom shelving. While it's pricey, Color-Coded's Costello believes the installation is worth the money. She recommends the Elfa system, which is sold at The Container Store, because of its flexibility. "Once you install the shelving, you can always move shelves higher or lower depending on what you're storing," Costello says. "You can change a shelf into a hanging rod or a hanging rod into a shelf. You can add a basket. It's just very flexible."
2) Get More From Your Door
The back of your door — the side that faces the interior of your closet — is precious real estate. Hang up a door rack containing hooks or baskets to create a few extra storage nooks. Costello recommends using Elfa's Door and Wall Rack ($107) and attaching a few movable baskets. The installation is made for kitchens and living spaces but works equally well in closets, Costello says. "I love to use the baskets to store flip-flops, slippers, sunglasses, cosmetic bags and anything that you want to toss in, pull out or make easily accessible," she says. Another option to hang on your door: fabric pockets or shoe bag organizers. Try Christy Designs' versatile "Organizer" Gear Pocket ($35).
3) It's All About the Visuals
Sorting keeps a closet user-friendly. But all that order can get dull. Add intrigue with colored tabs that attach to the top of hangers. Costello recommends using the colored hanger snaps sold by Carlson JPM Store Fixtures ($3 for a bag of 50). "The more color you have in your space, the easier it is to organize," Costello says. "If you take a dress off a hanger that has a purple hanger snap, it's easy to say 'Purple belongs to dresses' and associate that hanger with the dress."
4) Label Liberally
If you have items to stash on shelves or in bins, keep track of everything with homemade labels. That's right, Costello recommends actually writing out "running shoes" for a bin holding your sneaks. It might be old-school, but "it makes a difference," she says. "A lot of people just put things back [into their closets] in a random order. If each item has a home in its section, I find that it's easier to maintain." Use pieces of Duct tape (in fancy new colors and patterns such as paisley and polka dots, such as the rolls above, sold by The Spoon Sisters; $9 per roll), covered with clear packing tape. Write what's inside each container or on each shelf using dry-erase markers — that way, you can re-label areas when you move things around.
5) Aim for Lots Of the Same
Most people amass a wide variety of hangers — it's hard to pass up free wire "We Love Our Customers" hangers from the dry cleaner — but an assortment of shapes and sizes encourages chaos. "Using uniform hangers is an absolute must in the closet," Costello says. She recommends sticking to wooden hangers ("The clothes hang off them really nicely," she says). Pick up a few sets at Ikea (five for $2).
MY THOUGHTS
good advice. i will need this in a couple of weeks as i attack my closets in my mom's house.
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