Archives for Home Organization
How to digitally encode VHS home movies
One of our readers recently contacted us wondering how best to store her collection of VHS home movies. My response to her was simple — Don’t.
Well, at least don’t store the memories as VHS tapes. I recommended that she have the tapes digitally encoded and store the videos on a hard drive. VHS tapes deteriorate over time and are prone to breaking, and preserving the videos in digital format will help ensure that the memories won’t accidentally be destroyed. Additionally, digital data on a hard drive takes up considerably less physical space than a bunch of VHS tapes.
How do you turn VHS tapes into digital data? Well, there are two ways you can do it: you can have someone else do it, or you can do it yourself.
Someone Else
For $20, Costco will transfer two hours of VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, Hi-8, Digital 8, 8mm videotape, MiniDV, or Betamax tape to DVD. Once you have the DVD in hand, you just save the files to your computer’s hard drive (assuming your computer can read DVDs). Costco also has a service that transfers 200 feet of 8mm, Super 8, 16mm movie reels to DVD for $20 and another that scans 50 slides to create digital photographs for $20.
There are dozens of other companies out there doing the same thing that Costco is doing, but many require you to ship your tapes to them. If you’re okay with putting your tapes in the mail, here are a couple websites to explore: Family Memories to DVD and The Photo Archival Co.. Be sure to give your local camera shop a call, too, because often they offer these services.
Yourself
If you’re going to go the DIY route, you’ll need either a video capture card or an external capture device to allow you to connect your VCR to your computer. We use the Canopus ADVC110, an external capture device, which has some nice features that help accurately maintain synchronization between audio and video. We’ve had poor luck with less-expensive devices in the past, so be careful when choosing a capture device and be sure to read reviews.
Once you’ve plugged in the ADVC110 and connected it between your VCR and your computer, you’ll need to launch either Microsoft Movie Maker if you’re on a Windows PC or iMovie if you’re using a Mac.
The Canopus will export DV footage just like a camcorder, which will allow you to easily import the footage into the editing program. From there, you can edit the video, create titles, or add music.
When you’re done editing your video, you’ll probably want to burn your movie on a DVD. Follow these directions if you’re using a PC. If you’re using a Mac, just launch iDVD from inside iMovie.
Also, after you finish encoding your collection of VHS tapes, you can sell your capture device or let your friends borrow it.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Creative storage for kid’s clutter
Apartment Therapy’s ohdeedoh site recently held a contest in conjunction with Cookie Magazine where readers sent in pictures of their creative solutions for storing toys, clothing, and entryway items. It was called, Now You See, Now You Don’t! The contest finalists were recently announced, and their ideas were fantastic. I thought some of our readers would like to check out some of the great ideas that were showcased in this contest.
As a parent of a nearly two-year-old daughter, storage for toys is a constant struggle. It is always helpful to see what other people are doing to conquer the toy sprawl. I hope you enjoy these creative solutions for storage.
(Photo via ohdeedoh)
Popularity: 3% [?]
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.
Popularity: 8% [?]
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!
Popularity: 4% [?]
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:
- Have your pet microchipped and have on file the name of the company, the microchip number, and contact information for the company.
- Know the number on your pet’s rabies tag.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Popularity: 6% [?]
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!
Popularity: 8% [?]
Five spring organizing activities
Five quick things you can do now that the weather is warmer:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Check bulletin boards and note centers throughout your home and office and get rid of outdated memos, calendars, and fliers.
- 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.
Popularity: 9% [?]
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.
Popularity: 6% [?]
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Popularity: 11% [?]
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.
Popularity: 9% [?]
How to store your tax returns
Tax Day is just a week from now, and hopefully you followed Matt’s advice and have already mailed in your forms to the government. If you haven’t, well, get to it!
Now is the perfect time to get your filing cabinet ready for your next round of returns. Since you should actually KEEP your tax returns and associated financial documentation, you want to have a systematized method for organizing these papers. Why keep them? First of all, if you ever get audited, you’ll really want them. Secondly, in case of your death, these documents may be needed in the settling of your estate. Whatever the situation, you’ll need these in paper form and not digital scans.
Any returns older than 10 years can be grouped by decade. I’ve been paying income taxes for about 20 years, so I have a 1980s file and a 1990s file. Then, I have 10 working files for the most recent 10-year period. These are labeled “Tax Year 0″ through “Tax Year 9.” Papers for the year 1999 are still in the Tax Year 9 folder, and they will remain there until 2009’s returns are ready for the file. This year’s taxes were filed in the Tax Year 8 folder, and the 1998 files were moved to the 1990s decade file.
In theory, you could get by with only decade folders. However, I have found that often when my tax documents are requested that they’re for specific years. In these cases, it has been extremely convenient to just reach in and grab the exact file. These requests tend to happen the most often with documents from the last 10-year period.
Here’s hoping that you get a nicely organized filing cabinet and a big return from the government this year!
Popularity: 10% [?]
Saying farewell to a hobby
There are hundreds of books and resources available on the topic of breaking up with a love interest. There are even ones exploring the topic of breaking off a toxic friendship and dumping bad business relationships. But, I have yet to find anything out in the ether on how to kick a hobby to the curb. Noting that, I proclaim this Unclutterer entry as the authoritative work on breaking up with a hobby (I’m a little goofy this morning, just go with it). I call it:
You’re Just Not That Into Your Hobby
Do you consider yourself a tennis player, but the last time you touched your racket was when Bill Clinton was president? Do you like the idea of being a scrapbooker but have never made a complete scrapbook? Are you keeping canvases for masterpieces you may one day paint, yet all of your paints are dried and your brushes deteriorating? Is your guitar missing strings and in a case at the back of a closet? Do you have areas of your home set aside or filled with stuff related to a hobby that you spend less than 10 hours on a year?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are just not that into your hobby.
It can be difficult to admit, but if you’re not averaging at least an hour a month pursuing a hobby, it’s time to let it go. The space you’re sacrificing in your home is too valuable to store things you don’t use. If you don’t have storage issues, it’s still worthwhile to get rid of your unused hobby stuff. Every time you walk past it I bet you think, “I wish I had more time to do X.” You don’t need that stress and guilt. If it were really important to you, you would pursue it.
Five steps for deciding if now is the time to ditch your hobby:
- Identify all of your hobbies and all of the things associated with them in your home, garage, and office. You may benefit by collecting these items and laying them all out in your front yard or an open space in your home to see how much space you’re sacrificing.
- List all of these hobbies and then estimate how much time you’ve spent pursuing each of them in the last 12 months. Be honest with yourself.
- Any hobby with an estimation of 10 hours or less should immediately be moved out of your home. Pack up the equipment and head to a used sports equipment store or an appropriate charity. If the hobby stuff is valuable, photograph it and list it for sale on a site like ebay or craigslist.
- Any hobby with an estimation of 24 hours or less should be carefully reviewed. If you went camping one day last year, you would reach the 24-hour mark for camping as a hobby. However, is one day of camping worth all of the space used to store your tent, sleeping bag, and all other accoutrements? On the flip side, if you spent one Friday night a month last year playing Bridge with friends and averaged about two hours of playing time a sitting, it’s probably worthwhile to hold onto a deck of cards.
- Any hobby with an estimation of more than 24 hours also should be considered for review. You may realize that you’re spending so much time and space on your hobby that you’re neglecting things more important in your life, like time with your spouse or children. It’s okay to break up with these hobbies, too. In most cases, however, you probably have a healthy relationship with your active hobbies and you’ll decide to keep up with them. You still will want to evaluate how much stuff you have for them. If you have more supplies than you could use in a lifetime associated with that hobby, it’s time to weed through the collection of stuff. My rule of thumb is that you should never have more than one year’s worth of supplies for an intense hobby — and less than that if you can manage.
There is a caveat to my assumption that you’re just not that into your hobby that I feel I should mention as a footnote. The truth may be that you really like your hobby, but somewhere along the way you misappropriated your time and let it fall by the wayside. Instead of making chairs in your woodworking studio, you’ve been watching television. If this is the case, make new priorities and recommit to your hobby. Turn off the t.v. and head to your studio. Decide to re-evaluate that hobby in six months. If in six months, however, you’re still watching t.v., then it’s time to admit that watching t.v. is your hobby not woodworking.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Reader question: How to hide a shredder?
Reader Mary sent us the following question:
Any suggestions about ways to disguise a paper shredder? I want it to be handy, in a place near my family “launch pad” on the kitchen counter or the antique washstand near our front door. I’ve wondered about baskets and anything that would camouflage it in the room.
I will wholeheartedly agree, Mary, that paper shredders are not the most attractive products on the market. And, since you’re keeping your shredder where you use it — brilliant! — I can understand why you want to hide it instead of proclaiming to the world LOOK! I HAVE A SHREDDER! RIGHT HERE!!
A nice laundry basket (I’m thinking something like this) might be large enough to hide a shredder. I’d keep the basket’s lid open during use, though, to minimize heat buildup. And, I’d also cut a hole in the back of the basket for the power cord to feed through.
If you’re rolling in dough, you could call the person who designed your kitchen cabinets to come out and build you a custom cabinet. I, however, am not rolling in piles of cash, so this wouldn’t be the option for me.
In my home, we have a bench just inside the front door and we have a small trash can and a small shredder stored underneath it. We know it’s there, but no one else does. Benches often work in homes with antiques (you mentioned the wash basin), so a bench might be something you could add that still works with your decor. Does your wash basin have space inside of it for the shredder? If it’s not a valuable piece, you could cut a hole in the back of it and run the power cable through it. If it’s a valuable piece, please ignore this last suggestion.
I know that Mary would love to get as many suggestions as possible, so please feel welcome to fill the comments with ideas. Keep on shredding!
Popularity: 12% [?]
Weekend Project: Clear clutter from under furniture
I was reading an organization book many years ago that made the suggestion of hiding random possessions like magazines and children’s toys under your couch. It was such a bizarre suggestion to me. How is cramming something under a couch an organized solution? Yes, it may get it out of the pathway and out of sight, but those items shouldn’t be permanently stored in that manner. Magazines belong in magazine racks or on bookshelves, and children’s toys belong in toy chests or bins. I read the suggestion as a way to create clutter, not curb it.
This weekend, I want you to tackle the spaces under furniture in your home. Are you hiding things under dressers? Under table skirts? Under your couch? Pull out the clutter and find it a permanent home that shows that you honor and respect your belongings. Dust mites and other yucky things don’t belong on your possessions.
If the areas under your furniture are clear of clutter, check the spaces behind your furniture. Have books, pens, or other items fallen out of sight? Has a water cup rolled back behind your headboard?
Good luck unearthing the clutter from under your furniture!
Popularity: 10% [?]
Can someone be a collector and be uncluttered?
The quick answer to the question posed in the headline is yes. Being uncluttered and being a collector are not mutually exclusive states.
I will be the first to admit, however, that being an uncluttered collector is not an easy task. The temptation to collect beyond one’s reasonable limits is high, and can thwart even someone with the best of intentions.
An uncluttered collector, by definition, takes pride in his or her collection and displays it fully and respectfully. A collector wants to enjoy his or her collection and share it with others. Conversely, a collection is clutter when it’s stored out of sight, in a disrespectful manner, and for no other reason than just to have more stuff.
So what does an uncluttered collection look like? Back in September, Jerry wrote about PlasmicSteve’s memorabilia office in our Workspace of the Week feature. I see this office as a perfect example of how someone can be an uncluttered collector and honor the things he or she chooses to collect:
Are you a collector? How do you display fully and respectfully your collection? Or, are you storing your “collection” in boxes in your attic in less-than-desirable conditions?
Popularity: 9% [?]
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