Eco Organise the Shower

Let face it a few minutes in the shower can be our only relief from over busy timetables.

Rather than be faced with clutter in the shower here are a few simple eco-friendly tips to make your shower safe, appealing and restful.

Clear shelves, transparent racks along with string bags help deal with the clutter in the shower.

They enable us to see what you have and need, there no point storing empty bottles.

Less clutter makes this small space safer, easier to clean and more relaxing.

Vinegar has many great using around the house , it works as an alternative to anti dandruff shampoo

                First shampoo and rinse your hair thoroughly with water, then rub a mixture of ½ cup apple cider vinegar and 2 cups water into the scalp.

                Leave for 5 minutes and rinse, repeat this every day until the problem clears.

                 Best to try a test patch first.

Rinse sponges in vinegar to keep clean and extend their life

Sanitise your toothbrush overnight twice a week in distilled white vinegar.

Ceramic tiles and glass can all be cleaned with distilled white  vinegar, store a small spray bottle in bathroom cupboard to save time.

Reduce water consumption  by installing a water efficient shower rose.

Also adjusting the temperature of your water service reduces energy costs and makes it safer for babies and elderly . Check with your plumber

Handmade soap from local market are more eco-friendly than bottled soap. Plus they add a touch of luxury and support local small business.

Turn unwanted linen fabric napkins that clutter your linen cupboard into face clothes.

The finer weave makes them  easy to wash and less time to dry than terry towelling cloths.

They don’t become hard and scratching, so no need to use harsh detergents and softeners

Rinsed with a little lavender water and you have added to your blissful experience.

Enjoy your few minutes of bliss

Reduce Food Waste with a Fridge Forage

After a wonderful break from work and enjoying the company of good friends it’s time to get back into the office.

Over the silly season we tend to over shop and also buy things we don’t normally eat.

Now’s the time for a Fridge Forage and experiment with all the leftover food.

It has taken my husband and me four days to eat our way through the leftover cheese, deli items, herbs and drinks. It is amazing what you can do with a carton of eggs, wonderful Frittata’s and savour slices.

Zucchini Slice

Serves 4

Serve hot or cold

5 eggs, lightly beaten

400g zucchini, grated

2 medium carrots, grated

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ cup olive oil

½ cup parsley, chopped

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup wholemeal SR Flour

100gr soft tofu

1 tbsp. LSA

Salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients except the flour, mix well.

Fold in flour and blend well.

Pour into an oiled lamington tin 28x18cm (12”x8”)

Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes.

My garden is full of zucchini so this Zucchini recipe was an obvious choice. It used up the left over cheese a bit of bacon and reminder is in the freezer for nights when I do not feel like cooking. I did not have any tofu so I combined yoghurt with grated cheese, all came out beautifully.

A regular Fridge Forage not only reduces food waste and  saves money and reduces our carbon footprint.

Organise your Woollens

For those of us in the southern hemisphere the weather is changing from cold to warm, with less rain and little need for our woollens. Wool is a fantastic sustainable fibre and with a little care they will last for generations. If you invest in good quality woollen garments you will enjoy many cosy winters.

Woollens do take up a lot of space and if you have limited space it is a great idea to rotate your clothing. This also gives you the opportunity to decide if it has earned the right to go back in your robe or should it go out.

Sorting and organising is one thing but storing them correctly is really important.

Always wash woollens before storing them, silverfish are attracted to unwashed garments. A few cakes of highly scented soap wrapped in a waxed paper amongst the garments also help keep the moths and silverfish at bay.

An old fashioned recipe for washing your woollens is

4 cups Lux Flakes

1 cup of methylated spirits or rubbing alcohol

Store in a glass jar, it is think like mashed potato so only use about 2 tablespoons to half a bucket of warm water.

I store my woollen in old suitcases or cloth bags made from natural fibre, old calico bags work a treat.

What do clothes cost our environment?

Here are some interesting things I found recently

80%

Of garments carbon footprint is attributed to washing and aftercare.

47%

Of chemicals used in cotton farming classed as either possible, Likely, Probable or           

Known Human CARCINOGENS

3 Years

Average lifespan of a garment.

Tips to reduce your clothes carbon footprint

                Invest in good quality clothing in colours and styles that suit you

                Reinvent existing pieces

                Caring and storing your clothes increases their lifespan.

                Choose natural fibres over man- made fibres.

                                Natural Fibres: Cotton, wool, linen, silk and bamboo 

Traditional dry cleaning uses PERC (perchloroethylene) is classified by the EPA as a toxic air contaminant.

We only wear 20% of our clothes, so what’s the other 80% doing cluttering our wardrobes?

Tip: Turn all your coat hangers backwards, then after a month check how many coat hangers are back facing the other way. It’s a quick way to determine which items you really wear.

Once you decide to de clutter your wardrobe check local charities that will take good quality clothing.

If they are totally worn out do not send them to the charity shops, depending on the fabric turn them into polishing clothes, just remember to remove button etc. Natural fibres can go into the compost.

What Possessions take Pole Position?

We all seem to be pushing our schedules to the limit, trying to please everyone, be everywhere on time and wonder why we constantly chasing our tail.

Our space is highly valuable and things we have in our space are rated in value and importance.

Only allow things that you use and need every day to take Pole Position, everything else is secondary. For instance there is no point storing medications that you use every day in an awkward, out of the way place, they need to be stored safely at pole position. Whereas storing a sports bag on the kitchen cupboard that is only used once a week does not deserve pole position.

“Place for everything and everything in its place”; finding logical homes for your STUFF goes a long way to Organising your space.

 What’s deserves Pole Positions in your home or office?

                Bathroom- towels, cosmetics, appliances

                Kitchen- Breakfast provisions, utensils, crockery, radio.

                Bedroom- Alarm clock, clothes in order of activities, work, sporting, casual, going out clothes.

 It is a saying we hear a bit “Bigger is Better” but at Eco Organiser we believe in utilising the space we already have, which has  notable saving to our environment. Bigger and bigger may not necessarily mean better, clearing and sorting clutter to create the space you want saves money, time, reduces stress levels and increases efficiency. Maybe it should be "Less is Best"!

The Basket Case

We bring things into our homes but not everything is there to stay.

Returning things to their rightful home reduces clutter.

Introduce a basket, tray, box to the busiest exit point to your home; it is a great way to keep things flowing in an out of your house.

Items placed in the baskets remind you to action them, either return books or DVD’s or drop of the dry cleaning.

As you leave the house check the baskets to see what’s to go.

This reduces clutter in your home, utilises time and reduces the dependency on our vehicles.

Design your Space to Save Space.

I recently completed a project with a few challenges…gee don't we love that.

But I was driven by the fact it was for my Mum.

She loves researching our family tree, uncovering all the skeletons in our closet.

Unfortunately she suffers from an eye condition and struggles working in dark places, which is exactly what her home office is like.

She tossed around the idea of major renovations, by building within her existing roof space.

Certainly an underutilised space in my opinion, but this would have cost about $15 000.

So I put it to her that instead of spending all that money "what do you think about rearranging your house and gaining an extra bedroom" for the cost of $1000 instead of $15 000.

Well I had her interest.

We had a space of 1050mm x 600mm deep and floor to ceiling height where her fridge stood, so we.

• The refrigerator was easily moved into the walk in pantry, which already had space to accommodate it.
• The wiring for the computer was re-routed and a couple of extra power points were put in.
• I then designed a flat pack table, and shelving system, that my excellent cabinet maker "Pieter" made for me.
• I needed a flat pack system because my mother lives 2500km away from me, so it all had to fit into my car
• It came with really easy instructions for ME to install.

• Still needs a little finishing touches, but that's the fun about creating new spaces
• Now she can work in a warm light space instead of a dark cold room.
• We were able to match up with the same finishes in the kitchen so it ties in without looking too out of place.
• And we converted the old office into a much needed 2^nd bedroom.

I hope this inspires you to re think your current space before taking huge expensive and some stressful plunges into renovating 

What is it Collaborative Consumption?

TIME names Collaborative Consumption as one of the "10 Ideas that will change the World"

That's a big statement and one I am very excited to explore. My first introduction in Collaborative Consumption is car sharing.

In our western society most people aspire to own and drive a car, but how much does it cost to both our finances and our environment. Car sharing is a viable option for individuals who don't need a car or that second car full time.

Fewer cars on the road lead to less traffic and improved air quality. The average private car spends most of the time parked while a share car can be shared between 10-20 people. One local shared car company to look at is www.goget.com.au

And to help you set up a local car-pooling group, check out www.letscarpool.com.au

If you have a spare room but do not want a permanent tenant, and like meeting new and likeminded people how about www.airbnb.com

Rent your spare room to earn some extra dollars and fully utilise your space. I cannot wait to try this one on my next holiday. You will certainly hear about it.

And for all your unwanted STUFF check out www.freecycle.org

The Freecycle Network is made up of over 8 000 000 members around the world. It's a grassroots and entirely non-profit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.

I would love to hear your collaborative consumption ideas 

Organise my books

What does this picture tell you, time to Organise

I recently received this image, yes I give them points for utilising what they have and continuing the life of the table, BUT it is dangerous. The table is already telling us "I can't take much more"

How do you fix it?

First you need to remove all the books and magazines from the poor table, sort as you go.

Two piles             Stay and Go.

What goes can be divided into Give Away, Donate or Recycle and deal with in NOW, not later so that it finds a home somewhere else in your home. This instantly reduces the clutter on the table.

Now you can come back to "Stay", put all food books together, all technology books together, in other words sort like with like. Then you need to find homes for the different categories.

Recipe books in the kitchen, computer books in your office. Have your books and magazines where they will be used. There is no point having your car mechanic books in the kitchen and your recipe books in the garage. If you have good book shelves utilise them and store like with like, it makes it so much easier to find your books and magazines.

All you really should have on your coffee table is your remote controls and few current books or magazines. I am afraid this table has lived a long and hard life, maybe it's time to turn into fire wood and purchase a new table

Tips to maintain

So much information is now available on line; do not print out reams and reams of paper when you can quickly refer to the internet.

• Join your local library
• Reduce magazine subscriptions, some many magazines can be borrowed from the library or shared with friends, this not only saves you money but will save our precious trees, printing inks and emissions caused by the distribution.
• Give old magazines to local community houses, any waiting room whether it be your doctor, dentist or mechanic shop.
• Donate to charities or recycle
• Research the option to sell your books to second hand stores or collectors.
• E books are another avenue to source books.
• Spend 5 minutes a day sorting and de-cluttering your paper, magazines and books.
• Soon this becomes second nature and will be reduces to only a few minutes per week
• The average Australian household throws away 13000 pieces of paper a year, most of it being packaging and junk mail.

Organise for School Holidays

When you think of School Holidays, do you think of fun times, or groan at the thought of what to do with the kids? This school holiday, focus on the good times and get organised with these handy tips .

Out with the Old

Involve the family in pre- holiday clean out. Clear out unwanted toys, clothes and accessories.

Donate items in good condition to a local charity

Plan for Play

Draft a list of activities which cover's everyone's interest.

Do some research prior by browsing the web or make phone calls

 Eat, Drink and Party

Start planning menu's for your activities. Purchase many of the pantry items early to spread the cost and store them in a separate area in the panty.

 Happy Holidays

Make your holiday arrangements early to avoid disappointment.

When packing your bags, create a list in advance and give yourself plenty of time to pack well.

 Welcome Holiday Guests

School holidays may mean sleep overs so prepare for extra children.

Prepare a list and purchase any extra provisions that maybe required, and ask if anyone has allergies.

Whether you use one of these tips or all of them, this information will help you get organised, forget about the pressures and enjoy a stress free school holiday.

Organised for Summer Shopping

Summers here and we all love to BBQ, I was surprised to discover from my good friend Andriy of Blue Bay Cheese that his sales decreased in summer because people where concerned their cheese will spoil in the heat. http://www.bluebaycheese.com.au/gallery/bluebay/bluebaygallery.html

I couldn't believe this, it is such an easy thing to organise.

The answer the good old esky, cooler bag or car fridge.

We all have these gadgets but sometimes they are forgotten and just clutter up our cupboards.

The soft cooler bags are great for taking your lunch to the office or going to school.

Just think if you are spending $10 per day on lunch, over one year you have spent $2400.

Sure you need to deduct some money for the ingredients, but you will know what you and your family are eating. Lunches do not have to be boring especially if you have some way of keeping them cool.

My favourite lunch spread - Hommus

1x 400gr can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ cup water

Juice of 2 lemons

½ cup tahini

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

So Easy- Created within 5 minutes

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until think.

Taste and add salt or lemon if needed.

Serve at room temperature with a dusting of cayenne pepper or with some extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top. Store, covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

It's so easy, doesn't require a lot of ingredients and not a lot of washing up afterwards.

Dips are sold in a plastic tub with a label and some sort of printing; they have been transported in a refrigerated truck and stored in a refrigerated cabinet until sold. By making simple things like this at home you are reducing your carbon footprint.

Energy Saving Cuppa

With our electricity and gas bills increasing, here's one way to reduce your energy consumption, bills and carbon footprint.

I have to thank my Grandparents for this one.

They only ever boiled the  kettle only per day, enough for their first morning brew, and the remainder was poured into a thermos to be used throughout the day.

Why let the excess boiled water go cold to be re boiled? 

Why switch on a kettle 3 or 4 times a day?

An easy one to try at home or office

Quick Easy meal with Seasonal Produce

Cabbage Parcels

Cabbages are in abundance in our garden, so I am always on the lookout for easy recipes. Cabbage Parcels Services 4  3/4 cup long grain brown rice 8 large cabbage leaves 350 gr minced lamb or steak 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 x 125 g can water chestnuts, drained and chopped 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon ground cumin salt and pepper to taste 1 x 425g can tomaotes 1/3 cup beef, chicken or vegetable stock or water chopped parsely or coriander

Cook rice by any method, drain if neccessary Blanch cabbage in boiling water for 2 minutes, Drain well and remove tough stalks. Saute minced meat, onion and garlic in a large frying pan until mince is brown. Sitr in water chestnuts, 2 teaspoons soy, cumin and seasonings. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add one chopped tomatoe and rice, then set aside. Finely chop the remaining tomatoes, retaining their juice. Stir through stock and remainng soy. Pour  into the base of a casserole dish. Divide meat mixture envenly between cabbage leaves, fold in sides and roll up to enclose filling. Place rolls on top of sauce, bake covered in a hot oven (200C) for 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with parlsey and salad.

Lentil & Vegetable Cottage Pie

 250gr brown lentils

2 bay leaves

1 tblspn oil

1 onion, 4 carrots, peeled & chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 tspn dried mixed herbs

1 tblspn chopped fresh parsley

1 cup tomato puree

3/4 cup tinned tomatoes

1 1/2 cups cooked potatoes, mashed

3 tblspn skim milk

2 tblspn margarine

1. Wash the lentils, cover with fresh cold water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain & pour into a medium saucepan.
2. Cover with water, add bay leaves & bring to oil over moderate heat. Reduce heat & simmer for 25 minutes. Drain lentils, remove bay leaves & set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add the onion, carrot & celery & cook for 4 minutes.
4. Add the lentils, herbs, parsely, tomato puree & tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour the lentil mixture inot the base of a large ovenproof dish.
5. Mash tomatoes with skim milk & margarine and spread on the top of the lentil mixture, bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 6 and freezes well. 

Meal Planning

Now that you have organised the pantry/larder, and you have established that you do not need to buy canned tuna or pasta sauce for a while. We can start working on your shopping list.

Divide you your page up into sections: example

Fruit & Veg          Grocery             Meats/Deli

Carrots x5            Milk                   Chicken Fillets x 2

Cabbage x 1/2    Tissuse               Steaks x 3

Onions x 6            Toilet Paper      Spicy Sausages x 4

Garlic x 1              Butter

Broccoli x 1 head  Canned Tomato x 2

Lemons x 4           Cheese

Fish Monger         Bakery              Florist

Tuna x 2 steaks     Sliced Loaf x 1   For Friday nights BBQ

Salmon x 1           Muffins x 6

Meal Plan

Monday: Tuna and Veg                   Add the recipe book & page no

Tuesday: Chicken Stir Fry

Wednesday: Pasta with spicy sausage & tom sauce

Thursday: Salmon & salad

Friday: BBQ with salad (with Bob & Sue)

Saturday: Lentil Pie

Sunday: leftovers

Don't forget to incorporate ideas for lunches

Make extras & freeze for those nights you just don't feel like cooking

Tip to save money and food Miles

Buy what is in season, generally they will be cheaper and fresher.

Preserving our Foods- Feijoa Chutney

Our 1/2 acre block keeps us in fresh fruit and vegetables most of the year round.

At this time of year it is fruit from South America called Feijoa's.
On average we pick up one bucket every two days.
My kitchen was overrun with them.
Over the weekend it was time to deal with them.

Feijoa Chutney

Easy to make and a little different.
Place 500gr mixed dried fruit in a pan and cover with water- simmer for 15 minutes
Allow to cool and roughly chop all simmered fruit.
Top, tail, finely slice 1.5kg feijoas
Put sliced feijoa, dried fruit and liquid they were cooked in into a large pan
Then add 3/4 cup (125g) glace ginger, 4 small garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon salt,

1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon tomato paste, 2 cups (500gr)raw sugar.

Pour over just enough brown vinegar to cover the mixture
Boil for 1 to 1.5 hours. Bottle and seal while hot.

This can be applied to any fruit that is in abundance from your garden or elsewhere.
My jars were recycled jam jars with metal lids, they work a treat.
Add you own decorative label and impress your friends.
Great gift idea which you have made.

Decluttering Your Pantry made Easy

Do you really know what's on the top shelf at the back?

Have you brought extra tuna when you already had 12 cans in the cupboard?

Here's some tips to get your Pantry organised and utilise things around you.

First                 

Clear a space on your bench top, then shelf by shelf take out each item.

Place like with like, also check out the use by date and anything that maybe living or growing inside the packet.

Work through shelf by shelf until everything is out.

Second

This is a great opportunity to give the shelves a wipe or clean

Third

Now it's time to put it all back.

Top shelf is a great place to put things you hardly ever use and things you don't want the kids getting their hands on.

Next shelf use for things you use frequently such as flour, condiment, grains, dried pasta etc

Then comes the things you use all the time, every day, you can't live without it.

The bottom shelf is great for heavy things such as bulk purchases.

How can I find the packets of spices and herbs that get lost?

Great question.

Solution:       

We all seem to breed plastic containers in our kitchens, so why not use the plastic take away.       

Just stack like with like and pull out to see if you have any gravy or 100 & 1000's before you go shopping.

With the lids on these boxes are great for stacking so you are utilising your vertical space as well as your horizontal space.

You are giving the containers a second life.

Also label each shelf or box if you have difficulty with the new positions, you will soon have this down pat.

Save your legs, money and time

• Start with a white board/blackboard or note pad to write down what you need to buy
• Conduct a stock take of your pantry and fridge
• Plan your meals for the week
• Get the whole household involved with the list making, unless you are superwomen or man  & can read their minds
• Where possible shop on line or place orders with your local butcher or green grocers and ask if they deliver
• The savings in time will astound you plus no more dealing busy car parks, queues, less impulse buying which will save $
• No more running back to the market because something was missed
• The greatest gain will be your new found TIME

Refill Toiletries and Detergents

• I refill plastic bottles at my local health food store with
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Clothes Detergent
• Dishwashing Detergent for hand washing and dishwasher.
• Wool Wash mix

Always look at the packaging before you buy a product, so it can have another purpose. For example: cut the top and bottom off PET   bottles, they protect seedlings in your veggie patch from slaters and snails.