De-Cluttering Your House

This is a guest post written by Stephanie Hanson, community manager of Monkey Bar Storage Solutions.

If you’re like the majority of Americans, you hold onto stuff. It’s certainly okay to hold onto things when they have a sentimental value! However, many people hold onto so much stuff that they find themselves with less and less space for the important things in their homes. Use these tips on how to clean out the clutter in your life, that are from the professionals organizers at Monkey Bar Storage.

Decide on Function: The most important thing for you to do when working on an area of the home is to decide what that room or area’s function is. It doesn’t matter what the current state of that room or area is, just think about what your ideal use for that room would be. You may note the need for decluttering when you realize that one room is having to supply multiple purposes that it wasn’t intended for.

Small Sections: Chances are that you’re not superhuman and don’t have the time to organize your entire home all at once. Instead, try tackling small areas. Eventually, these small areas will add up to a big difference that you can see in your home.

When Is The Last Time I Used This? The reason that so many of us keep unneeded items is because we don’t ask ourselves the last time we used them. If you haven’t used something in longer than two years ago, then chances are that you won’t use it again. If you don’t want to throw out something that is perfectly usable, try donating those items to your local Goodwill or thrift store.

Customized Solution: Now that you’ve thrown out things that you won’t use again and cleared out space, now is the time to make a habit of putting things back where you got them. Nothing makes this easier than having a customized solution. Consider shelving to get lots of items up and off the floor, creating valuable floor space. If you have a lot of little items that you want out of sight, cabinets are a great option. If you have animals or small children in the house, consider using lockable cabinets to ensure safety.

Reinforcement: Be sure to reward yourself for all your hard work! Whether it’s a piece of candy, a movie, or a trip out of the country, you decide. By rewarding yourself you’ll be more inclined to keep the room or area of your home clean and tidy.

Stephanie Hanson is the community manager for Monkey Bar Storage Solutions, a garage storage and organization company serving homeowners in the Milwaukee area.

Smelly Shoe Repellent

I am not a fan of wearing socks, as much as I can possibly get away from it. I even own those little nylon socks that barely show in flats, but they always irritate me, bunch up and don't stay in place in my shoe. So naturally, my shoes can get a little smelly when my feet sweat. I saw this great trick on Pinterest, and it really works! I do this after I take my shoes off and put them on the shelf.

 Materials:
-spray bottle
-water
-rubbing alcohol

1. Add 3/4 of your spray bottle full of water and the remaining 1/4 full of rubbing alcohol.

2. Before use, shake well and spritz 2-4 sprays inside the shoe and let air dry.

Top Loader Washer Cleaning

When I was doing my laundry recently at home, I couldn’t help but notice that the washer was a little…well, gross. It needed some TLC. I remembered seeing instructions on how to clean a washer on Pinterest, and decided to scrub that bad boy from top to bottom. After all, what’s the point of washing clothes in dirty water and bacteria? The total cleaning takes 3 cycles, but you really only need to do it twice a year, which I can definitely handle. The bleach and vinegar kill the bacteria and get your washer sparkling in no time. Trust me, you don't want to see the before picture!

Materials:
-Bleach
-Distilled white vinegar
-Magic eraser

1. Scrub any visible dirt/mildew out of the inside of the washer (including agitator) with a magic eraser.

2. Fill washer with hot water. Add in one quart of bleach. Let washer agitate for one minute. Then, let sit for an hour. Use washer’s longest cycle to rinse.

3. Fill washer with hot water. Add in one quart of white vinegar. Let washer agitate for one minute. Then, let sit for an hour. Use washer’s longest cycle to rinse.

4. Now, while I was waiting for that second hour to pass, I actually removed the bleach tray and cleaned it and scrubbed down the outer surface of the washer. I detailed it by getting in all the nooks and crannies with a magic eraser.

5. Use the washer’s longest cycle to do a final rinse. That’s it! Now you are good for another solid 6 months.

Cheap Jewelry

Let's face it--I am a sucker for jewelry. And it doesn't have to be expensive jewelry, either. I love the baubles I can find at my local Target just as much as anything from Swarovski. But one thing that REALLY sucks about cheap jewelry is when it turns colors on you. When jewelry oxidizes, there is no going back. Luckily, I found a great life hack to prevent that from happening! I found it here. And a nifty bonus--this also makes it hypoallergenic!

This used to be a silver ring---
now it has a copper band and decoration!

This gold ring has seen better days! :(

Materials:
-jewelry
-clear spray paint (glossy finish if you want your jewelry to be shiny!)
-cardboard

1. Lay your jewelry out in a well-ventilated area on some cardboard (I put that leftover wrapping paper that I didn't use to damn good use! Bad idea though, because it stuck like mad to the jewelry and I had to peel it off). Considering it is the dead of winter here in Wisconsin, I just had to do this in my basement and run up the stairs before I got too high off of the fumes.

2. Shake the clear spray paint can vigorously for 2 minutes. Spray each piece thoroughly from about 6-12 inches away. Let dry for about 20 minutes. I left and did some grocery shopping and came back and finished this up.

3. Flip the jewelry over and spray the back side. Let dry for about 20 minutes.

4. That's it! Now your jewelry is element-proof and will stay monochromatic. Awwww snap!

Ripe Avocado

I found this nifty little trick here and gave it a try yesterday at the grocery store. I have never bought an overly ripe avocado, and now I never will! To tell if an avocado is perfectly ripe, simply find the little "stem" part.

Remove the stem part. If the part underneath appears yellowish/greenish, it is ripe.

Perfectly ripe avocado

If it appears brownish, it is too ripe. Don't buy it!

Too ripe avocado

Upcycled Candle Jar

If you are ridiculously addicted to the candles you buy from Yankee Candle or Bath & Body Works like I am, long after the candles are about done, you can save the candle jars and upcycle them for bathroom storage for cotton balls, makeup, etc! Here are the original directions. Genius! I may even use these for my craft supplies.

Materials:
-candle
-butter knife
-olive oil or baby oil
-liquid soap
-rag
-paper towel

1. Place your candle in the freezer for an hour or longer. This will actually cause the wax to shrink slightly so that it will easily come out of the container.

2. Remove candle from the freezer. Use a butter knife to remove the remaining wax. You can save the wax for use in a candle burner later.

3. If any wax remains, pour a little baby oil or olive oil onto a rag, and gently rub it until it comes off. Remove any labels or stickers. This candle had a design on it that was not a label, but some have a sticker that can be peeled off.

4. Rinse the jar out with warm, soapy water.

5. Dry the jar with a paper towel. Fill with cotton balls, nail polish bottles, or whatever you like!

Honey & Cinnamon Cold Remedy

I get sick all the time. Mostly in October, when we have about 300 people that we hire on for our busy season at work. I take all of the precautions to stay healthy like taking vitamin C, obsessivly sanitizing my desk with wipes, and washing my hands many times over, to the point where they are dry. I even get my yearly flu shot. But somehow, I always get whatever is going around. I found this cold remedy on Pinterest, and it seemed tasty, so I thought, why not? I am on day 3 of this delicious concoction, and feeling much better. Coincidence or miracle cold remedy? Maybe there really is something to this, so thought I would share. Here is the original post.

Ingredients:
-1 tsp honey
-1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Mix honey and cinnamon together in a bowl. Take 1-2 times per day for 3 days for best results.

Wrapping Paper Holder

Now that the holidays are over, and you probably don't need that Christmas wrapping paper for a while, you can put it away. One of the most annoying things I have found with that is that the paper can unroll and get wrinkled and ripped. This happens to me a lot because I transport it from place to place. This idea is so incredibly simple and smart to keep your wrapping paper from unrolling. Granted, tape would work too, but this method won't ruin any paper in the process.

Materials:
-Scissors
-Empty toilet paper roll

1. Cut the toilet paper roll lengthwise from end to end.

2. Slip the toilet paper roll over the wrapping paper to hold it in place. Ta-da! Good to go for next year.

Boot Trick

Ever have those tall boots in your closet that are just flopping over and taking up space, like this? It's actually bad for the fabric over time, and can cause permanent wrinkles, or misshape.

I found this cool trick from this website. All you need to do is cut up a pool noodle into sections, and tuck a section into each boot. So then instead of floppy boots, you have nice, straight boots that retain their shape well, like this:

Jewelry Straws

I love this tip, as I am always traveling with tons of jewelry, and untangling it can be so not fun. It's perfect for keeping those chain necklaces separated and tangle free! I definitely did this for my upcoming trip to Europe. The original idea is here.

Take a straw, and thread the non-clasp end of the chain through it until it comes out of the other side. Now, clasp the chain together. Ta-da!

Green Onions

Guess what? You need only buy green onions once in your life. Yep, I said it. It blew my mind too, especially being a budgetarily conscious woman. Once you buy them, save the bottom (white part), and place it in a glass of water. In just a few days (3 in my case), new green onions will sprout from the roots, and replenish your stock! Here are my before and after pictures:

Before

After

Non-stick Measuring Cups

Before you pour a sticky substance (such as honey or peanut butter) into a measuring cup, rinse the cup with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Add your ingredient, and watch how easily it will come out!

Bread Tie Color

Did you know...

The color of the bread tie indicates what day of the week it was baked?

They are also in alphabetical order by color: B(blue), G(green), R(red), W(white), Y(yellow).

Travel Beauty Hacks

When I travel, it's pretty hard for me to reduce the amount of things I want to bring. Over the years I have learned some pretty great beauty hacks. I got a few of these from Elle See's blog.

-Use hair conditioner for shaving your legs, armpits, etc. It's cheaper than shaving cream, and will leave your legs smooth. You can also add a bit of water to the conditioner and spray it on your hair for a detangler.

-Run your brush under water and shake it out. The small amount of moisture will de-frizz your hair as you brush it.

-To make a DIY lemon facial scrub on the go, ask for a lemon slice and a packet of sugar on your flight or at a restaurant/bar. Mix the lemon juice and sugar together in a cup and apply to your face and lips, avoiding the eye area. Rinse off and moisturize, and you will feel refreshed!

-To get rid of a zit, apply toothpaste to it before bed, or crush up aspirin and add water to make a paste and apply it to the zit. Let dry. Rinse away in the morning. If your zit has popped, apply some Visine to it to diminish redness.

-Gently rub an ice cube around your eyes to get rid of under-eye bags. Also, a tea bag that you have used in your tea works well to reduce puffiness. Lay one on each eye for 15 minutes, then remove and discard.

-Take some baby wipes with you and use for removing makeup, getting rid of deodorant stains, or just swipe on your face and hands for freshening up after a long flight.

-Use a little chapstick for: rubbing on heels to prevent blisters, softening cuticles, taming unruly eyebrows, moisturizing cracked knees or elbows, and helping with a stubborn zipper.

-Use a bit of lotion as a de-frizzer for your hair, or as chapstick if you don't have any.

-In a pinch, you can use a bit of lipstick as blush (be sure to blend well!) Also, add a little water to your makeup brush or Q-tip and turn eye shadow into eye liner.

-Vaseline works great as a lotion or chapstick, taming eyebrows, and making a matte eyeshadow shiny.

-Take clear nail polish with you. Great for stopping a run in pantyhose, a quick mani/pedi fix-up, applying over a button to keep thread from loosening, keeping an eyeglass screw in place, and making a jewelry piece shinier.

-Nail clippers are a must, but are also useful for trimming loose or dangling threads on your clothing.

-Don't have a lint roller? Use the sticky side of a pantiliner or pad to remove lint, hair, and fuzz.

-In lieu of a curling iron, French braid your hair after the shower and sleep on it. In the morning, take the braid out, and gently finger comb your waves.

-Anything you may have forgotten, ask for at the front desk. They often have toiletries and mini sewing kits if you have need of one.

What travel beauty hacks do you know?

Fresh Bananas

To make bananas last longer, take them apart from the stem when you get home from the store. If left together, they will ripen faster.

Save Green Peppers

Here's a fun tip...that left over green pepper you have? Don't throw it away! Chop it up into little pieces, put it in an empty container (I used a clean water bottle), and freeze it for next time.

iPhone Speaker

Ever wanted your iPhone (iPod) to be louder than it actually is? Simply place it in a bowl. The concave shape will actually magnify the sound!

Cord Labels

Save the little plastic bag holders you get from bread, lettuce, and potato bags. You can write on them with permanent marker and slip them on cords to identify what cord goes to what electronic device. Genius! Got this tip from Pinterest. In fact, 99.9% of these handy tips will come from there.

Ring Sizer

Not sure what ring size you wear? Sign up to receive a free ring sizer from James Avery. In fact, you can figure out what size all of your fingers are! And James Avery has some really great jewelry, too. Contact them here.