changing the world one gift at a time

Meet Auntie Clutter

Meet Auntie Clutter -- The Freecycle™ Network's expert on finding ingenious ways to reuse common items.

Auntie Clutter wants to wish you all a very happy "Independence Day" (for the international members who may not know, this is a United States holiday celebrated on July 4th).

Now with "Independence Day", which celebrates our freedom, we invite you all, regardless of nationality, to think of how we can be free in ways that are within our control.

Let's get *Freedom from Our Clutter*

• Have you a stack of books that you have been meaning to get rid of?
• Have you a stack of magazines that you throw in the dump because you think no one would want them?
• Do you have a bunch of books for young children that your kids no longer use?

How about posting them on your local Freecycle group? Recently Auntie took a whole bunch of magazines and books for young children to the local hospital emergency room waiting room where they were greatly appreciated.

Let's think about reduce, reuse, recycle, and a new category "maintain." Let's see what we can do to take care of what we have, so that we do not have to replace things so often. Besides the ecological aspect, you will save money in the long run. Are you maintaining the car you drive, changing the oil, rotating the tires, getting a check-up, and that sort of thing?

I have a true little story to tell you. Auntie has a neighbor named Pat. Pat has a son who sells cars, and had been nagging Pat to buy a new car because her car looked so, shall we say, ignored and rundown.

Auntie was on a little car rejuvenation stint and offered to give Pat's car a makeover. Auntie washed, waxed, and cleaned Pat's car so it was shiny and bright. Auntie even used a special slimy goo that cleans, renews, and protects the black plastic mounts for mirrors, trim and such. David, her husband, couldn't believe how nice Pat's car looked. David noticed that his car looked so bad next Pat's, that he washed and waxed it as well.

Pat's son aso was in shock when he saw the 14-year-old car looking like a new car. He never brought up the subject again. It has been some time since this happened, and Pat continues to keep her car looking nice and shiny on her own. Auntie smiles when she sees Pat driving buy,waving, in her shiny "new" 14 year old car.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and "Maintain" - a great reason to celebrate.

For those of you in Canada, we wish you the warmest wishes for a happy Canada Day. No matter where you live, take pride in your country and help keep it beautiful by sharing your abundance of unused treasures with someone in your community, as we all practice our motto of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Maintain".

-- Auntie Clutter

Question from Sock It to Me:

Dear Auntie Clutter,

I have a confession to make. I have a terrible time letting go of things -- even the laundry basket full of dozens and dozens of orphaned socks. But I think I'm ready to let the socks go, if I could only come up with something good to do with them -- or something I could suggest when I OFFER them to my Freecycle group.

Just so you know, there are no holes in any of these socks. For the most part, I am able to let the holey ones go ... right into the rag bag.

Since I'm telling you this much, I also confess to having taken the orphaned socks from my sister and each of her two kids (now 25 and 28) every time they've moved during the last few years. I've re-united many orphans this way. Given how often they've lived together, slept over, moved back home, etc., it was a piece of cake -- but of course, I've inherited many an orphan.

What do you advise?
-- Sock it to me

What Auntie Clutter said to Sock It to Me:

Dear Sock It to Me:

Auntie Clutter chose to reach out for some expert sock advice, and wishes to thank the following Freecycle Moderators for their super suggestions on re-purposing used socks: Stephanie, Anne, Kara, Angela, Pat, Citizengeek, Cheryl, and Cynthia. Here are their ideas for what you can do, Sock It to Me:

• Make sock puppets (and then donate them to preschools/kindergartens).
• Fill them with potpouri and place them in your drawers to give everything a nice scent.
• Use them to protect your golf clubs - just slip over the metal end of the club when it's not in use.
• Snip and used as dust rags, cleaning rags, waxing rags, clothes patches, quilts, and so on.
• Fill with navy beans or rice, add fragrance if you like to the rice, tie, and heat in the microwave for a heating pad.
• Knot some together and make dog toys. Donate them to a pound, vets, or animal shelter.
• Put a bar of soap in them and tie, hang on outside faucet for a quick cleanup.
• Dye them all deep black and make pairs of socks that are similar in construction. Honestly, few people will notice if you are wearing two different socks, unless they are different colors.

There are millions of uses for sock orphans (if you don't mind putting them to work), but Auntie Clutter's hands-down favorite is sock animals -- and there is many a monkey maker who would agree with her. (For craft expert Carol Duvall's instructions, click here and type the word "monkey" into the Search Box.) But there's no need to limit yourself to monkeys. There is nothing like a nice argyle kangaroo.

Auntie Clutter also wants you to know that spare socks can make great draft blockers when sewn together and filled with rice or sand (preferably bagged in plastic unless you sew a pretty amazing seam).

And for her beauty treatments, Auntie of course puts lotion on her feet and hands every night, followed by cotton socks that she dons to protect her toes and fingers.

Question from I'm All Hung Up:

Dear Auntie Clutter,

Do you have any suggestions for what I can do with all those hangers that seem to multiply in my closets when no one's looking? They're making me feel all bent out of shape.

Thanking you kindly in advance,
I'm All Hung Up

What Auntie Clutter Said to I'm All Hung Up:

Dear I'm All Hung Up,

Auntie Clutter is sorry you are feeling bent out of shape. Fortunately, some Freecycle Moderators have come to your rescue, especially Ed, Louise, Belinda, and Myra, who offer you the following advice:

• Assuming the members of your Freecycle group aren't eager for your hanger collection, give them to your local charity (thrift) shop.
• If you're an artistic type, use them to make caricatures of your friends and family.
• Cut wire hangers into divining rods to find pipes and water under your garden.
• Ask all your friends if they need any -- anyone who does crafts may want to use some as the base of holiday wreaths, to make some wire hanger X-mas trees or for crocheting projects.
• You can return hangers to the dry cleaner's, who will reuse them.
• Turn them into mobiles. Tie different lengths of colored string or yarn to them and attach various items like seashells, tin-punched and/or painted lids from frozen juice cans, painted/decorated empty thread spools, washers, screws ... use your imagination.
• Turn them into jewelry. Cut them, bend them into different shapes, paint them, add beads, etc. to create necklaces and bracelets.
• Use as plant stakes and/or for topiaries and/or as the base for macramé plant hangers.
• Attach to the backs of pictures and framed artwork to use the hook to hang the piece on the wall.
• Use in bird cages or reptile terrariums to give the critters something to climb on or play with.
• Use to hang up bird houses.
• Hangers make great hooks to hang and organize "stuff," be it jewelry, extension cords, ribbon, chains, etc.
• Don't forget to use at least one as an antenna for that old tv!

Auntie Clutter trusts that you will no longer be bent out of shape, I'm All Hung Up.

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