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Serving the entire San Francisco Bay Area | Gayle Grace, 510-654-7983

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Mamma Mia!



Well, I had no intention of doing movie reviews on my blog, but I have to tell you - I loved this movie! Great fun, wonderful cast (yes, Pierce Brosnan can not sing - but who cares!). I never was a ABBA fan, but somehow I recognized and enjoyed most of the songs.

If for no other reason to see this film, the location is absolutely spectacularly beautiful! If you have never thought of going to Greece, you will after you see this film. It's the cheapest vacation I've had in a while.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Hanging it

One of the best parts of my job is solving the unique organizing issues that my clients pose. Not your everyday issues, but one's that are special just to them.

In this case, he wanted a way to keep certain tools and household fixit gadgets neat and handy. She wanted a way to see her jewelry and keep her necklaces untangled.






So, for him I used a clear plastic over the door shoe organizer for the tools.







For her, I used a grid and post system and attached it to the back of a cabinet in their master closet.


Problems neatly solved!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Clever ad for recycling



This scavenger truck got my attention on a San Francisco street last week. If you live in SF you can call 415-330-1300 to pick up your junk - including electronic waste. It's not free, but they take EVERYTHING!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Shred it




EVERYONE should be shredding their mail and sensitive papers, but not all shredders are up to the task. I go into many homes with broken shredders and the owners are reluctant to get a new one.

When buying a shredder, even for home use, go for power! I don't recommend shredders with a mesh basket - chopped paper gets stuck in the mesh and they are a pain to empty.

Office Depot now offers customer reviews of products on their website, so before you buy you can check out what others have to say about their purchases and perhaps make a better decision about yours.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Downsizing or rightsizing?



You could be doing both. Rightsizing is taking stock of what you have and eliminating all those things you really don't need or absolutely love. This can be done at any time of life. Downsizing generally refers to the decision to move to smaller quarters and eliminate much of what you have accumulated over a life time of collecting, whether consciously or unconsciously (as in "where in the world did all this stuff come from?"). Sometimes downsizing is associated with those who are through raising their families, retiring and leaving larger homes for an easier and simpler lifestyle.

I would love to encourage all of us to start the rightsizing process sooner rather than later. Do we really need all this stuff around us to make us feel good about ourselves? Why do we need to buy something from every place we visit or every event we attend? Does the set of plastic baseball cups on the top shelf in the back of the cabinet with the dead spiders in them really bring us any pleasure? Why can't we live without these things?

Author Ciji Ware has written a great book called "Rightsizing Your Life" and I highly recommend it. Go to www.rightsizingyourlife.com or amazon.com and order a copy, then pass it on to a friend or family member.

Friday, July 11, 2008

A well made bed





In the course of my work moving people, I make a lot of beds. I would like to point out some things about beds that are important to the health and well being of you and your family.

Start with a good mattress, especially for children. Mattresses that are stained and sag are harboring a collection of germs and mites more staggering than the national debt. Not to mention the damage they are doing to your back and hips when the springs are shot.

Use a mattress pad on top of your mattress. Mattress pads are meant to be a washable protective layer between you and your mattress. They should be washed monthly in extremely hot water and dried thoroughly. They should be replaced regularly to ensure that they remain a protective barrier.

Pillows should be washed regularly as well. A pillow only has a life time of 1 to 2 years (forget the 5 year warranty tag!). All pillows should be covered with pillow protectors. These are inexpensive zippered covers that act as a washable protective barrier between you and your pillow.

Duvet or Duvet covers (same thing) are meant to go over comforters. They either zipper, button or tie at the bottom of the cover. They are meant as a washable protective barrier between you and your comforter and should be washed regularly.

We spend a good deal of time in our beds and caring for them properly will bring you years of comfort and better health.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Raiding King Tut's Tomb

Recently, we cleaned out the pantry of a couple who are moving. We found loads of canned goods and boxes of dry goods dating back DECADES! It's not the first time we've encountered bulging cans and melting boxes in the back of a kitchen cupboard. A couple of years ago we moved a couple and they had food that was so old the cans had actually melted into the wood shelving. I asked the husband for permission to throw stuff out and he said "well, unless it came from King Tut's tomb, we're eating it"!

Nothing lasts forever.... cans do have an expiration, so do grains like rice and all flours. Just because something is in a can or bottle doesn't mean it can't go bad. And Never, EVER eat anything out of a bulging or oozing can!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

All in a day's work

Our client is a hoarder who suffers from clinical depression and is trying hard to make a new start. We are helping to sort through the clutter, and organize what will be saved. It's going to be a long process, but we are making a good progress...

Here's Ramon sorting through the stuff on the floor...


After sorting and organizing we have boxes with like items for the homeowner to go through and decide if they want to keep or donate.


Another room needing our help...


After Ramon and I have been through the room. We finished these 2 rooms in just 6 hours. Now to tackle the remaining 6 areas...
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