The Posh Blog

I was in one of my favorite stores yesterday, Office Max, and I learned about a new service they offer.  You can now take your confidential documents to Office Max for shredding.  How great is that!  I did ask if this was a national service and I was told yes, but I would recommend that you check with your local Office Max before you load your car with paper.

Here’s how it works: 
You bring in the paper you need shredded.  You pay $0.59/pound of paper you have.  Drop the paper in a secure locked box, similar to a mail box at the Post Office.  A shredding company comes to the store regularly and shreds the documents on-site.  I was told the Office Max employees do not have the key to open the locked box, only the shredding company can open the box.  I was also told an Office Max employee monitors the shredding process to ensure all documents are being shred. 

If you don’t have a shredder at your house, I like this idea because it is quick and simple.  You can keep a SMALL box that you designate as your shred box, where you can add items to it each week.  At the end of the month take the box to Office Max. 

If you are going through old files and you have a high volume of paper to shred then I would consider calling a shredding company directly.  If you are in the Austin area I recommend Central Texas Secure Shredding.  You can take your boxes to them or they can pick up from you.  The cost at Central Texas Secure Shredding is approximately $50-60 for six boxes of paper. 

Here’s to clearing out your old files securely!

Angela

Your piles of paper can magically disappear this Saturday at a complimentary shred day held by The Better Business Bureau of Austin.  Yes, there is still time to gather your paper, compact disks and floppy disks to be shred on-site.  This is a great NO Cost way to get more organized!  Everyone is welcome.  Here’s what you need to know:

Date: May 22, 2010, Saturday
Time: 9 AM to 1 PM
Where: Dell Parking Lot, Bldg. 8
2401 Greenlawn, across from H-E-B off State Hwy 45
Round Rock, TX 78682

Details: Protect your identity by bringing paper, compact disks and floppy disks for FREE on-the-spot document shredding. The first 500 participants will also receive a free goody bag with tips for safeguarding privacy. For more information, click here to visit the Better Business Bureau site. 

Happy shredding!
Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Batteries are one of the most common things I see in people’s homes as we are getting their spaces organized.  In many cases we will fill up a small zip top baggie full of old batteries.  So here is where the debate begins.  Are you supposed to recycle old batteries or can you simply toss them in the trash?  I have always just tossed old batteries in the trash but about two years ago another Professional Organizer told me you were supposed to recycle them.  I felt so guilty for all those years I had been polluting our environment!  But I keep hearing different things from different people, so it’s time to get to the bottom of this!

According to Duracell Battery “It is important not to dispose of large amounts of alkaline batteries in a group. Used batteries are often not completely “dead.” Grouping used batteries together can bring these “live” batteries into contact with one another, creating safety risks. “

So if you are just tossing out one or two batteries it’s technically safe to throw them in the trash, but if you are tossing out large quantities you should recycle them. 

Many battery stores like Batteries Plus  offer battery recycling for many different types of batteries including cell phones, laptops, cordless tools, and more.  There is also a company called Battery Solutions  that sells boxes that you can fill with all different types of batteries.  Once the box is full you ship it to the company at no additional cost to you.  This is perfect for a corporate environment or a place that is using a high volume of batteries per year.

Be sure to designate a specific container for collecting the batteries that way they do not end up scattered around the house or even worse mixed with the good batteries.  Keep the container in your laundry room, utility room, or garage. 

Do you recycle your batteries or toss them out?

Happy recycling!
Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Yogi’s rejoice!  If your old mat has become less than Zen you can feel at peace with letting it go.  Send your old mat to Recycle Your Mat  which recycles worn out mats, donates mats still in good condition, and upcycles mats.  Upcycling means giving the old mat a new life, typically turning something old into something new and completely different.  For example, I have seen old yoga mats turned into water resistant zipper pouches at my local Container Store click here to see them .

Just another way you can reduce your clutter and be environmentally friendly!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

If your budding musician has tested more instruments than you have room for you can donate the retired melody makers to Roots of Music (ROM).  This non-profit after school program is based out of New Orleans and teaches children ages 9-14 how to read and play music.  After hurricane Katrina many schools in New Orleans were unable to continue to offer music programs.  ROM currently serves nearly 100 students making up a full fledged marching band. 

Click here  to see what types of instruments and supplies Roots of Music is looking for.

Please be sure instruments are in working order.  If you don’t have a musical instrument but think this is a really cool organization like I do you can also make monetary donations or sponsor a child.  This is such a cool program once you read about everything they do in providing music education, hot meals, transportation, and community for these children you will be hooked.  If you can’t donate spread the word about this unique organization.

Making a difference by clearing your clutter, I love it!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Not sure how long to keep food in your refrigerator, freezer, or pantry?  Ziplock  has a fantastic list on their web-site that indentifies how long you should keep 70 different food items!  Go to the Ziplock web-site and on the left hand side click on “Shelf Life 101”.  You can click on the image of the shelf, freezer, or fridge to display the list of items for that particular area. 

 
When cleaning out your pantry and refrigerator it is great to know how long to keep things.  I recommend marking leftovers and items you are freezing with a piece of tape and a Sharpie Marker with the date that you made them.  This will save you from having to remember how old the leftovers are. 

You can print out a PDF of the entire list by clicking here. I would recommend keeping the list handy so you can refer to it as needed. 

Enjoy your clean fridge! 
Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.