Rubbermaid - Adventures in Organization

Mixing Beverages

When I started working here at Rubbermaid, I went through all of our products to familiarize myself with them. When I came upon our Mixing Pitcher, I believe my exclamation to my cubemate Alyssa was"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU MADE THOSE! I LOVE THIS PITCHER!" And the truth is my mom has been using one for years and it so easy to mix drinks with.

In the spirit of making drinks easier to mix, my mom taught me a trick. Even if you are mixing a cold drink, start with a little bit of hot water. Just enough to provide something for the powder to mix with. Things mix better with hot water and you will save your arm some mixing time if you first mix the powder with a little bit of hot water than add the rest and mix it a little more. It also leaves less of the powder at the bottom and mixes more evenly. My roommates thought I was crazy to do this until they tried it and saw that it actually is easier and tastes better because the powder is mixed thoroughly.

There you go. Happy mixing!!!

Moving Advice

I HATE moving. And I have had to do it a lot lately with almost no end in sight. Plus, it is not just me moving in and out of apartments, but my parents moving to different states. Needless to say I am amazed that I am able to find any of my things any more.

So this weekend was another glorious moving weekend. I had to officially move out of my college apartment in Athens. Thankfully, I have been living in Charlotte for the past two months and have been slowly moving things from Athens to Charlotte. It's a lot easier when you have two months to decide what you want to keep and more than one weekend to transfer all your stuff! But I finally had to move everything out and clean.

So, here are a few tips I have learned about moving.

1.    Rubbermaid containers are great. If you are moving yourself, it is even better if you can have a bunch of smaller ones. Easier to carry and if you have limited trunk space like me (buying a coup when moving was not the smartest thing I have ever done) it's easy to slip them into extra space in your car.

 

2.    If you have room, organize in piles. My roommate with the bedroom accross the hall from me had already moved out. His room and the hall became a staging ground with a pile for trash, things going in my car, and things I was storing in a friend's basement.

This is my trash pile.

 

This is my take with me pile.

3.    Label, label, label. You might think you will remember where you put your flashlight or towels but if you do not unpack everything in a few days you might not remember. Try to pack like things together and label boxes/totes clearly.

For me, I bought a couple of large Rubbermaid containers to try to put all my little things that I would store into. That way I knew all my things would stay together in one place in my friend's basement. However, that meant everything was just being piled together. So I labled each tote that it was my stuff and kept a running list of what was going in the box on a piece of notebook paper. I taped the list to the inside of top of the lid. So when I need something and am searching in the basement for it, I can quickly check to see which tote it is in.

4.    Do not be afraid to throw things away. If you have not used it recently (except for seasonal items then ask if you used it the last season), get rid of it. Most of the stuff that is clutter are inexpensive things that if you do decide in a month or two you need, it will not be too bad to go buy another one. You can justify the cost to yourself by thinking of the energy you saved packing, carrying, and unpacking it.

Here are some more moving tips that I have found:

• Great Packing advice including what to ship and a moving check list! http://www.upack.com/moving-resources/moving-advice.asp

• Here is information on anything and everything related to moving - http://www.movingmaster.com/

• A quick read from Rubbermaid Tips and Solutions - http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/tips/tipsSolutionsDetail.jhtml?id=HPFMA187&cat=product&subcat=totesbins

• Some interesting and quick suggestions - http://www.moving.com/articles/move-tips.asp

Lance Armstrong's Garage

Just saw a post on Lance Armstrong's garage that desperately needs a Rubbermaid makeover by Jim and I !  I would love to show Lance what FastTrack can do.  Who thinks Rubbermaid has what it takes to help Lance get his garage in order?

Easy Find Lids Contest

So, I could not help it but share some more stories from our Easy Find Lids contest. They are just awesome!

Some Good Advice

 

Chandra says I used Easy find lid containers to store leftovers, fresh cut fruits, yogurt,take food to office,school,It's very easy to store and no odor.

 

 

 

 

Ruth Slate says Rubbermaid containers are for crayons,loose change,quilt pieces & notions and of course food. they're so economical,i use them for everything.

 

 

 

 

Jen Steed says she had drawers of mismatched, stained dishes & lids. Switched to JUST these on one shelf. Heaven! Even DH quit using baggies for everything.

 

 

 

 

Yolanda Newton says My food storage solution? Use clear see-through containers so you can see what it is in your fridge! Avoid mystery meat sitting for weeks!

 

 

Funny Entrees

 

Joey says My daughter can't keep her cat out of her produce. Finch (the cat who eats everything) has eaten her tomatoes.  Help!

 

 

 

 

 

Lori Hatch says I couldn't figure where my lids were going. Until one day I saw my German Shephard puppy open the cupboard door and run off with the lid.

 

 

 

 

S Moses says If I win...would my kids miss: plastic lid avalanche, sorting bingo, getting to hear mom swear? No - we'd have too much time to play! Yay!

 

 

People who REALLY need Easy Find Lids

 

Marie Moody says Too many bowls & lids that didn't match & became toys for my grandchildren to teeth on & play with & didn't make loud noises & clean easily.

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Larrivee says I live with 3 girls in a small Philly apartment. Little cupboard space, too many arguments and times spent organizing it! We need help!

 

 

 

 

Kari McGuire says My 2 year old thinks my plastic containers are for playing - she opens the cabinet and they all come falling out and she laughs!!

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed thes enough to check out the web site www.easyfindlids.com. Go and share your story for a chance to win a 20 pc. Easy Find Lids set and share your story on Facebook for a chance to win a $500 kitchen makeover.

FastTrack all over the house

Sadly, I don't have a garage.  But, because they have an additional whole for direct mount into studs in interior walls, I have still found ways to use Rubbermaid FastTrack hooks throughout my house.

Here are a few places the hooks have come in handy for me:

1-Holding mops / stick tools in my laundry room (3 handle S hook)

2- Propping up canvases in my art closet (ladder hooks)

Holding camping chairs in my really little coat closet (hose hook)

Keeping sporting goods off the floor (Multipurpose hook) - this poor tennis racket hasn't seen any court time for quite awhile, so it needs a good resting place!

Rubbermaid History

I just started working at Rubbermaid and am absolutely fascinated by its history. Here are somethings that I have learned about the company. (This is basically what I find interesting and not a full history like the one you can find here)

The company started in 1927 when two men from the Wear-Ever pots and pans company bought The Wooster Rubber Company that made toy balloons. The two men continued to work full time at Wear-Ever dreaming of being able to run their company full time. I am so inspired by people who work this hard to achieve their dreams!   

Meanwhile, James Caldwell and his wife Madeline wanted to make new, rubber products that could be  brightly colored thanks to a new technique. In 1933, they recieved a patent for their brightly colored red rubber dustpan. Understanding consumer's lives and needs, the caldwell's dustpan did not get bent out of shape easily or chip plaster walls when hung in the pantry like metal dustpans did. They called their line of rubber kitchen products Rubbermaid. (Can you imagine trying to keep a house clean back then? You'd probably have no dishwasher or washing machine...AHHHH!)

In 1934, Caldwell joined the Wooster Rubber Company bringing his Rubbermaid products with him. The company continued to grow until WWII when it converted to military manufactoring making goods like rubber parts for a self-sealing fuel tank, life jackets and rubber tourniquets. (I really wish we had a picture from the war, but I couldn't find one :( After the war, Wooster went back to making rubber household products and continued to grow its business. 
 This is a Rubbermaid advertisement from the 1950s!

In 1956, Wooster introduced its first plastic product...the plastic dish pan. A year later, the company changed its name from Wooster Rubber Company to Rubbermaid Incorporated. 

In 1962, Rubbermaid changed the way Americans handle trash by introducing the first plastic trashcan. This is one of those revolutionary things that you don't think about but has affected EVERY ONE OF YOU READING THIS.  
This actually is not the plastic trashcan we released but one similar. Plus it says it's a collector's item and if you have one it probably is a collector's item :)

The 1970's was an interesting time for Rubbermaid. The company added sales parties to its marketing efforts and products like motorboats and skiis to its catalog.

 

In the 1980's, Rubbermaid introduced microwave cookware and a line of brightly colored storage containers. 

In 1999, Rubbermaid merged with Newell to create Newell Rubbermaid.

And now Rubbermaid is interacting on Twitter and through its blog to bring organizing advice to its customers! So there are the highlights of Rubbermaid's history. I hope you have enjoyed the ride :)

Even kids can update their closets with Configurations

About two weeks ago I took a look into my 11 year old daughter's closet and realized she was in need of a closet reorganization project. About a year and a half ago I had installed the Rubbermaid Configuration closet system in her closet. But since the original installation my daughter has grown, she's accumulated more clothing and she has decided to hang most of her clothes instead of stuffing them in her drawer.  Unfortunately the 'configuration' of her current closet wasn't cutting the mustard.

I however looked at this project as an opportunity to do a blog post on two things. First, I was excited to do another before and after project. Second, this project would allow me to talk about how the Rubbermaid Configurations system could easily be rearranged (plus I would have the opportunity to actually see it for myself).

However I ran into a BIG snag. I walked into my daughter's room last night to find she was in the middle of rearranging her closet by herself. My first reaction was... sigh... I wanted to rearrange the closet.  My second reaction was... Wow!  An 11 year old kid was able to rearrange the Configurations closet system with no help from an adult.

To make a long story short.  I don't have any before and after photos. I don't have a before and after blog post. But what I do have is the ability to honestly say... "The Rubbermaid Configurations closet system is so easy to rearrange that even a kid can do it."  And that's 100% true.

Softball Tournament Update - Marketing Won!

So this has nothing to do about organizing but I wanted to announce that the Marketing team beat the Executives in the final of our softball tournament last night! (I am not sure how this will effect our jobs but we shall see...just kiddding!!!)

Here is the winning team putting their arms around the players that could not be there!

 

And here is a picture of a few of the Executives putting on their rally caps! Too bad they did not work :(

 

To see more pictures check out our Flickr page!

How Rubbermaid Organizes Around the Office

Jim had done a post awhile back on how the graphic design guys in our office use FastTrack to organize their desk spaces.   I thought it might be neat to share a few other photos from our office and how we use both our own products and other great products to keep our spaces neat & tidy around here:

Engineers use Totes and Shelving for keeping their samples organized

 

The Industrial Designers use little food storage containers to hold up the glass table in their area...I wouldn't expect anything less out of this creative bunch :)

The research & development guys are very tidy, keeping their items neatly tucked away in FastTrack garage cabinets and organizing magazines on a clever rack.

The Commercial Marketing team keeps their samples on shelving as well since their large restaurant-type items won't fit in a small cube!

 

Put Me In Coach!

Yesterday evening was the kick off of the Rubbermaid Huntersville Office softball tournament. It was a great time to hang out with fellow employees, play some softball and eat hot dogs! Now organizing an entire office to play a game of softball takes some work. So here are some tips and ideas that we use.

• The teams are divided along department lines (marketing (the BEST one since it is the one Jim is a part of), research and development, sourcing, etc.)
• Department heads are responsible for recruiting and forming their team or teams
• One person was responsible for reserving the softball fields, securing an umpire (yes, this game is THAT serious), recruiting 2 to 3 volunteers (to keep score and hand out food), and getting the food.
• Keep food simple. We only had bottles of water in a HUGE cooler and ordered hot dogs and chips from a local vendor.
• Keep track of information. We had a spreadsheet that had team members and a bracket that showed when teams were playing.
• Finally have FUN!

So how did the game turn out? Marketing won their first game!!! More games will be played tonight and tomorrow to determine the champion!

Here are some more pictures I took at the game. (I am not playing due to my absolute lack of softball skills...).

 

Everyone hitting up the food and getting some water!

 

Jim stepping up to bat.

  

Running into 3rd

 

The Marketing Team celebrating their victory!!!