Operation Declutter

Now that my I've gotten through the last tests of 2012, it's time to conquer my list of things that I've been wanting to tackle for months!  One of the areas of my "To Do" list that has been bothering me the most lately is clutter.  There's something about piles of paper, junk drawers, and crammed closets that is starting to get on my nerves.  It was never a huge problem for me in the past, but I think I'm finally hitting that point in life where less is more. With some upcoming time off from rotations aka "work", I'm determined to attack some of my worst clutter sources.



I may be the only one with that last bit of clutter, and I think I'm going to tackle that clutter with some deep cleaning, but that's another post in itself.

Since today was my first true "day off" I couldn't wait to start! I began attacking my paper clutter (class notes and receipts) bright and early with the help of a new purchase (details to come later in the week), but I think to put it simply, I'm smitten!

Anybody else have big plans for the end of the year or other types of clutter you are wanting to tackle?   Or do you have any tips for how to cut back on clutter?

Reclaiming the Garage

There is something about a clean and organized garage that makes me happy.

So you can imagine my mood when I came home to this:

Despite my better judgement, I'm putting it online for all to see.  

My extension cords, outdoor "won't light up" lights, and random shelf components from when one of the shelves came crashing down.

My wood from previous and future projects lining the wall so I could barely pull my car into the garage.

The Pepsi container from the people that lived here before us. Cough 3 years ago.

The remnants of wood from projects passed that I just might use in the future for a cool project that is yet to be determined.

And the corner of death (feeling dramatic today..) where projects go to die and never be touched.  I think our powered snow shovel is even hidden back there.

And my "woodshop" workstation with no usable counter space and a glorious pegboard that I wasn't fully utilizing.  Not to mention an empty rubbermaid and oodles of car wash products from the SO (which means significant other as one of my recent interviewers pointed out to me).  

What can I say - he loves a clean car with EXTRA shiny tires. 

After cleaning my floor mats, I couldn't stand to look at my garage or even be in it.  Since it was a 70 degree day in November (not likely to stay that way long) I tackled another project: reclaiming my garage.  

I took a quick survey of the garage, and decided immediately we had too much stuff.  I recycled all the extra cardboard (most of the boxes were empty or nearly empty), repurposed the Rubbermaid container for wood scraps (why did I not do this before?!), threw away broken unfixable objects, and reorganized the remainder of the garage by grouping like things together.

How did I tackle this project?

-Wood pile in the corner of death, sorted by size and type.

-Outdoor citronella candles, bug repellent, and summer related things into the same container on a shelf.

-Car wash supplies in a plastic shoebox already owned and sitting in the basement.

-Tools and building supplies with the workstation.  Saws, sanders, drills on top of the station.  Tools, screws, and nails on the pegboard.  Spare nails, screws, and other metal objects in small plastic storage container.  Remainder odds and ends (screwdrivers, stir sticks, etc) in flower pot.

-Extension cords, ropes, and all things "corded" wrapped and hung on previously owned shelf supports. 

  -Outdoor lawn equipment hung on the already present hanging organizer.  Exception: gas powered weed eater which needs to be stored horizontally (so I'm told), now lives on shelf.

-EVERYTHING had to have a home, or it didn't go in the garage. 

Ready to see how it all worked out?

Before: 

After:

I can actually see what I have now and something about the pegboard made me REALLY happy.  So happy I took more pictures...

I think I was the crazy neighbor lady spending hours on end outside and taking pictures of strange things (for the purpose of blogging, but they don't know that!).

The best part about this project?  I used what I already had and spent $0!  The garage is now back to being a happy place for outdoor tools storage, wood working projects, and my car.  

Not having to scrape my car in the morning? Priceless.  

Project "Reclaim the Garage" tackled.

*True story: The end table/nightstand from the corner of death was a project I just didn't feel like tackling anymore.  So I decided to give somebody else a chance to make it their own.  I took a picture of the end table (which wasn't really necessary anyway) and put it on the curb.  I went inside to post my ad to Craigslist for "free stuff", went back outside to take a few more pictures of the end table, and saw it was already gone! It sat on the curb for 5 to 10 minutes max. I either live by vultures or have creative neighbors! 

Quick Tips: Vinegar and Laundry

 Adding Vinegar to the Wash  Cycle

It may seem counterintuitive, but adding a splash of vinegar to your wash cycle can remove the "oops I forgot I was doing laundry" smell from those clothes that sat too long in the washing machine.  

I have been guilty of this a few times, and tried the vinegar method after seeing it on Pinterest.  I literally added between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of vinegar (I eyeballed it) to my wash cycle in addition to my normal laundry detergent. I can attest - the clothes come out smelling CLEAN!  Absolutely no smell of mildew OR vinegar!

Clean Floormats: Meet my "new" car!

When its sunny and 70 in November, a cup of coffee is all I need to get moving!  I got a few projects done today, but the first thing I tackled was cleaning out my car.  Since I will be spending a lot of time in my car in the near future, and it has already been to the mechanic for a tune-up, I thought she could use a good cleaning.

I will spare you pictures of me vacuuming, Clorox wiping, and Windexing every possible surface in my car, but this portion of my car clean out made me a believer in Woolite carpet cleaner - and they aren't even paying me to say this!

Take a look at my disgusting floor mats.

Stick It To Me: Tiled Vanity Floor

So as I've mentioned before, we rent.  Renting is a great opportunity for us right now, but I haven't loved some of the things we inherited from the previous people who inhabited this space.  

Exhibit A:

This is the space underneath the sink in the master/first floor bath.  Who knows what has leaked here in the past or what products were spilled to result in this disaster or who knows what else.  I shudder to even think about that.  

Since we rent, replacing isn't exactly something that we are thrilled about doing, and unfortunately, I don't think a layer of contact paper would do the trick.  What happens if something leaks in the future?  I mean it is a bathroom. Leaks happen.