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Organizing Your Mudroom

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Leslye W.

The warm spring weather brings sunshine, warmth and, often, an urge to dust the house, get organized and tackle some spring cleaning. Remember to start small, in just one part of the house instead of trying to do your entire home all at once. You can start with the shelves in your kitchen, your pantry, or your mudroom.

The mudroom is the first room you encounter when you enter your home. As such, it can become cluttered with shoes, jackets, boots, purses and other things that tend to get thrown aside when you come home from a hard day at work or out running errands.

If you don’t have a mudroom, you can easily convert a kitchen pantry or linen closet near the front door to accommodate these items. If you can’t give up your whole pantry or linen closet, why not try converting half of it to use as mudroom storage?

Clearing some food out of your pantry and moving it into cupboards or shelves can give you plenty of space to store purses, wallets and keys. You can add coat hooks or racks in order to hang jackets and scarves. You may find that you simply need to move a few items around in order to free up space for organizing a mudroom area.

One good piece of furniture for your mudroom is a bench, which gives you a space to sit down and remove your shoes after you get home. A bench with drawers or shelves provides space for your shoes, while hooks allow you to keep jackets, purses and bags off the floor. Your kitchen or mudroom can quickly become cluttered if jackets and coats are strewn over chairs or are all over the floor.

Organizing a mudroom can be cheap, easy and fast. You won’t even need to buy many tools. A good way to save money on tools is borrowing them from friends, family and neighbors. If you save your leftover paint, you will have plenty of decorating options at your disposal.

Things like cork board, paint, hooks and wood can be very inexpensive, and it is worth the cost to keep your home more organized.

You can do this project for under $100. If you borrow tools and save your paint, this project gets even more inexpensive.

An organized mudroom will give your home a more pleasant look by reducing clutter. Also, when your purses, jackets, keys and bags are organized neatly by the entrance to your home, you’ll save time and be free of stress every time you leave the house.

 

This entry was posted in business storage, Closet Organization, guides, safety by Leslye W.. Bookmark the permalink.

More Plastic Recycling Codes: LDPE and PS

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Leslye W.

Plastic recycling can become a confusing subject, because there are so many different types. Plastic is in many things, from plastic grocery store bags to bottles and even packaging peanuts, so it’s important to know how to recycle these items.

PP and PVC are some of the most difficult plastics to recycle, and they may not be available for curbside recycling. However, you can find facilities to take these materials. Many other types of plastic can be recycled easily.

LDPE stands for low-density polyethylene. You can recognize it by the number 4 that’s in the recycling symbol. These are the types of plastic that you probably use most often. These items include grocery bags, plastic wrap and food storage baggies. Grocery bags are the easiest to recycle out of all of these.

You can take your plastic grocery bags back to the store where you got them for recycling. This is the easiest way to recycle these items, because, chances are, you will be at that store again soon. You can also use these plastic grocery bags for smaller trash bins, such as in the bathroom, the laundry room or the office. The most efficient way of getting rid of plastic grocery bags is to bring your own reusable bags to the store when you go shopping.

Most grocery stores now have plastic grocery bag bins for recycling right outside of their stores. You should check the label on the container before depositing your grocery bags, and make sure that they are both clean and dry. You can also place other LDPE plastic items in these bins.

The number six inside of the recycling symbol signifies Styrofoam (EPS), or Polystyrene (PS). Since Styrofoam is not biodegradable, you should always recycle or reuse it, unless you can avoid it entirely.

Many electronic goods are packaged inside Styrofoam, and this should be recycled. Unfortunately, Styrofoam food packages cannot be recycled, things like coffee cups, egg cartons or meat packaging. Since these plastics must go in the garbage, it is best to avoid buying foods with Styrofoam packaging altogether. For instance, you can buy egg cartons made out of cardboard instead, which is recyclable. There are some things with the number six symbol, like CD and DVD cases, that can be recycled. Some cups are also marked with the number six symbol.

The Alliance of Foam Packaging (AFPR) has a list of locations for dropping off Styrofoam and other foam packaging, as well as other information. Even though Styrofoam food items can’t be recycled, in 2010 the AFPR reported that in 2010 over 50% of the Styrofoam they collected was used to produce recycled packaging.

Packaging peanuts are made out of Styrofoam. They are also known as polystyrene loose fill, and it is hard to recycle them. They scatter around your house and stick to clothes. Also, they are not accepted in most plastic recycling bins. You can call the Plastics Loose Fill Council to find out where their many drop-off locations are located. Call 800-828-2214 for their 24-hour hotline, or look online at the Loose Fill Search center. However, if you have the storage space, these Styrofoam peanuts can be useful later for packing or shipping, so you may want to consider storing them in your house for future use.

Even though plastic recycling can seem daunting and confusing, it is satisfying and worth the effort. There are many Internet resources you can use to find your nearest recycling facility, or determine which types of plastics belong in which bins. Happy recycling!

This entry was posted in climate control, guides, security by Leslye W.. Bookmark the permalink.

Organizing Your Child’s Room

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Leslye W.

One of the messiest places in your household can be your child’s room. Without the proper organizational tactics, your child’s room can quickly become strewn with homework, toys and clothing. This can make leaving for school in the morning difficult and frustrating.

It can be easy and even fun to organize your child’s space. When your child can access and find everything they need, life will become less stressful for both of you.

There are a lot of products available now to help you and your child get organized. It is important that you let your child take some responsibility for organizing their space. If they feel responsible, they will be more likely to keep their room organized, and it can even be fun.

Children have different needs to fit their individual personalities. The goal of organization should be to make things easier to access for your child. For example, if the bar in their closet is too high for them to reach, a lot of their clothing can end up in untidy heaps on the floor, under the bed or stuffed into a closet, causing a headache when you need to find an article of clothing during a rushed morning. You can buy a wide variety of storage boxes and other storage tools in order to help your child stay organized. You might also consider putting pictures on storage containers, rather than long words that your child may have difficulty reading. Choose storage containers in your child’s favorite colors to make the task more appealing.

Shoe holders that hang over a door are a valuable storage tool for children, and don’t only have to be used for storing shoes. They can also be used to store:

-Small toys or stuffed animals

-Clothing accessories

-Hair accessories and jewelry

-Art and craft items

-Dolls and action figures

Another good storage idea for your child’s room is placing storage baskets and bins in the closet, under the bed or on top of shelves. They can be helpful for storing many different things:

-Books and school texts

-Clothes to wear the next day

-Shoes

-Sports equipment

-Underwear, socks and other small clothing items

-Stuffed animals

-Linens and blankets

The very best way to keep your child’s room organized and free of clutter is to throw away or donate any item that your child doesn’t use. These items can consist of clothing they no longer wear, toys they have gotten tired of, or sports equipment that is not being used. If you don’t want to donate or throw something away, consider using a self-storage unit for these items. Temporary storage is useful for children’s toys that aren’t being played with often. If you pack up these toys for a couple of months, they will seem fresh and new when you bring them back out again. You can then replace the box with more toys that aren’t being used. This is a good way to recycle your child’s toys instead of simply buying more when they get bored.

The most important thing to remember when organizing your child’s room is to keep it simple and fun. If your child finds that it is rewarding and fun to live in a clean room, they will be more likely to keep it clean, organized and free of clutter.

 

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Plastic Recycling Codes: PVC, PP and Other

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Leslye W.

PETE and HDPE, as discussed in an earlier blog post, are very easy plastics to recycle, as most recycling centers accept them. There are some types of plastics, including PVC and PP, that are a bit harder to recycle, but you should still make the effort. Plastic recycling helps to keep our landfills clear and is good for the environment.

PETE is marked with the number one inside of the recycling symbol, and HDPE is marked with the number two. They are very common plastics and easy to recycle. PVC, PP and Other are a little bit more difficult, but it is worth your time, if only to keep your garbage bin less full.

PP stands for polypropylene and is indicated by the number five inside of the recycling symbol. PP often makes up dairy containers, such as yogurt containers and cheese, sour cream and butter tubs. Also, Bria water filters, bottles for maple syrup, bottle tops and take-out boxes (the plastic kind) are made out of PP plastic.

A lot of cities are now beginning to offer recycling for PP, in addition to the more common plastics HDPE and PETE. Another option is the Gimme 5 program by Preserve, which is a company that collects PP plastic marked with the number five. This company uses your clean PP plastic containers to make new things, such as razor and toothbrush handles and other things, such as colanders and even plastic cutting boards. It is good for the environment and worthwhile to recycle PP.

You can deposit your PP plastic in some Whole Foods stores and some other stores as well. There is a Gimme 5 ap you can download for your phone if you need help finding one of the 200 Gimmie 5 locations in the country. There really is an ap for everything!

PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is another difficult plastic to recycle, but it is possible to find facilities that will take your PVC.

PVC is what makes up industrial piping, shower curtains, building materials and some car dashboards. The website Earth911 can help you find a place to recycle PVC in addition to vinyl flooring and carpeting, billboards, medical supplies and other materials made out of vinyl. You can also check with VinyLoop. They are an Italian company by SOLVAY Plastics and they have found a way to easily recycle PVC by separating it from the other materials that make up PVC. Although PVC is hard to recycle, it is not impossible.

The other type of plastic that can be hard to recycle does not have an official name. It is often simply called “Other,” because it isn’t made up of just one type of plastic, but many different kinds. The number seven inside the recycling symbol lets you know that you are dealing with a mix of plastic compounds. Other can even include some plant-based compounds. More and more places are offering recycling solutions for Other plastics, but the service is still not widely available.

Now that you know of some places that will accept your hard-to-recycle plastics, such as PVC, PP and Other, you’ll be able to save space in your garbage bin and take your trash out less often. You will also be helping the environment by keeping these plastics out of the landfills. Happy recycling!

 

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Spring Cleaning the Office: It’s Easy As 1, 2, 3…4

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Leslye W.

Where Do I Start?

A good way to decide where to start spring cleaning in your office is to tackle whichever area is bugging you the most. Maybe your desk is overflowing with paperwork, or perhaps your self-storage area is too full. If you work on an area that is highly visible and annoying you the most, you will get the satisfaction you need to continue your spring cleaning projects.

Documents

How do you decide which documents to keep and which can be thrown away? There are many ways to determine this. You can look on the IRS website, as there are guidelines for both individual people and businesses concerning document retention. It is also a good idea to talk to your tax preparer, as they will know everything about your recordkeeping needs.

How to Avoid Making a Mess While Spring Cleaning

This is where your self-storage location can come in handy. You can store items that you don’t need right away in your storage unit. Another good way to avoid making a mess while organizing your office is to start small, with just one spot at a time instead of trying to tackle a whole room or large area.

Getting Rid of Items

While you’re spring cleaning your office, make sure that you have several things nearby, like recycling bins or bags, garbage bags and a box for items you will donate. To avoid causing clutter while you’re spring cleaning, try to take your donated items and garbage out of your office immediately. There are many places that will gladly accept your unwanted office supplies.

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Traveling Green

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Leslye W.

Spring break and summer vacations are coming up. After the long winter, it is nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine. It is important to remember, though, that it is just as important to be environmentally-friendly when you are on vacation as it is when you are at home.

Of course, the greenest vacation you can take is the staycation. Not having to drive long distances, take an airplane or stay in a hotel is good for the environment, and staycations can be just as fun as a vacation away from home. Many people don’t take advantage of the great places to visit in their own home towns. In order to get the most out of your staycation, try to visit those places as if you were a tourist in your own town. Check out libraries, museums, monuments, zoos, theaters, parks, pools, restaurants or festivals. Chances are, there are many great things to do and see near you, and places you’ve never been.

However, you don’t have to stay close to home in order to have a green vacation. There are many things you can do that are fun and environmentally-friendly:

-Researching your trip will likely cause you to make more informed decisions.

-Bicycle rental programs exist in a wide variety of places, and they are a very green and healthy way to sightsee. You can also use public transportation. Walking is a great way to see the city.

-Traveling light is another excellent way to go green on your spring vacation. Don’t pack plastics or other packaging you will have to throw away when you get to your destination. And, of course, don’t litter!

-It is always a good idea to support the local restaurants and businesses.

-Many places have local environmental programs that you can participate in.

If you are staying in a hotel, it is a good idea to select one that is the most environmentally-friendly. However, it can be confusing to find the greenest hotel, as so many hotels these days claim to be green. Doing your research can help you to select the best option for you. Here are some websites that can help point you in the right direction:

-Expedia Green Travel Guide and Programs

-Travelocity: Travel for Good: Travelocity will suggest a green hotel, give you a Green form to fill out, give you a $50 voucher good for your next adventure, and they will even plant a tree, in honor of your stay!

-Best Green Hotels: Here you can find lodging around the globe, in places committed to sustainable tourism.

 

There are many things to remember when going on a green vacation:

 

-Save water and energy and try to minimize solid waste.

-Make friends with the locals and ask a lot of questions.

-Don’t buy souvenirs that aren’t sustainable, or are made out of species that are endangered.

-Don’t bother local wildlife.

 

If you make an effort to make your vacations greener, you will not only help the environment, but you will also have a great vacation!

This entry was posted in moving by Leslye W.. Bookmark the permalink.

Getting Ready for Spring Cleaning

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Leslye W.

Spring cleaning is a familiar ritual to most of us, as we clear out the clutter from winter and get ready for spring. It is a great idea to start your spring cleaning as soon as the weather begins to get warmer, so that you are ready for the warm weather that spring brings.

Step One: Get Rid of Clutter

Things tend to pile up in the winter months, when it is too cold to go outside or make trips to your self-storage facility. When the weather starts to warm up, it is a good idea to get rid of things that are not being used, are broken, things you don’t need or use, or things that you just do not want to have around anymore. Clearing your clutter is an important first step, as it reduces the amount of items you have to clean and organize for spring cleaning.

There are many places you can start getting rid of your clutter:

Garage

Your garage probably contains many winter items that you no longer need, items such as broken sleds or ski equipment. Get rid of old winter items, or store them in your self-storage location for next year.

Closet

Your closet is most likely packed with winter gear that you will not need as soon as the weather begins to warm up. You can store any unneeded items, but also be sure to throw away or donate any items you no longer need, such as clothes that no longer fit or items you do not like. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t worn a particular item of clothing in a year, it is time to get rid of it, and let someone else get some use out of it.

Kitchen

Your kitchen can become cluttered over the winter with things such as seasonal cake and pie tins and roasting pans for turkey and ham. The warmer weather of spring and summer usually involves a lot less indoor cooking, so it’s a good idea to either store, donate or just throw away some of these items, in order to clear the clutter from your kitchen.

Step Two: Get Ready and Organized for Spring!

When the weather changes, it’s important to take stock of your household items. You will want to store those items that you will not be using as often, and make those spring and summer items easier to access.

Sport Equipment

Items such as ice skates, skis or sleds can be stored in less-accessible locations, because you will not need them during the warmer months. However, you may want to organize your sports equipment so that your baseball bats, golf clubs and tennis racquets are easier to access. You’ll need them!

Kitchen

Warm-weather meals often require less kitchenware because these meals are commonly cooked outside on the grill. Who doesn’t love to cook outside when the weather is nice? Organize your kitchen gear so that the things you’ll need are more accessible. For instance, you will probably be using your grill more than your crock pot, so keep this in mind when re-organizing your kitchen supplies.

Linens

Organize your linen closet for spring. Put large and heavy blankets on the top shelf, as you won’t be needing them as often as the lighter blankets and sheets. It’s also a good idea to wash and dry your spring linens after a long winter, to get rid of dust.

Clothes

Clothes are very easy to organize for spring. Take your winter items out of your main closets and store them in an attic, garage or self-storage facility. Items such as ski jackets, parkas and snow boots can also be placed in boxes under the bed or on closet shelves. This will make more room for your lighter spring clothes, such as skirts, short-sleeved T-shirts and shorts.

There are many things you can do to get organized for the springtime. What tips or tricks do you use to get organized when winter is finally coming to an end?

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PETE and HDPE: Decoding Types of Plastics for Recycling

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Leslye W.

Recycling your plastic can seem like a daunting task. If you look at your plastic containers and soda cans, you’ll see the recycling symbol that is composed of an arrow with a number inside, from one to seven. The Plastics Industry Trade Association (or SPI) has invented this numbering system in order to make it easier to sort plastics for recycling, but many people find that these symbols are more of an enigma than they are helpful. However, knowing how to recycle your plastics can not only help the environment, but it also can lighten your garbage load. In addition, recycled plastics can become many helpful things, so it is very important that you learn your plastic recycling codes.

Two types of plastics are PETE and HDPE. PETE, also known as polyethylene terephthalate, is the most common of the recycled plastics, and can be found in a variety of places, including soda cans, food containers, medicine bottles and water bottles.

PETE can be recycled to become a large variety of goods, including sleeping bags, fleece, bumpers for cars, backpacks, water bottles, life jackets, and even carpeting! PETE can also be recycled to become sports items such as the felt on tennis balls, beanbags, insulation for ski jackets and sails for sailboats. PETE is indeed a very versatile plastic!

HDPE stands for high-density polyethylene, and it is a more sturdy plastic type than PETE. It is used in hardier, thicker containers, such as shampoo bottles, milk containers and laundry detergent jugs. HDPE also comprises items such as motor oil jugs and bleach and detergent containers. It is a strong, thick plastic, but it is accepted at most curbside recycling in your neighborhood, and also is accepted at most recycling centers. You can access the Earth911 website in order to find out where you can take your recycling items, including both types of plastics discussed in this article. This website is handy, because you can search by zip code in order to find the nearest recycling facility.

Since HDPE plastics are so durable, they can be recycling to become play sets for the outdoors, shampoo bottles, Frisbees, buckets, toys, stadium seats and even outdoor furniture!

Not only is plastic recycling good for the environment, it is also good for you! Recycling your plastics can make your trash loads lighter, and cause you to have to take out the trash less often. After all, a large jug of detergent can take up a lot of space in your trash container! Also, when you recycle your plastic, you will go through less garbage bags, as you do not have to put your plastic in a garbage bag before placing it into the recycling bin.

 

This article has discussed how to recycle the most common types of plastics: PETE and HDPE. Learning how to recycle these plastics can lighten your garbage load, save you money on trash bags and also help the environment.

 

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Saving Energy By Landscaping

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Leslye W.

There are many ways to reduce your home energy costs this summer, but one option that many people don’t consider is landscaping. April 22nd is Earth Day, and many people are looking for ways to save energy.

Trees are great for many things: they provide home for birds, they release oxygen into the environment, and they can save you on your cooling bills this summer. Even though landscaping to reduce energy costs takes some planning and investment, the rewards are well worth the time and effort.

Use Trees for Cooling

Trees provide homes for birds and are beautiful to look at. But did you know that planting trees around your home can reduce the air temperature by nine degrees? The air underneath shade trees can be 25 degrees colder than the air in direct sunlight, which is why many people seek refuge under trees during the summertime.

If you plant a deciduous tree in your yard that is eight feet tall, by the first year it will start providing shade to your windows. In five to ten years, it will begin to provide shade to your roof, which will drastically reduce the temperature within your home.

The extra shade that trees provide will save you a lot of money in the long run on energy costs. It is worth waiting for a tree to grow, as before you know it, it will begin to save you money!

Best Locations and Tree Varieties

A good rule of thumb is that the quickest-growing trees don’t live as long as the trees that take more time to grow to their full height. Also, trees that take more time to grow are generally more durable, and won’t break during a storm. Oak trees take longer to grow than maple trees, but maple trees aren’t as strong.

Evergreen trees stay leafy all year long, but if you want to let the sun heat your house during the colder months, an evergreen is not your best option. Plant trees with low branches to the west of your home to provide shade from the sun during the afternoon. Plant higher trees with longer branches in the south side of your house, so that they will provide roof shading during the summertime. If you have solar panels, don’t plant trees on the south side of your house — they will block the UV rays needed to provide energy to your home.

Use the Arbor Day Foundation’s guide online to find a certified arborist near you to determine which trees to plant in your climate.

 

Vines, Shrubs, and Groundcover

 

Shrubs can shade windows, even though they are low to the ground. Vines and groundcover can minimize the heat radiation coming from the ground, and this will save you on energy costs.

 

Vines can also help you with your cooling costs. You can attach climbing vines to the sides of your home to minimize the amount of heat that is coming in, but these vines can damage siding. Vines planted in boxes around your home can help as well. Consult Birds and Blooms magazine for some ideas for using vines in your yard.

 

Vines can also be helpful in cooler weather, as they act as windbreaks to shield your home from becoming too cold during winter.

 

In order to determine which plants to use for your area, check out the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This map will tell you which plants are best in which areas and climates. Using trees, vines, and shrubs can help you minimize home energy costs, and will make your home more beautiful and environmentally-friendly.

 

 

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Make Cooking Less of a Chore: Organize Your Kitchen

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Leslye W.

Cooking can be a hassle, especially after a long day at work. There are many ways you can organize your kitchen to make cooking easier, whether you are preparing a basic meal or planning a large dinner party.

Sorting

If you store your food items based on category, they will be easier to find when it is time to cook. Store pastas, rice, cereals, cans and boxed foods together. Keep all of your potholders and dish towels in one drawer, and put all your plastic storage bags, foils and plastic wrap in another drawer. You may also find it helpful to organize your kitchen gadgets by their use: cutting tools in one area, measuring spoons and cups in another area, and serving utensils in a drawer of their own. If you stack your pots and pans, you can maximize cupboard space. You can also organize your spice rack more efficiently by sorting them by the type of cuisine, how often you use them, or by their uses (poultry seasonings, baking seasonings, et cetera).

Clearing the Clutter

Put the items you don’t use as often in the back of your cupboards or store them in a self-storage location. Doing this can create a lot of space for the items you find yourself using everyday. Most of us tend to accumulate kitchen items quickly and never sort through them to determine if they’re actually useful. Throw away all of your old spices, gadgets that are broken or old, and lids that no longer have containers.

Determine What’s Important

You should store the items you use most often in a place that’s easy to reach. These items can go in conveniently-placed cabinets or drawers or the countertop. The harder to reach cabinets in your kitchen can be used to store the items you find yourself reaching for less often. Use a container on the counter to hold your cooking utensils, such as spoons and spatulas.

Assess Your Surroundings

Make sure that your kitchen is streamlined for ease of use. This may involve finally getting rid of that junk drawer, or moving potholders and pans to a more convenient location, such as right by the stove. Make sure that the places where you store your dishes are near the dishwasher, for ease in unloading.

A Healthier Life

Organizing your kitchen can make you healthier! Instead of hiding fruits and vegetables away in a hidden crisper drawer, consider putting them in a decorative bowl on the countertop, or in the front of the fridge. You can store your recipe books in a cabinet that is at eye-level to give you more inspiration to try new dishes. You can also dedicate some refrigerator space to hanging up new recipes that you want to try. Make sure you store your junk food, like cookies and potato chips, in a high, hard-to-reach location. Out of sight, out of mind!

There are many ways you can organize your kitchen to make cooking easier, healthier and even more fun!

 

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