Archives for September 2007

Clutter and depression

Unfortunately, destructive clutter can be a symptom of bipolar disorder or depression. People who are depressed can lose their drive to do most everything, and that may include cleaning up their living spaces and keeping things in order.

Over at the blog Psychology of Clutter, Dr. Ragan writes:

When people do not feel emotionally strong they will often let their environments fall into disarray. If you start therapy and/or start medication, you can begin to feel better, only to be hindered by what is going on outside of you. I often use the term “depressed lifestyle” with my clients. It is hard to feel good when your house or apartment looks like a bomb went off, your friends don’t call anymore, you’ve gotten fat and you look like hell.

If you have a friend or relative who is living in an extremely cluttered living space, you should encourage him or her to seek help from a professional. Sometimes the most meticulously neat person can find themselves in a downward spiral that results in a depressive state surrounded by clutter and disarray. This 180 degree turn for the worse can be a telltale sign that the individual is in need of help.

Posted by Matt on Sep 17, 2007 | 35 Comments | Tweet This

Read a book over e-mail

I may be late to the game on this one, but I have found DailyLit.com and am in love. What’s DailyLit? Here’s the answer from their website:

… if you are like us, you spend hours each day reading email but don’t find the time to read books. DailyLit brings books right into your inbox in convenient small messages that take less than 5 minutes to read. This works incredibly well not just on your computer but also on a Treo, Blackberry, Sidekick or whatever the PDA of your choice. In the words of Dr. Seuss: Try it, you might like it! (Oops — it would appear that the actual quote from Green Eggs and Ham is “You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may.”)

If you get caught in a really good part of a book, you can send a message to DailyLit for them to immediately forward you the next installment. They also have a RSS fee alternative if you prefer to get your reading sections in that format. All questions about the free service can be found on their FAQ page.

Services like DailyLit and Audible are fantastic ways to keep up your reading habit without having to clutter up your home with physical books. Happy reading!

Posted by Erin on Sep 17, 2007 | 10 Comments | Tweet This

Mudrooms for all!

According to an article in Wednesday’s San Francisco Chronicle, homeowners are reportedly clamoring for mudrooms and pantries in newly constructed homes. As if homes in the United States weren’t big enough already, homeowners now need to have a whole room to act as a landing strip.

From the article:

A mudroom doesn’t even need to be a room at all. It can be just a hallway off the garage. “It can be as simple as hooks on the wall for the dog leash,” said Ronda Royalty, a certified kitchen and bath designer with Stuart Kitchens in suburban Timonium, Md.

The goal of the mudroom is to quarantine all the clutter that comes into your home. Find a way to do that, and you’ve found a little spot of heaven.

So, adding a whole room isn’t necessary to keeping your home clutter free? If I had a mudroom in my home I would no doubt use it and probably enjoy having it, but keeping my home smaller and more efficient is more important to me in the long run. What do you think about mudrooms? Essential? Or one more way to bring clutter and chaos into a home? Let us hear from you in the comments.

Posted by Matt on Sep 15, 2007 | 32 Comments | Tweet This

Reader inspired charging station

Reader Geek Novice sent us the following photographs:

A detailed explanation can be found on his blog here. His blog is written in Slovene, though, so we were happy that he kindly e-mailed us a few translations. In short, he purchased two meters (about six and a half feet) of pipe insulation from his local hardware store for about a dollar. He cut the foam tubing to his desired length, inserted a second slice, piled in the cords, and called it an uncluttered day.

We love this innovative, inexpensive, charging station. Thank you, Geek Novice, for sharing it with us!

Posted by Erin on Sep 14, 2007 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

Credit Card Survival Tool

Two months ago I highlighted the classic multi-tasking Swiss Army Knife. If that isn’t to your liking and seems a bit too bulky, you may want check out the Credit Card Survival Tool. As the name and picture suggest, this thing is the size of a credit card and includes eleven tools. It does have nine less tools than the Swiss Army Knife, but try fitting that knife into your wallet.

The Credit Card Survival Tool is a tiny multi-tasker that can really come in handy. Below is the a diagram highlighting each tools function.

(via Cool Tools)

Posted by Matt on Sep 14, 2007 | 13 Comments | Tweet This

Reader suggestion: No more dishwashing dilemmas

Reader Daniel sent us the following suggestion:

Hi! I just want to share with you a little project I did after a huge amount of motivation from this blog. The thing is I really wanted to diminish the presence of dirty dishes in my apartment. We are two people here and have very little spare time, so cutting on dishwashing time was a very tempting thought. The thing is, we took a drastical step, putting away every piece of dishware not strictly necessary for us both. We ended up with two plates, two spoons, two forks, and so on. Everything else is now in a place uncomfortable enough not to tempt ourselves to grab a hold of them, but accesible enough to reach if someone comes to have dinner or something. The result is great. The worst scenario right now is to clean a few dishes and that takes a minute. The kitchen hasnt been as clean or as neat before and we really cut off the clutter on our very, very small kitchen. I hope you can appreciate my thankful words and once again my appreciation to you guys for the inspiration.

I love this idea, especially for people without dishwashers in their kitchens. Thank you for the terrific suggestion, Daniel!

Posted by Erin on Sep 13, 2007 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

Uncluttering Music Production with Logic Studio

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Not so long ago, creating professional music tracks required racks upon racks of specialized equipment and cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While thousands of little blinking lights and twisted nests of cables may look impressive when Sean “Puff ‘P Diddy aka Puffy’ Daddy” Combs rolls up with his entourage to cut a new single, such setups can do serious damage to both your wallet and your limited space.

Apple recognized the burgeoning independent music market in 2002 with the first version of it’s Logic Pro software, and truly brought production abilities to the masses in 2004 with GarageBand. It didn’t take me long to ditch my PortaStudio, VS-840, and associated bins of tapes, disks and patch cables.

GarageBand is currently included as a standard software application on all iLife suite. It’s perfectly suited to quick recordings when inspiration strikes, and even producing very passable demos. Professional quality recordings, though, still demand more robust — and much more expensive — software.

But yesterday, Apple changed the game again with the announcement of Logic Studio, which integrates Logic Pro 8, formerly separate application Soundtrack Pro, a new interface for using Logic Pro for live shows, as well as thousands of loops, plugins, and software instruments. This is a pretty incredible suite, and I predict that some musicians will literally be abandoning their racks for Macs and USB controllers.

And the best part — the whole package can be had for just under five bills, which makes it the ideal solution to serve as the hub of a minimalist recording setup. Add a decent mic, and good pair of reference monitors or headphones, and you’re in business. As an added bonus for us unclutterers, Apple also has abandoned the annoying USB dongle that formerly plagued pricey pro software packages.

Way to go Apple — yet again.

Posted by Brian on Sep 13, 2007 | 9 Comments | Tweet This

Establish a zone in a room with vinyl wall decals

Living in an apartment or dorm room can have some disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantage, in my opinion, is that you have limited decorating options. Most landlords won’t allow you to paint the walls, and many won’t let you use nails to hang artwork.

This bleak canvas might be appealing to minimalists, but I think that most people enjoy looking at something other than plain, white walls. Additionally, visually identifying where a room begins and ends, or where a zone of a room exists, can help a space feel more put together and less cluttered.

Vinyl wall decals with low-tack adhesive are one way to create interest on a wall without having to pick up a paintbrush or hammer a nail. I also think that these are great solutions for children’s rooms where interests change quickly with age. (Dump trucks were so two weeks ago!) I’m considering using them in my three-story stairwell, and I even have the luxury of being able to paint my walls.

A google search for vinyl wall decals or decorations will yield many links. I’ve collected a list of some of what I believe to be the most innovative producers:

  • Pop Cling has vibrant, artistic clings.
  • Wonderful Graffiti lets you create custom lettering and also has ready-made words and quotes available.
  • Acte Deco has numerous designs based on nature and sports themes.
  • Domestic has many interesting cartoons and doilies from French designers (“Shall We Dance” is my favorite).
  • Wallcandy has brightly colored designs perfect for a child’s room, and some serve double duty as chalkboards.
  • Tonky has unique designs (their “Creatures” are so disturbing they’re cool).
  • Beearo eschews vinyl and makes wood wall decals.
  • Sitcky Ups is a British company that has lots of options for children’s rooms.
  • Les Invasions Ephemeres has seven collections, most with a French flair.
  • Apple Pie Design has many silhouette options.
  • Blik has Charles and Ray Eames decals that make my heart go pitter patter.

If you’re having trouble creating zones in your home, consider vinyl wall decals as a temporary or permanent option.

Posted by Erin on Sep 12, 2007 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: The Perfect Pushup

So you think you can get a workout in your own home without adding clutter to your life? Think again! The Perfect Pushup is a product that will make you into a buff, pushup machine. I mean, just look at the ripped dudes they show performing perfectly executed pushups in the commercial! They don’t touch the ground with their hands–touching the ground is so uncool!

If you are going to get ripped faster than a Navy SEAL, you will have to add this unitasker to your life. Oh, and speaking of Navy SEALs, The Perfect Pushup was invented by one so you know it will get your body into shape. Stop doing those caveman pushups you were taught to do by some regular gym teacher and go for the gold with The Perfect Pushup.

**The man pictured may or may not be a Navy SEAL. Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that seem to find their way into our homes.

Posted by Matt on Sep 12, 2007 | 15 Comments | Tweet This

Make finding first aid items easier

Currently, my family has band-aids in the kitchen, various ointments throughout the house, and no central place for all things first-aid related. Our first-aid supplies are not organized at all. We don’t have a kit and we don’t even have a proper box for storage.

I think that it’s a good idea not to wait until you have a cut or scrap to organize your first-aid kit (which is what has happened recently to me). Organize it now and save yourself a lot of frustration when you really need to find a band-aid or some hydrogen peroxide.

You can opt for the pre-packaged solution or you can simply gather all of your supplies and place them into a childproof cabinet or storage space. Regardless of what you decide, make sure all of your supplies are in good condition and be sure to check the expiration dates. A couple months ago, Unclutterer featured a post on clearing clutter from your medicine chest. That post can give you pointers on what to keep, what to throw away, and how to properly dispose of old medications. (Erin wanted me to remind you NOT to flush old medications down the toilet!)

Once you have all of your items ready, make sure to store the first-aid kit in an area where it is easy for adults to access but out of reach of children. Don’t store it in a place where it’s too difficult for you to get to it. When you have a cut or burn you will want semi-easy access to your kit.

Posted by Matt on Sep 11, 2007 | 11 Comments | Tweet This

Accommodate guests with space saving solutions

House guests come and go, but the bed that is seldom used for them stays in your home all the time. If you don’t want to set aside a room to become a guest room, why not pick up an inflatable bed? They are easy to stow away when the guests aren’t around and they serve their purpose as needed. I know everyone has a horror story of sleeping on a terrible inflatable bed, but do some shopping around and find a good quality temporary bed that can serve your guests well.

If the inflatable bed isn’t for you, you may want to look into a sleeper sofa. Again, there are definitely some horrible sleeper sofas out there, but you must do some research and shop around. You don’t want your guests ruing the the day they stayed at your place.

Again, you really have to go out and find these things yourself. Research which beds are comfortable and reliable. If you settle for the cheapest option, you may not have any guests to accommodate after a few stays on a terrible mattress.

Posted by Matt on Sep 11, 2007 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Is everything in your home in its best place?

Imagine your kitchen for a moment. What is the one thing that you use most every time you’re in it? Your refrigerator? Your stove? Your trash can?

Most people don’t think about their trash can as being an integral aspect of their kitchens, but it is. During the course of preparing a meal, a trash can needs to be accessed numerous times. That is why I am always surprised when I walk into a kitchen and don’t immediately see one easily accessible from all aspects of the room. Even worse, I’m confused by kitchen designs where the trash can is behind a door, under the kitchen sink.

Yes, a trash can hidden behind a cabinet door looks clean, but it is completely impractical. You have to touch a cabinet nob, likely with dirty and full hands, to access it repeatedly. When it’s time to change the garbage bags, you have to strategically pull out the full canister without dropping anything inside the cabinet. A poorly placed trash can doesn’t help you in the kitchen, it hinders you. And, with the sexy, foot controlled, stand-alone models that are on the market, you shouldn’t feel that you need to hide this essential item.

I have a friend who hides her trash can under her sink and she says that she avoids the constant opening and closing of the door by keeping a large bowl on her countertop for trash while she’s cooking. (I think Rachel Ray promotes this idea on her show, too.) That makes some sense, but by doing this she dirties an extra bowl every time she cooks and adds steps to the cleaning process. An accessible trash can seems like the more efficient solution to me.

Think about the rest of your house. Are you creating extra, unnecessary steps for yourself because of poor organization? Are your pot holders in a drawer no where near your stove? Is your vacuum in a basement closet and not in a closet on the floor where it is used? Remember that good organization and design should be based on what you use and how you use it. I continue to support the idea that everything in your home should have a place to live, I just want you to think about if everything is living in its best place.

Posted by Erin on Sep 10, 2007 | 39 Comments | Tweet This

MIT designs clutter detector

Have you ever been in a rental car and wasted time trying to figure out how to open the trunk from the driver’s seat or turn on the headlights? Have you been in a restaurant with a menu that has so many words and typefaces on a page that you have to concentrate intensely to decide what you want to order?

A team of engineers at MIT believes that these frustrations are caused by visual clutter. In response, they have designed a visual clutter detector to identify when bad design hampers a person’s ability to understand information, causes confusion, or interrupts concentration. The clutter detector is “a breakthrough that could help everyone from fighter pilots to Web site designers.”

A PC World article discusses the clutter detector’s methodology:

… clutter is perceived differently by different people, so coming up with a universal measure of what’s hard or easy to pick out in a display is challenging. The model takes into account such factors as color, data and contrast.

Visual clutter is obviously different from physical clutter, but if you rid your view of clutter then you rid yourself of distractions. Check out the article and the underlying research (available for .zip download here) for more details.

Posted by Matt on Sep 10, 2007 | 3 Comments | Tweet This

Wireless speakers for rear surround

I know that audiophiles will scoff at the idea of outfitting their home theater with these inexpensive Acoustic Research wireless speakers, but for those of us who don’t want to drop an arm and a leg on speakers, these are a decent, uncluttered solution.

Yes, they definitely have their drawbacks. However, each speaker can be powered with 8 C batteries or you can choose to plug them in via an AC adapter. The AC adapter does add a wire, but one wire is a better alternative to two twenty-foot speaker wires running through your room. If you live in an apartment and you don’t have the option of wiring your den for sound, this is definitely an option.

You also can use the speakers out on your deck or patio. Acoustic Research claims the range on these speakers reaches up to 300 feet. (Which might mean more like 200 feet.) Either way, the speakers seem to have more than enough range to accommodate your next outdoor get-together.

Posted by Matt on Sep 8, 2007 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

100 reasons to get rid of it

I don’t subscribe to Martha Stewart Living or its spinoff Blueprint, but I get their newsletters by e-mail. I’m always amazed by Ms. Stewart and her staff’s creativity. Yesterday’s e-mail newsletter included a link to the article “100 Reasons to Get Rid of It.”

The article is, as its title implies, a list of 100 reasons to get rid of extraneous stuff in your home. Well, that’s not fully accurate … around number 84 it takes a strange diversion … but, by number 87 it seems to be back on track. I think that number 100 is my favorite reason, and number 50 is a close second.

Check out the list if you’re looking for uncluttering inspiration.

Posted by Erin on Sep 7, 2007 | 9 Comments | Tweet This

Wine Wedge solves need for traditional wine rack

A big “thank you” to our friends at Serious Eats for pointing us toward the new Wine Wedge. These two little rubber wedges allow you to have a wine rack of any size, whenever you need one. Retailing at $9.95 for the pair (available online from Firebox), the Wine Wedge also can be used for soda cans or other round containers. This is an inexpensive way to store wine without a cumbersome rack–perfect for a small space.

The New York Times gave the Wine Wedge what can only be considered a positive review:

The Wedge may not look very robust, but it works surprisingly well.

It’s wonderful to find quality storage solutions that take up very little space and cost very little money. Three cheers for the London-based firm Bluw and their uncluttered design.

Posted by Erin on Sep 7, 2007 | 15 Comments | Tweet This

Rent large tools, don’t buy them

If you have a big job to do at your home and you’d like to do it yourself, don’t run out and purchase the tools you’ll need to finish the job. There are plenty of rental companies where you can secure the needed tools to complete the work.

For example, maybe you need to pressure wash your deck or patio. Rather than running out to purchase a pressure washer, go rent one and you don’t have to worry about storing it at your premises. If you find yourself renting a device multiple times per year, then you may want to consider buying one. But always keep renting as the first option. You will find that renting is cheaper, easier, and more convenient.

Most likely there are plenty of independent rental proprietors in your area, but here are some national rental companies:

Posted by Matt on Sep 6, 2007 | 5 Comments | Tweet This

Netflix for books

As a dedicated unclutterer, I love Netflix. Why fill your home with DVD boxes when you can have every movie ever made at your disposal just as long as you’re willing to wait a couple days for it? Sure, there are going to be those titles that you absolutely love and will want to own to watch over and over, but most of the time movies are one-time consumables you don’t need to hang on to.

That said, I’m so excited about Book Swim, a new service that promises to do for books what Netflix has done for DVDs. You pay a monthly fee, come up with a list of books, get three in the mail (no postage fees either way), return them when you’re done (no late fees) and get the next one in your queue. How awesome is that?

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It sounds like a great way to sample books you might not otherwise pick up. They have plans from 3 books out at a time for $19.99 a month, to 11 books for $35.99. Sure, the library is always another great option, but this is so convenient for busy folks. One feature I dig: If you really love a book you can just keep it and pay them for it. I’m not sure how great their selection is, but I plan to get a subscription and report back with details. Anyone out there already a Book Swim member?

Posted by Jerry on Sep 6, 2007 | 43 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: Panda poo souvenirs

To begin, we’re not certain that this is a real news story. If it is accurate, however, then we do believe that we may have found the unitasker to crown all unitaskers:

The panda poo souvenir!

Let everyone know that you are serious about liking pandas. Don’t be satisfied with a measly t-shirt or a baseball hat with “I Love Pandas!” printed on it. A plushy stuffed animal definitely can’t show the world your true feelings. No, you have to go above and beyond what fair-weather panda fans do. You need hand-crafted artwork made of panda feces to really make your statement. You won’t care that it smells up your house and causes sickness in small children and the elderly. Little things like this won’t hold you back. Profess your love for pandas in the best way possible. Stand proud with your poo!

Link and photo courtesy of Metro UK.

**Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that seem to find their way into our homes. In this case, we deeply hope that this does not come within 30 miles of where you live.

Posted by Erin on Sep 5, 2007 | 11 Comments | Tweet This

Single hook bike solution

A while back we took a look at bike storage solutions, and here’s a super-simple, super-stylish one brought to our attention by the indispensable Swiss Miss. The Leonardo Single Bike Hook is, well, a single hook that eschews unsightly hardware but gets the job done nonetheless.

Leonardo Bike Hook

Posted by Jerry on Sep 5, 2007 | 13 Comments | Tweet This