Archives for September 2007

Don’t go too big with your new HDTV

I was recently at a friend’s home and he had a new HDTV. It was entirely too big for the room where he was viewing it and the closer I sat to the large screen the worse the picture appeared.

People can incorrectly assume that “bigger is better,” but that isn’t necessarily true for an HDTV. When investing in an HDTV you definitely want to figure out the distance from which you will be viewing the television. Here is a chart via CNET that is pretty straight forward:

Generally, 30-inch and smaller sets are great for bedrooms or guest rooms but too small for the main living room. Sets with bigger screens are large enough for the whole family to enjoy and will probably be too much for most small bedrooms. Remember that tube TVs are also fairly deep and get bulkier as the screen size increases. You’ll want to pick out a deep-enough spot for the TV so that it doesn’t protrude awkwardly into the room.

Now, go forth and purchase a set that is right for your den and don’t let the large-size screens entice you into something you don’t need.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Posted by Matt on Sep 29, 2007 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Student studio in NYC

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Powkang’s student studio in NYC. She lives in her workspace, so it’s pretty impressive. Check out both sides of her apartment studio, which she’s annotated. What I really love is her inspirational view of Manhattan.

desktop and view

It’s very cool that she keeps that view uncluttered.

Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Posted by Jerry on Sep 28, 2007 | 3 Comments | Tweet This

Reader suggestion: Install a soap dispenser in your sink

Reader J. Todd sent us the following suggestion:

Here’s a great uncluttering tip for the kitchen. When my wife and I moved into our first house together, we had a plastic hand soap dispenser and a bottle of dish soap sitting next to our kitchen sink’s faucet. It was a messy and unattractive solution. I noticed that there was a covered cutout to the right of the faucet for a spray hose or a soap dispenser. I removed the cover and installed a basic chrome soap dispenser that mounts in the hole (similar to this one) We keep it filled with concentrated, hand-friendly dish soap. Now, whenever we need to hand-wash dishes, we pump soap directly into the sink. Whenever we need to wash out hands, we just use a tiny amount (since it’s concentrated). No mess and no clutter.

Thank you for such a terrific suggestion, J. Todd! We do the exact same thing in our kitchen (as you can see in the photo accompanying this article), and it works extremely well because our faucet doubles as a spray hose.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 28, 2007 | 31 Comments | Tweet This

What to do with your old cell phone

My wife and I upgraded our cell phones in the spring, and the old models still sit in drawer in the kitchen. We gave one of them to our daughter, which she played with it for quite some time, but there are definitely better things you can do with your old cell phone. Here are a few suggestions:

Cell Phones for Soldiers: Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas in 2007. To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers expects to collect 15,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country.

ReCellular: Wireless Recycling: An increasing number of Americans are using cell phones, discarding them frequently, and creating tons of solid waste even though most of the used cellular phones are still functional. ReCellular saw the opportunity to start a new industry and help protect the environment. ReCellular, Inc., was founded to refurbish, reuse and responsibly recycle discarded cell phones.

American Cell Phone Drive: Donate or recycle your used cell phones through AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org, the largest, most comprehensive, cell phone drive in the world. Over 4,000 organizations are part of AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org. Choose the organization you would like to donate or recycle your used cell phones through in your local community by going to AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org.

Get rid of your old cell phone clutter and do something charitable in the process!

Popularity: 19% [?]

Posted by Matt on Sep 27, 2007 | 17 Comments | Tweet This

Review: Tiny Living in NYC

When a reader suggested that we review a store in New York City that caters to space-saving customers, we gave a Manhattan writer a call to see if she could help us. Everyone welcome Ayn-Monique Tetreault-Rooney to the Unclutterer review crew!

Don’t live in a McMansion? Check out Tiny Living for ideas and products to maximize your minimal space. This appropriately small New York store (it’s only about 10′ wide and 20′ deep) carries all sorts of things to keep your home and office neat and tidy.

The well-chosen selection includes objects that are either smaller than usual or multifunctional. Saving space in the kitchen? Opt for a combo coffee-maker and toaster oven. Getting your finances in order? A mini-calculator magnetic clip will keep your bills in view (and make splitting shared statements a breeze). Bestsellers include salt and pepper mills with grinders shaped like bunny ears and hanging purse racks in on-trend patterns and colors.

Don’t worry if you can’t get to the Big Apple to shop–this two-year-old store has a large inventory on its website and is adding things by the week. It even offers a few things online, like modern desks and clean-lined loveseats, that just don’t fit into the brick-and-morter outlet. Tiny Living is worth a visit if you’re in need of outfitting your home or office with space-saving items.

You can visit Tiny Living at 125 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009 or online at www.tinyliving.com. Here is a peek into their showroom:

Popularity: 13% [?]

Posted by on Sep 27, 2007 | 5 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: The SnacDaddy

Two readers, Ann and John, e-mailed us the SnacDaddy Unitasker after seeing it featured on Woot!:

Eating chicken wings can be a messy business, but it doesn’t have to be. The SnacDaddy wing tray is the innovative new tray specially engineered to hold chicken wings and hide the leftover bones.

Apparently, using two dinner plates (one for the uneaten wings and one for the leftover bones) is not a good serving idea because the plates aren’t “engineered to hold chicken wings” the way SnacDaddy is. See, with the SnacDaddy, you pick up a wing, dip it in the sauce, eat the wing, move the sauce, put the bone in the sauce hole, and then replace the sauce. It’s so easy! This device also has the capacity to hold 15 wings at a time! My dinner plates can handle 25 to 30, which must be way too many at a time for a hungry crowd.

How did we get along without the SnacDaddy before now?

On a pseudo serious note, I can actually see how the SnacDaddy would be a good product for use in a sports bar or restaurant that regularly serves chicken wings. As a former food service worker, I could see how the hidden bones would make clearing a table a more pleasant experience. However, with its 13″ diameter and 4″ depth, Ann and John are correct in suggesting that it’s serious overkill and clutter for your home.

** Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that seem to find their way into our homes.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 26, 2007 | 17 Comments | Tweet This

An argument against table cloths

I’ve read in numerous organization books the suggestion of covering an end table with a table skirt so that you can hide things under the table (your child’s toys, active knitting projects, etc.). Table skirts don’t really mesh with my design style, but I can see that this suggestion would work for people whose style it complements.

Table cloths for use on dining room tables are a completely different monster, however. Most people don’t hide objects under their dining room tables because that is where human legs belong, so a table cloth isn’t being used to hide clutter. If you’re worried about your table getting damaged by heavy objects, a flimsy layer of cotton isn’t going to protect the wood. It makes more sense to have a piece of glass or clear plexiglas cut to fit your tabletop to better protect its surface. Plus, a piece of glass or clear plexiglas will let you see your table instead of hiding what you likely spent hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars to purchase.

Table cloths have to be stored when not in use, need to be washed after a single meal, and often have to be ironed to look their best. All of these steps and necessary storage space can be eliminated by not having them at all.

If you like the look of a decorated table, buy Chilewich table mats that have a sophisticated appearance and wipe clean with a sponge. They don’t require ironing or a spin through the washer and dryer after each use. Plus, a stack of 20 table mats takes up the same amount of storage space as a single table cloth. Combine the table mats with a glass or clear plexiglas covering, and you’re on your way to an uncluttered and easily maintained dining room table!

Popularity: 18% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 26, 2007 | 25 Comments | Tweet This

Sleek way to hide kitty litter box

via Apartment Therapy:

The Kitty Washroom from Sky Mall is certainly an uncluttered kitty potty solution:

With $100 price tag, I imagine that a homemade version would be kinder on the pocketbook. Plus, the Litter Robot that I use wouldn’t fit inside this cabinet. It is, however, wonderful inspiration for those of us with cats!

Popularity: 22% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 25, 2007 | 24 Comments | Tweet This

Acquiring and purging moving boxes

When you move you usually spend a bunch of time tracking down boxes to transport all of your stuff. My wife and I have hit up grocery stores and other local retailers for boxes that they would otherwise crush and throw away.

U-Haul offers a box exchange resource for prospective movers. It is a simple forum that is split up geographically to help you trade new or used boxes. So rather than running around to retailers you can check the forums for your area and see if there are any boxes available in your vicinity.

After you move, rather than throwing away your boxes, you can post a message to the board and give them to someone who can use them again. If you can’t find boxes via the U-Haul forums, you can also try FreeCycle, an Unclutterer favorite.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Posted by Matt on Sep 25, 2007 | 17 Comments | Tweet This

Reader suggestions: More ways to cure cable clutter

Cords and chargers for electronic devices are a constant discussion point at the Unclutterer offices, in the reader comments, and through our contact page. I think it’s safe to say that cords are a frustrating source of clutter for all of us.

Recently, we’ve had a slew of suggestions for containing cord clutter from our readers. After combing through them and doing some additional information gathering, I think the following suggestions are downright brilliant. And, as far as we can tell, these readers don’t work for the companies that make, distribute, or promote these products.

Reader Rob suggests: The CORDhog as a great way to hold up slack and adjust the length of cords. (The CORDhog is pictured on the right.)

Reader Aegir suggests: The CableYoYo as another attractive cable spool system.

Reader Beaman suggests: The KangaRooM Charging Station as a sleek way to hide the cords and docking stations for your cell phone, iPod, and other personal electronic devices.

Reader Ian suggests: The PocketDock AV as a simple, clutter-free, multiple connector kit that allows you to link your iPod to numerous AV output devices (like televisions, stereos, and projectors) without having to carry a slew of cables with you.

Do you have suggestions for containing cord clutter? Feel welcome to drop them into the comments section! Like I mentioned above, we’re always on the lookout for good ways to control cord and charger clutter.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 24, 2007 | 12 Comments | Tweet This

Cable clutter

Here’s a quick Unclutterer video tip to help you tackle cable clutter under a media center. All it takes is a simple multi-hook rack and a little imagination.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Posted by Jerry on Sep 24, 2007 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

Hoarding danger in Massachusetts

A study from researchers at Boston University and Smith College asked potential subjects to pick the photo that most accurately portrays their living space:

The researchers have found that subjects are quite accurate in their self assessments and that anyone who chooses picture #4 or above may be eligible for hoarding studies and/or treatment.

Which brings me to the story of a 90 year old man who was rescued from his mountain of clutter in Norton, MA. Local residents were very aware of all the junk in his yard, but had no idea how bad it was inside the elderly man’s home.

After someone called authorities Friday concerned that Halko had not been seen for a couple of days, an ambulance responded.

It took paramedics more than 10 minutes to locate him amid the piles of furniture, boxes, magazines, appliances, and trash that he’d accumulated over several decades.

Be aware that hoarding usually takes a hold of an individual when they reach middle age and progressively gets worse. By the time a person reaches their golden years hoarding may consume their whole life and my become a danger to themselves and others. The researchers from the Boston University/Smith College study estimate that 1 to 2 percent of adults suffer from a hoarding disorder.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Posted by Matt on Sep 22, 2007 | 27 Comments | Tweet This

Uncluttering advice from The New York Times

I’m a big fan of Mark Bittman’s food column in The New York Times. His column is titled “The Minimalist,” so it’s difficult for an unclutterer not to be an avid supporter.

I haven’t linked to any of his pieces before because The New York Times has had pay-to-access archives and columns that made links pointless. (Hey! Pay $5 to look at this column! Just kidding!) The announcement on Tuesday that the paper will no longer charge to access any part of its website changed that frustrating situation. Now, we can link to Bittman’s and other writers’ columns knowing that all of our readers will be able to see the text. Hooray!

The article I’ve been longing to link to since July 18 is Bittman’s “101 Summer Express: Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes of Less.” Uncluttered, simple cooking is my kind of cooking.

Once I pulled up Bittman’s article, I couldn’t stop myself from perusing the whole of their archives for other clutter-free columns and articles. Here are some gems that I found during my search:

Enjoy the links. Additionally, this might be another opportunity for me to offer up the advice to cancel your daily print newspaper subscription to our New York City readers. Also, let us know in the comments if you find other uncluttering articles in the archives that we may have missed!

Popularity: 22% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 21, 2007 | 4 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Study in Contrasts

This week’s Workspace of the Week is a twofer. A study in contrasts, if you will. First is PlasmicSteve’s memorabilia museum, which gives me the hives just looking at it.

Is that little desk functional? And all that stuff on the walls would drive me to distraction, literally. Say what I will, however, it’s organized! He’s taking care of the items he treasures (even if I think it’s one too many).

Now, withoutform’s desk is more my speed.

Obviously taking a cue from Japanese simplicity, there’s nothing on the work surface to distract from the task at hand, and just a bit of soothing inspiration on the wall. Almost qualifies for Extreme Minimalism Mondays.

Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a pic to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Posted by Jerry on Sep 21, 2007 | 21 Comments | Tweet This

The slow cooker: Uncluttered kitchen cooking

As fall nears and the weather cools, I start looking forward to a good bowl of chili while watching my favorite football team play on a Sunday afternoon. My thoughts of chili then progress into musings of stews and soups and all the wonderful things that can be made in my slow cooker.

I like using a slow cooker because it means that I dirty it and no other pots or pans during meal preparation. There are a few exceptions when an additional pan is needed to brown or sear meat, but these instances are rare. After the meal has been served, cleanup is as simple as moving the empty crock from the slow cooker to the dishwasher. The slow cooker is definitely an uncluttered kitchen solution.

If you don’t currently own a slow cooker, there are really only two features that I see as essential components. The first necessary feature is a separate, removable inner crock. The second feature is a temperature indicator that has at least three settings: Off, Low, and High. I have never found use for any of the other slow cooker features currently on the market. A crock pot with these two features also has the benefit of usually costing less than $30 and will last you many years.

The majority of the recipes I make in my slow cooker are in my head. However, I took a trip recently to my local bookstore and saw that there are now dozens of slow cooker recipe books in publication for people seeking printed recipes. Also, a Google search for “slow cooker recipe” yielded thousands of recipes from online sources. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some of the slow cooker cookbooks on the market:

Enjoy your uncluttered cooking experience!

Popularity: 21% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 20, 2007 | 40 Comments | Tweet This

Trash goes in the trash

Reader Claire writes in to ask,

I love the goals of this site. My issue has always been: what do I do with all this stuff that I’m getting rid of? I don’t like to create trash, and trying to give stuff away on Craigslist or freecycle sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. Ideas?

Well, if you don’t want it, no one on Craigslist will buy it, and no one on freecycle will take it for free, then chances are it is trash. Your choices are then to dump it in the rubbish bin or live in a home filled with trash, and I hope that’s an easy choice. If you’ve done everything you can to find a new home for your clutter and you just can’t, there’s no reason to feel guilty about trashing it.

Some might suggest that you should just drive it over to the Salvation Army or some other charity, but you might want to think twice about that. In his great book, It’s All Too Much, Peter Walsh has this to say about pawning off your stuff on charities:

Goodwill receives a billion pounds of clothing every year. Ultimately, they use less than half of the clothes they get. Clothing is cheap, and the cost of sorting, cleaning, storing, and transporting the clothes is higher than their value. If you wouldn’t give an article to a family member, it’s probably not good enough for charity. Sure, it’s great to get the tax deduction and it makes you feel like you didn’t waste money buying the clothes, but if you’re truly charitable, be sensitive to the needs of the organization. Charities aren’t dumping grounds for your trash.

So, give yourself permission to just throw it out.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Posted by Jerry on Sep 20, 2007 | 21 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: Electric slicer

When you’re at the deli, do you ever think to yourself, “I could slice that turkey at home if I only I had the right equipment“? Well, now is your chance to start living the dream of slicing your very own lunch meat thanks to Williams-Sonoma. The Chef’sChoice Electric Slicer handles all of your slicing needs and while not in use takes up a good hunk of your storage space. Wouldn’t you sacrifice the cabinet space to be able to slice your own meat and cheese? Measuring in at 14″ x 10 1/4″ x 11 1/4″ high, it is a small price to pay for freshly sliced meat.

Why would you want someone you don’t even know slicing meat for you for free? Who knows where that person learned how to slice meat? Take your meat and cheese slicing seriously and invest the $280 in your very own electric slicer. You can thank me later.

** Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that seem to find their way into our homes.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Posted by Matt on Sep 19, 2007 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Sippy cups: Less is more

My sixteen month old daughter has been off the bottle for quite some time. Since then, we have been using sippy cups, and I have come to appreciate the simplicity of the two piece cup. (We also have a three piece and a couple of four piece cups, but I’m not recommending them.) When you are cleaning cups multiple times per day, the less you have to clean the better. The more pieces the cups have, the more likely you are to lose a piece–which we have definitely done.

Some ridiculous cups have six pieces! A few of the pieces are optional, but why have a six piece cup if you can get the job done with a two piece cup? It is a bit hard to figure out how many pieces a cup has shopping online, but be diligent in finding out that information. Most sippy cups have a little rubber or plastic valve to hold back the liquid, and, regardless of how many pieces there are in a sippy cup, this is the one you will inevitably lose.

The most important thing in a sippy cup is the spill factor. Does it hold the liquid? From experience, none of the cups we have are fool proof. The little one figures out how to get a few drops out here and there, but if the sippy cup has an extra piece acting as a stopper you should know that they slip out after being dropped over and over again. If the cup is missing that valve, then your child is covered in juice or milk.

To recap: When buying sippy cups, you want ones with as few pieces as possible (I recommend two–cup and lid) for easy cleaning and to reduce the likelihood that you will lose essential pieces.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Posted by Matt on Sep 19, 2007 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Shameful Attempt to Garner Traffic from Productivity Blogs

iPod Touch PDA Case

The Hipster PDA is a wonder of personal productivity. What could be simpler than an ordinary stack of standard 3×5 index cards bound together with a clip? Easy use, and cheap refills make the Hipster PDA a favorite among hyperproductive GTDers.

But such convenience and usability can come at a dangerous price. Timbuk2 and Tom Bihn bags littered with stray index cards become a cluttered disaster, and battle-worn knuckes scarred from the cuts of rebellious action lists are unsightly and can take days to heal. But there’s hope.

For just $299, the iPod Touch comes with a box that is perfectly sized to hold nearly one hundred index cards bound together with clips. Finally, you can safely store and transport all of your tasks and actions into whatever contexts life may take you.

The iPod Touch box also includes an iPod Touch, which is kinda cool too.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Posted by Brian on Sep 18, 2007 | 26 Comments | Tweet This

Reader question: Clothes closet organization

Reader Lisa Z. sent us the following question:

I am OCD, and I thrive on order. I have crazy organization of my closet, which includes organizing all my shirts first by sleeve length (all sleeveless shirts together, all regular-sleeved shirts together, all 3/4 and long-sleeved shirts together, and all t-shirts together), then by color (1st white, then light grey, then to darker grey, then starting with lightest red going to darkest red through the colors of the rainbow). I have four sets of rainbows in my closet, although I have gone back and forth between one rainbow sorted by sleeve length (which didn’t last long). I have 14 pairs of blue jean pants. I know; the first thing you’re going to tell me is that I shouldn’t have THAT MANY pairs of jeans. That is in addition to the number of skirts, shorts, and other-colored pants I own. But I sort even my jeans in order from lightest shade of blue to darkest shade of blue. The question: Do you think this is a waste of time, or do you recommend sorting clothes this way to find exactly what you’re looking for in a snap? It has always worked for me, but I am just barely starting to catch on to the possibility that this might be a waste of time… Thanks so much and keep up the great work on the blog!

Lisa, I don’t have OCD, and I organize my closet in a very similar manner. My exception to this is that I store my jeans and t-shirts folded in a dresser instead of hanging in my closet. (FYI: My t-shirts are in piles of tank tops, short sleeves, and long sleeves in my drawer.)

I’m also a stickler about all of my shirts facing the same way on the hanger.

Organizing my closet this way allows me to quickly match outfits, easily get dressed in the dark, and my husband doesn’t complain about having to share a closet with me. It may be overkill, but it works.

How about our readership? How do you organize your clothes in your closet?

Popularity: 5% [?]

Posted by Erin on Sep 18, 2007 | 45 Comments | Tweet This