I’m writing this trapped on my sofa waiting for my sparkly floors to dry. A few months ago my Swiffer WetJet broke which gave me an excuse to buy Libman’s Freedom mop. I would often see their commercials and get oddly inspired to clean. It requires a bit more elbow grease, but I love that you don’t need batteries, you can use your own cleaner and the pads are washable.

Ryan’s mom is coming over for dinner tonight. She’s not the typical judgmental mother-in-law, but since we’re playing house/ getting married in 8 weeks and 1 day (eek!), I figured I’d clean a little extra today. She made a special request for my meat sauce for dinner, so I’ll be spending my night in a carb and red wine induced coma. I think I’ll use this as my excuse when I lose scrabble. Yep. I said when. I have no chance of winning when playing with Ryan and his mom. I’ll just be happy if I get 9 points with “mop”!

Whenever it’s warmer out, Ryan seems to enjoy spending hours washing and waxing his car. It must be a guy thing, because I’d much rather take it to a car wash (or our local “car spa”). He bought this pen to remove rust from a tiny scratch on his car, and we thought it’d be great for another household use.

BEFORE

AFTER

The pens price tag of $10.99 was a little surprising at first, but it’s a lot less expensive than buying a new knife set. The fibreglass eraser-like pen was so easy to use – you simple rub it back and forth on the rust spots as if you’re erasing them. So easy, even a caveman could do it.

Every month when Real Simple comes in the mail, Ryan knows not to talk to me for a good hour. This months issue has even more of my favorite “new uses for everyday things” and I’ve compiled a list of genius ideas that I wish I thought of sooner!

• Use a tissue box as a plastic bag dispenser to organize your pile of shopping bags.

• Use your salad spinner to get the extra water out of your cashmere sweaters. Just put the sweaters in the spinner, and then lay flat after to dry.

• If you’re over your Uggs, cut the boot and use the shearling as a pot holder. (After cleaning them of course!) This is a great idea for camping!

• Wrap a rubber band around nail polish for stubborn bottles that won’t open.

• Use a lemon to disinfect your chopping block, or to remove stains from tupperware.
• Clean your kitchen sponge by heating it in the microwave for a minute. (There’s nothing worse than the smell of dirty sponge!)

• Wrap tomatoes in newspaper seperately to ripen sooner.
• Hang Christmas lights vertically on your tree instead of wrapping them around and around. It cuts down the time of putting them up, and removing them.

• Keep a few marshmallows in your brown sugar to keep it soft. Genius!

(all photos Real Simple.)

(younghouselove.)

I love wearing my leather boots all throughout winter, but hate the excessive amount of salt that people use on their sidewalks. I used to think that my shoes were ruined from the white rings that the salt left behind, until I found an ECO-friendly way to clean your leather/suede shoes. Cleaning solution is just a tablespoon of white vinegar added to a cup of water. Using a soft clothe, wipe down shoes with solution and let dry. Shine shoes after they are completely dried (I used Ryan’s Penguin Instant Shine). Voila! It’s that easy!

BEFORE

AFTER

When I first saw this ribbon coat rack, I couldn’t decide if I loved it or not. I like to have everything away and out of site, but I found myself going back to this image over and over again. I actually prefer this coat rack on its own because of its artful, sculpture like design. I’ve decided. I love it, especially in yellow!

…store your paintbrushes on a magnetic knife rack like this?

apartment therapy

At least twice a year I like to go threw my closet and get rid of clothes or shoes that I haven’t worn in a while. I recently came across Nike’s Reuse a Shoe program that recycles sneakers and turns them into fitness tracks, basketball courts, or foam mulch for playgrounds. Check out their website on ways to get involved, or to check for nearest drop off locations!

Sorry about the old lady post, but this just totally made my day! I love my HandiVac sealer, but I’ve recently learned that their bags are discontinued. Sad face. It was only on the market for about 18 months so I was really disappointed when I found out they no longer made replacements! …until I discovered that the bags are available on HSN through another name. Phew! That was a close one.

Is it bad that I feel like I need to buy every bag available so if they discontinue them again, I’ll have enough?!

My apartment is a mess and it’s driving me nuts! I’ve become hyper organized as I’ve grown older, and living in a semi-construction site is making me crazy.

This organization is such a beautiful, beautiful thing. Sighh.

the lil bee

I’ve always lusted after this dressing room! There are so many priorities to spend your money on, so a beautifully designed closet is often on the bottom on the list. I’m loving the natural finishes and X-framed doors. And look at that organization! It’s the little things that excite me…

domino (i think…)

I’ve posted before about drying laundry, and I wish I had an outdoor space to hang my clothes. No candle or linen spray can quite capture the beautiful scent of freshly dried laundry. Check out this genius idea for outdoor drying (from walmart, no less!) without the ugly laundry line going across your yard.

Sooo… I borrowed tupperware from Ryan’s sister and stained it with spaghetti sauce (whoops!). I found a recipe for a natural cleaner a while back and I’ve been anxious to try it! I’ve tried other ‘green’ home remedies and haven’t been pleased with the results. See the directions below for a remedy that works!

How to:

1. Add enough water to container to cover stain.

2. Add baking soda until the water starts to fizz, or looks carbonated.

3. Squeeze fresh lemon or a tablespoon of lemon juice into container and let sit overnight.

4. Rinse, and wash wish soap and water.

Try it! It works!

Long weekends seem to always go hand in hand with home projects. And to-do lists. I find myself having commitment issues with paint colors. I always LOVE the ones I choose, but then I lust for other colors chosen for a client and feel the urge to repaint. So that’s what I did this past Friday. Painted.

apartment therapy

I hate washing brushes out, so I was happy to discover that putting your brushes in an airtight bag in the fridge or freezer will preserve them overnight. Genius!

This weekend may have been my most productive weekend ever. I feel so good to have gotten so much done, and typing it out makes me even more motivated to get more done!

I scanned 200 old photos for a slideshow for Ryan’s grandparents. They’re renewing their vows and throwing a party for their 60th wedding anniversary. Super excited to celebrate!

Scanned tons of images ripped out of the many magazines I subscribe to or compulsively buy at checkouts. I am in love with my new scanner and can’t wait to post my exciting finds!

Organized our entire condo and threw out the junk we don’t need/use. (Why did i spend $60 at that a tupperware party?!)

Cleaned six loads of laundry! (Going camping last weekend made us dirrrty!)

Cleaned out my car and trunk so I can get it detailed tomorrow. (Is that where all my umbrellas have been?!)

Shredded what felt like years of bills and paperwork piling up. (Lame.)

Made a gigantic pot of my mom’s spaghetti sauce and meatballs to freeze for 8 meals, and 4 meatball sandwiches. I like to freeze each meal seperately so we don’t have an excuse to order takeout. It’s way too easy to pop it in the microwave!

Sigh. This is a beautiful thing.

This post is not so glamorous but today is laundry day and I’m curious how other people air their clean laundry. Weird thing to be curious about, I know! How two people produce 6 loads of laundry in a week is beyond me! I don’t really put anything in the dryer besides towels and socks, so when I found this drying rack from ikea I was loving it. They store up so flat that we have two of them under our sofa!

I am addicted to magazines. When my little 4″x12″ mailbox is filled with shiny new shelter magazines, I am a happy lady.

I don’t keep any issues because too much “stuff” stresses me out, but if I did this is how I would store them.

I hate clutter, especially when it’s involves piles of papers.  If I could have everything scanned and stored on my handy thumbdrive, I’d be a happy lady.  I’ve been slowly going green, and this helps reduce my carbon footprint while eliminating piles of junk mail on my kitchen table!

According to Real Simple, if everyone in the US recycled their paper it is equivalent to taking 5,511,566 cars taken off the road for one year. That’s pretty intense!

Have you ever cut up onions and washed your hands over and over again… just to still smell like an onion?! All you have to do is rub your hands on your stainless steel/satin nickle faucet and it removes the scent of onions and garlic. Try it, I dare you! 

[unknown source]

I got ShamWow for Christmas and have yet to actually use it. I tried to get some spring cleaning done today (…about as much as you can do after a beautiful night of drinking sangria…) and realized a new use with my Swiffer Wet Jet! Lately it seems that everyone is talking about small ways to save money, and this is a great way to save while being a little ‘green’ at the same time. 

 Cut your ShamWow (that word is just fun to say) to fit the size of your Wet Jet (about 11″ x 5″) and just stick on the velcro bottom! Voila!