space
Clutter costs us. In her book “Kick the Clutter: Clear Out Excess Stuff Without Losing What You Love,” (Rodale, $17.95) Ellen Phillips writes that besides being an inconvenient eyesore, clutter has spawned whole new industries. Her proof:
• One in 11 U.S. households rents a storage unit — for a total cost of almost $20 billion a year.
• While family size is shrinking, household size is growing. The average American home was 1,500 square feet in 1970; today it’s 2,400 square feet.
• Professional organizers are an outgrowth of our tendency toward clutter. The National Association of Professional Organizers has more than 3,900 members.
• There are even 12-step programs, like Alcoholics Anonymous, for clutter bugs, including Clutterers Anonymous and Messies Anonymous.
time & money
Painting success. A recent True Value survey showed that more than half of first-time homeowners tackle do-it-yourself projects to give their space a personal touch — and two-thirds of them start with a fresh coat of paint. As part of the recent partnership between True Value and HGTV host Steve Watson from the show, “Don’t Sweat It,” Watson offered this suggestion to ensure that each painting project has a professional look:
Prime and then apply the first coat of paint in 6-foot square sections, using a zigzag pattern of overlapping W-shaped strokes. Also, start with the ceiling first and then move on to the walls.
energy
Cellphone salvage. Ace Hardware has initiated a free rechargeable battery and cellphone recycling program. Earlier this year the company announced that all Colorado Ace Hardware stores would begin accepting used compact fluorescent light bulbs and mercury-containing thermostats for recycling. As part of its latest recycling effort, consumers can bring used cellphones and nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd), nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH), lithium ion (Li-ion), and small sealed lead (Pb) rechargeable batteries weighing less than 2 pounds to their local Ace Hardware to be recycled. These batteries are most commonly used in consumer electronics, cordless power tools, toys and flashlights.
