Cheaper, Better, Faster (22 page)

Linens—sheets,
full to queen

You don't need all new bedding if you replace your old double bed with a queen-size one. Lay a full-size flat sheet on your new queen-size mattress. Fold a hospital corner (this has a pleated rather
than gathered look) at all four corners and pin them in place. Stitch elastic completely around the pleated corners. You will have a queen-size fitted sheet. Buy coordinating flat queen-size sheets when you see them on sale. Make extra pillowcases from the full-size fitted sheets.

Linens—sheets, queen to king

Buy queen-size top sheets for king-size beds. King-size top sheets are usually way too big and require a lot of tucking in. Queen-size flats work great on most king-size beds and are a lot cheaper. Note: All sheets vary in size, and it seems the better the quality, the more generous the amount of fabric.

Linens—table linens, on
a hanger

Use a multiple shirt hanger to organize place mats, cloth napkins, and folded tablecloths. Hang it in the entry closet, and they'll always be neat and wrinkle-free.

Linens—table linens, spritz to protect

Spray table linens with a fabric protector a few days before you plan to use them. The inevitable spills will be less likely to stain, and spills will simply bead up so you can remove them quickly.

Linens—table runners, no creases

Use the cardboard tubes from rolls of gift wrapping paper to store crease-free, freshly ironed dresser scarves and table runners. Simply lay the tube over one end of the item and roll it up. Secure with a piece of ribbon or string.

Linens—table runners, unique

Use a pretty muffler or scarf as a unique table runner.

Linens—unique with
fabric paint

A touch of washable fabric paint, available at craft and fabric stores, can customize
plain-Jane napkins, place mats, or tablecloths into fabulous accessories that coordinate with your dishes, floors, or wall coverings.

Linens—vinyl wrinkles

To remove the wrinkles from a new plastic or vinyl tablecloth, toss the tablecloth in the dryer with a damp cloth (for moisture), set on the lowest heat possible, and let tumble for only a minute or two. To be on the safe side (putting plastic in a clothes dryer sounds like a fire hazard just waiting to happen), do not leave it unattended. Stand there for the short time it takes to do this, and personally take out the beautifully wrinkle-free tablecloth.

Locks—lubricate them

Graphite from an ordinary soft pencil can be used to lubricate a resistant lock. Rub the key across the pencil point, then move it in and out of the lock several times.

Mice—trap them

Use peanut butter as bait for your mousetraps. You can reset the traps and catch several mice before you need to add more bait.

Moving—move midweek

If you're moving, do it on a weekday. Fees can be as much as 50 percent higher on the weekend. Pack everything yourself and save at least 10 percent. Most movers provide cartons.

Odors—air freshener with eucalyptus

Available at a reasonable cost from many florist shops, eucalyptus makes a unique bathroom air freshener. Simply place fragrant eucalyptus stems in a vase and add enough water to cover about 2 inches of the stem bases.

Odors—basements and garages

Fill a net vegetable bag with charcoal and hang it in the musty basement or damp garage to absorb odors.

Odors—bathrooms

Keep an open, shallow dish of baking soda behind your toilet to absorb odors.

Odors—fireplace

Remove ashes often for optimum fireplace performance. Each time you remove the ashes, place a shallow pan of baking soda in the fireplace. Leave it overnight to absorb unpleasant fireplace odors.

Odors—fragrant home

Here are several ideas for a home, sweet home: (1) To make your house smell sweet, sprinkle cinnamon on a pan and warm it on the stove. (2) To fill your home with the smell of citrus, throw a handful of orange peels in a pot of boiling water. (3) Each time you clean a room, place a few drops of a fragrant oil on a lightbulb, or spray the room with a fresh potpourri scent to give the house a nice smell and to leave a subtle sign that this room is clean! (4) To make your own carpet and room deodorizer, mix 1 cup Epsom salts with a few drops of perfumed oil. Spread the mixture on waxed paper to dry. Store in an airtight container. To use, sprinkle the grains on the carpet, allow to stand for a few minutes, and vacuum as usual. (5) Don't throw away lemon rinds or old spices. They make fabulous room deodorizers. Simply place them in a pot of water and bring to a low boil. The scent is better than any potpourri you can buy.

Odors—linen closets

Keep your linen closet smelling fresh. Spray cotton balls with your favorite fragrance. Once dry, stash them into closet corners and shelves.

Odors—suitcases

To restore a musty suitcase, fill it with crumpled newspaper, then close it up. Change the paper every 2 to 3 days until the odor is gone.

Odors—
vacuum with cinnamon

Place a cinnamon stick in the vacuum bag before vacuuming
to naturally deodorize your home.

Organization and
storage—bathroom, magnet metal corral

If you often misplace tweezers, manicure scissors, and nail files, try this trick: Attach these items to a large magnet placed on the inside of your metal medicine cabinet.

Organization and storage—bathroom, shoe bag

Hang a shoe bag on the back of the bathroom door. The pockets are perfect for washcloths and toiletries and other small items that cause such a clutter problem in the bathroom.

Organization and storage—bed-making storage

For quick and easy bed-making, keep linen sets together. For each set, fold and wrap a top and bottom sheet and one pillowcase together. Then stick them all in the matching pillowcase and store in a drawer right next to the bed.

Organization and storage—blankets

Eliminate the question of where to store extra blankets. Keep them between the mattress and the box spring.

Organization and storage—bowls and lids

To save space and promote neatness in the kitchen, nest all plastic storage containers, and place the lids in a resealable plastic bag. Hang the bag of lids from a hook inside a door.

Organization and storage—broom

Cut the fingertip from an old rubber glove and slip it over the end of your broom handle. Now it won't slip when leaned against the wall.

Organization and storage—bureau instead
of table

If you have a table with no storage space by the front
door, replace it with a bureau that has drawers galore.

Organization and storage—CD container

Keep your compact discs neatly organized by storing them in the perfect-sized container—an empty shoe box. Place them upright in the box so the titles are visible, and you'll be able to easily flip through them to find the ones you're looking for. The box can be covered with contact paper or painted.

Organization and storage—closet'
s top shelf

Attach a mirror to the closet ceiling so you can keep track of top-shelf contents.

Organization
and storage—clutter in a bag

Take a large brown grocery bag and load into it all the clutter that's driving you nuts. Stash it in a cupboard or another out of the way place. If family members are missing something, send them to the bag. Anything not retrieved in 2 to 3 weeks can be considered a likely candidate for the trash—just in time for another clean sweep of the house.

Organization and storage—cords

Keep extension cords neat. Stuff the looped cords into individual cardboard tubes.

Organization and storage—cosmetics in desk organizers

Check out those acrylic desk organizers you see in office supply or art stores. They're ideal for cosmetics, brushes, and nail polish, and much cheaper than the same thing sold to hold cosmetics.

Organization and storage—cubbies

Here's an uplifting idea: Don't forget to look up for extra storage. A row of cubbies (storage boxes) attached to the wall over coat hooks is one example of found space. Other logical locations are above a washer or dryer, chest
of drawers, medicine cabinet, or window.

Organization and storage—family in-boxes

Decorate a colored file folder or plastic in-box for each of your children. When they come home from school, have them place important papers, forms, and other school information in their special place. And they'll know where to find the papers and items they need to return to the teacher the next day.

Organization and storage—flowerpots as
storage

Paint small terra-cotta flowerpots pastel colors and place on a small tray in the bathroom to hold makeup, soaps, and other small items.

Organization and storage—hide your
valuables

Spray-paint the inside of a mayonnaise jar white. Store it in the refrigerator as a hiding place for money and valuables.

Organization and storage—in the luggage

Suitcases, which spend the greater portion of their functional lives completely useless and taking up space, should be considered for storing almost anything, from holiday decorations to out-of-season clothes.

Organization and storage—jewelry

Keep your earrings, small bracelets, and necklaces in the separate compartments of a plastic ice tray. The tray fits in a dresser drawer so jewels stay neat and out of sight.

Organization and storage—jewelry box

Don't throw out that old tarnish-retardant silver chest designed to store silverware. It will make a wonderful jewelry box. Earrings clip to the band designed to hold knives; chains, rings, and brooches fit nicely in the open spaces; and you won't have to worry about tarnish because of the
specially treated material that lines this type of chest.

Organization and storage—keys

Keep a pretty, decorative bowl on a table near the front door to hold house keys. You'll always know exactly where they are.

Organization
and storage—ladder

Nail a sturdy, old leather belt to the garage wall. Store the ladder by wrapping the belt around its top step and buckling it closed.

Organization and
storage—lost and found

Keep a lost-and-found basket in a central location where family members can stash things they find lying around the house and also look for things they've lost.

Organization and storage—roll under the
bed

Attach casters to the bottom of an old dresser drawer and use it for storage underneath a bed.

Organization
and storage—shoe storage bags for small stuff

The perfect solution for organizing all the little stuff that clutters the rooms in your home is a large, clear plastic shoe storage bag—the kind with lots of pockets. All of its contents are clearly visible, neatly separated, and easily portable. Hang one on the back of the door in the nursery, kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

Organization and storage—table leaves

Store extra table leaves in the closet behind your clothes. They won't take up room and will be out of sight and protected from scratches.

Organization and storage—
table pedestal

Top a new trash or garbage can with a piece of plywood and cover it with a piece of
floor-length fabric to turn it into a lamp table. The receptacle provides a fairly large storage space for Christmas decorations or other infrequently used items.

Organization and storage—
under-the-bed box

Keep a cardboard storage box in each bedroom (under the bed is good), and use it to collect outgrown clothes and toys. Full boxes means it's time for a yard sale or a trip to the Salvation Army or consignment store.

Organization and storage—velcro
the remote

Attach an adhesive-backed Velcro strip to the side of your TV and another to the back of the TV remote control.

Packing—sealing boxes

Before you tape shut a box, run a piece of string along the path where you'll be placing the tape. Press the tape over the string and seal the box, leaving a bit of the string hanging loose. When it's time to unpack, just pull on the string to rip the tape.

Photos—clean with rubbing alcohol

If photos have marks (even permanent marker), sticky stuff, dirt, or they are stuck together, clean them with 91 percent or more rubbing alcohol, and then carefully pry them apart. Dry them printed side up and not touching other photos. Anything less than 91 percent alcohol will ruin the photos because it contains too much water.

Photos—keep memories with a camera

Does this sound familiar? You've made a commitment to dejunk your life. Suddenly you and your family get hit with the sentimental bug. Instead of hanging on to all that stuff, why not take a photograph of the special items? A photo of the giant stuffed animal that was your daughter's
favorite when she was three will take up a lot less room in the photo album than in the attic. The picture will call up the same memories as the item itself, and you'll be freed emotionally to get rid of the things that are cluttering your life.

Photos—magnetic photo album nightmare

The warmth from a hair dryer can loosen photos that have become stuck within the pages of a magnetic photo album.