13 Life Hacks To Declutter, Organize & Simplify Your Life

Human ingenuity never ceases to amaze us. Our ability to adapt and re-purpose everyday items provides an endless stream of ways to make our lives easier.

The phrase that describes these clever innovations is life hack. Wikipedia defines the term this way: “Life hacking refers to any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life.” In other words, a life hack is anything that solves an everyday problem in “an inspired, ingenious manner.”

Ever have a problem finding the end of a roll of tape? For us, it usually takes three times as long to get the end unstuck than it does to put the tape where it needs to go. But now when we do, we take a paperclip (you know that little box holds more than you’ll likely ever use) and stick it to the edge of the tape. That makes the end easier to find the next time. That’s a life hack.

Below we’ve compiled a list of our favorite home-related hacks — plus some links to places around the web where you can find hundreds, if not thousands, more.

Things Get Clean in the Sink, But What Cleans the Sink?

Here’s a gem the folks at SERVPRO offer on their Facebook page to help you make sure your kitchen sink — a receptacle for some pretty nasty stuff — stays clean and fresh.

1. Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain.
2. Wash it down with ½ cup of vinegar and a spritz of lemon.
3. Let that set for a few minutes while it fizzles.
4. Rinse with hot water.

How the Heck Do You Clean a Mattress?

This smart spring cleaning hack comes from Calli, whose, blog “Make It Do,” offers a bit of advice on keeping mattresses smelling fresh.

Remove all the bedding, including bed skirts and mattress covers… and put it all into the wash.

Next lift the mattress and box springs off the bed and thoroughly vacuum and dust. (Feel free to wipe down the wall and floorboards behind the bed.)

Lay the mattress back into place and prepare Calli’s special concoction. You could just use straight baking soda, but Calli pours about one cup of baking soda into a mason jar and adds four drops of lavender essential oil.  Put on the lid and shake up the jar.

Using a kitchen strainer sprinkle the baking soda mixture all over the mattress and let it sit. Let it sit for an hour or more, usually the time it takes to finish washing all the bedding and press the bed skirt.

Using the hose end of your vacuum and an upholstery attachment, thoroughly vacuum the mattress. Say goodbye to dust mites and other nasty things. The baking soda helps draw up any moisture and deep dirtiness. It deodorizes and leaves the mattress smelling fresh and clean.

Short and Sweet

Many, if not most, life hacks are quick and simple tricks to make life just a bit easier. Here are some of our favorites, courtesy of Twisted Sifter. 

1. Place a rubber band around a paint can to wipe off the brush. This will help keep the paint on the inside of the can.     
2. Use your smartphone to take photos of your friends with items you lend them. That way you’ll remember who has them.
3. Fold your clothes and stack them vertically in drawers. You’ll be able to see them better.
4. A frozen, wet sponge makes a great ice pack that won’t drip as it melts.
5. Use unscented dental floss to cut cakes, cheese and other soft foods.
6. Use a clothespin to hold a nail when hammering.

Simple And Smart

Sometimes life hacks are so simple you’re almost embarrassed you didn’t think of them yourself. For example, take a look at these 75 life hacks offered by The Orlando Sentinel.

1. Use a laundry basket to carry several bags of groceries.
2. Driving on a strange highway and don’t know which side of the road the exit is on? Look at the little rectangular exit sign on top of the larger highway sign. It will be on the same side of the road as the exit.
3. Ever rent a car and, as you’re pulling into the gas station, you realize you don’t know which side of the car the tank door is on? The dashboard gas gauge likely has a little triangular arrow that points to the side from which the tank should be filled. 

We know what you’re thinking. Life is good now. These life hacks will make things so much better. Again, you’re welcome. But there will come a time when maybe you’re not quite as happy as you are this very moment. Here’s one last life hack to make life a little better: Forcing yourself to smile when you’re feeling down will make you happier.

There are plenty more life hacks, especially where keeping your home organized, uncluttered and clean are concerned. We’ve only scratched the surface. Below are some links to even more life hacks:

• 1000 Life Hacks - daily life hacks to help you get through life slightly easier than the rest.
• The 50 Best Life Hacks of All Time - from ComplexArt+Design, the latest art news and design trends.
• 37 Essential Life Hacks Every Human Should Know - from BuzzFeed, a social media company.
• Best Life Hacks - from Huffington Post, an American online news and blog website.

Image credits: Easy button, Kitchen sink, Groceries

Garage clean out tips

The garage shouldn’t be a space where junk is left to accumulate and be forgotten. Plus, having junk in the way of parking your valuable car doesn't make much sense. Besides parking you car inside the space can be used as a wood shop, somewhere to do work on your bike or car. With so much potential, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make cleaning out the garage your next home improvement project.

But if you haven’t been tending to your garage on a regular basis, you could be in for a big job. It’s not easy to get rid of all the years’ worth of stuff that have been accumulating in there.

Fortunately, this blog is here to help. So you want to make cleaning out the garage a success, follow these 5 steps. 

1. Survey and Categorize Your Garage

This is the first step in your cleaning out the garage action plan. You need to understand just what you have put away so you know what you are up against. Then, you should begin piling together all of your different possessions according to category. This will make things easier later on.

2. Determine what to keep and get rid off

You need to decide what in your garage can be kept and disposed of. Maybe you have some old bicycles that you no longer use, a set of old tools collecting dust or sports equipment that haven’t been touched since the kid left home. This is the perfect opportunity to decide what you need going forward.

Remember, not everything needs to be thrown away. However, if you have a lot of junk that just can’t be recycled or reused, a dumpster from Bin There Dump That is the perfect option.

3. Get Organized with Shelves and Hooks

One of the best ways to make the most of precious space in your garage and get organized is to think vertically. Shelves and hooks provide extra space and are a great way of organizing the many things you have lying around. Basically free up the floor space. 

4. Sell or Give Away What you don’t Need

Lots of things in your garage don’t have to be destined for a landfill. It just takes a bit of work to find them a new home, like hosting a garage sale or you could even sell some of your metal items to a local scrap metal dealer.

5. Label everything 

In a few months’ time, it might be near impossible to find what you are looking for in your newly organized garage. So you need make sure you label all your containers, drawers and more so you know where everything is later.

Enjoy your new and improved garage and remember: a dumpster is the perfect way to get rid of all your garbage from any home improvement project. Contact us today Visit our website.

How to Dispose of a used Mattress?

Ever been driving down the road and seen the dirty nasty mattress lying on the side? Why do people do this?  Probably because they are hard to dispose of, costly, no residential trash company will touch them, few dumpster companies will haul them, and just about every landfill or transfer station will not accept them!  Some states even have laws preventing them from ending up in landfills.

We have asked several locations why this is and we never get the same answer.  The two most common are the springs get caught in the tracks of the equipment and they take up too much space (do not compact).

With up to 20 million mattresses and box springs disposed of each year there is a need to deter them from landfills and to recycle them.  Each mattress/box spring has over 80% of recyclable materials.  These are:

• Fabric- Is sometimes already made of recycled material and can be recycled again for mattress or other industries (clothing, insulation).
• Springs and metal- melted and recycled for numerous applications.
• Foam- Is chopped up and used in padding (floor, sound, etc)
• Wood- Is recycled in pulp for paper, fuel, mulch, boxes, and much much more.

There is not much that can’t be recycled.

Now you are asking how do I get rid of this thing!  Well, there are a couple of options:

• The company you bought your new mattress through will sometimes dispose of your old one for free or a small fee.
• Dispose of it yourself.  Call your local transfer station or landfill to see if they accept them or if they recycle them.  Cost should run anywhere from $5 to $20 per mattress/box spring.
• Sell it on craigslist, letgo, a Facebook sale site, or any other outlet.
• Donate it.  This probably will take a lot  of time, but call around to organizations who might have a need for  something like this.  Some ideas:  Goodwill, Salvation Army, halfway houses, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and  thrift/consignment  stores.  Some states have laws against resale of used mattress.
• Some areas have companies that deal only will mattress recycling. Try Googling mattress recycle.
• A majority of junk removal companies will remove and dispose of it (or any other junk).  The pros are you don't have to do much physical labor, but the con is that it will cost you approximately $100 to dispose off.
• Rent a dumpster.  If you have a bunch of other debris to dispose of this would be the economical way, but make sure you check first with the company to see if they will take them and if so is there any additional charge.

As far as we know Bin There Dump That Dumpsters of Atlanta is the only dumpster company in metro Atlanta that will accept your mattress or box spring; depending on your location.  Currently we only charge $15 each with a dumpster rental (subject to change). We can be reached by phone @ 404-692-2838, email Atl@BinThereDumpThat.com or check us out on the web www.AtlantaDumpsterRentals.net.

How to dispose of paint?

How to dispose of paint?

A common question that is ask when someone is renting a dumpster is how to dispose of paint.  Well, it is fairly easy and there is couple of ways of doing it.

The most common way is to simply mix it with cement and let it dry.  To do this you will need a bucket, bagged cement, a bucket, and a sturdy stir stick. Simply mix the cement and paint in the buck and let dry.  It is that simple! We prefer that prior to loading it into one of our bins that a lid be placed on it.  

Another way is to simply let it dry out.  This will be difficult to do if it is left in the can, but you can spread it out on a box (everyone has a million boxes thanks to Amazon), plywood, or even a section of carpet.  

The best way and most environmentally friendly way is to recycle it.  The down fall is it can get pricey and is hard to find locations that  accept paint.  If you are in the Atlanta area here is a link to a company that does strictly paint recycling: Atlanta Paint Disposal. 

Charities will sometimes accept paint for them to use, but good luck finding one and getting the timing right!

If you rent a dumpster from us, Bin There Dump That Dumpsters Atlanta,  you are allowed to dispose of paint using the cement or drying method.  We can't haul any wet paint.  We can reached at 404-692-2838, Atl@bintheredumpthat.com, or online www.AtlantaDumpsterRentals.net.

How much will my items weight for my dumpster rental?

Click the link below to pull up chart of commonly loaded items: Asphalt, Bushes/Branches (yard debris), Concrete, Clay, Stone, Soil, Grass Clippings, Gravel, Leaves, Plywood, Roofing, Sand, & Household Junk.

Material Weights    

Although, the weights are not exact it should give you rough idea on how much the total weight will be.

If you have any other questions regarding you weights or a dumpster rental in metro Atlanta give us a call 404-692-2838 or email Atl@BinThereDumpThat.com.

Happy Loading!

Furnishing a home on a budget? Look into estate sales.

Looking to furnish a new home on a budget? Where do you start?

Like most you're going to head to craigslist or maybe a local Facebook page for "yard sales".  If you are looking to find higher quality used  furniture or  just about any household item you need to look at local estate sales.  Generally, estate sales are only held at higher income homes with nicer items; the company holding the sale needs to have value in the item in order for them to make money too.  

There are several websites that list local estate sales in your area. If the seller wants they can also upload or share links to some of the items to be sold.  Here are a couple of best to use websites that will let you search by location and are popular among selling agencies:

• www.estatesales.net
• www.estatesales.com
• www.estatesales.org

Some tips for picking a estate sale:

• Find sales in wealthy neighborhoods for the best items!
• Look at photos of what is for sale to see if any items spark an interest or the items that are being sold fit your style.
• Get there early! Many second hand stores, antique dealers, and others looking for a deal try to get the best items by getting there first.
• Some sellers will reduce the prices as time goes on in order to try to sell everything in the house.
• Try to bargain with the seller. Remember bargaining turns more to your favor if you are buying more items.
• Come prepared to take what you paid for. Some sellers will not hold items.

Selecting a Professional Contractor

There are several factors to choosing a general contractor (GC) for your project.  One qualifying step should be checking to see if the contractor is licensed for your job. Whether you're in Atlanta, Marietta, or Roswell the state of Georgia provides an website that you can easily search for any professional license  CLICK HERE.  It is highly recommended that you also get the credentials of sub contractors and verify them.  Not all fields require a license but (not limited to) electricians, plumbers, and residential general contractors do.

Licensed professionals are held to a standard by the state they must pass a state exam, may require higher education credits, continuing education, and re-qualification.

There are professional organizations for just about every licensed profession. These organizations will check and verify the contractor.  They may also require exams, continuing education, and provide continuing education courses. Two great local resources are The National Association of the Remodeling Industry of Atlanta  & Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association.

Always remember to require the contractor to use a Bin There Dump Dumpsters at your house ;)