Holiday Gift Wrapping

Gift-wrapping is the bane of my existence. Despite my craft skills and wide assortment of cutting and taping implements, it always comes out poorly. And I hate throwing the paper away later.

Gift bags are an improvement. They are easy to use, often pretty, and can usually be re-used. Not everything fits in a gift back, but most things do. The thing I object to is the tissue paper, which again, gets thrown away (and usually doesn't stand up to more than 2-3 uses.)

Using newspaper or other spare paper for wrapping can be creative and pretty. But at the rate the newspaper industry is declining, this is not a good long-term solution.

So what is the answer? I think we need to start a new culture of giftwrap, based on tsutsumi and using only cloth. This will not only cover for my poor skills, it will save paper. And I, for one, would not mind replacing my gift-wrap box with a beautiful box filled with different fabrics.

Things That Last

As I have mentioned before, I am happy to note that one way to be more green is to stop buying CRAP! This is an excellent excuse to buy nice things, especially nice things for your kitchen.

Many things don't last. Glasses get broken, bread knives dull, dishtowels wear out. As much as one likes them, they will have to be replaced at some point.

Recently, while at my mother's house, I had a chance to stroll through her kitchen and see what really does stand the test of time. I was looking for things she received as wedding gifts that were still in everyday use today. This is what I came up with.

• A good colander, metal. (Why would anyone buy a plastic colander anyhow?)
• Cast iron anything (she has some nice old Le Crueset, but other brands have held up as well)
• Casserole dishes. These seem hard to break and easy to clean. They are definitely in it for the long haul.
• A good cake/pie server. This doesn't get as much use as the rest of the silverware, and thus often survives long beyond the rest of the set.
• Ditto for salad serving items.
• Trivets (cast iron, glass, tile, pewter, whatever.)
  

To this list, I would add nice knives that can be sharpened, and a good pepper grinder. My mother didn't go this route, but I am hoping to justify things like $200 knife purchases by amortizing that expense over the next 20 years.

I hate carpet

I really don't like cleaning floors in general. But I hate carpet. Especially apartment carpet, which is what I have been stuck with much of the time. It is beige, shows stains really well, and tends to be linty and dusty.

If I owned someplace, I would only have hardwood floors. Or tile. Or anything that could be cleaned with a MOP. It really bothers me that I have to use ELECTRICITY to clean my floors. Not only that, but knowing they are never really clean is really, really gross. And then I have to have someplace to store my big, bad vacuum cleaner. Which I don't have much room for BECAUSE I LIVE IN AN APARTMENT!

OK, there probably are some sleek, non-electrical options for vacuuming, I guess. I could get one of those carpet sweepers. And I am tempted. But I have a hard time believing that these are going satisfy my need for clean.

Wall-to-wall carpet is one of those things that shows off how much electricity we think we have. "Look," it once said, "I am rich. I can lay here and collect dush and someone will suck it off me." But I, for one, would prefer to have an area rug I can launder, beat outside, etc.

Now I understand that the reason most apartment buildings go with carpet is probably because of sound. I have a hard time believing there are other economics involved since most of the carpets look brand new when I move into an apartment, and I don't think it is just from aggressive steam-cleaning.

Aptwife Speculative Device #1: The ThingWasher

I am really trying to be good about keeping things as long as possible, not throwing things out, and not buying junk I will just need to

Sometimes this is all just a justification to buy something *very* nice that I *really* want. After all, isn't it better to buy a $150 dollar cashmere sweater I will keep forever than to buy two cheapo rayon sweaters I will throw out in two years? (Well, maybe not. Turns out cashmere is not exactly "environmental.")

But in some cases, I am sure this strategy works. For example, my really nice Shun knife will probably last me until the end of my days if I take care of it properly, whereas my mother has probably filled half a landfill with cheap knives.

There are some things, however, that even if they are nice, we are tempted to chuck them out and get a new one. Why? Because they are gross and disgusting and sometimes smell. Some common things around the house that tend to fit into that category:

• Shower caddies
• Garbage cans
• Wafflemakers
• Toaster ovens

All of these things (and I am sure there are others) come in contact with water or food. In my house, the garbage can is the #1 thing that fits into this category. No matter how often I clean it, or buy nice garbage bags, or try to be careful, I end up with crumbs on the flip top lid and a gross smell deeply embedded in the plastic.

This got me thinking about a possible business plan: a place to refurbish things. The ThingWasher. It would be kind of like a laundromat, but for things, not clothes. Mostly it could have a giant cleaner: something between a dishwasher and a carwash where you can get some serious detailing done. And of course there would be powerwashing tools (self-serve or full-serve?) Stuff could be gotten out of cracks and crannys. Things could be polished or buffed to a shine.

You won't throw out that old plastic wastebasket or that soap-scum encrusted shower-caddy because you can make it "new". And you can buy the super-cute one you have been wanting at CB2 or Restoration Hardware because you can justify the cost!