Archives for April 2008

Finding order on your bookshelves

After reading Bringing your bookshelves back to order last week, you’ve hopefully had time to go through your books in your personal collection and clear the clutter. Now that you have enough space for your books, it’s time to take on the task of organizing them on the shelves.

I want to start by recommending that you take inventory of your books. If you value your books enough to keep them, then you should want to replace them if ever your collection is ruined in a disaster. If you wouldn’t want to replace them, then you may want to reconsider keeping them. Additionally, a current inventory allows you to search your whole collection with just a few key strokes on your computer. There are many software programs out there to help you with your inventory. On a PC, you may be interested in trying Readerware for Books ($40). It seems to be the least expensive, most positively reviewed, and it also has a version for Windows-based handheld devices ($50). If you have a Mac system, the two most positively discussed products are Booxter ($50) and Delicious Monster ($40). Neither appear to have the bells and whistles of the Readerware program, but they have much more intuitive interfaces.

With your collection free of clutter and properly inventoried, here are some recommended ways of organizing your books:

  • The latest trend is to organize your books by spine color. This method is definitely not for me since it doesn’t provide easy access to finding what I need quickly, but, if you have a home inventory in place, you could enter shelf location and make searching your collection easier.
  • I organize my collection using the Library of Congress classification system. I don’t get into the nitty gritty of subclasses, I just follow the broad category groupings. All of my social science books are together on a single shelf, for example.
  • If the LoC isn’t for you, the Dewey Decimal groupings may be more your style.
  • I’ve also found that organizing most accessed to least accessed works well, especially if you have a lot of shelves that are above shoulder height. Books rarely accessed go up on high shelves, and ones regularly accessed go at eye level or lower. If you have smaller children, reserve the lower shelves for their books.
  • Creating your own organization method is always an option, too. If this is the path you choose, I recommend labeling your shelves with Inreda Bookends or sticking a printed label directly on the lip of the shelf. Doing this will help you find your books most efficiently.

Good luck with your book organizing efforts! I’m eager to read in the comments how you’ve decided to organize the books you’ve chosen to keep.

Image from chotda’s collection on flickr.

Posted by Erin on Apr 22, 2008 | 71 Comments | Tweet This

Save storage space with the telescoping ladder

As I lugged my ladder out of my basement the other day, I thought to myself, “There has to be a better way to store a ladder.” And, it turns out, there is. My research led me to discover the telescoping ladder that is billed as the “World’s Handiest Ladder.” The ladder collapses down to 30 inches for storage, but telescopes into a 12-1/2 foot ladder at full length for use.

If you’re in the market for a ladder, you might want to consider this easy-to-store version. It’s simple to transport and has an incredibly small footprint. Try fitting a regular ladder into the trunk of your car!

Posted by Matt on Apr 22, 2008 | 10 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , ,

Organizing pet information in case of emergency

My friend Elspeth recently lost her cat. The kitty is home safely now, but in the process of looking for her my friend learned a thing or two about how she could have been a better organized pet owner.

After her experience, Elspeth put together a list of emergency information and resources you should have on file if you have a pet:

  1. Have your pet microchipped and have on file the name of the company, the microchip number, and contact information for the company.
  2. Know the number on your pet’s rabies tag.
  3. Have documentation on all of your pet’s vaccinations and surgeries. Shelters and vets that take in lost pets will conduct blood tests to identify strays from non-strays. Knowing which vaccines are in your pet’s blood and locations of scars can help in identifying your pet.
  4. Take pictures of your pet at many different angles and of all unique pattern markings. Have these images in digital format. Many states and shelters will post pictures of lost pets online and you’ll want the pictures to print fliers.
  5. Most agencies will only allow you to report a pet that has been missing for more than 24 hours. Find out which agencies take these notices (usually shelters and animal control) and have their contact information in your address book.
  6. Even if your pet lives primarily indoors, you still need to have a collar on your pet with identification. Break away collars are best for constant wear so that your pet doesn’t accidentally choke himself/herself.
  7. Keep contact information for how to post messages to your neighborhood e-mail listserv and Craigslist community.

Ultimately, it was a couple who found the cat and also saw one of Elspeth’s posters on a bus stop in the neighborhood. We hope that you never lose one of your pets, but if you do, you’ll be prepared by having the above information at your fingertips.

Posted by Erin on Apr 21, 2008 | 12 Comments | Tweet This

Brijit: An uncluttered way to get quality information

An Unclutterer reader recently directed me to a website called Brijit (pronounced bridge-it). After doing a Google search about the site, I decided the link wasn’t spam or anything dodgy, and clicked through on the link to learn more about it.

The site, at its core, is a news aggregator. But, unlike other news aggregators, it only focuses on long-form content in magazines and newspapers. The site provides a 100 word summary of the article and a link to the original source if you decide you want to read the full work.

You can access the content on the site, or subscribe to RSS feeds. I subscribed to the “Home” feed, and I have been very impressed by the quality of the articles and their frequency (one to three a day, which is a manageable number). In addition to subscribing to topic feeds, you also can subscribe to specific news sources.

I’ve been subscribing to Brijit for three weeks now, and I feel that it is a simple, uncluttered way to stay informed. It also keeps paper out of my house, which is another benefit. I’ve found it to be a valuable resource and wanted to share it with you.

Posted by Erin on Apr 21, 2008 | 6 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

Posted by PJ on Apr 20, 2008 | 4 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

  • Freecycle
    If you’re looking to get rid of clutter in your home, Freecycle might be one way to say goodbye to your stuff.

Posted by PJ on Apr 19, 2008 | 5 Comments | Tweet This

Simple charging station

Reader Koz sent us a link to this little contraption:


The Driinn Mobile Phone Holder reminds me of the Load Thing we featured on the site last June. This one seems a little smaller, but just as efficient. It also appears that it could be used for other electronic devices of similar size, like a DS Lite or digital camera. And, at $8, it’s not the most expensive solution on the market. Thank you, Koz, for the link!

Posted by Erin on Apr 19, 2008 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Getting to know you

To say that I am curious about Unclutterer readers would be an understatement. Thinking about who you are helps me to generate story ideas, and so I’m always wondering what your lives are like and how I might be able to help you.

What content do you want to read? Have you ever taken any of the advice and used it? What is your personal philosophy on simple living? Is there something we’ve discussed that you want us to explore more intensely? Are you just starting out in a place of your own or are you on the verge of downsizing into an active retirement community? What is important to you? What is your story? What do you do in your free time and how can I help you to have less stress?

Since I would love to learn more about you and what makes you tick in our comments section, I feel that I should share a little about me with you:

I grew up in the Midwest and moved to D.C. a little more than eight years ago. I can milk a cow, pluck feathers off a chicken, and identify soybean and barley plants when they’re still in their fields — but I don’t use these skills much in my current life. The chore I hate to do the most is laundry. The area in my house that could use more order is the basement. My preferred design style is mid-century modern with industrial accents. I love cheese, coffee, olives, béarnaise sauce, and wine. I don’t like chocolate. I’m tall, and wish I were about three inches taller. I have watched five episodes of Hannah Montana in an attempt to understand the fascination pre-teens have with Miley Cyrus and still do not get it. When I speak, crayon is pronounced crown. I love telling stories that make people laugh. I’m not obsessed with organization, I’m obsessed with living a simple, remarkable life and being organized is just a tool to help me toward that goal. I love my job.

Now it’s your turn. Tell us about yourself in the comments. Let us know your answers to the questions from the second paragraph of this post. How can we help you be an unclutterer?

Posted by Erin on Apr 18, 2008 | 230 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

Posted by PJ on Apr 18, 2008 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: More closet workspaces

Last week after posting about the closet office, two more amazing workspace closet solutions appeared in the Unclutterer flickr pool. The first is Kimberly’s sewing station and the second is Adam’s workshop:


I think that both images speak for themselves: efficient, organized, and with the closing of a door the entire workspace disappears. Adam has a blog post explaining how he created his space up on his site. Fantastic solutions, Kimberly and Adam — thank you for sharing them with us!

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.

Posted by Erin on Apr 18, 2008 | 5 Comments | Tweet This

Five spring organizing activities

Five quick things you can do now that the weather is warmer:

  1. Take your sweaters and winter coats to the dry cleaner for an end of season cleaning. Then, put them in moth proof storage at the back of your closet.
  2. Soak scarves, gloves and mittens and then lay them in the sun to dry. Afterward, put them in moth proof storage at the back of your coat closet.
  3. Check the expiration date on your sunscreen and replace it if it’s past its prime. If you have more than one bottle of sunscreen in your cabinet, line them up by emptiest to fullest and plan on using up the least-full bottles first.
  4. Check bulletin boards and note centers throughout your home and office and get rid of outdated memos, calendars, and fliers.
  5. Now is also the perfect time for a sock purge. Also go through your underwear and t-shirt drawers and get rid of any items that have seen better days. Replace as necessary.

If you’re looking for even more warmer weather activities, be sure to check out our spring cleaning guide.

Posted by Erin on Apr 17, 2008 | 21 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

  • Pets are clutter!
    If you have pets, you’re bound to accumulate pet supply clutter. Here are some tips to make sure fido also lives a simple life.

Posted by PJ on Apr 17, 2008 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Bathroom storage is key

Our new bathroom has some rather odd storage. There isn’t a lot of storage space and we must figure out how to use what we have more wisely. In our new, smaller home, we no longer have our own master bathroom, so we will have to change our bathroom storage habits.

This article from Martha Stewart Living Magazine has some great ideas for bathroom storage. From the article:

To provide sufficient storage, add a standing cabinet. If you can, choose one with separate spaces, preferably one for each person — one drawer can hold Mom’s hair-care essentials, for instance, while another contains the kids’ bath toys.

Bathroom drawers are second only to junk drawers in their potential for messiness. It’s easy to toss grooming products in there pell-mell. Use wooden boxes and trays to help categorize the items. They are available in various sizes and materials, so they can be mixed and matched to fit any sort of drawer. Lazy Susans, too, make accessing toiletries a snap. As a final touch, paint the cabinet a color that coordinates with rest of the bathroom.

We are considering something like this corner cabinet as a storage unit. We have yet to decide if it’s the perfect solution for us, but the bathroom storage situation definitely is on top of our list of problems we need to solve.

Posted by Matt on Apr 17, 2008 | 23 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

Unitasker Wednesday: Movie Time Kettle Popcorn Maker

Popcorn is the perfect snack to enjoy while watching a movie. What could be more perfect than this Movie Time Kettle Popcorn Maker? It may measure in at 19″H x 12.5″L x 10.5″ W, but that space is easily sacrificed for the allure of freshly popped popcorn for your movie viewing. How else does one achieve the freshly popped corn of the movie palace? I can’t think of any other way!

It can make up to one gallon of popcorn at once. I’m not exactly sure how much popcorn that is, but it sounds like enough to cure your popcorn craving. This thing is perfect for the home theater, tv room, or game room. It is apparently meant for table top display, so make sure you have a table ready for this popcorn behemoth!

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

Posted by Matt on Apr 16, 2008 | 20 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , ,

A year ago on Unclutterer

  • Bedrooms are for sleeping, part 1
    Ideally, your bedroom is a place for sleeping. That is, it’s a place for rest and relaxation. Anything in your room that doesn’t contribute to the relaxation will likely only keep you from recharging your batteries.

Posted by PJ on Apr 16, 2008 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Printing to PDF

Reader Matthew sent us the following suggestion:

When you buy something online and the site says “Print this receipt page for your records” print it to the PDF printer instead of paper. You can print it out later if you must, and you have it as a record of your order number or parcel tracking number.

Matthew’s suggestion is terrific especially since you don’t need to have a full version of Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional to print to PDF.

On a Mac, go to File > Print, and then click on the PDF button in the lower left hand corner of the pop-up window. The PDF print software comes installed.

On a PC, download and install CutePDF Writer. The program is free and allows you to print straight to PDF through the print function.

On a Linux box, you’ll want to set up a CUPS open printer installation. And, as is the beauty of open source, it’s also free.

Thank you, Matthew, for your suggestion of another way to keep paper from cluttering up our offices!

Posted by Erin on Apr 16, 2008 | 29 Comments | Tweet This

Bringing your bookshelves back to order

I love, love, love books. The wikipedia entry for bibliophilia should include a picture of me with my nose in a book. I read between 10 to 20 books a month, and I almost exclusively read non-fiction. If money were no object, I would have a home library complete with rolling ladders, comfy leather chairs, and shelves full of my favorite books.

Money has not yet started to grow on the trees in my yard, so I don’t have the luxury of having a dedicated room for a home library. Until then, I have had to accept that I cannot keep every book I’ve ever read or hope to read. So, how do I decide which books stay and which books go? I follow these simple rules:

  1. Don’t keep more books than you can fit on available bookshelf space. If a book doesn’t have a safe place to live, you’re not treating it with the respect it deserves.
  2. Don’t keep books for the sole purpose of impressing other people. This rings true in business offices, too. Unless you’re a British literature professor, there is no reason to have the complete works of Shakespeare on your office bookshelves. Potential clients will wonder why you’re spending your time reading Macbeth instead of focusing on their case.
  3. Get rid of any book you’ve read, don’t plan on reading or referencing again, is in the public domain, and can be found in its entirety online. That’s right, I’m talking about ditching your Dover copy of The Scarlet Letter.
  4. If you live near a public library or a used bookstore, try to think of these places as an extension of your personal collection. Also, now that so many libraries have free audio books to download, using the library is in some ways more convenient than a personal collection.

Beyond these rules, I’ve found that books are best evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, if a book is in bad shape, I’ll recycle it. If I’m on the fence about getting rid of a book, I’ll go online and find out how much it’s selling for on Powell’s — if it’s selling for less than $5, I’ll get rid of it — if it’s selling for more than $15, I will usually hold onto it. I also have found that I have difficulty parting with books that have beautiful bindings, so these books I have to scrutinize more diligently. And, don’t forget to ask yourself these vital questions each time you finish reading a book.

After deciding which books should go, there are many resources available to you. I’ve used or read positive reviews about the following services: Powell’s, my local used bookstore, half.com, PaperBackSwap.com, donating to the local library used book sale, BookMooch.com, BookScouter.com, and donating to charities that want specific types of books (nursing homes, literacy programs, etc.).

Good luck sorting through your books, and stay tuned for next week when I’ll discuss how to organize the books you’ve chosen to keep.

Posted by Erin on Apr 15, 2008 | 70 Comments | Tweet This

That wire mess can win you a prize

The contest is called “What’s Under your Desk” and that mess under your desk can qualify you to win a dinner with Peter Brady, er, I mean, Christopher Knight.

The contest is sponsored by Green Plug.

Green Plug’s mission is to sign up electronics manufacturers to use its chip that would go into power supplies. With the chip, consumers would be able to plug any device into a hub to power multiple devices. Software, which the company intends to make available for free, will be able to read exactly how much power a device needs.

Here at Unclutterer, we have made it our mission to rid your workspace or entertainment center of that wire monster that may be lurking under your desk. The wire monster is incredibly pesky and hard to control, but with some tips and the right plan of attack the wire monster can be conquered.

(via Crave)

Posted by Matt on Apr 15, 2008 | 9 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , ,

Unpack now, not later

Well, we are now moved into our smaller home and it feels right. We’ve only been here two days, but I think we are happy with our decision to downsize. We are living among boxes right now and that isn’t the best way to enjoy the new home. Fortunately for us, my mother came and picked up our daughter so we can get down to the nitty gritty of unpacking all these boxes. (Note: If you have a smile on your face like the couple pictured to the right while unpacking, you may need serious help.)

I always hear people saying, “We moved X months ago, and we are still unpacking boxes.” The obvious remedy for that is to unpack as soon as you move in. Everyone’s schedules are different, but one should make it a priority to unpack as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will find yourself living out of boxes for the foreseeable future. Unpacking immediately doesn’t mean to do it sloppy, either. This is the time to find a place for everything in your home, and being conscientious of where you put things the first time will save you headaches in the future.

The first room that my wife tackled was the kitchen. It was unpacked and organized before the movers were even finished unloading the truck. It was quite impressive. The kitchen is a rather important part of the home and my wife needed the kitchen in order before anything else. After that we unpacked the living room. Generally, you want to unpack the necessity rooms. Those include; bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen. Other can wait, but you may want to get the living room/den out of the way so you can relax while you take a unpacking break.

With everything currently in flux, we don’t yet feel that this is our home. Living among boxes tends to do that. So, rather than procrastinate, we have designated the unpacking of our boxes as priority number one.

Posted by Matt on Apr 14, 2008 | 32 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , ,

Using Flickr to get rid of your adult child’s clutter in your home

My mother took a week off from work recently and spent some of this free time cleaning out the closet in her home’s guest bedroom. The guest room used to be my childhood bedroom, and so I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn that some of my stuff was still cluttering up the closet. After a phone conversation with her about the best way to get rid of my forgotten items, we’re both fairly certain that all of my stuff is now out of the house.

What is awful about this situation, though, is that I haven’t lived with my parents since I went off to college 16 years ago. My unwanted stuff has been taking up space in someone else’s home for almost half of my life! Ack! Are you in the situation where you’re storing your child’s clutter when he or she hasn’t lived at home in 10, 15, or 20+ years?

The best case scenario for handling your adult child’s clutter in your home is to have her come in and clear the clutter herself. You should set a specific date and time for this project that takes you and your adult child’s schedules into consideration. Packing up the stuff and tossing it without any input from your daughter will likely create animosity, so it really is a good idea to have her be a part of the process.

If your child now lives half-way across the country and can’t clear the clutter himself or on a convenient schedule, I suggest a virtual clutter clearing. To take on this project, you’ll need a digital camera, a computer, a Flickr account, and some boxes. Photograph all of your child’s items as you place them into boxes. Then, upload all of the images to a Flickr account and send your child the URL. Your child can go through the pictures online and decide the fate of the stuff. I suggest that there only be two options for the stuff: “Send to me” and “Don’t send to me.” Let your child know that you will make the decision to donate, sell, or trash the things in the “don’t send to me” pile. I think that you’ll be surprised how few things your child chooses to have sent his way now that he has photographic images of all of the things he left. And, over the course of a few days, you’ll finally be free of the clutter.

Posted by Erin on Apr 14, 2008 | 18 Comments | Tweet This