Comments on: O Magazine focuses on uncluttering

By: zhou

zhou — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:46:08 +0000

WilliamB,nfl news,nfl teams, I think you forgot grated Ivory soap for laundry detergent. A tripTiguan, Modelle, Volkswagen Deutschland, Der Tiguan to hardware store, grocery store, and some soap grating –英雄岛 that’s a simple way to do the laundry!

By: TanyaZ

TanyaZ — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:49:15 +0000

Just for the record – I am not saying it is wrong to make your own cleaning supplies. I just don’t know what those things are doing in a magazine called Real Simple.

By: TanyaZ

TanyaZ — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:47:21 +0000

WilliamB, I think you forgot grated Ivory soap for laundry detergent. A trip to hardware store, grocery store, and some soap grating – that’s a simple way to do the laundry!

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:01:03 +0000

@TanyaZ – Oops!

Now you got me thinking, which would yield me fewer bottles – making cleaners or buying? For the purposes of this discussion I’m going to pretend I buy a new spray bottle with each refill.

- veggie wash (vinegar, water)
- 409 (borax, vinegar, water)
- soft scrub (baking soda)
- dish soap (dish soap)
- windex (vinegar, water, optional glycerin)
- laundry detergent (borax, ammonia, water)
- brillo (baking soda)
- granite & marble cleaner (borax, vinegar, water)
- stainless steel cleaner (stainless steel cleaner)
- spray & wash (spray & wash)

Assuming I have my lists right, buying gives me 10 items, making gives me 6 (7 if you count the baking soda separate from the kitchen supply) plus the containers for the mixed items.

It’s a wash!

WilliamB,
grinning, ducking, running

By: TanyaZ

TanyaZ — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:14:10 +0000

WilliamB, please don’t take the following seriously, it is not about your knowledge (which I respect) and not about the value of doing things from scratch, which I also love, it’s more of a comedic statement on the topic of “Real Simple” magazine. Since we are talking about doing things real simple, I have a real simple solution for my cleaning needs – Tide, Tilex, Clorox, or whatever else is on the shelf of my local grocery store, where I already go twice a week. Not only it is pre-mixed, it is also put into convenient spray bottle – how genious is that?! And real simple.

By: Another Deb

Another Deb — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:45:26 +0000

Oops, the quote from this article didn’t copy. I was referring to the “#9 Forsee and Avoid Problems” reference.

By: Another Deb

Another Deb — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:43:35 +0000

One of my favorite organizing moments came from an episode of “Mad About You” several years ago. The main character and her train-wreck sister accidentally walk off with each others’ tote bags. The organized sister is the train wreck by the end of the day. Meanwhile, her scatterbrained sister has dug into the bag and produced exactly what she needs (umbrella, spare nylons, etc) to put her chaotic life on the road to serenity and success.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:32:35 +0000

My everyday cleaner for kitchen counters is a mix of hot water, 1 tsp of borax and 1 tsp vinegar in a small spray bottle. Bought the small box of borax months ago and have quite a bit left. Very easy, cheap, and cleans well.

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:37:58 +0000

@TaynaZ: the ingredients are available at most supermarkets and some hardware stores.

Ammonia is very easy to get, it’s in the liquid cleaner section with products like 409 and Soft Scrub. Don’t mix it with bleach or products with bleach: ammonia + bleach = a chlorine-like substance; ammonia + bleach + water = chlorine gas.

Borax is less well known. It’s usually found in the laundry detergent section, typically on the top or bottom shelf where the usual stuff goes; 40 Mules is a common brand, it comes in a box about the size of a cereal box.

By: Kathryn Fenner

Kathryn Fenner — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:00:23 +0000

O’s approach is far better than Martha Stewart Living, where her design director “reorganizes” his “closet” It is the size of my bedroom. His wardrobe would stock a good sized men’s store–sweaters in every conceivable color, multiple times, and so on.
I get frustrated with closet organizing pieces that either use a closet way way bigger than my rather reasonable-sized, non-walk-in one or have about five items in the final result. My lifestyle is too complicated and our weather too variable for me to have ten outfits and done.

By: Keetha

Keetha — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:40:16 +0000

I just picked up that magazine today because of the cover touting the articles about decluttering.

Over the weekend I did some decluttering and posted before and after. Feels so good to have finally gotten rid of and/or organized all this STUFF.

http://writekudzu.blogspot.com.....rsion.html

By: HappyDogs

HappyDogs — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:23:52 +0000

The link to Oprah’s article (?) just points back here.

By: TanyaZ

TanyaZ — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:08:20 +0000

Not a big fan of Oprah or magazines in general, but I will consider this one. Hope, it is truly about unluttering and simplifying. I am a little disappointed in Real Simple – who needs a “real simple” recipe for homemade cleaner made out of borax, ammonia, and what not (I don’t even know where they sell that kind of stuff, talk about “simple”).

By: Noel

Noel — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:01:33 +0000

This O article is not as good as this web site! If you can resist, read the magazine at the library. I’ve had a subscription to O for years, but now I feel like it is clutter (and I recycle or bring them to the library within a week of reading). I love magazines, but the have less substance now, and more advertising.

By: thebubbreport

thebubbreport — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:51:54 +0000

I just picked this up yesterday. I am kind of obsessed with that closet Nate made for her at Harpo, and I’ll always wish I’d had access to her garage sale, as we have the same shoe size and she was selling Manolos for about $20.

I think being quoted in O has some sort of karmic, aha-moment attached, or you’ll find your spirit, or your angel, or something…