Brown Bagging It.

So you come home from a successful day of holiday shopping and along with your carefully selected purchases you bring home a wide variety of big and small, cute, durable, glossy shopping bags with convenient carrying handles that have such amazing potential... right?  

Bags (big, small, paper, plastic, even canvas/fabric) are a major if not the biggest contributor to disorganization.  Here's why shopping bag storage doesn't work:  You can't see what's in them, you can't stack them, you forget what's in them, and your items will most likely end up dented or damaged over time.  They are a black hole for clutter.  Bags are good for transporting items to and fro, and that's about it.

Let me also remind you that you are paying MORE for the products in that glossy bag because the store is giving it to you.  Someone has to pay for it and guess who, it's YOU.  If more people used eco-friendly, reusable shopping bags, stores could save some money on disposable bags and possibly reduce their prices (not to mention save a few treas or oil). 

I'm not saying you should trash the bags you currently have in your home.  Keep some on hand for transporting items to charity, use them as trash bags or use the plastic ones to pick up after your dog.  If it's irresistibly cute, reuse it as a gift bag but then store it with your other gift wrap supplies.  Ultimately I recommend investing in a couple envirosax or other similar bag you can store in your purse or car so you can avoid bringing extra bags into your home in the first place.

What's the alternative to bag storage?  First, simply put the items away where they belong if you can.  If it contains a current craft project consider using a decorative basket with a handle: it looks nicer sitting out in your living room anyway.  If the bag contains seasonal clothing, transfer it into a med/large clear plastic bin and label with the person's name, the corresponding season, and the size of clothing (especially for kid's clothes). 

Of course there are exceptions to every rule, so I challenge you to email me your brown bagging woes and I will send you a personalized response with at least 2 alternatives for you.

Don't cry over spilled candle wax.

Power outages stink; I was reminded last night as I arrived home from work to a darkened neighborhood.  It was pitch navy blue out providing an ominous glow (well, that and my Flashlight app) to help guide me to by door.  I managed to make my way inside, greeted the anxious pets, and began my search for candles.  Thankfully, I always have a few candles out and aboot, so I just had to find a lighter (stashed conveniently in an easily accessible drawer) and began the process of lighting the main areas of the house.  Later in the evening, as I was blowing out the candles, I accidentally knocked one over and spilled a giant blob of wax on my wood (laminate) side table.  Oops!

Did I cry about it?  Negative.  There's an easy way to remove it.  First step is to remain calm while waiting for it to dry.  Seems counter-intuitive, but trust me.  If it's thick, you might be able to take your finger nail and push the edge of it up, snapping the whole thing off in one piece.  If it's thin and spread out, simply cover with a paper towel and use a warm iron to slowly melt the layers of wax.  The paper towel absorbs the hot wax up and off the spill (this may require a few sheets of paper towel).  As the wax heats up you can wipe larger areas off, but use a clean paper towel and iron for the last smears and streaks for a good as new finish.  This technique also works great on fabric (table cloths, carpet/rugs), but depending on the color of the wax, stain removal may be your final step.

PS:  A machine washable, dark and/or patterned table cloth will make your life so much easier!

Thinking Outside the Hat Box

Store over-sized beach hats by clipping them to skirt hangers instead of using up valuable shelf space.  They keep their form wonderfully so you'll be beach ready next season.  I have been using this trick on this very hat for almost 3 years and it still looks fabulous!  Hat boxes should definitely be used for more delicate or vintage hats. 

Keep track of your baby's doo...ings.

If you're a new mom or dad, the itzbeen is your new best friend.  I don't have kids of my own, but my friends with chillins tell me the itzbeen is where it's AT.  Keep it next to baby at all times to keep track of how long "it's been" since baby was changed, fed, slept, even which side you last fed from.  No one expects your new mommy or daddy brain to remember all this stuff.  If your running all over the house you can clip it to your belt for easy access or just leave it where baby hangs out the most.  Buy directly from itzbeen.com or from a number of different online sites. 

Winner!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to become an ESS follower over the past couple months.  I hope you're enjoying my random organizing tips and hopefully you've had some time to even implement a couple of them.  As always, you can email me at erin@erinssimplesolutions.com with specific organizing questions/comments and I will gladly come up with my best solutions!

As promised, one of my loyal followers will receive a $25 Container Store gift card and with the help of random.org, M. Milch was chosen as our lucky winner!  Congrats and enjoy! 

If you don't have a Container Store in your area you can shop online at www.containerstore.com.

Happy Organizing M. Milch!

Black Hole Glove Box

Is your glove box like an archaeological site dig?  You can tell the last time you cleaned it by how many expired insurance cards you find?  Let’s dig deep and tackle that unsightly black hole!

Start by emptying the entire contents and starting fresh.  Here is my bare bones must-have list of items you should have in your glove box:

1. Important Information:

1. Current registration card
2. Auto insurance card
3. Roadside assistance card
4. Medical information
5. Emergency Contact

Old registration cards can be filed away with the corresponding year’s tax documents.  Expired insurance and roadside assistance cards can be shredded. Write down important Medical info on all drivers of the vehicle - at minimum you should list allergies, current medications and your primary physician’s name and phone number.  Next, write down the name and number(s) of your emergency contact.  Keep these up-to-date cards in a clear plastic sleeve for easy retrieval. Yes, it takes a couple minutes to compile these, but if you’re ever in an emergency you’ll be so glad you did!

2. Accident Report Guide:  Let’s hope it never happens, but if you get in a car accident, you could be shaken up and forget to write down important facts.  Check with your auto insurance provider for a complete checklist of what to do in case of an accident.  Take photos of the accident with your cell phone camera and if you don’t have one (I’m very impressed you’re surfing the web and reading a blog right now) get a disposable camera and make sure the film isn’t expired.
3. Your Car’s Manual:  If you ever need to change a taillight or fuse you’ll be glad you left this in the car!
4. Map:  Old school, I know, but a map of your city and/or state is always a great back up for when your GPS is “recalculating” or your phone battery runs out. 
5. First aid kit:  I’m talking tiny people; a couple Band-Aids, an antiseptic wipe and a few Tylenol.  If you have a medical situation while driving requiring more supplies than that you might want to pull over and seek professional help!
6. Napkins:  Always have a few napkins ready in case of a drink spill.
7. Baby Wipes:  Travel sized packages of baby wipes are excellent for washing your hands when hand sanitizer just isn’t enough.   

Remember, we're talking about a small glove compartment so not every single supply you would ever need in every life situation can fit in here.  Keeping it simple will keep it organized.

Messy Drawers #1 - In the Kitchen

Kitchen drawers are notorious for becoming a dumping ground of odds and ends.  I’m here to tell you, it is possible to have a junk drawer-free kitchen.  When every drawer has a specific purpose, things magically get put back where they belong.  Imagine that!

Deep Drawer Folding

Let’s ease in by starting with the kitchen towel/dishcloth drawer.  If your drawer is deep and you end up digging through layers of unfolded towels to find what you’re looking for, consider a different folding method.  In general I recommend folding textiles according to the storage space you have available.  It’s amazing how a different number of folds can make items fit a space so much better.  With a deep kitchen drawer, try folding your towels with my half-cubed method or for large towels the 3rds method.  What?  Math?  That stuff sneaks in everywhere, doesn’t it?

Half-Cubed: 

1. Fold in half lengthwise twice.
2. Fold in half widthwise once. 

3rds Method:

1. Fold widthwise into 3rds
2. Fold lengthwise into 3rds.

For small dishcloths either fold in half twice or fold in thirds, then in half (depending on the available space).  Always stack your towels so the fold greats you, (meaning you see the nice rounded fold instead of the ends of the towel) and you can easily grab the towel or dishcloth you need without digging.  One drawer down!