Before and After: A Mudroom Update Keeps Things Organized

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minperkins

I like the idea, in theory, of a drop zone by the door for keys and mail and other stuff. But as others have said, our devices get charged in the bedroom. Unless I'm in bed or in the shower, my phone is in my pocket! And I want it within arms reach at night in case of emergencies.

As far as the NO vs NNO person, we solve (or at least address) that problem by giving the NNO his own private "dump zones." I gladly accept the responsibility of keeping our common areas (more or less) clean and depositing his mail, clean laundry, miscellaneous bits of hardware, etc. in his dump zones. Then he can ignore them as long as he wants, as long as they don't migrate back into the rest of the house.

1 Like January 12, 2015 at 11:58AM

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Jane Howell

Minperkins, you should see the drop top desk when I open the top! One of my NNO's dump space!

Like January 12, 2015 at 6:00PM

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vivisilverman

Like some other commentors, I also tended to let my "To Shred" piles get large and they would sit there a long time (clutter AND guilt!). A few years ago, I discovered the "PLUS Guard Your ID Stamp Roller": it is a small, self-inking rolling stamp that easily covers the area with your important account numbers, your name, Social Security number, prescription labels, etc., with a heavy black repetitive pattern (see picture attached). You can't read through it, and so your identity is protected. You can then just recycle these papers and pill bottles instead of shredding them. (to be extra cautious, I sometimes stamp both the front and the back of the paper.)

I have found this a GREAT time saver, and clutter buster; and it's a great gift for someone laid up in the hospital or rehabilitation home who has to process their mail and bills there, while protecting their identity.

You can find these clever stamps for $12.99 at the Container Store, Improvements.com, Staples, etc.
They are wonderful for the daily handling of mail and credit card offers, especially if a shredder is not conveniently close.

Another tip: To save money, if you have large amounts of shredding -- such as when you clean out your old tax and investment files -- check your County website for their regular shredding events. Most state Counties offer FREE SHREDDING at drive through locations on certain dates. You can save up your many boxes or bags of sensitive papers and hand them to the County staff person/volunteer and know that they will be safely shredded that same day in their on site truck.