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HOW TO CLEAN DOWN PILLOWS

January 14, 2021

sharing tips and the how to clean down pillows

My sister got me hooked on down pillows. It was after I noticed the poly-foam-filled pillows in the wash cycle. When the pillows were immersed in water the pillow fill resembled the underside of the carpet pad of a twenty-five-year-old, damp basement carpet.

With that visual in my head that cannot be undone, I was done with those mystery fill pillows.

I switched to down and/or feather/down-filled pillows. And, I decided to buy Made in the USA pillows. These just arrived in a 2-pack.

If you have read my blog more than once you know I support Made in the USA brands.

Because my sister and I talk about everything from Schitt’s Creek to down pillows she shared with me how to clean down pillows.

The steps work for non-feather filled pillows with one exception. Gather up your pillows and get ready for an assembly line set up to wash.

HOW TO CLEAN DOWN PILLOWS

1. COLLECT YOUR PILLOWS IN PAIRS

2. TURN YOUR WASHING MACHINE TO THE GENTLE/SLOW CYCLE.

3. ADD 2 PILLOWS PER WASH WITH PILLOWS ON OPPOSITE ENDS TO BALANCE THE WASHING MACHINE.

4. ADD POWDER DETERGENT. DO NOT USE LAUNDRY PODS.

Laundry pods can attach to the pillows like a leeches.

5. WHEN TRANSFERRING TO THE DRYER ADD A TENNIS BALL TO THE DRYER

(IT WILL BE LOUD, BUT IT HELPS TO DRY THE PILLOWS). I TURN MY HEAT ON HIGH TO DRY THE DOWN.

TIPS

** It kills me not to add a little bleach but apparently it strips the oils from the feathers. But, I may add a smidge.

** In the summer I love to dry my pillows between two white towels outside. A breeze is an added bonus!

** Check and clear your lint trap on your dryer.

That’s it. It does take longer between the wash and dry cycle so it feels like an all-day gig.

I break my pillows it the sleep pillows on one day and the square down pillows for another day. The square pillows get alot of use during the holidays.

Please Pin for future reference here.

SUBTLE WAY TO USE RETAIL BOXES FOR STORAGE Shelves with Retail Boxes

January 12, 2021

the subtle-way-to-use-retail-boxes-for-storage

I am a retail box hoarder- I blame it on my parents. My mom still uses boxes from the ’90s when gift-giving.

Over the last three years, I amassed a large collection of boxes. And I realized the boxes look remarkably similar to the same storage boxes I have from this store and Homegoods.

One look at the stack of retail boxes tells what was the popular brand at our house (or the age of my kids). One year everyone got clothes with these whales.

In the past, I used retail boxes to stage shelves. The boxes were usually empty and just added height.

But some brand stepped up their box game and it is almost impossible for me to toss these boxes in the trash/recycle bin. Some boxes are so sturdy it makes me rethink spending $15.95 for a Container Store box that sits in the closet (or on a shelf).

THE SUBTLE WAY TO USE RETAIL BOXES FOR STORAGE

If you have stumbled onto my blog for a hot minute you know I love to repurpose everyday items like this project.

I added boxes to my office’s built-in. I store thank you notes and birthday cards in a box. No more digging through drawers for cards and matching size envelopes.

The shape of boxes is ideal to store paper files and receipts.

Retail boxes are sturdy enough to be stacked and wide enough to save photos or childhood keepsakes for when you tackle this fun project.

I love to store the photos that didn’t make the cut for the frames in a retail box. When the kids are home for the holidays and summer I pull out the photos and we laugh about the bad haircuts and Homecoming date photos.
I use a few retail boxesto keep crayons and coloring books for my nieces. I routinely add fun things from the $ section.
Again, these are hiding in plain sight and are neat and tidy on a table or shelf.

The storage options are endless with retail boxes. I keep the best boxes, recycle the ones that are a bit tired and finally tackle some of those stacks of paper to organize.

THE WEEKEND EDIT January 2021

January 9, 2021

Welcome to the weekend edit for some fun finds online and a little snarkasm (sometimes)

I hope I made it thru the week. I wrote this a few days before the weekend. I was really dragging Monday afternoon. My husband made the announcement that the Monday after the new year is the longest day of the year.

I guess the summer solstice on June 20th was shorter for him (he’s a Taurus).

Speaking of …

WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?

Do you follow your horoscope for fun? Do you think your astrological sign is spot on or off the rails from your personality?

I am always amazed when I meet new people and they immediately guess correctly my sign? What does that say about Virgos? #wink

I finally put the Christmas holidays away. Well, most of it. When you have a live tree you have needles all year long.

We repurposed most of our Christmas pine tree. We trimmed the branches and I use them by the fireplace and front porch next fall. I put the branches and clippings in simple white buckets outside our kitchen windows. I added a few to our perennials to keep them warm for the winter.

MY NEW FAVORITE SHOW:

Have you watched the Impostors on Netflix? It’s cute. I like the guy who is the executive producer, Paul Adelstein, and the show has his banter and personality all over the script. He was in California based medical dramedy with the guy from Wings who is now on Madam President(remember that show, Wings)?

Squirrel moment.. sorry.

IF you want to keep up on the best movies and books check out Katie’s monthly post. It’s addictive. I knew I would love Katie when I found her blog via her blog name.

Even my husband weighed in one night, “that is a great blog name.”

I hope you have a great weekend with some time to get outside. This is the calm before the storm for me and real estate. The end of the month looks busy! You can read about how I blend real estate and blogging in this Denver article published during the pandemic.

If you want to subscribe to my weekend newsletter please sign up here.
Subscribe to Everyday Edits Newsletter. It’s just once a week ;0) laura

SHOP THESE SALES THIS WEEKEND.

5 STRATEGIES TO KICK THE SODA HABIT

January 7, 2021

5 strategies to kick the soda habit

My first diet soda was Tab. I think I was in eighth grade and I thought it signaled I ready for high school.

Nevermind that it tasted like carbonated motor oil.

And, then Diet Pepsi became my go-to caffeinated drink in college. I can’t begin to add up the gallons of Diet Pepsi and Diet Dr. Pepper I consumed over multiple decades.

When I made the decision to train for this I decided to cut out the soda. I was drinking more water and the contrast between water and soda was my “aha moment.”

It was the hardest habit to break because I associated soda as fuel to power through the days filled with endless carpools and late-night real estate contracts.
It turns out, soda has the opposite effect.

There was a lot of soda between college and just a few years ago.

And now?

I have not had a diet soda in three years. Here are the strategies that helped me kick the soda habit.

STRATEGIES TO KICK THE SODA HABIT

Many of these steps and strategies happened concurrently.

1. Review the number of soft drinks you drink per day.

What time(s) of day do you crave a diet soda? Do you order soft drinks thru the drive-thru or do you have a case in your fridge? Do you have a diet soda roadie for errands? Pay attention to your habits.

We all have them.

2. Introduce a non-sugar caffeine drink like tea or coffee.

For me, I switched to iced tea. It was served cold with ice and contained caffeine.

I typically only drink coffee first thing so iced tea was my replacement beverage for those mid-day energy drops.

In the beginning, I allowed myself to order (and pay $3.00) for an iced tea in a drive-thru. Because part of the habit was the mid-day drive-thru order to power thru the second half of the day.

3. Replace the full size 12 oz cans with the smaller cans.

Yes, the smaller soda cans cost twice as much but trust the process. And here is the key; start using a smaller glass. The visual makes a huge difference.
The smaller glass means you will not use the entire 8 oz can when you pour. There will be a second pour (and still not have the full 12 oz can).

4. Find a substitution for the carbonation.

Over time, I realized what I loved about the soda was the carbonation. I began buying and trying carbonated waters and realized it was the tiny bubbles I loved.

5. Add limes or lemons to water

I added sliced limes or lemons to dress up my water. If I had an orange or raspberries I would toss those into the mix too. Some days the bottom of my glass looked like a fruit salad.

Just something to make it feel like a bigger deal until the soda craving passed. here was something about adding a lime that made me feel like it was a fancy drink.

To this day I keep limes in my refrigerator!

I also added a splash of cranberry juice to add a little pink to the bubbles.

For most of my adult life, I associated Diet Pepsi with either a crazy schedule or something to grab at the end of the day or a drink to order poolside or at the base of a mountain after a day of skiing.

Isn’t it funny how our routines and memories are sometimes the stronger pull than the actual habit we try to quit?

Now? I start and end my days with a glass of water (with ice). And add the bubbles around noon.

It took more than a year to finally quit and kick my soda habit. Now, the taste reminds me of carbonated motor oil.

Before you go would you pin this, please? Or follow me on Pinterest for more ideas, hacks and strategies for everyday edits in our lives.

Thank you for stopping by today. If you have a tip to kick the soda habit please leave it in the comments!

laura

DO THIS BEFORE A FURNITURE DELIVERY

January 5, 2021

do this one thing before a furniture delivery to save you aggravation and/or back pain

Have you ever had a bed delivered with box springs, headboard and footboard? Did you forget to do something before the delivery crew started up the stairs? Let’s just say after the delivery crew left I was attempting a combat crawl under our bed.

Any guesses?

If you made the same mistake you know the answer.

DO THIS BEFORE A FURNITURE DELIVERY

Buy or find, find and install an extension cord before a furniture delivery arrives at your door.

There is not much clearance between the outlet plug and a large, heavy bed frame or 7- foot hutch. I was under the bed breaking a sweat as if I was disabling a glitter bomb just under our new king-size bed and frame and mattress.

THE POWER OF AN EXTENSION CORD

All I had to do was wiggle myself close enough to insert the 2-flat prong extension cord into the outlet that was directly behind the headboard.

Because the bed frame was attached to both the wood side rails and the footboard- the only heavy object moving was me.

I shared a little video below as a reminder.

Now, after have three additional queen-size beds were delivered in as many bedrooms I made sure to install an extension cord (even if I don’t need it in that moment).

You never know when you will have a noise-canceling machine, phone chargers or a mini-fan next to your bed.

Now, I share a friendly reminder with my buyers to buy extension cords before move-in day

As long as there are electricity and heavy furniture there will be a need for an extension cord.

This reminder comes in handy during the holidays if your kids want twinkle lights above their headboards or if you want lighting behind your grandmother’s hutch.

Oh, and this same reminder works if you recently had your floors refinished. The last thing you want your husband to do is to slide a hutch a few inches to the left to fit the lamp into the electrical outlet.

I have a box just for extension cords in my coat closet turned supply closet.

Before you go here is a little video reminder I had fun with.. watch the end where I throw my college-age boys under the bus ;0).

Please pin for later!