There’s a cool article on MSN that talks about some great gadgets and tips to prevent laptop theft. Thought it was worth sharing!

Use the following laundry tips and organizing items to avoid clothes mountains, and to reduce time sorting, folding, ironing, & putting clothes away.

MY FAVORITE LAUNDRY PRODUCTS:

1. Three-compartment hamper with removable sacks (for adults) helps you presort by darks/lights/other.
2. Mesh bags (for kids). Throw the whole thing in the washer and dryer and you’ll never have to sort before putting clothes away!
3. Mesh lingerie bags
4. Fold-down hanger holder (instead of a rod) for drying clothes small spaces
5. Ironing board hanging bar to keep ironed clothes neat and make ironing mobile since there’s no need to be near a hanging rod
6. Sock clips to keep matched pairs together in drawers and in the wash
7. Slim rolling cart to fit between, beside, or in front of the washer to hold detergents, dryer sheets, etc.
8. Adjustable shelves to fit any space
9. Shelf dividers to keep folded clothes neat in your closet
10. Downy wrinkle-reducer spray to avoid ironing completely.

LAUNDRY TIPS:

PRE-SORT:

• When your family undresses, pre-sort the clothes into the sorter by darks/whites/other (reds or lingerie)
• Use lingerie bags to keep undergarments together. It will save time putting them away because they’re pre-sorted. It will also prevent damage.
• Use sock clips to keep matched pairs together. When you wear the socks, put the clip near your laundry sack and when you remove them to launder, re-clip them. They’ll stay matched in the wash and won’t require sorting or folding before being put away.
• Color-code sock clips by family member so if you’re washing a mixed load, you’ll immediately know whose socks belong to whom.

WHEN TO WASH CLOTHES:

• KIDS: wash and dry clothes in mesh sacks and wash sack is ½ full
• ADULTS: when a sorted sack is full. Unhook it to carry to the laundry room, and hang on the hanging bar. Put dried/folded clothes into the sack and carry back to your room to put away.
• Do laundry first thing in the morning or before bed. If done in the morning, you’ll have all day to remember to dry & fold them, and if washed and switched into the dryer before bed, they’ll dry overnight be ready to fold & put away in the morning.
• If you get behind, use a laundry service to get you caught up.

DRYING:

• After drying hanging clothes, immediately remove them from the dryer and hang until you iron. It will reduce wrinkles and therefore time spent ironing.

FOLDING:

• KIDS: Carry the mesh sack to their room and immediately fold and put away.
• ADULTS: Fold a load immediately out of the dryer to reduce wrinkles and prevent clothes mountains.
• When folding clothes, separate them into several piles that match your drawer or closet system. For example, put t-shirts together, jeans together, work-out clothes together. That way they’re presorted and ready to put away.

IRONING:

• Hang clothes until they’re ready to iron to reduce wrinkles.
• Use a wrinkle-reducer spray to avoid ironing altogether. (TRAVEL TIP: Get it in a travel size! And see my article “Look FABULOUS while you Travel!” for more great travel tips!)
• Use an ironing bar that attaches to your ironing board to keep freshly ironed clothes wrinkle-free.
• Sort ironed clothes on the bar by owner, style (short or long sleeved), and color so they’re easier to put away.

When travelling, everyone wants to be comfortable and well-stocked, but no one wants to look frumpy once they arrive. So avoid undereye bags, dry hands, oily skin & hair, and try these products to look FABULOUS when you travel!

• Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Soap Leaves, $4. These paper-thin soaps pass airport security and are perfect for freshening up while traveling.
• Lush Jungle Hair Conditioner Bar, $9.95 and Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo, $7.95: a solid bar means no leaks.
• Pond’s Clean Sweep Age Defying Cleansing Towelettes, $3.99: handy makeup removers.
• Under eye cream (reduces puffiness & dryness when traveling)
• Bronzer – always look healthy & rested
• Lip balm keeps lips from chapping
• Hand cream (less than 3 oz. size)
• Wear a cashmere wrap or pashmina! They’re warm, chic & comfortable.
• Ted Gibson Hairsheet Styling Sheets: to soak up hair oils and add polish to your hairdo
• Downy Wrinkle Releaser (Travel Size) $2.99
• Place a couple dryer sheets in your luggage to keep clothes smelling fresh

I used to pack 4 suitcases everytime I went somewhere, even just for the weekend. I had two bags for clothes (I dress for my mood and not knowing what mood I’d be in, I packed almost all my clothes), one bag just for shoes (I love shoes!), and one large bag for toiletries. Oh yeah, and I always took my own pillow. And my purse. It was a nightmare going anywhere, and forget looking suave going through airport security!

So here are some tips I’ve learned over the years to make travelling a little easier:

1. Rethink whether you need an item altogether
2. Downsize
3. Use all-in-one products
4. Never unpack
5. Know the rules for airport security

RETHINK:
First, create a list of everything you’d like to take. Lay it all out on the bed. Then take away what the hotel will supply. Of what’s left, reduce it by HALF! Here’s how:

DOWNSIZE:
Can’t live without your own brand of shampoo? Get a small plastic travel bottle found in most megamarts travel aisles and fill it. The rule for airport compliance is less than 3 ounces.

USE ALL IN ONE PRODUCTS: Makeups like the Bare Minerals Starter Kit line take up very little space and replaced $250 worth of my own separate cosmetics. They have SPF and act as a sunscreen, foundation, concealer, powder, eyeshadow base, and blush.
Their Buxom lipgloss has SPF and a lip plumper already built in too! I love the color "Dolly" for a natural look that's kicked up a notch (the picture here looks brownish, but it's actually a shade darker than a blushing natural summer lip).

NEVER UNPACK:

Whether it's a pre-packed weekend bag, or your toiletries, keep them packed! My makeup organizer holds all my essentials and hangs on a hook behind my bathroom door at all times. It keeps my countertops clear and easy to clean, and I just roll it up and snap it closed when I'm ready to travel. Find one with a hook, a built in mirror, and both clear and zipper compartments. I like ones like the one to the right from the Container Store. Also keep a small, clear baggie pre-packed with a sewing kit, feminie hygiene products, and travel meds like tylenol, airborne, and mylanta or pepto chewables. You can put it together once and have it on standby for when you travel.

Get a purse organizer. I love the Purse Brite. Not only will it make switching handbags easier, but it holds a lot everyday so there's less packing to do when you travel. I keep mine stocked with a comb, lip gloss/balm, tylenol, a nail file, loose change, pens, etc.

Another tip: keep your daytime makeup & lipstick in your daytime bag, and your evening makeup in your evening bag and never take them out so they’re there for the next time.

AIRPORT SECURITY:
For getting through airport security, use the 3-1-1 rule if travelling with liquids in a carry-on bag:

Consolidate small bottles into one bag and X-ray separately to speed up the screening process.

As for clothing, try to eliminate belts and wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Try to always wear socks on travel days (or pack a pair in your purse or carry on so you don’t have to walk on the dirty floor). One interesting tidbit: Airport security will confiscate gel shoe inserts like Dr. Sholl’s so don’t wear them through a checkpoint and pack them in your checked baggage instead. Otherwise you’ll end up embarrassed AND uncomfortable!

And if you don’t want to be rushed while going through security, most airports now have a Family Lane. It’s available for use even if you’re not travelling with children.

Don’t let a dirty car interior ruin another Saturday! Keep it clean, keep the kids happy, and get things done while you drive by creating a mobile office or “mommy station” in your vehicle.

Here’s a checklist of things you’ll need:

 Soft-sided nylon organizer, preferably with a handle or adjustable compartments. I like soft-sided because they squish into almost any space no matter what you drive. Most megamarts carry things you can use like:

Car organizers, Soft-sided sewing organizers, Soft-sided tackle box
Trunk, CD & Glove Box Organizers
Soft-sided trash containers & Catch-Alls

 Industrial strength Velcro (to keep everything in place)
 Hand sanitizer
 Trash or grocery bags
 All purpose wipes & glass wipes
 Febreeze
 Pens
 Lip Balm/Gloss
 Hand lotion
 Gum
 Travel tissues
 Notebook
 Mail station (accordian file with stamps, blank cards & envelopes, and a contact list)

For a mobile office, you can also fill your organizer with:
 Business cards
 Bank deposit slips
 Mileage notebook
 Office supplies like paperclips, binder clips, small stapler, business card holders, calculator
 Accordion file with client literature, vendor info, intake forms, bank forms, tax forms, place to collect receipts

For a “Mommy Station”, you can also fill your organizer with:
 Paper towels
 Diapers
 Burp cloth & pacifier
 One change of clothes for each child
 Things to keep kids occupied like coloring books, crayons, toys, DVDs
 Juice boxes, bottled water, granola bars & snacks
 First aid kit
 Behind the seat organizer or bin for kids toys
 School & Sports calendar

Once your Mobile, here are some tips for keeping the car clean:

• Keep a trash bag open at all times to prevent pitching trash to the floor. If you have a minivan or SUV, hang a trash bag in every row. Empty it when you’re pumping gas.
• Ask kids for help to clean up their toys and put them in the back-of-the-seat organizer or toy bin before they get out of the car.
• Wipe down your dash and windshield at long red lights to keep them dirt-free.
• Spray Febreeze before you head into the mall, grocery store, or Megamart. Chances are you’ll be there a while and it’ll give the upholstery a chance to dry before you get back into your fresh smelling vehicle.

If the stacks of business cards you’ve collected are beginning to look like the mountain in Close Encounters, or your wallet rivals George Castanza’s, oh yes, it’s time to do something. But who’s got time to key in all that info to your contact database, or scan & categorize all those receipts? Wish you could just hand the stack to someone and for less than dinner out one night, it’s all taken care of? YOU’RE IN LUCK!

My favorite service for this is Shoeboxed.com and they’ll scan, automatically categorize & send back or recycle your receipts (depending on your tier). It works like Netflix where you get an envelope that you stuff full and mail back (postage is already taken care of) and they send you a new envelope for your next wad.

They recently added business card scanning to their list of services too!

After they scan, everything is downloadable to Quicken, Excel, PDF, or CSV so you can import to your contact database or financial system. The IRS now accepts scanned receipts for tax purposes, and if ever there’s a dispute, you can click on a full size picture of the original receipt.

They’ve also have a great reporting tool so you can see spending charts to get a handle on your budget.

So if you want to clear the stacks of cards and be able to sit without leaning because your wallet’s too fat, click here to learn more or sign up.

I want to know, what do you keep in your wallet? Is it fat or skinny? What are your essentials for leaving the house?