A Great Idea for Moving Rooms

It's that time of the year again.

The time
when in Northern Ireland
we get much colder and wetter weather
and
in our house we move

from  relaxing in the Sun Room

to 

living in the Lounge.

I love being in the Sun Room but I also really like my lounge since we got it decorated a year ago and got the new suite.


We try to get as long as we can out of the Sun Room but by now it means the heating on a lot to keep it warm however we did manage to use it from May to middle of November so that's not bad.

There is one thing I got this year that has made the move from the Sun Room to the Lounge with us and that's what this blog post is all about.

I saw a Slim Cabinet Wagon  (which I prefer to call a caddy) on a website I had found in early springtime and I just knew it would be ideal for the lazy person I become once I sit down.
You know - I don't want to have to get up again to get my book or puzzle magazine or crochet or nail file etc.


One of the really enticing features was the fact that it was on castors and I knew straight away that it would be great to take from room to room.

So I treated myself to an early birthday present and ordered the caddy.

I knew I wouldn't need any help in putting it together even though I'm not a great fan of DIY because it would have few pieces and there would be nothing difficult about it and anyway I can read instructions (even when the men in this family don't think that's a necessary task).


It only consisted of two tubular sides, some rods, 2 metal plates, 4 castors, the cover and a smaller thin tubular part  -  no problem!


Yes no problem until I see that the instructions on the back of the box are in Japanese or Chinese or Korean or something but certainly not in English.

However I couldn't go far wrong with the few parts that had to be assembled!


The box came in handy for resting the sides on to join them with the rods to form the frame.

Very simple to do - just slot the rods through the holes and then use a screwdriver.


A bit wobbly to work with with the first few rods

but very steady when all the rods were fitted.

I then put the castors on the base plate ready to attach it to the bottom of the frame.


That was my only mistake.

I had to remove the castors as it was easier to attach the base to the bottom of the frame as each castor was was tightened in.

With the base and four castors attached I was only left with the smaller metal piece to be placed.

It screwed into the base plate and formed a divider for the central bottom part of the caddy.


All that was left was the cover

It fitted down the outside of the caddy but had a centre section into which a thin metal plate was slotted and this would form a shelf about halfway up the caddy.

Then the cover was fitted on securely using velcro strips along the bottom of each side of the frame

and the top of each side.



The finished Caddy

The two sides have slightly different sizes and arrangement of pockets.


The profile view clearly shows the shelf and the divider within the caddy.


There is plenty of room for anything you might want to have at hand when you are sitting watching TV or relaxing reading a book etc.


Because it is a slimline trolley it will fit in nicely beside chairs or a couch.

Just one little idea that makes it that bit simpler & easier for organising our home.

Here it is in the Sun Room beside the chair

What do I keep in it?

• Books
• Bible
• Puzzle books
• Crochet
• Hand cream
• Nail file, scissors etc.
• Hair clip
• Bookmark
• Pens, Pencils
• Glasses
• etc.

Oh yes and all the remote controls


Last year in the lounge I had this basket but it was getting too full.

Now  I can have the caddy instead of the basket and even have more things than I had before

or in a better position for me right beside my usual seat on the couch

It fits there really well and can easily be rolled out when I need to get at the lower  parts.

But below you can see that when it is in it's place it isn't even noticeable as you walk into the room.

Just one little idea that makes it that bit simpler & easier for organising our home. 

Of course this one was more Funwork than Housework because I got to but something, put it together (and that was't difficult)  and put my stuff into it  -  real Organising!

10 Great Uses for 1 Simple Household Product - Need Help!

I have found that I don't have a great sense of smell any more which I presume is an advantage at times.

But my husband does have a rather sensitive sense of smell sometimes so I am very gracious and do something that makes him a happier man when he is in certain parts of the house.

Yes I have on a Quick Easy Solution to some little problems.

Little problems that can occur in different rooms in your house.

Little problems that can occur in different places in different rooms in your house.

Hence my title for today's blog post:

10 Great Uses for 1 Simple Household Product 

And the Simple Household Product is

               something that many households will already have

                                 and is not very expensive


                                                     in fact I have a few packets of these all the time in the house.

Simply take one of these sheets and place it in

1.     The Laundry Hamper.

Especially for the smelly socks.


I can balance one on the hinge of mine but a little bit of sellotape can be used to stick a sheet on the underside of the lid or the side of the hamper.

And even the ironing basket if you are going to have your clothes lie here for a few days before ironing.

2.     The Storage place for bed linen

I do this in the underbed drawers in our Guest Bedroom and it is nice to keep that bed linen fresh smelling when you know it may be sitting there for quite some time between guests.

3.     Among the Hangers in the Guest Wardrobe

Even if you only do this a few days before your guests come the wardrobe will be very welcoming as they open its doors.

I wish some hotels would think of this as I often notice their wardrobes smell rather stale which is surprising as they should be used regularly.

4.     The Guest Towel Basket

I always try to get the guest room towels washed and dried and back in the guest room very soon after the guests leave but then it may be some time before they are used again so one of these tumble dryer sheets placed in between the towels just freshens them up for the next guests.

5.     The Guest Room or Bathroom Radiator

We don't keep the heat on all year in the Guest room when it is not being used so when we then turn the radiators on a day or so before our guests arrive it's nice to have the room freshened up this way too.


Of course it can just be an added bonus in the bathroom all the time!


Also placing a sheet in each of these few different places in the guest room is much less expensive than keeping one of these air fresheners on the go.

As these are expensive to buy and to get the refills.


Because I use them regularly for the Guest Room and its ensuite I try to make sure that there is always a box of them in the vanity unit in that ensuite so these are one of the items I would often think of for my Amazon Prime Pantry Orders along with their other clearance items.

6.     Cupboard under the sink

We have a small food recycling bin in the right hand side but even if you don't under the sink cupboard can soon get a little smelly.

Note to self: Getting rather untidy in here again!

7.     The Bathroom Hand Towels Sea Grass Basket

My husband Fred is not fond of the smell that can come from Sea Grass baskets.
We have some of this type of basket in our storage cupboard as well as this Drawer unit in the bathroom so this keeps him happy with the hand towels smelling nice and not of the Sea Grass.

8.     The Kitchen Bin

Obviously this will help especially as the bin fills up.

Our bin has a little groove at the back just under the lid which is handy for this but again a little bit of sellotape can be used to stick a sheet on the underside of the lid.

9.     The Vase of Silk Flowers

Yes I know they do not smell but sometimes it is just a nice idea to get a hint of a fragrance when you are near a flower arrangement or vase even if the flowers are not real.

Just another way of freshening up a living room.

10.     Your Slippers

Everyone in our family says that I have smelly feet but of course they are all wrong.

  

However I do know that because I wear slippers constantly in the house they can get (a little!!!) smelly and so I keep the rest of the gang happy by making them have a nice smell - for a while anyway!


Or you might want to try this with your boots.

Then of course don't forget there is also the 

Tumbler Dryer

Why not take a walk around the house the next time you are expecting visitors and you might be surprised where you could hide a dryer sheet (somewhere in the small toilet usually springs to mind) and not have to run out for an air freshener, light a scented candle or use one of those horrible can sprays which just make me sneeze.

Now isn't this more like Funwork than Housework?