Is your home a no-shoes zone?

  

This seems to be a never-ending debate in many homes.

 Is it really necessary to ask people to step out of their shoes before stepping inside?

 “Kick off your shoes, and stay awhile” might be a popular greeting (at least, in the olden days, so to speak). But does it really matter?

 Sure, shoes can leave scuff marks on fancy flooring. They can drop dust and dirt into carpeting and rugs. And don’t even get us started about what happens when people put their feet on the couch, coffee table, or other furniture.

 But is the argument purely aesthetic, or are their health and safety reasons to request people to enter shoeless?

 How many germs might someone pick up, simply walking through various places before coming to visit? 

• a busy street
• a carnival or county fair
• a commercial kitchen
• a factory
• a farm field or barn
• a grocery store
• a hospital
• a lawn with recent fertilization or weed killer application
• a locker room at the gym
• a parking lot
• a port-a-potty
• a public restroom in a shop, restaurant, or gas station
• a scientific laboratory
• a sports stadium
• an automotive repair shop

 Are you gagging yet? Imagine the many contaminants one might pick up in such spots. Would you sit down and perhaps even eat on any of those floors? But what if those germs were tracked into your home? And what if you have a crawling baby or toddler?

Not to be a Goody Two-Shoes, about this, but I think the no-shoes idea has merit.

 Some folks keep shoe or boot trays just inside their doors, along with big baskets of booties, slippers, or even shower caps. That way, guests can remove their shoes and put on comfy coverings, if they wish.

 Of course, the no-shoes rule pretty much goes out the window, if certain people step outside in stockinged feet. (I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes …)

 And what about bare feet in the summer?

 It’s hard to police the no-shoes rule. But we try as best as we can.

 Then we’ll always find those who firmly believe the rules do not apply to them. For instance, we’ve had a few extended family members that insisted their shoes were clean and refused to remove them. That’s when everyone else looks at us, just waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

 

Related Items:

• 10 quick tips for packing safer school lunches
• 30 basic items to include in a baby's first-aid kit
• Easy way to protect stacked dishes
• Removing gummy glue from recycled jars is easy and harmless
• Spring allergy alert: 12 ways to prevent pollen problems
• White sink wiping without sinking to griping

 

Image/s: Adapted from public domain image

 

Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.

Finding simple storage for baseball caps is a shoe-in

  

What’s an easy way to organize and store all those baseball caps?

 First, a confession. I guess I have something of a baseball cap addiction. And I don’t even play baseball. In fact, I may hold the all-time strike-out record for my middle school, having achieved that status back in the Dark Ages when I was a preteen student.

 Even so, I have amassed quite a collection of baseball caps – largely because I am loathe to toss any away. Many of them bring back memories. Some were purchased, while others were obtained through participating in various activities: 

• attending minor league baseball games on hat giveaway nights
• covering sporting events as media
• winning my (older and less competitive) age group in a race (and receiving a cap as the prize)
• strolling through foreign cities and other memorable locales (Souvenirs, anyone?)
• volunteering at marathon hydration stations
• running with a team, while sporting their merch
• working for organizations promoting themselves through logo-bearing swag

 

You get the picture.

 And I’m one of those girls who darts around all over town with a ponytail flapping out the back of a ball cap, even if I’m not coming straight from the gym or a trip on the trail. It’s just my style.

 For years, I kept my caps piled up in a plastic tote (like these) on the closet shelf. That meant I’d often wear the same couple of hats by default, rather than dragging out the tote and sorting through the various choices each time.

 Finally, while sorting through my stuff for a rummage sale fundraiser, I decided to come up with a more accessible way to store my baseball cap collection.

 

Enter the over-the-door hanging shoe organizer. It’s not just for shoes anymore.

 Here are a few examples from Amazon, although you can find them at most big-box department stores and may even some of those dollar-ish shops as well. (Can’t call them dollar stores anymore, because nearly nothing is just a dollar these days.) 

·     Amazon Basics 24 Medium Pocket Over-the-Door Hanging Shoe Organizer – This one comes in grey. It has three hooks that fit over the top of the closet door.
·     PAULONE 35 Pocket Over the Door Shoe Organizer – This one has more pockets, and they are a bit deeper, making it easier to fit stiffer ball caps or trucker caps.
·     Simple Houseware 24 Pockets - Crystal Clear Over The Door Hanging Shoe Organizer – This less expensive plastic one comes in several colors. With two dozen deep pockets (and four over-door hooks), it’s handy for hats.
·     Over The Door Shoe Organizer Storage Hanging Shoe Rack Organizer for Sneakers/Boots Storage – This one is a little different, because it features 8 sloped cubbies/shelves that are designed to hold shoes toes-in. It would work well for baseball caps too, holding 2-3 on each level. This might be the best option for storing collectible hats that shouldn’t be rolled or bent at all.

 

 This baseball cap storage solution has changed the way I rotate my cap collection for wearing. I’ve essentially rediscovered some of my old favorites, as it’s easy to pick out which one goes with which outfit on a daily basis. 

Maybe you’ll agree.

 

Related Items:

·        6 easy ways to open stuck jar lids

·        Flats may be stylish shoes, but I'm flat-out leaving them

·        Hunting for cheap boot trees? Use your noodle!

·        Ripped off at the thrift store!

·        Spiral hair ties are a snap ... until they do

 

Image/s: LAN personal photo/s

 

Feel free to follow on X. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.

Easy way to protect stacked dishes

 

How can you keep your favorite plates and dishes from chipping and scratching one another in your cupboard, on your kitchen shelf, or in your china cabinet?

Coffee filters to the rescue!

 I recently received a set of family heirloom china salad plates. They are dainty and fragile, but I think they are lovely. They’re extra special because they belonged to a loved one who has passed away.

 To preserve these pretty plates, I picked up a package of those scalloped white coffee filters.

 (They are extremely inexpensive too! They also come in an unbleached tan, but I think the white is less visible on my dishes. Plus, it seems to have a smoother texture.)

 I separated several coffee filters out and placed them between my stacked plates. They worked so well that I went ahead and added them to all of my stored breakable plates, dishes, saucers, and so on.

  Easy peasy. And they don’t really even show.

 

Related Items:

• 12 creative ways to use muffin tins
• 12 non-baking ways to use baking soda
• 12-Step Program for Wedding Gift Registry
• Cooking: Freshening Onion-y Hands
• T is for Table Setting
• White sink wiping without sinking to griping

 

Image/s: Personal photo by LAN/PAH.

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.

Removing gummy glue from recycled jars is easy and harmless.

Empty glass jars can be recycled to hold all sorts of goodies. Mayonnaise jars are great for collecting loose change. Jam jars are great for containing candles. Baby food jars are super for holding loose buttons. Who wants to buy new glass jars, if you can recycle ones you'd otherwise toss out?

Recently, I sampled Yoplait’s Oui French Style Yogurt. I chose the vanilla one, and it was quite delicious. As a bonus, this yogurt comes in cute little glass jars, which can make lovely custard cups or votive candle holders. 

My only beef was that the empty jar was sticky with glue residue, once I peeled off the label. So I decided to wash out the empties and run them through the dishwasher. But that didn’t do the trick. The gooeyness remained.

I hunted for instructions on removing glue residue from glass jars. I found lots of ideas, ranging from rubbing with nail polish remover or Goo Gone to scraping with razor blades to drizzling with various essential oils. Then I read about the method I actually adapted and tried.

And it worked.

So here goes: How I removed gummy glue residue from recycled glass jars.

I poured equal parts of oil (I used Pompeian Grapeseed Oil, but olive oil has also been suggested.) and baking soda onto a paper plate. 

I stirred them together with a fork to make a sticky paste. 

Next, I used a vegetable brush to rub the paste all over the outside of the glass jars. 

Then I set the jars on a piece of paper toweling and let them dry for about half an hour. At this point, they looked pretty nasty.

Finally, I used a steel wool pad to scrub each jar before rinsing it and running it through the dishwasher again.

The jars came out shiny, clear, and clean of glue residue. (See the top photo.) They’re ready to hold scented votive candles for a cozy dinner setting.

Image/s:

Process photos by Practically at Home.

All rights reserved.

Yoplait Oui - produce promotion photo.

Fair use. 

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.

Quick tip for removing carpet dents from furniture

Moving into a new home or rearranging furniture in your existing one? How can you eliminate those pesky carpet dents from heavy items? You know those dips that show up under sofa or armchair feet, headboard pegs, or piano legs?

What if you move stuff around and don’t want to leave those craters in the carpets?

Here’s a simple way to fluff up rug fibers, making them smooth again.

Just grab a bunch of ice cubes. Toss one into each hollow spot. Leave them there overnight.

The next day, just spruce up the textile fibers in each former furniture dent. Pull out the vacuum, if you wish.

Whoosh! The dents are gone, and the carpet looks smooth again.

Image/s:

Adapted from public domain photo

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.