By Stephanie Davies
Cleaning out and finding space in your kitchen cabinets can be a hard, trying experience. There seems to be so many items, and just no where left to put them!
There are several methods you can incorporate into your kitchen to save shelf space, store items easier, and save time searching for the right thing. And there are also a few basic pointers I will give you along the way.
The first thing is to group like mined items together. Be sure all your spices and herbs are in the same location, and also that your pans are together, ect. Unfortunately, the kitchen is the one area of the household where the use it or lose it rule doesn't always apply. Meaning, in most other areas of the house, if you don't use something frequently, or have a purpose for it even if that purpose is aesthetic, you need to throw it away or donate it. However, in the kitchen there are a whole lot of things you may not use frequently but will need to save, such as herbs, spices, specialty pans, canned items, and more.
So now that you have clustered items together, now what? Well, you figure out which "groups" will need the most space. Start by placing the largest groups in the largest available spaces, and working your way down. At this time you may need to incorporate several space saving techniques.
The first technique is what I call the Martha Stewart technique. This is where if you have the money and resources, you go out at this time and buy all those specialty gadgets for saving space, such as lazy suzans, expandable drawer inserts and shelf racks, wall hooks, and such. This can be a very attractive and simple way to achieve organization...but I am assuming you are reading this because you know how to buy space, you just don't know how to do it with what you have, right?
So the next technique is what I call the easy-find box method. This method works particularly well with spices, herbs, flavorings, and small jars. Find a box that will hold the group of items you need to store. Shoeboxes and gift boxes work well for this purpose. Take all the items in a group, and label each one on the lid using small yard sale type sticker labels stating what they are. Place all the items in the group in the box selected in alphabetical order. Then store the box, and the next time you need to get something from it you will be able to just take the lid off and quickly locate an item. If you have more than a few of these boxes, I recommend labeling them with magic marker on the side or top to be able to locate certain groups quickly. You can expand upon this idea by decorating the boxes by gluing fabric to them, wrapping them in countertop sticky paper, or whatever else suits your fancy. This method works well for storing any number of things including canned goods and pastas.
The other method we will list is the painting method. This is a great method to use if you are a creative type, and also if you have children who have difficulty putting things where they should. Simply acquire several different colors of paint ( the surface depends upon what type paint. Please use your best judgment), and a paintbrush. After grouping your items, look at and evaluate your space available. Make out a map of sorts, and be sure to leave room for future accommodations. Once you have decided in your mind or on a sheet of paper where everything will go you can do one of the two following things. First you can simply paint lines around the areas where certain groups will sit. For instance, draw a square line in the corner of the cabinet exactly where your spices will be. You can ,make the lines straight, wavy, dotted, curly...whatever your imagination desires! Then after letting the paint dry, place the items in their designated areas. The other way of doing this is to paint the entire area in instead of just drawing lines. This can be a lot more challenging, but also a lot prettier. Imagine for a moment, opening a pretty white cabinet with brass handles, and finding the inside painted with four different pastel colors, each having its own group of like minded items. Very pretty indeed! In fact, if you are an artist, you can paint any type of motif or design for a specific category.
Now, while you are doing this there are several things to keep in mind. First, remember to clean out the shelves while you have everything out. Secondly, there will be several things you find that you know won't be used...get rid of them. Thirdly, you probably will find several items that just won't have a category of their own. For this you can make a "misc" box or section, or else place it in a different room or area.
I hope these ideas will help you to create the kitchen of your dreams, and to find things easier in the meantime. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions.
Stephanie Davies is the webmaster and author of http://www.beendreaming.com - a website that focuses on cleaning, organizing, and other homemaking related topics.
By Martha Matthews
When your bathroom cabinets are busting at the seams and your shelves are spilling over, it's time to get organized. Try these four easy organizing steps to bring some order to your chaos. 1. Clean and Clear
Remove everything from the drawers and cabinets. Toss out all old and unused or out of date products: Make-up, hair care, lotions, medicines (check expiration dates). Remember, "When in doubt, throw it out!" Move your medicines and vitamins to the kitchen. The moisture and heat from the bath will ruin them.
As you sort through things, take the time to evaluate whether or not you really need each item. If you have kept perfume samples, and cosmetics that are the wrong color, now is the time to throw them out or give them away. If you aren't using them why keep them?
Wipe out the cupboards and shelves. Clean off the counter top. Replace the shelf paper on the shelves and in the cabinets if needed.
2. Only the Essentials
The next step is to organize your belongings. Start by putting back only the essential items that you use every day. Put them in locations where they will be easily accessible. Try to store what you can under the sink in plastic bins. If you have the room, give each family member their own plastic bin to store their toiletries.
As you arrange your counter top, try to put out only the things that you will use on a regular basis. If you can get away without anything on the counter, that is even better. There will be less to clean.
If you have decorative items, now is the time to review their relevancy. If you don't really love them, replace them or remove them all together. There is no sense in having things you don't really love in your home; especially if you need to clean them.
3. Making Families
Categorize your shelves and drawers by creating families of like items: shaving products, hair styling, makeup, nails, personal hygiene items, first aid, medicines, etc.
4. Relocate the Excess
Make sure that only items that belong in the bathroom are in the bathroom. Transfer cleaning products to a caddy and store them under the kitchen sink. Store surplus toilet paper, shampoo and seasonal items, such as beach towels, tanning, or sunburn lotions in the hall closet or other location.
4. Storage Ideas
Make use of dead space. Try using any or all of the following organizing ideas: wall mounted cabinets, carts on wheels, hooks on back of door, shower caddies, coat rack, hanging mesh bag for holding children's bath toys, wall mount hair dryer and curling iron, drawer organizers.
Once your bathroom is organized, sit back and admire your work. If you make this an annual project, your bathroom will always be a joy to use. Now go take a bubble bath. You deserve it!
About the Author
Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. In addition to her web site, she also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter. To subscribe send a blank email to wivesofexcellence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Or visit our web site at http://www.christian-homemaking.com/newsletter.html
When your bathroom cabinets are busting at the seams and your shelves are spilling over, it's time to get organized. Try these four easy organizing steps to bring some order to your chaos.
By Anonymous
August 22, 2004 -- Schroff, the global leader in electronic enclosure solutions, now offers a full range of customizable seismic Zone 4 cabinets that provide exceptional protection against shock and vibration. Comprised of a rugged, cold roll steel frame with reinforced structural steel corner angles, the Tecnorack Series is ideal for heavy duty, indoor applications in the telecom, security, and defense industries.
Available in heights from 15 U to 47 U, widths up to 1,200 mm, and depths up to 1,000 mm, the new Tecnorack Series can be configured to fit virtually any customer specification. The Series has been tested with a static load capacity of 2,000 lbs. in accordance with NEBS Zone 4 and GR-63-CORE in three manually perpendicular axes: front to back; side to side; and vertically. Dynamic load-carrying capability is 1,600 lbs.
Options and modifications that add to the cabinets’ versatility include vented sides, custom cut-outs, and a shielded EMC/RFI version for protection against electromagnetic interference (EMI). The EMC/RFI version, tested in accordance with NEBS GR-1089-CORE; VG 95373; and MIL-STD-285, also features a fabric-over-foam gasket made from UL-94HB urethane foam. The doors have a multi-hinge design and three-point latching to ensure a consistent EMC seal. The frame and external components of the EMC/RFI cabinets are marked and covered with conductive tape at all contact points.
The top cover and side panels of the Tecnorack Series are 1 mm, the steel doors are 2 mm, and the base uses a Telcordia-compliant floor bolt-down pattern. The cabinets come prepared for GND/earth line connections to VDE 0800 and VDE 0804 part 100.
A complete line of accessories, including shelves, power distribution options, and thermal management components, is available.
Pricing starts at $1,000. Delivery is four weeks ARO.
For more information on the Tecnorack Series, please visit http://web.schroff.de/webcat/subgroup/pdf/us/tecnorack_overview.pdf?lang=us&catId=US, call 888-550-9543, or contact Technical Sales, Tel: 401-732-3770;
Email: info@pentair-ep.com; Web: www.schroff.us.
READER SERVICE INQUIRIES: Please forward all reader service inquiries to George Ross, Pentair Electronic Packaging, Schroff Products, 170 Commerce Drive, Warwick, RI 02886; Email: gross@pentair-ep.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: SchroffÒ provides a world-leading brand of subracks and accessories, instrument cases, 19” cabinets, backplanes, integrated systems and enclosure hardware; and complete enclosure systems for CompactPCI, AdvancedTCA, VME and VME64x. Schroff manufacturers customer-specific enclosure systems including NEBS and outdoor aluminum enclosures; high volume stamped chassis; as well as custom backplane design and 4-level system integration. The company has 17 manufacturing locations in the Americas, Europe and Asia. More information is available at www.schroff.us.
Schroff is a subsidiary of Pentair, Inc., Golden Valley, MN, (NYSE: PNR) a diversified manufacturer that operates in two principal markets: electrical and electronic enclosures and water and fluid technologies.
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