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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Product of the Week: Kitchen Composter

Here's a handy little item to help "green" up your kitchen - the Kitchen Compost Bin.

It's small enough (11"H x 9"W x 8.5"D) to keep tucked away in the kitchen, but large enough that you don't have to empty it daily (don't worry, it has a carbon filter in the lid to keep odors to a minimum!). You can easily mount it to a wall or the inside of a cabinet door by way of two screw slots in the back, and then simply slip it off and carry it out by the handle.

It's dishwasher safe and a great deal at $23.99.

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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12 Tips for an Organized Desk

Are you the disorganized type with piles of paper on your desk? Or are you the type who goes for fashion over function?

Well, Smart Computer Softwares Blog has a great post called 12 Tips for an Organized Desk to help you get a handle on your office space.

I especially like this point:
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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?

Favourite Organising Tools #5 - Timers

I have a special something to help me stay focussed.

This is it - a timer.

It is one of my favourite organising tools for these three reasons:

1. it keeps me focussed and on task
2. it helps me to work quickly
3. it helps me to plan for project work

Did you know that work expands to find the time available for it?
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Finding Hidden Storage Areas in Your Home

It doesn't make any difference if you have a small efficiency apartment or a large 2500 square foot home, we all run out of storage areas in our home. Do you know that you have a lot more room than you thought to store things and still stay organized?

The first thing that you should consider is your lifestyle. In what rooms do you use specific items, and where can you increase the storage in that area. Like in the living room - you may want a comforter handy for cold winter nights or overnight guests, tuck away magazines out of sight, or have a hidden area for toys. But unfortunately, you have no room to add a storage shelf or cabinet. These ideas may benefit you;
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Product of the Week: Picnic Basket

Alright Fellas, if you want to impress your sweetie this Mother’s day, here’s what you do:

Pick up the Insulated Two Person Wine and Cheese Basket from Stacks and Stacks, fill it with goodies:

   • some gourmet cheeses
   • fresh cut deli meats
   • a good loaf of bakery bread
   • some fresh fruit
   • a bottle of wine or sparkling cider
   • something chocolate for dessert
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Repurposed Item of the Week: Sorter & Organizer

Wire organizers are the best! They are incredibly inexpensive and can be some of the most versatile organizers.

For the Repurposed Item of the Week, I’ve chosen the Sorter and Organizer. This is, of course, great in a cabinet for holding trays, baking sheets and dishes. But how about mounted on a wall for holding files, large books or magazines? Or even mounted to the underside of a cabinet shelf for holding boxes of plastic wrap, baggies or aluminum foil?

What would you use it for??

10-Minute Clutter Hacks - BEDROOM

We all need some quick and easy tasks that we can do when we have a spare 10-15 minutes.

One of the main problems many people make is they wait for a huge time block of 2 - 3 hours to organise a room. The truth is that we'll have to wait a really long time to find such a big block of time.

So use the little bits of time that you DO have.

Let's start in the bedroom.
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You Can Get Organized!

I first talked to "Clara" 3 years ago on the phone.  She had heard me on the radio doing an interview on a talk show.  She was excited with what she learned on the air and called me almost instantly after the show was over.  We talked for 20 minutes and she decided that she could not afford our services.

Never one to give a hard sell, you either are ready to get help or you are not, I told her that we would be around if she decided she needed the help.  Three years later she called, "My friend told me that if I had let you come over when we first talked I would not be so frustrated now."
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Product of the Week & Repurposed Product: Moon and Stars Store & Take-along

Since I forgot to post the Repurposed Item of the Week last week, I thought I'd give you a two in one this week with the Moon and Stars Store & Take-along.

It's intended for kid's toy storage, but wouldn't it be great for crafts or stamping? Or maybe school supplies or toiletries? Even snacks in the pantry! And if the primary colors aren't you style, a quick coat of paint would make it suitable for any room.

Where would you use it??

Favourite Organising Tools #4 - Masking Tape

I saw this excellent tip from Deniece Schofield’s book, Confessions of an Organized Homemaker, when I read it 5 years ago. And I have used it since – in fact, I’m still using the same roll of masking tape!

If you haven’t read this book yet, do yourself a favour and read it.

Masking tape makes the easiest labelling tool ever. Why?
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Help! I Need More Time

Do you feel overwhelmed?

Are you always rushing from one place to another?

Is the word “fun” a very distant memory?

Do you feel like you’re drowning with all the things you have to do?

Are you frustrated because you wish you had more time?

Do you feel frazzled and stressed out?

Then this book is just for you!

Go here to read more and download the page of contents.

What's Under Your desk?

Here's a contest for anyone with major cord clutter under their desks. Looks like fun AND a good cause!

For those dedicated to wiping out clutter, GREEN PLUG’S Photo Sweepstakes offers a chance to be green - and get green:

WHAT: Spring cleaning comes just in time for Green Plug’s “What’s Under Your Desk?” sweepstakes, where you can post photos of power cord chaos for fun, a little profit and a cleaner, greener planet.
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Organizing Tips to Beat the Blah’s and Get ready for Spring

Do you have the winter blah’s? Have cabin fever? Don’t know what to do?

HOW ABOUT GETTING READY FOR SPRING?

• Paint the lawn furniture and fix the broken parts
• Paint the wheelbarrow, lawnmower and handles on the garden tools
• Give the garden tools a good coating of WD-40, this cleans them up and makes them easy to clean later
• Paint all of the lawn ornaments, flower urns etc.
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Getting the Kid's Stuff off of the Floor

I don't normally write a lot on my son, but this week I'm inspired, so what the heck! I bet that I am like a lot of moms at the end of the day. So, when school began this past fall, David would come home and his book bag, coat and shoes hit the floor by the front door and he goes running. I was a bit more understanding when he was in kindergarten, but now that he is a "big" first grader, this is just unacceptable.

So, I sat him down and had a heart to heart. Yes, he knew where his things belonged. Yes, he understands that his stuff on the floor looks bad and more importantly, it is dangerous where it ends up. Yes, he knows where his stool is to reach the bar… that is when he admitted the problem.
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Product of the Week: Sweater Pill Remover

I like to give you products of the week that I have tried so I can give you a personal review, and this one is fantastic!

This is the best pill remover I have ever used. It gets all those little obnoxious balls off your sweater in just a couple of quick sweeps.

It's only $8.99, and it's made from post consumer recycled materials, so it's green, too!

Do You Have an Evening Routine?

One of the best ways to ensure you get a good start in the mornings is to have a good evening routine.

It's even more important if you're not a morning person like I am.

My evening routine includes:

1. packing my work bag
2. packing my lunch
3. setting out my clothes
4. getting the video ready to record Dr Phil and Oprah


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Posted April 10 2008, filed under How I de-cluttered, Clutter Control Products | 8 Comments | Permalink

YOU Can Contribute Tips & Photos to Clutter Control Freak

We want you to contribute tips, before & after photos, videos, stories, and advice to Stacks and Stacks' Clutter Control Freak Blog. Other readers will get to vote on which contributions are the most useful. Here are some of the ways you can participate:

   • Freak of the Week
Send us your nomination for the Clutter Control Freak of the Week with photos or videos and readers will pick the winner, who will get a cool prize.

The Freak of the Week can be a person, a process, a before & after, or a how-to.

   • Clutter Hacks
Send us ideas, products, and tips on clearing clutter from your life. We especially love to hear about clutter hacks that take less than 10 minutes to do.
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Download Clutter Control Freak Blog's Clutter Hack Widget or Our Custom Toolbar So You Never Miss a Clutter Hack

Now there are three great ways to be sure you never miss a clutter hack from Clutter Control Freak Blog:
   • The Clutter Hack of the Day Widget for your Google Desktop. (Download Google Desktop here first. Then, download the widget here.)

   • The Clutter Hack of the Day Widget for your blog. (Download it here.)

   • The new Clutter Control Freak Toolbar that lets you access our latest posts and all our features, instantly, from your browser. It's easily customizable, has Google-powered search, and is compatible with Internet Explorer and/or Firefox on Mac and PC. (Download it here.)
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Create a Goal to Improve Your Lifestyle

We all have goals in life, it may be to purchase a car, finish school, own a home or countless other things that we want to achieve. Why is it that we don't use that same drive and determination to accomplish our smaller goals in life? You know the things that really are frustrating, creating stress, crunching our time so that we cannot enjoy life anymore.

Somehow, we lose track of what is important because we are trying so hard just to keep up.
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Product of the Week: Two-in-One Closet Combo Organizer

Here's a great little find - the Two-in-One Closet Combo!

It's an inexpensive ($29.99) and easy to assemble solution to utilize all that difficult-to-organize upper closet shelf space.

The main two sections have shallow drawers with pull-handles. They function sort of like the Slide-out Cabinet organizers by easily sliding out the contents for quick and painless access.
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Repurposed Item of the Week: Crunch Can

Yay Crunch Cans!

These little wonders are made from heavy canvas with a semi-rigid ring on top to help it stay open and keep its shape, and a durable PVC liner that can be easily cleaned with a damp rag. It's collapsible, so it stores easily and you can take it anywhere. And it's soft-sided, so it's perfect for kids rooms.

Take it to the lake or the beach to bring home wet, sandy towels and toys. Store kids toys in it - safe even for small children. Use it for shoes in an entryway, sports equipment in the garage, even trash in the office. For only $18.99, you could get a few!

How would you use one??

Stop the Junk Mail

Spring cleaning this year can go beyond just the closets, cupboards and garages and also include our mailboxes. Who knew that Americans receive nearly four tons of junk mail each year and the average consumer can be on thousands of marketing mailing lists at any time? We are flooded with unwanted advertisements, credit card offers and political propaganda, which can bury the mail we are looking for…not to mention create a drain on the environment.
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Contain It!

Our family saves labels, can tops and box tops to raise money for our school, church and community. But all of these scraps and bits were making quite a mess until I contained them. The photo shows how. We keep the labels and box tops in envelopes on the side. The can tops and milk caps have their own containers. We also toss in the pizza cutter and lighter. This basket slides into a small space under the microwave, so no one sees the clutter.

My Big Work Planner

All this talk about notebooks ("My Favourite Organising Tools #1 - Notebooks" and "The Evil and Catch-All Notebooks") got me thinking…I have my planner for my personal stuff and my bils and appointments - but what about work?
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Product of the Week: Mali Combo Sleeper

Got a small house? Tough to find a place for a guest?

Here's your answer - The Mali Combo Sleeper!

A sofa by day and a bed by night, this sleek, modern Sleeper has six different arm positions, a steel frame, cotton cushions, and comes in a bunch of colors.

And at $379 it's quite a deal!

Check it out!

Repurposed Item of the Week: Shelf Liner

This stuff is fantastic!
Anything you want to keep from slipping - Grip-it Shelf Liner will do it.

I bought a roll, cut it into three inch wide strips and used a staple gun to attach it to the wood slats of my futon frame. Now my futon mattress doesn't slide down onto the floor!

You can use a strip to keep a table runner from slipping, or cut squares to fit under chair pads. You could even use it under a small rug!

Anyone else have any uses for it?

Favourite Organising Tools #3 - Post-it Notes

I love using post-it notes to help me get organised.

And if you get the proper ones, they stick on everything and last forever. Don't waste your time with the cheap stuff. I even use them in the fridge and they just don't lose their stickiness - ever!
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