Archives for August 2008

A year ago on Unclutterer

Posted by PJ on Aug 20, 2008 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Say goodbye to perfume clutter

I like the idea of perfume, but have never really supported the whole “signature scent” concept. Wearing the same fragrance day after day isn’t my style, so I usually just go without perfume because it costs a lot to have many options. I also don’t want a whole dresser top full of large glass bottles tempting my cats. I find, too, that after a year or two the perfume goes stale and loses its oomph!

Reader Amanda sent us a terrific idea for men and women wanting to get rid of large bottle cologne and perfume clutter. Similar to the Use it up! advice reader Elena sent us for shampoo, Amanda’s suggestion is to only purchase perfume in very small amounts through websites like LuckyScent and ThePerfumedCourt:

“This keeps the price low, I can try different perfumes (some not available locally), and I hide them in a box in a dresser drawer, freeing (uncluttering) the top of my dresser.”

LuckyScent has an option at the bottom of every page of perfume that gives you the choice to purchase a sample (1/32 oz.):

And, ThePerfumedCourt only sells trial sizes:

“What we do is spray, pour, or use sterile pipettes to take perfume from its original large bottle and repackage it in a smaller bottle (we only use brand new sterile glass bottles) so that the consumer can try as many fragrances as they desire before buying a full bottle.”

Thank you, Amanda, for such a terrifically simple idea for men and women who choose to wear a fragrance!

Posted by Erin on Aug 20, 2008 | 24 Comments | Tweet This

College Life: Invest in a laptop

Today we present Intern Julia’s third installment in her series on back-to-school preparations.

Have you ever lost a notebook or a folder the day before an exam? Do you find yourself recycling pounds of notebooks at the end of the semester? Is there always that one irritating classmate who never goes to class, and then shows up before a test begging for you to Xerox your notes for him?

Taking notes on your laptop eliminates all these problems. If you make sure to backup all your files on an external hard drive or online storage system, you’ll never have to worry about losing your notes at the last minute. You’ll save trees, and you can say goodbye to spirals that eventually warp into wicked metal spikes that get tangled together and slash up your Ultimate Frisbee hand. You also can e-mail the irritating kid your notes, and, in the college bartering system, now he owes you a good turn if you ever happen to miss class yourself.

A laptop at school also eliminates the need for a physical CD collection and a phone in your room with the help of services like Skype. You also can set up an account with Picasa or Flickr and keep all of your photos online instead of littering what little surface area you have.

Get yourself a good lock for your laptop for when it’s in your dorm room, and choose one that is light so that it’s easy to carry with you. A cord that is at least five feet long is also good because you’re not always going to have a fully charged battery and you won’t want to trip people coming into class late. I also suggest that you buy a major brand of computer so that it will be simple to find someone to help you when you inevitably run into technical problems.

Finally, be sure to check out The Unofficial Apple Weblog’s article “Back to School: collecting and organizing information” for many great programs to keep your work organized this year. A number of the programs mentioned in the article have PC counterparts, so don’t be fooled by the site name. The article is a must-read roundup.

Posted by Intern on Aug 19, 2008 | 50 Comments | Tweet This

Have someone else digitize your old photos

How long would it take you to scan 1000 photos? I’m thinking it would take me quite some time and I don’t think I’d be able to do anything else if I wanted to get them scanned in a reasonable amount of time. If you have a large amount of photos sitting in closet, basement, or attic, you may want to check out ScanMyPhotos.com. The service promises to professionally scan 1,000 photos for you, the same day it receives them, and put them on a DVD for $50.

The company uses a Kodak scanning machine that can process a hundred photos per minute. From an informative New York Times article about the whole process:

Because it must feed your photos through this machine, ScanMyPhotos has set some rules. Photo sizes can range from 3 by 3 inches (Polaroids) to 11 by 14.

The photos must be put into similar-size bundles (4-by-6 prints together, for example) with rubber bands. The only way to label the batches is to write on index cards, which are scanned along with the photos like title cards. If you want the bundles scanned in a certain sequence, you can number the index cards.

The photos can’t be in albums or scrapbooks. That’s understandable, but it can be heart-wrenching to have to dismantle photo albums that somebody once spent a lot of time and effort creating.

Your photos can’t be in envelopes, either. For my test, I submitted about 20 years’ worth of pictures. (I found out later that there were more than 1,800 in all. I had no idea it was that many; those bundles look deceptively small.) They came from dozens of drugstore envelopes, meaning that I had to separate them from their negatives, probably forever, given that matching 1,800 prints with their original envelopes would take the rest of my life. And my descendants’.

The photos are scanned exactly as you send them. If one is upside down or backward, that’s how it winds up on the DVD. Similarly, you’re supposed to ensure that all horizontal photos are upright, and all vertical photos are consistently rotated 90 degrees the same way.

Finally, you pack your bundles into a box, stuffing it carefully to avoid shifting.

The company’s Web site offers copious photos of the right and wrong ways to pack up your pictures. The bottom line is, ScanMyPhotos will do the scanning. But you have to do the prep work, and it’s not insubstantial.

This seems like a pretty reasonable option for digitizing your old photos. Preparing your photos for shipment looks like the most labor intensive part of the whole process. It seems like a rather even tradeoff, though, for getting a DVD full of your digitized photos.

Posted by Matt on Aug 19, 2008 | 52 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

The 20th annual Great American Yard Sale

Outside Chicago, in Aurora, Illinois, there was a wonderful event called the Great American Yard Sale this past weekend. The event is an inspiration for us at Unclutterer. Yard or garage sales are a great way to get rid of things you no longer want or need. They can also be a cheap alternative to buying a new product or a way to find an antique treasure.

The Great American Yard Sale is the brainchild of Bette and Rudy Krueger. What started out as your regular old yard sale has now become a sprawling 60,000 (!) square foot behemoth. All the proceeds go to six organizations providing services to homeless people in DuPage County.

My wife and I had a fairly successful yard sale last year and I thought we had tons of stuff. It was tiny in comparison to this yard sale extravaganza. I’d be curious to know if any of our Chicago area readers were able to attend or donate items? Heck, many people apparently flock to this thing from bordering states, so maybe someone from a Midwestern state can give us a firsthand report? From the ABC 7 report:

Over the years, the sale has generated such a reputation that shoppers attend, not only from the Chicago area, but from as far away as Florida, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana.

It sounds like a bargain hunter’s dream, and a great way to get rid of things you no longer need.

Posted by Matt on Aug 18, 2008 | 11 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

Unclutterer on Carrie and Danielle’s Style Statement website

Online now is a fun interview I sat for with the lovely Danielle LaPorte, who is co-author of the book Style Statement: Live by Your Own Design. Danielle and her partner in all-things stylish, Carrie McCarthy, run a fantastic website that includes a daily question to their readership and interviews with people who they find inspiring. (I’m not sure how I made the list, but I’m truly honored they think so!)

The reason I’m linking to my interview and daily question on Unclutterer is two fold: 1.) The daily question I pose is all about clutter, and I know that many of you have great responses that you can share on their site, and 2.) I really appreciate their Style Statement philosophy. The idea is that the better you know yourself, the better choices you make. And, inevitably, you fill your life with less stuff and more meaning.

Feel welcome to head over there and check out the discussion about clutter. I’ll be following it through the day, and I hope to see you there!

Posted by Erin on Aug 18, 2008 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Make your kitchen magnetic

Today we welcome Claire Marie Blaustein, managing editor of the amazing website CookThink.com, to share with us her magnetic ideas for small spaces.

Talking about kitchen magnets makes most people think of those plastic alphabets we had when we were kids. But magnets can do more in your kitchen than spell “dog” and “cat.” They can help you free up valuable counter space, and keep all your most used kitchen tools close at hand.

Spice it up

The most common magnetic tool these days are magnetic spice tins, which are simply metal or plastic containers with clear lids. Some come with a special board that sits on your counter or attaches to the wall (like these), but you can also buy them individually at places like World Market and stick them to the side of your fridge. Be warned – some spice enthusiasts eschew these because they let light in which can damage delicate herbs, so pick a metal surface that doesn’t sit in direct light.

Wipe it up

Also very handy – a magnetic paper towel holder. If you don’t have much counter space, one of those freestanding ones can be a hassle. But with a magnet, it’s right on your fridge door, and you can just tear one off when your milk spills.

Hang it up

Next time you’re at the hardware store, see if they have inexpensive magnetic hooks. They are perfect for hanging spoons next to the stove or keeping potholders out where you need them. Hooks are one way to get commonly used items out of drawers and within easy reach.

Cut it up

My absolute favorite – a magnetic knife rack. Knife blocks are huge counter space hogs, and keeping sharp pointy things in a drawer can be dangerous for the clumsy-inclined like me. With a magnetic strip, the knives are always handy and out of the way. The magnets are powerful enough to resist a slight bump of the elbow, but pull off without too much force. They come in a variety of price ranges, but I’ve had great luck with an inexpensive one from Ikea.

The only thing with magnets is that you’re somewhat limited by the number of metal surfaces you have in the kitchen. If you want to add more, try getting a few extra knife racks, or a magnetic memo board that can be mounted to the backsplash or any other wall in your kitchen.

What else do you hang in your kitchen?

Posted by Claire Marie on Aug 18, 2008 | 25 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

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

Say you’re sorry

I have mentioned many times before that organization and tidiness are not natural instincts for me. I spent years learning how to live an uncluttered existence, and most of those lessons are what go into my Unclutterer content.

Unfortunately, I inflicted my disorganization on many roommates and family members before I changed my ways. I was thinking recently about how awful it must have been to have lived with me. Yikes!!

For today’s post, then, I want to write a few (humorous) apology letters to all of those I wronged with my disorganized ways. Please feel welcome to add your lighthearted apology letters in the comments. We can get all of the guilt off our chests in one giant outpouring!

Dear Mom,

I’m sorry that I couldn’t figure out how to use hangers or the dirty clothes hamper when I was a teenager. Also, I’m not sure what my motivation was to change clothes three to four times a day, but I’m glad you didn’t throw me out of the house over it.

Love,
Me

P.S. Please apologize to the cleaning lady who discovered the two-year-old apple core under my bed while I was at Girl Scout Camp in the sixth grade.

Dear Jennifer and Libby,

You two were fantastic college roommates and I was abysmal. Sorry, Jennifer, about leaving that glass of rotting milk under your bed. You showed complete restraint by not kicking my arse when you found it.

And Libby, my apologies for never washing my dishes and often leaving dirty pans on the stove. I can see now why you had a problem with this. Ewwww. Thank you for not smacking a pan upside my head.

Oh, and I’m sorry to both of you for having an awful boyfriend during this time period. I am grateful for Jennifer’s advice to break up with him for Lent, and I will forever be grateful for this suggestion.

I hope you two are doing well!

Love,
Me

Dear Angie and Lori,

Pretty much repeat what I just wrote to Jennifer and Libby, but substitute Lori for Jennifer, Angie for Libby, and awful boyfriend for well, another awful boyfriend.

Love,
Me

Posted by Erin on Aug 16, 2008 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

Uncluttering and weight loss: Is there a connection?

Lifetime television’s website ran an article early in July titled “Get Organized and Get Thin” that addresses the connection between clutter and diet. The story follows two women who claim that as they became more organized that they gained a better grip on their health.

Peter Walsh makes a similar conclusion in his book Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat, and I’m inclined to agree with it … to an extent.

I believe that meal planning and establishing routines are two ways that organizing can help a person to get his or her diet under better control. However, I don’t think that getting rid of clutter and organizing a space WILL always lead to loss of weight.

I think that if someone is looking to improve his or her life through organization that he or she also is looking to improve other aspects of life. I see correlation, not causation.

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the issue. Do you think the article “Get Organized and Get Thin” presents the whole picture? Is it correlation or causation?

Posted by Erin on Aug 15, 2008 | 45 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Perfect spaces

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Daniel’s pocket plenty office.

This is the photo that piqued my interest:

But, this was the photo that sold it as a WoW:

The cabinetry carved out around the window is brilliant. It lets light pour into the space and the surrounding shelving provides open storage for personalized items. The pegs under the shelf are an ingenious way to store headphones. The shelf under the cabinetry on the left is perfectly sized for CD storage, and the shelf between the drawers on the lower right is a nice size for printed media. I also like the black paint on the wall under the desk that draws attention off of black cables (I think black outlet covers would be nice, too). This office is organized, serene, and inspiring. Thank you, Daniel, for your submission!

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 Aug 15, 2008 | 11 Comments | Tweet This

Clearing mind chatter

When you get home from work, is it hard to turn off your mind: The spilling-over-list of to-dos, the important meeting that’s coming up tomorrow, project A-1 that’s due on Friday, and oh, you forgot to attend the team meeting today?

Worse yet is when you’re winding down to go to sleep and your mind switch stays ON. The more you worry about the missed meeting and how you’ll pull off the project, the more your mind keeps spinning around, obsessing on things you can’t control at 11:00 at night.

What to do?

Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman offers these simple “thought-stopping techniques” in his book Learned Optimism.

Put a Halt to Your Thoughts

If someone was shouting loudly into their cell phone right next to your cube, you’d tell them to stop, right? That’s what Seligman says to do to your own mind, too. Make the command urgent and firm. You can say it aloud, in your head, or write “STOP” in large letters on a sticky note and post it on the edge of your computer screen. Print out a stop sign and tape it to your ceiling at night when you’re trying to catch some rest. If you prefer a more intense approach to behavioral modification, Seligman recommends that you put a rubber band on your wrist. He says to give it a good SNAP when your mind chatter races.

Switch Channels

Has someone ever said a joke in the middle of a heated debate and you laughed so hard you forgot what you were arguing about? Interrupting your train of thought also works for clearing mind clutter. As soon as the chatter fires up, give your mind something else to focus on, such as returning an important phone call. If that still spins you into obsessing, look out the window and focus on the orange leaves blowing in the wind. You’re not going to sit there and day dream, it’s just a quick diversion to switch gears and then re-focus your mind in a more productive way. Moving around can snap you out of it, too. Jog over to the water cooler for a cold drink. Check off a fast action that’s not related to your mind chatter.

Reschedule to Another Time

Be the aikido master of your own mind: turn the force of the mind chatter against itself. It has a survival purpose, after all. Your mind knows instinctively to repeat things over and over to fend off danger. (“Turn off the stove, turn off the stove, turn off the stove”) But in mind chatter’s effort of self-preservation, it’s too lizard-like to know when it’s no longer serving a survival purpose and is making you edgy in the process. The solution? Seligman says to reschedule with yourself. If your mind ruminates on stopping by your boss’ office on your way out, reschedule that thought. Say to yourself, “I’ll think about you at 4:55 p.m.” Of course, be sure to enter it into your calendar and set a reminder. Then your mind is free.

Try these mind tricks to unlock chatter mind’s grip and get back to what’s important.

—
Sue Brenner is a regular contributor to Unclutterer and also can be found on her personal blog Action Symphony.

Posted by Sue on Aug 14, 2008 | 21 Comments | Tweet This

Hangers, hangers, hangers!

Having an organized closet can improve the life of your clothing, and quality hangers can help keep your clothes in their best shape. Many closets have mismatched hangers that have been collected over the years: A wire hanger there, a thick plastic one here, and wooden one there. Having the same hangers keeps any closet that much more uniform, which appeals to many people, but having the best type of hanger for your needs can be important, too. So, what type of hanger does one choose? If you are to overhaul your closet, and your out-of-control hanger collection, which hanger is the best? 

I’m sure our readers have many differing opinions on what the best hanger is, but I’ll highlight a few of my favorite options:

Ultra Slim Black Flocked Hangers: Bed, Bath and Beyond offers these thin options that claim to save up to 50% of your closet space. (via Apartment Therapy)

Vertical Hangers: If you want to keep your hangers, you can go this route and store five garments in the space for one. And they are cedar scented!

Classic Plastic: My closet is currently filled with these fat things. They don’t stretch out my clothing, but I’m not too thrilled about them. (Erin loves these, however …)

Wooden: These are probably more useful for a coat closet or suit storage.

For more on all things hangers, Real Simple has a resource for finding which hanger is best for different types of clothing. Also, when it comes to those wire hangers, round them up and drop them off at your dry cleaner’s the next time you’re running errands. Dry cleaners almost always accept used wire hangers.

Posted by Matt on Aug 14, 2008 | 35 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , ,

Unitasker Wednesday: UroClub

I’m not a golfer, but I would imagine that if nature called while you’re out playing a round you would either hold it until you found a proper facility or you would simply head into a wooded area to take care of the issue. I’m not sure if the UroClub is a joke, but it is definitely a ridiculous alternative to using the woods.

The UroClub includes a towel that acts a shield for privacy. So, while you are relieving yourself you can be rest assured that no one will be the wiser. Now, you can enjoy the golf experience without having to use pesky things like public restrooms. Simply unscrew the top of the club, drape your towel, and you are good to go. You can then set the filled-up club back into your bag and enjoy the rest of your game. Just make sure you screw that cap on tight! And ladies, I’m sorry to report, but this is not equipped for unisex use. As far as we can tell, it’s not actually made to hit golf balls, either.

Thanks to reader Stephanie for bringing this unitasker to our attention.

**Each week, the Unitasker Wednesday column humorously pokes fun at the unnecessary, single-use items that manage to find their way into our homes.

Posted by Matt on Aug 13, 2008 | 28 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

A year ago on Unclutterer

Posted by PJ on Aug 13, 2008 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Ikea’s new Laptop Workstation: A highlight of 2009 catalog

Ikea’s 2009 catalog has hit the internet and people are going crazy talking about the new items. The one thing that has caught my attention more than everything else is the wall-mounted Laptop Workstation.

It’s very similar to the eNook Workstation we discussed in January, and a lot less expensive at $69.99. The front of the Laptop Workstation folds down and has cubbies for small-item storage.

It comes in white or red and matches the other items in the Ikea PS collection.

To pre-order your 2009 Ikea Catalog, follow this link:
http://info.ikea-usa.com/SignUp/

Posted by Erin on Aug 13, 2008 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Answering unique reader mail

Readers e-mail us some, uh, er, um, interesting questions. I’ve been collecting them, and I decided to do a whimsical question and answer column for today filled with my best attempts at responses. Feel welcome to play along and provide answers to any questions that interest you in the comments:

After organizing/minimalising/unclutterring a space, is it okay to write a poem about it if you are so inspired?

Sure. Why not?! If you feel inspired to write a poem, write a poem! Here, I’ll give it a whirl …

(A Humorous) Ode to Order
By Erin Rooney Doland

I love it when it’s clean in here
I love it when the counter is clear
I love to have my friends stop by
and not once have to apologize
Oh how I love my newly organized space
A place for everything, and everything in its place

Do you watch tv? What shows?

I love pop culture. I have a TV and a DVR, and I watch most of my shows in clumps on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings — and some mostly in fast forward (Project Runway, Top Chef). The following shows are programed to record into my DVR, but not all of them are currently in season: Burn Notice, Chuck, Closer, CSI: Las Vegas, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Eureka, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, In Plain Sight, Law and Order, Life, The Middle Man, Myth Busters, Project Runway, Psych, Pushing Daisies, and Top Chef.

If you could legally burn your house down and start over from scratch, would you?

One of Unclutterer’s programmers lost his house in a fire in June, and I know for certain I do not want to go through a similar experience. Please don’t burn my house down.

Are you married?

All of the Unclutterer staffers are married except for Intern Julia. And, Intern Julia would like everyone to know she has a boyfriend.

Is that really a picture of you in Ready Made?

Yes. Do I not look how you imagined? If you met me on the street, I’d likely be taller than you imagined, too.

Can you come and clean my house for me?

No, but I hear Merry Maids does a decent job with cleaning!

Seriously, if you’re looking to hire a professional organizer, I highly recommend you use NAPO’s referral service to find one in your community.

Can you yell at my husband for me?

I try not to yell except at sporting events. Does your husband play for the Nationals? If he does, I yell at him all the time.

Do you like Martha Stewart?

I’ve never met Martha Stewart, so I don’t know if I like her. I typically enjoy her work, though, and I am in love with her book Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home. I think it would be great to sit down and have a glass of wine with her. She has more experience in the home lifehack industry than any other human, and I know I could learn a great deal from her.

Why do you think you’re better than everyone else?

Really? Huh. Are you sure you’re reading Unclutterer.com? Because, honestly, trying to be better than everyone else would take a LOT of time and effort, and I just don’t have that sort of energy.

Can you please get rid of the cartoon at the top of the home page? He scares me.

The cartoon guy at the top of the page is staying. I have a crush on him. Around the Unclutterer offices, we call him Suck Face Man. I can’t tell if he’s inept and can’t figure out how to properly operate a vacuum, or if he’s so good at cleaning that he’s the only thing in the room left to clean? Have you seen the little guy hiding from Suck Face Man at the bottom of the page? I love him, too.

I got your contact regarding your trust worthy. I need assistance to transfer some money out of my country into your personal or company account. For your effort my family is willing to offer you Money for your expenses incurred. Can your help?

Your right, I trust worthy. You bad grammar spammer.

Posted by Erin on Aug 12, 2008 | 37 Comments | Tweet This

O’Reilly embraces ebook technology and releases 30 digital titles

Technology publishing giant O’Reilly recently announced that many of its popular titles will be released in ebook format. The press release “30 O’Reilly Titles Now Available as Ebook Bundles” explains how you can now buy these electronic titles through the O’Reilly store and download them in the ebook reader format of your choice.

The three ebook formats available are EPUB, PDF, and Mobipocket, and these formats are compatible with Adobe Digital Editions, Kindle, Blackberries, and Sony Reader.

The electronic titles aren’t just about writing programming code, like so many great O’Reilly books are. Subject to Change: Creating Great Products & Services for an Uncertain World covers strategic planning and Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management discusses project management strategies. Mind Performance Hacks includes strategies for improving your analytical reasoning and focus. There also are guides for using Wikipedia and Facebook, and a book on transforming your home into a smart house.

The fewer books taking up space on your bookshelves, the easier it is to keep your bookshelves in order. Thank you, O’Reilly, for embracing the ebook market!

Posted by Erin on Aug 12, 2008 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

Keep the stroller at home

We’re going on a cross country flight with our two year old in a couple of weeks. The anticipation of a delayed flight and more time spent in an airport isn’t appealing. Luckily, my parents are accompanying us on the trip and they will surely help with keeping our daughter entertained.

I have found a solution that can substitute the stroller and free up a lot of space. It is the Traveling Toddler: Car seat travel accessory. It is simply a strap that attaches your child’s car seat onto your carry-on luggage. So rather than bringing along your child’s clunky stroller, you can replace it with a strap. That sounds like a big space saving trade-off. Just make sure you watch where you are going and you’ve tightened the strap sufficiently.

Posted by Matt on Aug 12, 2008 | 36 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

Brando 4-in-1 desk lamp

When I first read about the multifunctional Brando 4-in-1 desk lamp I was intrigued. I like it when I find items that have utility and can complete more than one task. But, then I studied the product details, and I was underwhelmed. It is hectic and distracting. And, a desktop fan is useless to me. (When was the last time you used a desktop fan?!) It felt like the fan was thrown in just so it could say it had four functions. I also have no use for a webcam or a microphone since both come installed on my laptop.

It is USB powered, which takes away one of your computer’s USB hubs, but it does provide a LED light, fan, webcam, and microphone. I’m not excited about this product, but maybe it’s just me. I’m interested in hearing from our Unclutterer readers in the comments section. Are there other multifunctional items that you had high expectations for and then were disappointed by the reality of the product?

(via Engadget)

Posted by Matt on Aug 11, 2008 | 20 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , , ,