apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

my best tip isn't a store or a site. it's a game i made up that helps me keep my place clean.

when i use the microwave, i think of it like a timer in a game. i have to do as much fast cleaning as i can before it's done. when it beeps, i have to stop. stopping helps me not feel overwhelmed by cleaning. plus, it encourages you to do the smaller fast jobs that can easily be forgotten like wiping off surfaces.

if my place is clean, i use that time to do any stretches i can do while standing.

If you need to buy something "big" at Home Depot or Lowes, go on Sunday morning. The stores are always empty of customers and the service is actually REALLY good then.

http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/home.php

Ten Thousand Villages is a Fair Trade sponser. Beautiful global items, housewares etc, low prices and a good cause.

From the site:

"The IFAT key principles of fair trade include:
1 Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged
producers
2 Transparency and accountability
3 Capacity building
4 Payment of a fair price
5 Gender equity
6 Good working conditions
7 Care for the environment "

Red Leather Loveseat at Ikea's As Is section $350

I was at Ikea in Elizabeth NJ yesterday (Sunday--Ugh) and in the "as is" section they had two pretty red leather love seats with a simple modern design, all rectangular. I don't remember the price exactly but pretty sure it was around $350. There was nothing wrong with it as far as I could see.
I would have loved to get it if I could afford it and if it could sleep my guests!

and thanks Mariegael, that's a very cute tip.

Kill bugs with a Swiffer. It's big enough and really easy clean up. Just take off the cloth inside a bag and toss it.

Check out www.knockonwoodwood.com

So you'll always have wood to knock on when you need it most.

If The Kitchen AT had a Tips section . . .
Diana Kennedy, demigod of Mexican Cookbooks in English
is doing a free event at Bottlerocket wine store, 19th St NYC
tonight, Weds APR 25 6-8pm

she's awesome, and there's a wine tasting

Every morning look into the mirror and say:

"You're Good Enough, You're Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like You!"

my big concern with the new tips section is, what about all the old, great tips buried in open threads (which spurred the creation of tips-only posts?)? i know that sounds like waaaay too much work to compile the old ones, but um, maybe on a slow work day, guys? maxwell, anyone?

My dad just taught me a good tip if you're blackout roller shade won't snap back up. Pull it two-thirds of the down the window, remove the shade from the brackets, and roll it back up manually. Place it back in the brackets, pull it all the way down, and let it snap back up. Works like a charm.

That would be "your" not "you're" shade. Ack.

Archie, that tip is goofy -- but really good. Thank you.

If anyone is considering a weekend house upstate, I'm starting to add listings that I think are groovy to my blog. I am not a realtor and I have no vested interest...just a passion for old houses up there. You can click on my name.

Max - if this doesn't belong here, feel free to delete. No biggee.

Here's a tip, which I don't follow, myself, very often, but should:

When you're painting, take a nail and a hammer and pierce the bottom of the little channel rim thing that the lid of the paint can fits into several times -- 4 or five holes around the can -- so that when paints gets into that channel, it will drip right back into the can. It keeps the paint that gets on there from drying into the kind of mess that keeps the can from being able to close well.

Another painting tip.

Before you use a clean roller, wrap your blue tape around your hand a bunch of times with the adhesive side up and roll over it back and forth to remove much of the loose roller material.

Here's an art-handler trick. Before painting a taped-off section of color, paint over the edge of the tape with the ground color (if you have some left over). This seals off the line and prevents the new color from seeping under the tape. When you remove the tape, the line will be clean.

Spray some diluted dishwasher rinse agent on your shower tiles. This prevents limescale from forming.

I use 5% rinse fluid and 95% water in a spray bottle.

Invisibile book shelves for a pretty good price. Click on the link.

http://www.abcdistributing.com/home/catalog/cat_item_pg3.asp?P=74&G=13

Following the Ten Thousand Villages tip, also check out World of Good. Their mission is to "respectfully assist artisans by providing access to fair wages, safe working conditions and long-term economic sustainability."

http://worldofgood.com.

Another painting tip:

If you need to stop what you're doing while you're in the middle of painting, and don't want to wash your brush right away, but don't want it to dry out and get gross, load the brush up with even more paint and then wrap it in Saran wrap, or even with some of the plastic drop cloth stuff that may be lying around during your project. This keeps the air out so the brush doesn't dry out. If you're going to do this overnight, you might go ahead and put it in the freezer.

Speaking of drop cloths:

ONLY use those plastic dropcloths to cover furniture -- NOT floors. For floors, the red rosin paper is the only answer. It's not all that expensive, and it's well worth it. There's a reason why the pros use it.

Since we're doing painting tips...

Another way to ensure a good seal with the blue tape is to wrap a bit of cheesecloth (or any soft cloth) around your finger, and rub it on the taped edge. I used to do decorative painting, and I learned this was a sure-fire way to stop paint bleeding under the tape.

I agree about the paper on the floor - you can tape it down, nobody will be tripping over folds and spilling paint.

I've tried the holes in the rim of the paint can trick - but if you're keeping the paint awhile, rust will eventually develop around the holes and get into the paint. If you are saving paint, a good way to keep it airtight - store the can upside down.