The seven deadly sins of garage disorganization

I must confess to being one of those people who likes their spices alphabetized and their mail sorted and filed upon opening. But even I have trouble keeping my garage organized - it's certainly closer to this messy state than the orderly one below!

And apparently I'm not alone in this struggle. According to a recent survey by Gladiator GarageWorks, conducted online as part of the Ipsos Omnibus in February, only seven per cent of Canadians say their garage is truly organized. To put that in perspective, the majority of Canadians in the study - 76 per cent - say they've tried to whip their garages into shape.

That may be due to just how much people hate this task. More than a third - 38 per cent - of Canadians said they would rather pull weeds than tackle their garage, 16 per cent would rather do their taxes and 11 per cent would rather go to the dentist.

But while we may not want to actually do the work, we do know what we'd like to see there: dream garages include "organized oasis" - for 56 per cent of women and 33 per cent of men - a "wicked workshop", 27 per cent of men, and a "gearhead garage", 22 per cent of men.

Here's the "seven deadly sins" of garage disorganization, to help inspire and motivate (or at least entertain) you!

1. Procrastination: Almost one third (29 per cent) of Canadians are garage organizational procrastinators. Ontarians (35 per cent) and Atlantic Canadians (31 per cent) are the most likely to put off the chore, while 47 per cent of Ontarians and 56 per cent of Atlantic Canadians say they don't have the time to clean. 

2. Frustration: Almost a quarter - 25 per cent - of Canadians get annoyed and frustrated when they can't find things in their garage.

3. Abandonment: More than 20 per cent of Canadians say they use their garage as a dumping ground for unwanted items.

4. Envy: Seventeen per cent of Canadians admit to being envious of their neighbour's garage.

5. Hoarding: Seventeen per cent of Canadian males fess up to keeping so much stuff in their garage that there isn't even room for their car.

6. Despair: One in 10 Canadians have given up on having the garage of their dreams, with 35 per cent of Ontarians saying it would take more than a weekend to get theirs organized.

7. Stink: Only two per cent of Canadians admitted to finding an unidentifiable foul odour in their garage at some point (we can link ours to the garbage strike!).

Get more seasonal inspiration in our spring cleaning guide.

This mug illustrates how I feel about my morning tea!

There's nothing like that first sip of tea or coffee in the morning to get your day off to a good start. Just like plugging in my cellphone and iPod powers them up for the day, that first cuppa gives me the energy to get going.

And, because I'm a bit of a tech geek, I couldn't help but fall for the Battery Mug designed by Iskander Mukhamadeyev. 

This ceramic mug uses temperature sensitive graphics to show you how recharged you'll be once you've finished your beverage. 

The image becomes visible when you fill the mug with a drink hotter than 36 degrees Celsius.

All that recharging doesn't come cheap - the mugs are available at Art Lebedev's online store for $28 US. And, while microwave safe, it should be protected from direct sunlight and washed by hand to protect the sensor.

(Spotted on Apartment Therapy Unplugged.)

Weekend round up

From eco-friendly cleaners to a ban on water-guzzling toilets, Yourhomers were seeing a lot of green this week, just in time for Earth Day! (Read our full coverage here).

And, according to last week's poll, the majority of readers, at 64 per cent, have made the switch to eco-friendly or homemade cleaners. I've been thrilled with the switch to vinegar and baking soda for most of my cleaning needs - and have been saving a fortune to boot!

This week, I want to hear your thoughts on Ontario's decision to outlaw toilets that use 13 litres for one flush. Do you support the move? Are you on your way to pick up a higher-efficiency toilet? Let me know in the front page poll.

For some more weekend reading, check out:

- Colin and Justin's glam master suite makeover

- Stylish eco-decor finds

- 10 steps to a more eco-friendly yard

- Don't rush into homebuying, cautions Income Property host

- Construction begins on Aura, Canada's largest condo

- Canadian home prices no match in the global picture

- What they got

Lego blocks for grown-ups

Anyone who has ever gone (or considered) the DIY route around the house has probably wished that real life construction was as simple as those Lego constructions you made as a kid. 

A cool new product hopes to achieve just that, as  Ecomat has supersized those familiar building blocks for adults.

The industrial sized interlocking building blocks, made from recycled materials, are designed to build both permanent and temporary structures.

Lightweight and earthquake resistant, they're also supposed to provide good thermal and acoustic insulation.

And, of course, building with them doesn't require any mortar - so construction really is a snap, just like with the small scale variety. As a result, the blogosphere is buzzing with the practical applications for developing countries and emergency situations.

So not only can this product get adults' imaginations soaring (I'm just waiting for someone to try this in a residential setting), but it also could provide relatively quick and inexpensive housing solutions when crises hit.

Found via Inhabitat.

Easy Earth Day tricks

Keeping up with the Earth Day theme around here (check out a few highlights here and here), I thought I'd share a few of Lowe's favourite DIY projects to help you green your home.

- Change incandescent to compact fluorescent bulbs, which are supposed to save you $30 over their lifetime and pay for themselves in about six months.

- Purchase Energy Star appliances. Lowe's says that buying an Energy Star clothes washer will save you about 30 per cent in energy and 50 per cent in water when compared to a non-Energy Star model, and save you about $500 in utility bills in its lifetime -- a good chunk of cash to put toward a matching dryer. 

- Don't use your toilet as a waste basket by flushing tissues. Eliminating just one flush per day can save nearly 5,000 litres of water per year -- or about enough to wash 32 loads of laundry.

- Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth in the morning and before bedtime to save up to 30 litres of water a day -- roughly 900 litres a month, or the equivalent to 1,280 bottles of water (in the 700 mL size). 

- Check your toilet for leaks by placing a drop of food colouring in the tank. If the colour shows in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak. (Make sure you flush quickly after testing to ensure the food colouring doesn't stain the bowl.) A leaky toilet can waste up to 750 litres of water every day!

Barbecue season has arrived!

My barbecue has already made the trek from my garage back to my deck for the summer season. And, while I knew there were loads of hardcore Canadian grillers, I had no idea just how many were willing to brave the snow, rain and cold for the perfect burger! According to a recent Harris-Decima poll (released by Home Depot), nearly half of Canadians - 46 per cent - barbecue all year round in any weather.

The survey also found there's no gender divide in all season grilling, with 47 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women grilling year round.

While Albertans ranked as the bravest grillers - with 61 per cent cooking year round and 55 per cent braving extreme weather conditions to do so - Ontarians were up there with 47 per cent saying they're all season cooks and 55 per cent braving extreme weather. 

If you're in the market for a new grill this summer, Home Depot suggests starting by asking yourself these three questions to help narrow down your choices:

            1. How often will you use the barbecue?

            2. On average, how many people will you be cooking for?

            3. What's your budget?

If you're just sprucing up your space for summer, consider what furniture you're missing for your most common functions - do you need a dining set for family meals? More chairs for entertaining friends over cocktails? Also consider adding a splash of colour with potted plants and herbs (which you can then also use in your cooking), some fun outdoor cushions and even outdoor area rugs for some added pattern and comfort. 

To help prolong your parties, consider taking the chill off those cool spring and fall evenings with a patio heater and check out solar lights (there are loads of amazing options at big box stores this summer) to help create a mood and light your path without eating up any electricity.

Get more tips for maxing out your outdoor space.

(Toronto Star file photo)

Weekend roundup

Spring is in the air, if not in our step as we all approach our spring cleaning routines. (Get time-saving tips and advice in our full Spring Cleaning Guide.)

And, it turns out, the most-dreaded part of the seasonal cleanup is organizing, according to last week's poll. Nearly half - 44 per cent - of Yourhomers said they loathe dealing with all that paperwork and clutter, while washing the windows came in second with 22 per cent.

Other hated chores included walls, baseboards and "other", all coming in with 11 per cent. Personally, it's the baseboards and windows that get me every time!

This week, we're still sticking with a cleaning theme, but I want to know if you've made the switch to eco-friendly or homemade cleaners. Do you check for the eco-logo on your laundry detergent or make your countertops shine with a vinegar mixture? Read the full story, and let me know in the front page poll (scroll down, on the left.)

For some more weekend reading (and a little help in procrastinating on those chores) check out:

- Top 7 spring furniture trends

- Furnishing your new home on a budget

- Colin and Justin's eco-decorating tips

- Mark Cullen's lawn care tips

- My look back at the first year of home ownership

- Our full buying a home special section

An evening with Para and Sarah (Richardson)

On Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Sarah Richardson's new line with Para Paints.

The TV host and designer - who says it was always a question of when, not if, she'd have a paint line - says she and her team had a hand in choosing all 75 hues in the new Sarah Richardson Designer Palette.

Richardson says she's always been a huge believer in the transformative power of paint, starting when her mother used to make over a room in an evening or weekend. And, she jokes, during university when she was painting her bathroom instead of studying, it turned out to be "career advancement" instead of "procrastinating."

Richardson used Para Paints for her farmhouse makeover, shown in season 3 of Sarah's House (currently airing Tuesdays, 9 p.m., HGTV). She jokes from there her relationship with Para moved quickly - culminating in the collection's launch just a year later.

Richardson says that it's a really big deal for her to put her name on something, so she was careful to test the product and ensure her painting crews liked it before going forward. 

As for the paint line itself, used in the above photos, it's a mix of springy hues and bright bolds as well as muted tones and neutrals, with a purple-gray hue called "velvet" ranking high on my list of new favourites!

The new line, along with other Para Paints collections, will be carried at Lowe's.

This art's all in a day's work

As I'm coming up on the first anniversary of move-in day at my new home, I'm ashamed to say that many of my walls are still bare. It's hard to choose art. You want something stylish, but it's got to also be affordable and resonate on a personal level. 

That's why I was totally intrigued by IOGraph. How pretty is this? And, it's totally personalized - it's made by following the movement of your computer mouse!

Formerly known as MousePath, and designed by Moscow's Anatoly Zenkov, the idea is that you run the program and go about a normal day at your computer. After a while, check back in on IOGraph and grab a photo of what you've done. Easy, homemade and unique art? Sign me up!

Available for Windows and Mac OS, as well as Linux, you can download it here.

(Found via 2Modern design blog)

Maxing out my closet storage

While my three bedroom semi is certainly more than enough space for Mr. Speedy and I, like most older homes it's a little lacking in the storage department. 

We're lucky enough to have these his and her wardrobes in the master bedroom, but I still find it a bit of a challenge to keep everything organized and within arm's reach (especially on those frantic rushes out the door on weekday mornings).

That's when I realized I wasn't using a prime piece of storage real estate - the inside of the doors! Armed with a few adhesive hooks, and a little bit of patience after they fell off the first time, I was able to create a bit of hanging storage for belts, bathing suits and the like.

I've given an example here with a bathing suit top, cause even though I'm offering a peek into my closet, a girl's gotta keep some secrets!

For $5 worth of hooks, I've cut about 10 minutes of digging around my closet out of my morning routine - valuable time to savour a hot cup of tea!

What are your tricks for keeping your closet organized?

Check out our full spring cleaning guide.