Holey Clothes Are Still Holy

Posted on 10/04/2015 by n2n

What do you do with all the clothes you don’t want to keep? Go through this in order so you can get the most of the your old things.

Donate

Bring your best items to a local/church thrift shop first. If possible pick one that is all volunteers so all the money would go to the needy.
For the not-so-good items (i.e. just good enough to go out in), go to places like Good Will or Value Village

Recycle

For cloth with holes and damages, recycle them. Check with your own garbage company if they recycle cloth.
Look for a local recycle company that accepts textiles
When all else fails Good Will seems to take cloth in any condition.

Reuse

I just don’t have the hear to make other people sort through my old unmentionables, so I saved them to use with Folex, my favorite non-toxic carpet spot cleaner.

To Be KonMari Clean (Clothes on Hangers)

Posted on 10/04/2015 by n2n

Continuing with my KonMari process, I tackled the “clothes on hangers” sub-category.

For me, they were the old business outfits and dresses that I’ve stored away in another closet that I couldn’t possibily fit into my own.

Other then the volume of clothes, this was very easy. They were too small but still in very good condition so all of them went to my favorit 100% volunteered local charity. And of course, there were many other ways to give your old clothes second lives.

In my previous post, I mentioned how I thank my out-going clothing by folding or arranging them nicely before I delivered them to charity shops. A lady at the shop mentioned how nice it was to received them this way. Not only my old clothes got more appreciation, it brought the volunteers joy while they work.

Back to clothes on hangers. Here are my notes:

I had bought a bright yellow, waterproof, stylish jacket with a hoody to fulfill my promise to my designer cousins. I love the jacket but never wears it. Now it has room to breath on the hanger, it sparks joy every time I see it. I wore it on walks in the fall rains and very happy to find out that it’s warm and really waterproof (Style to me often means impractical.)
I wished I’d donated these quality garments much sooner. I found some spongy padding on hangers turned to sticky dusts because they are so old, I worried that the charity shop might not get as much money out of them.
Do keep the dry cleaning bags for until you are done with the entire cleanup. Use them as light garbage bags (tide the hanger opening). Or in our area, home shredded paper are required to go into a clear plastic bag, so I saved it for the document clean up phase.

After the clean up, there are only three things left on hangers that I don’t wear often.

1 long coat for super cold winter
1 jacket (mentioned above) for rainy spring/fall days
1 dress for all formal occasions

I love that I can actually see the backwall of my closet now.

To Be KonMari Clean (Clothes-Tops, Bottoms)

Posted on 09/30/2015 by n2n

As instructed in Marie’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, I started with clothes.

From one of her Japanese tv appearances, I learned that you should never take anything out of your room for this. I decided to work by the subcategory so I’d have the room to sort and fold. And again by the order suggested in the book.

The check list here is posted in my room and I gave myself a sticker as I finish each subcategory. The the gold stars you get when you were a kid.

And no worry about not being overwhelmed enough that I’d go back to my old way again. I thought I did a “deep cleaning” last year yet I saw I still have so much more.

Pick What You Love 1st

When I saw all these clothes, I didn’t know where to begin. Then I saw the corner of my favorit summer shirt peaking out and remembered I need to pick out what sparks joy.

When to Take Short Breaks

There were moments I wanted to give everything away and moments I worried I’d have nothing to wear when the weather tunes.

These were the irrational moments I took breaks. I also remind myself that if I didn’t keep going, I won’t be able to sleep in my bed then I got right back to it.

Showing Gratitude to Not-Keeping items

It felt funny literally thanking each item because it feels like an empty gesture (it’s a very Japanese thing to do but I’m not Japanese). But I also didn’t want to skip this step, especially after thanking so many times.

To show my respect, I folded every piece as if it’s going back into my closet (also very Japanese but this one I can do with sincerity.) Even if it’s going to be recycled, I still folded it.

This is also a good opportunity to inspect each item for it’s proper destination. More explanations in Holey Cloth Are Still Holy.

Storing

I’m going to wait until all of my clothing are sorted out so I can position them logical, accessible way so I’d never have to “remember” where I put what.

My room is a mess right now but the vision of my dream room is fueling my effort.

Notes

When Marie says keep what sparks joy, I think that includes the items you need.
Remember to do this by yourself in the room, you need to be the one making the decisions.
Do this in silence, it will help you stay mindful and being in the zone.

Side Effect

Unsubscribe from sites I’m no longer interested. I can always sign up again when I need to later.

To Be KonMari Clean (Day 0)

Posted on 09/29/2015 by n2n

A Stranger at The Bar Made Me

Forced to sit at the the bar because there were no other seat, my next stool neighbor chatted up with me and the barkeep. The barkeep was about to get married and they both had to downsize.

The bar neighbor, Ron, made us promise to read this book. “It will change your life!” He was so passionate about it, I agreed and got on the waiting list at the library.

Awaken by Synchronicity

Months passed, right when I was dealing with super heavy workload and personal responsibilities, it became available to me. (Have you noticed many good things often show up just when we are ready for it?)

I opened book tired and needing a nice break but it woke me from my self-imposed slump of material prison.

Unstuck Myself

For many years now, I’ve been complaining about never having enough time, I can never catch up with people’s demands. “Why are you wasting my life?” I often wanted to shout.

When I read that the author, Marie Kondo, was angry with her family members for not keeping the house clean, I knew how she felt. Then she realized things didn’t change because she still had things in her room to tidy away.

OMG! Exactly why I am still spinning my wheels in my own mud.

I was stuck because I blamed everyone and gave away my power to fix things.

What you don’t love (in your room) hurts you

Marie advises us to visualize the end result before we even touch a thing.

A flash of myself in a corner of my room jumped out at me and I am readding in a cozy sofa chair with my feet on a matching ottoman. And on the wall next to me has a large Zentangle drawing I did myself.

Then I knew why I have to leave my house everyday. It’s not only because I don’t want any distraction when I write, it’s because I have no place to be by myself in my own house. My room is by no mean stuffed to the ninth but it’s still oppressive all the same.

I don’t even have a place to just sit and day dream in my room and that is detrimental to a writer.

I am so tired all the time because my things are sucking the life out of me. Why on Earth do I think I am a minimalist? I was kidding myself. No wonder I don’t have the energy to pursue my dream of writing novels.

Operation KonMari Clean

Tomorrow, I’m staring with clothes as Marie stresses that the order of the process is VERY important. Here a few notes though…

Work by sub-category

To avoid family members from “repurposing” things (i.e. into their slumps) I need to pile the clothes in my room when I sort them. I already know I have way too much to pile everything piece of clothing into my room and still have the room to sort them. So I’ll have to do this by the sub-category. Tops being most of what I own anyway, I am sure I will still be horrified by my pile.

No radio, no music

When I was recovering from a near breakdown last year, I found myself turning on the radio or TV then ignore it. One day I decide to keep my car radio off while I ran errand, my irritation went down, I became a better and more caring driver.

So, silence only for me while I ask “does this spark joy?”

I can’t wait to get started! I don’t remember the last time I wake up all excited about the day to come. May my inner spirit guide me well on this journey.

Better, Safer Than The Electric Blanket

Posted on 09/24/2015 by n2n

Forget about electric blanket, stay cold or worry about electric fire, you are sleepless either way. Go with a water heating blanket!

My father never liked electric blanket, why?

You can’t sleep on it
Hard to keep it clean (Though it says it’s washable, he worries the electrical might be damaged. And it may be safe but the worry keeps him from sleeping.)
Direct heat is uncomfortable
The EMF, electromagnetic field, should be avoided (This is from me, there are already enough signals bombarding our bodies, we don’t need to wrap ourselves in it every night.)

He was sleeping on a small water heating pad from Asia but it broke down right when the weather turned cold. The option of going back to an electric blanket troubled him.

Not believing that we won’t have something similar in the States, I went searching. And then I found it.

Aqua Bed Warmer Non-electric Heater Blanket by Aqua Bed Warmer. This one also heats by water only better. As of today, he has been sleeping on it for almost a month.

He loves it!

In the first days, he kept saying how lucky he was to get something ever better in the States.

It fits on top the mattress and under the bed sheet (Full length means even the feet stay warm)
No safety concern (at worst you just get wet)
Can keep it on all night
Precise temperature control (he likes around 98 F)
Gentler heat
A quiet heating unit
100% cotton pad cover
Very well made
No EMF (because it’s water, not wires inside the blanket)

Great Customer Service

Aqua Bed Warmer is one of the brands under Firstech based in the Washington State with its R&D in Alaska.

So I called to ask for more details like the warrenty and return/repair. The person answered the phone didn’t know I was talking about the heating blanket. Most people call about products for their other brands. I took it as a good sign that not a lot of people have issues with it.

He didn’t have much data to go on but told me his uncle has been sleeping on one for a while and he never heard any complaints about it. He didn’t tried to convinced me, just trying to give me as many details as he personally knew.

He said if we got it via Amazon we can return it with in 30 days.

Through out the call, he was very patient, friendly, and funny. I felt it was safe to buy from this company.

Special Notes

It runs from $250 to $450, expensive compared to electric blankets. But to my dad not sleeping well (leads to sickness) is even more expensive in the long run.
When my mom put her hand on it she said it didn’t feel hot but when my father lay on it, he can feel it getting warmer.
And when we got it, the company gives out a 2-year warranty if we registered the product online.
Be sure to measure your mattress so you how will it might fit.
The now have the Aqua Bed Warmer dual-zone option for people share a bed.

Answered The Phone but No One’s on The Other End?

Posted on 08/24/2015 by n2n

My question is finally answered today by an All Tech Considered report on NPR.

The bad guys are using robocalls to check if your phone number is active.
Once that’s confirmed their computer calls you again, trying to get your personal info to get into your pockets.

The banks are using Pindrop Security to filter out fraudsters but there isn’t much there for us consumers.

What can we do?

Just Hang Up
Do not talk, do not press any number!
I once did that by mistake and the call kept coming for many hours.
And only call numbers on your debit/credit cards and statements.

Also read my post on unsolicited robocalls.

Please be sure to play the clip especially for the older, less “connected” people.

Bandages, Made in USA (update)

Posted on 02/02/2015 by n2n

Always on the look out for USA made options, I found another great option for bandages.

Up & Up bandages from Target

If you don’t mind store brand products, Target offer varieties of USA made bandages.

I have not personally used these bandages but I know their Up & Up cotton rounds (also made in USA) has great quality and sensible price.

Nexcare by 3M

For people who don’t want to go with store brand, Nexcare bandages are made in USA.

Since my first post about Nexcare, I have been tracking the Nexcare bandages in case they lost their way and go offshore. As far as I can see from the products on the store shelves, they are still made in USA.

To save yourself some money, make sure you check for 3M coupons before going to the stores.

Ice Cube Tray Made in USA

Posted on 12/10/2014 by n2n

I love lemonade but don’t like the sweetness and sometimes chemical taste in the store-bought products. So, I switched to squeezing my own.

Problems:
A lot of work for juicing just 1 lemon/lime at a time.
A batch of lemons/limes produce to much to keep fresh.

Solution:
Make ice cubes out of the juice.

I searched to US made products and found the Rubbermaid Easy Release Ice Cube Tray. According to Rubbermaid it is made from #2 plastic, BPA free and dishwasher safe.

I juiced a beg of lemons with my stainless squeezer gadget (if you like pulps, this is not the tool.) and made 1.5 trays of ice cubes.

And as it’s so names, it really is easy release. High marks for another Made in USA item!

Reset Car Mirrors, Avoid Most Blind Spots

Posted on 02/18/2013 by n2n

mirror sight ranges diagram after adjustments provided by CarTalk.com Heard this on Car Talk and decided to try it. When done correctly, whenever a car behind you move out of your rear view mirror, you will see the car in one of your side mirrors.

At first, this new way of adjusting car mirrors is very distressing.

When the car shows up in your side mirror, it feels like it’s only inches away. It’s true that “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”.
You’ll see more actions in your side mirror.
Must adjust the habit of watching distant traffic in the side mirrors to the rear view mirror.

But after you get use to it, it’s pretty amazing. It feels like there are no blind spots at all. I do still turn my head when changing lanes, just to be safe.

Give it a try! Let me know if you have other useful hints to add for the adjustment period.

Dead Remote? Try This Fix

Posted on 01/27/2013 by n2n

The remote to my 12-year-old little stereo died. First looked online for a replacement but found something better.

I followed the tip from 1.800.Remote:
(If your remote has a switch please read the original instructions.)

Remove all batteries
Press each button one by one (at least once)
Put batteries back

It works!

To be sure, I tried it after a few hours. It still works!

Saved lots of clams without adding electronic trash in the world.

A very good day!

Needs to Note

Quests to Satisfy My Curiosity, Metaphysical and Otherwise

Category Archives: Tips for Daily Life