Decluttering Under the Stairs Storage

In my mother's house is a strange, but rather large cabinet under the stairs. For years it has been neglected and random items like Halloween decorations, Christmas wrapping paper and art projects have been relegated to this dark hole. It's also been the place where my husband likes to store his various beers. There was never any shelving built in the space, so over time it has become cluttered and items are just piled on top of each other. With the holidays coming up, I thought last weekend would be a good time to clean out and organize the cabinet. That meant putting on knee pads and climbing into the dark, cobwebby space. Fun.

I purchased a few plastic shelving packages from Home Depot and began to clean and toss out what was not being used. You can see below what the space used to look like. Don't ask what was going to be done with that huge gourd in the corner.

Below you can see what the space looked like after I tackled it. Since I got rid of so much junk and old boxes, I did not have to utilize the space in the very back of the cabinet. In addition, it only took me about one hour to clean out the space and reorganize it. My cabinet under the stairs project is a good example of what can be accomplished in an afternoon with only about $60 worth of shelving and some knee pads.

 

 Photos by Christina Nellemann

How Clean is Your Cell Phone?

Those handy, little devices go with us everywhere: the car, our coat pockets, the bathroom. Have you ever really considered how dirty that cell phone is when you stick it next to your face? 

I've been re-watching a bunch of the "How Clean is Your House?" shows that ran on the BBC a few years ago. I adore Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie and their clutter, grime and dirt busting tactics. In addition, after watching a show, I REALLY want to clean and disinfect my entire house.

Then I got to thinking about my cell phone. How often do I really clean the thing and what bacteria and microbes are crawling on my keypad?

According to the site, Keeping It Klean, the average cell phone...

• can contain germs like Staphylococcus, Micrococcus and Bacillus, and one in six cellular phones is contaminated with fecal matter;
• has more contamination than a toilet, a doorknob and the bottom of a shoe;
• has bacteria on it than can live for more than a week;
• contains tens of thousands of germs on each square inch and these germs can multiply when the phone is warmed up by heavy use or by the warmth from your hands and face.

Gross.

There is hope. However, a daily cleaning regiment is required. This can include using sanitary wipes (check with your phone manufacturer first), a paper towel and rubbing alcohol, and a cotton swab and alcohol for the little nooks and crannies.

Also, this year a group of college students from Utah have invented a cell phone cleaner/charger that uses UV light to clean and disinfect cell phones. The Phone Soap only takes about three minutes to clean a phone, but they can also be left in the cleaner overnight.

All it takes are the word "fecal matter" to get people up and cleaning.

Photo by wine me up

Preparing to Go on a Clothes Diet

While many people will start the New Year with a new food diet, in 2013 I will be not be buying any more clothes.

I have enough.

For the next two months, I will be scrutinizing my closet, what I wear on a daily basis and will attempt to have enough outfits and practical clothing items to get me through the next 365 days. The goal is to have enough items to keep me stylish and appropriate for work, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I will be purging what no longer works, but I will also purchase one or two things to round out my wardrobe and to make sure I have enough socks and underwear.

The idea behind this challenge is that all of us really have all we need in our closets to stay warm and clothed. The constant wanting for new items has nothing to do with not having anything to wear, but more with being bored with what we already own.

This is what I've been learning about my own clothing purchases and how my habits will affect this challenge:

Get rid of and don't purchase the "just in case" stuff

It's highly unlikely I will ever walk the red carpet, so I am not going to go looking for a pair of black kitten heels to keep "just in case".

Embrace the staples

I reach for the same tank tops and black, long sleeved tops all the time. These will become the staples of my wardrobe and I will make them work with every other item I have. I have struggled over the years to find a "uniform", so I hope this challenge will enable me to find what works best for me.

Take care of what you have

When thinking of not purchasing clothes for a year, I got a little panicky. What if my favorite sweater completely unravels? What if a heel comes off my shoe? I relaxed and realized that I sometimes treat my favorite clothes in a not so nice way. Now I am conscious of taking off my nice shoes when I get home rather than running out into the garden with them. I also will quickly sew up a hole in that sweater before it grows to the size of Minneapolis.

Replace worn out or inferior items…but not right away

If I have an item that I think needs to be replaced, I am going to really think about how I wear that item and if I really do wear it enough to justify purchasing something similar.


Photo by Sue Westergaard

Decluttering the Morning Routine

This morning I counted each toiletry product as I used it. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, makeup and mouthwash all got counted and I was a little disconcerted that for my typical morning routine I ended up using 15 different products. Is that really necessary?

Over the years I have attempted to reduce the amount of toiletries that I use with some success and I've been able to keep the shower, bathroom drawers and under-sink area clean and clutter-free, but 15 items seemed like too much.

For a typical morning I use:

1. Dr. Wood's Shea Vision Pure Black Soap (for showering and shaving)
2. Shampoo (usually Burt's Bees or Garnier Fructis Organic)
3. Organix Argan Oil conditioner (my hair is super dry and curly)
4. Organix Argan Oil heavy conditioner (for styling)

5. Degree or crystal deodorant
6. Body lotion (shea butter or Pure Fiji that I bought in Fiji)

7. Physician's Formula tinted moisturizer with sunscreen
8. Physician's Formula bronzer (I'm pale)
9. Physician's Formula mascara (Again…I'm pale)
10. Cover Girl brown blush for eyeshadow

11. Tom's of Maine toothpaste
12. Sonicare toothbrush (my dentist loves me)
13. Floss
14. Listerine Total Care mouthwash

This morning I added in one more thing:

15. Q-Tips (for cleaning ears)

Even though this seemed like a lot to me, I was proud that my makeup routine takes less than 60 seconds. On most weekends and when I'm camping I eschew the makeup.

So I started thinking what I could do without. Do I really need an extra type of conditioner for styling my hair? Do I really need that chemically mouthwash? What about getting rid of that eyeshadow? Can I combine any makeup items? I do love that the tinted moisturizer is doing triple duty and I'm wondering how many other products can do double or triple duty.

Next time you do your morning routine, count your personal toiletry items and see what number you come up with. What can you get down to? I'd love to hear from you.


Photo by nimble photography

Save Your Fives

Do you want to save up for something? A fun way to go about it is to save your five-dollar bills. Any time you get change from that $20 and you end up with a $10 and a $5 — pocket the $10, but take the $5 and put it in a jar or envelope.

After a couple of months, deposit the bills into a specific bank account just for your goal. Use the easy account setup with ING and have access to that money when you hit your goal. It's an easy and simple way to save up for something. If you happen to save two to three $5 bills a week, you will have saved up about $500 to nearly $800 in a year.

Photo by laszlo-photo

Messy Veggies

With the summer heat comes the abundance of neighborhood vegetable gardens. August and September usually give birth to multitudes of tomato, squash, sunflowers, herbs and peppers and you can really see what your winter and spring work can accomplish.

Now that you are reaping your delicious rewards, you can also keep this in mind: the vegetable garden is a wonderful place to keep things messy. Sure, we all want our gardens to look as good as the ones created by the Barefoot Contessa and Martha Stewart, but like most things these perfect women do, it's unrealistic. Gardens are outside and outside is disorganized.

Glorious tomato plants don't care if they are in perfectly measured rows with matching cages; they just want a lot of hot sun and a little bit of water. Weeds are going to pop up in the most unlikely places and friendly little birds and bugs can't be eradicated in one fell swoop. Because of the heat and general summer laziness, I really don't feel like getting all the weeds out of my beds (which are made of old fence wood). My walkways really need to be mowed and my compost pile is really piling up. That's okay, my plants still grow and I don't want to stress too much about it.

It does make for wonderful peace of mind when your house, closets, vehicle and workspace are clean and organized, but I think once in a while you should have permission to be a little messy.


Photo courtesy of Magalie L'Abbé

My Minimalist Travel Wardrobe

I love to travel. Over the years, I've visited fantastic places like Japan and Fiji, Turkey and Easter Island, the Czech Republic and the Galapagos Islands and have loved every minute of it. After my first few trips, I quickly realized that packing super light is the only way to travel.

I can't travel without a good raincoat. This basic black coat is from Patagonia and has saved me in several downpours.

When discussing travel wardrobes with other world travelers, I've come to the conclusion that too many people are concerned with what others are going to think about them based on their clothes. I don't think I've ever thought differently about a fellow traveler with fascinating travel stories by what shirt he or she is wearing. I've chosen these clothing items to join me on my trips because of their versatility, various pockets, and ability to dry quickly and keep their shape while I hike, bike, run for trains or swim in tropical waters.

From my typical travel wardrobe, you'll notice that most of my items are black or gray. These basic items are in dark colors that hide dirt and can fit into nearly any situation (except maybe a black-tie ball). I intersperse my wardrobe with a few colors and a bright scarf to liven it up. I only bring two pairs of shoes: a good walking/hiking pair and some flip flops. If I know I'm going to a wedding, fancy party or to a more cosmopolitan area (e.g. New York City, Los Angeles) I may throw in some nice jeans, flats or a dress. However, these are my typical items that I bring on every trip, and to make it even easier, I keep them all in one area of closet so I can grab-and-go.

I bring several long sleeve shirts that I can use for daily wear, sleeping or for layering. Wearing all three of these shirts together keeps me warmer than one bulky sweater. The top shirt is one of my favorites: it's a Patagonia wicking top with a big pocket on the back. I've used that pocket for my wallet and money, to store additional clothing and for holding my lunch for the day. The second black top is another wool Patagonia layering piece with a zip neck and the third shirt is a Scottevest Women's Q-Zip in Violet.

I've really fallen in love with the Scottevest brand. Their well-made and versatile clothes are full of pockets, which is a necessity for light packers. I purchased the Women's Lightweight Vest for its 20 pockets (including one huge back pocket) and have taken it on every trip since.

I always take a scarf or Buff to wear around my neck on planes or in cold weather, as a blanket on the beach or protection from the sun. I purchased this scarf at a shop in midtown Manhattan for about $3 and I love how soft it is.

I always bring some sort of leggings, yoga pants or workout pants with me. They usually do triple or quadruple duty as loungewear, workout wear, pajamas or a layering piece to put under my pants or shorts.

Finding good travel pants seems to be a struggle for women travelers. While my Merrel Lanaia pants/skirt combo are looking a little wrinkled in the above photos, they are actually excellent travel pants. They are seven clothing items in one: zip-off pants, shorts (which are not dumb-looking like most zipped-off shorts), capris, a skort (the shorts and skirt together), a skirt, a skirt/pant combo or a skirt/capri combo. These were the only pants I took on a trip to Chile and Easter Island and they traveled/washed and dried like a charm.

Whether I'm going to a warm or cold climate, I always have one or two t-shirts and a few tank tops to use for hot weather, layering and for sleeping.

If I'm heading to the tropics, I will throw in a bikini and a rash guard. The flip flops are always in my bag for hot weather, lounging around a hostel and walking to and from an outdoor onsen in Tokyo.

I really only bring about 3-4 pairs of underwear and two bras or sports bras. They are always in rotation — one pair on, one pair drying after being washed and one pair waiting to be worn.

My tried and true Ryka shoes have hiked mountains, walked cobblestone streets, and have been soaked in downpours. They are starting to show their age and I will have to replace them soon, but these types of nondescript shoes are perfect for the traveler who packs light.