Keep Rags Right Where You Need Them

I LOVE this idea! I like to keep cleaning rags and supplies in each bathroom and the kitchen so it's always right there when I need it. I'm doing this!

Come join StacksandStacks on Pinterest!

Tuesday Tip! Tame The Spray Bottles

Brilliant space-saver:
Install a tension rod under the sink to hang your spray bottles.

Genius!

Tuesday Tip: Save Space With A Gutter Garden!

This is one of the coolest space-saving tips I've seen! Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering! You could do this on the side of your house or all along your fence. Takes almost no room and you get fresh veggies and herbs!

Got another idea for rain gutters? Leave a comment!

New Use For A Colander

I never would have thought to use a colander (this one's great because it folds flat for storage in the bathroom or laundry room cabinet!) to protect my delicates from any sink residue when I hand wash them - Great idea!

And here are some more great ideas over at Real Simple: Stain-Fighting New Uses for Old Things

Tuesday Tip: Pump Up The Volume

Not an organizing tip, but awesome none the less!

Make your iPhone, iPod or MP3 player seem larger than it is by placing it in a bowl – the concave shape amplifies the music.

Tuesday Tip: Good For More Than Bread

This tip is organized AND green - Bread tags make the perfect-sized cord labels!

LOVE!

Tuesday Tip (On Wednesday - Oops!): Stick It!

This one's great! Attach the "hook" side of a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.

What other things could you use this tip for?

Tuesday Tip: Go Nuts!

Before and After

Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.

Tuesday Tip! New Use For Straws

Here's a great little Tuesday Tip for you - and it's a re-purposed item tip as well: Hull strawberries easily using a plastic straw.

Got any other uses for the good old plastic straw? Leave a comment!

Plastic Bag Dryer - The Recycler's Kitchen Friend

Every time I go to my mom’s house, there is one thing that drives me crazy. No, not her infinite questioning, nor her ability to notice every minute thing that’s changed about me physically… she reuses plastic food bags. Which is not a bad thing, in fact it’s awesome! I too want to do all I can do be eco-conscious, but I haven’t evolved this far yet. In time I will. And it’s not the act of reusing plastic bags that bothers me; it’s what happens every time I go to the sink in her kitchen to wash my hands or rinse an apple.
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If You Only Buy One Thing to Make Life Easier…

Make it a wire cart! Folding wire carts are not just for little old ladies. They make life easier for everyone, myself included. Most, like this jumbo folding shopping cart, are very sturdy - carefully crafted of metal and designed to last for many years. I promise you will never run out of use for a folding shopping cart in your life.

Here are some tips on what to do with a rolling cart and where to keep it:
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It All Makes Sense With Galvanized Utility Bins

I live in a house that has a lot of stairs, and it seems like I am constantly finding things that are supposed to be downstairs laying around upstairs, and things that should stay upstairs are always finding their way to the first floor - are you confused yet?

Imagine how confused I was when I discovered a set of measuring spoons, two weeks worth of mail, and seven and half pairs of shoes upstairs, and no less than four blankets and every Lego piece that's been manufactured since 1982 downstairs.
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Product of the Week: Luggage Rack to the Rescue

When my mother-in-law gave us a Designer Solid Oak Luggage Rack for the guest room, I admit - I thought it was kind of a crazy gift. Even crazier than the ceramic chicken that she'd brought during her last visit.

I thought it was a strange thing to have, because last time I checked we didn't have plans to open up a hotel anytime soon, and I'd only seen luggage racks during business trips. The only time I'd seen a luggage rack ins somebody's house was during reruns of 'Mr. Belvedere'. To tell the truth, it spent it's first six months in our house buried inside the guest room closet.
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Tuesday Tip: Pot Rack For Drying Herbs

In my garden, we are coming to the end of herb harvesting season and we are getting ready to harvest some gourds. I love the smell of herbs drying in my house! My problem has been where to hang them as they dry.
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Tuesday Tip: Make Giving Easy

I am a huge fan of thrift shops! Both donating to and shopping at.

Since I like to shop my local store weekly for great deals, I have to purge my stuff almost as often to avoid clutter.

Here is a great tip for keeping those donate-ables corralled until donation day:
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4 Ways to Make the Most of Paper Bags

I think paper bags are my new best friend - Thanks ClutterDiet!

Tuesday Tip: The Amazing Flat Iron!

How many times have you been rushing around in the morning to get ready for work, only to find an annoying crease in the front button placket or in the hem of you blouse? No time to pull out the ironing board and heat up the iron? No problem!

Use your flat iron!

If you're like me, you have one hot and ready on the bathroom counter already. Just clamp it down on the wrinkle and smooth it out!

BONUS TIP for sewers & crafters: great for pressing ribbons or a quick hem!
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A Great New Use for Binder Clips!

Binder clips ROCK! Thanks for this GREAT tip, Lorie!!

Top 20 Uses For Toothpaste - Who Knew!

Toothpaste is for more than just cleaning teeth. Its amazing cleaning and polishing powers can help with everything from acne to piano keys! Read on for my top 20 uses for good old toothpaste:

1 - Clean silver and jewelry:
It will shine up the silver and take off tarnish as well. Toothpaste can also be used on copper and gold as well. Be sure to use a soft cloth so that only the gentle abrasive in the toothpaste is at work. Diamonds can also be shined up with a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Rinse them off with cold water and watch them shine.
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Eco-Friendly Shopping on the Cheap!

Many of us really want to purchase environmentally sensitive products, but oftentimes they seem to be unattainable, financially speaking. But, if you arm yourself with careful research and a little patience, you will discover that shopping for eco friendly products doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are a few tips on how to do your part for Mother Earth while shopping on a budget:

Renewable Resources: When buying furniture, look for woods that are plantation grown, easily renewable and use little water to grow. Bamboo fits all of these categories, and since it has become so popular and is so fast-growing, it is also often less expensive than hardwoods, or even other eco-friendly woods like teak and eucalyptus.
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Got Your Eye on Green Cleaning? This Tip's For You!

All the beauty experts say to throw away your mascara after 3 months of use. But doesn’t it seem like a bit of a waste to chuck something that seems like it must be useful – if you could just figure out what to use it for, that is!

Thanks to our friends at DIY Life, that old mascara wand can turn into a magic cleaning wand!
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Kermit Was Wrong - It IS Easy Being Green!

We all want to do our share to help preserve our environment. Some of us just aren’t sure what we can do to help or where to start. Others of us feel that it takes too much time and effort to do anything significant. However, all it takes is a bit of planning and thought and you can recycle and reuse without much effort at all. Before you know it, it will be second nature.

Here’s a great project to help!

Find a sheltered are (garage or carport) to place some plastic boxes or bins. Make sure it’s a convenient location so you will be more likely to use them. Use bins or boxes that can easily be lifted and placed in your car, and that have a clear, visible place for a label. Divide and assign your bins as follows:
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15 New Uses for Newspaper

Newspaper is cheap and abundant and, as it turns out, quite absorbent of both moisture and odors.

Here is a list of some of my favorite uses for your old newspaper:

1. Packing for Storage or a Move- Wrap dishes and delicate knick-knacks with several pieces of newspaper. Wad up some extra pieces to fill and pad any extra space in the box. For extra strength, wet the newspaper before wrapping and let dry thoroughly before packing to create a protective cast!
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15 Creative Uses for Wine Corks

Living here in Wine County California, one ends up with a lot of corks. It’s hard to just throw them out when you know there must be a ton of creative uses for them out there. I did a search for creative uses for all these corks and found some great creative ideas!

Enjoy!

Napkin rings - Drill a hole in the center, thread pretty ribbon through and tie.
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Christmas Tree Recycled - As a Rocket?

A recycle project just for fun!

Eco Organizing Awards 2009

It's a GOOD day when you do something to get organized. It's a GREAT day when you do something to get organized and preserve Mother Earth at the same time!

That's why the Get Organized Blog is proud to kick-off the Eco Organizing Awards. And I sincerely hope that you'll help me celebrate and promote Earth Day 2009!

How can you help celebrate?
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Where Did All These Shoes Come From?!

I did not know that a family of five could own so many pairs of shoes! I am always shocked at how many, and how quickly they pile up by the front door. And if you are one of the unfortunate ones (like me) who don’t have an entry way at the front of your home, the shoes wind up spread across half the living room if they aren’t kept in check. But how? With no entry way, I’ve had to get creative with our shoe storage.
Here are a few ideas:
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18 Amazing Uses For Baking Soda

We all know that Baking soda is safe for the environment. But did you know it is also the basis for some of our top leading cleaners? So what makes us spend money on new items that are on the market today? Is it the advertising gimmicks, the idea that something might prove to be better? It is still known and proved that baking soda does everything that needs to be done as far as cleaning, freeing our clothes from odors and keeping our homes smelling fresh and clean.

Try some of these tips and see how great baking soda does the job:

AROUND THE HOUSE:
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Repurposed Item of the Week: Bill Organizer

This bill organizer is pretty spiffy on it's own, especially with the little drawer underneath. It has the days of the month numbered across the front so you can place your bills into the slots either on the day they are due or the day you need to mail them.

I found a different purpose for mine, though.

I have a lot of family and friends with birthdays and anniversaries to remember, not to mention Mother's day, etc.
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Repurposed Item of the Week: 18 Compartment Box

I love these small compartmentalized organizing boxes. They’re not just for crafts!

I have two of these stacked in my top night stand drawer for my jewelry – top one for earrings, bottom one for necklaces. I took the lid off of the bottom one so I can access the contents without lifting it out of the drawer. They work great! I can always find what I need and they never get lost or tangled.

What else would you use these for?