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  • Can You Replace Running Gels with Halloween Candy?

    Can You Replace Running Gels with Halloween Candy?

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    It’s Halloween, which means there’s an abundance of candy laying around. I have some sitting on my counter right now, in fact, for guests to munch on—only after I ate all the Almond Joys out of the bowl.

    Most people would assume that there’s no Venn diagram where candy and running overlap, but “most people” wouldn’t know that ultrarunning GOAT Courtney Dauwalter occasionally munches on Pear-flavored jelly beans during races. She’s a candy fiend, also vocal about her affection for Mike and Ikes, Dots, and Sour Patch Kids. Leadville Trail 100 champ Clare Gallagher buys her mid-run Sour Patch Kids in bulk. But it’s not just ultrarunners who dip into the candy jar. Two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon champ Des Linden has also been known to snack on sweets before a race—let’s not talk about the time she startled the world when she absolutely mutilated—I mean, ate a Kit-Kat…in a totally…normal…way…

    Suffice it to say, there are those who swear that popping a few gummy bears during a long run gives them the same energy boost as a gel. While I’ve tested how it feels to fuel with whole foods, I’ve never packed candy in my running vest. To me, it seems too far-fetched that sweet treats can help our running practice, but let’s look at the facts.

    This review is based on my own personal taste and experience running on the roads. If Halloween candy is your jam, I highly recommend you test this fueling strategy out for yourself on whatever running surfaces you enjoy

    Is All Sugar Created Equally?

    American College of Sports Medicine recommends runners consume 30-60 grams of carbs per hour for any run lasting longer than 90 minutes. Popular gels Gu and Hüma both contain 100 calories and 22g of carbs, which isn’t too far off from many candies in my Halloween bucket.

    Matthew Kadey, MS, is a Canada-based nutrition registered dietitian and author of Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sports+Adventure. He’s also an avid endurance athlete himself.

    “Certainly the various types of candy can serve as an effective fuel source for exercise,” he says. “The sugar content can provide the same fast energy source as engineered sports products like gels. Besides, candy is typically much more enjoyable to eat and can help deal with palate fatigue. I think most of us will look more forward to stuffing in a fistful of gummy bears than sucking back a gel.”

    Straight from the expert’s mouth. Candy = fuel, right? However, Kadey has some warnings to heed.

    “The sugar content of candy varies widely, so you need to know how much you are getting,” he says. “Some candy will provide fewer carb calories than gels, so you need more to get the amount of simple carbs to have a performance benefit. Some candy may provide a dose of carbs that could be problematic to untrained guts that may lead to gastro issues.”

    RELATED: Our Editors Recount Their Spooky Running Stories

    He adds that many products are also lower in sodium compared to sports nutrition products, so you need to make sure you’re getting those electrolytes somewhere else. And if you are going to eat candy on your run, he recommends feasting on candy that’s mostly pure carbs (sugar) like gummy bears, Twizzlers, and Sour Patch Kids.

    Eric McIntyre, CPT and certified running coach based in Utah, agrees that sometimes gels and candy aren’t all that different.

    “Your body’s preferred energy source is carbohydrates, and when you’re exercising and your body is under that kind of stress, it’s going to be looking for the most easily accessible fuel source, which is going to be simple carbs or sugars,” he says. “I love using candy in training, but in racing, having to eat something like four, five, or six pieces of candy in order to get the same amount of sugar or carbs from one gel is just not going to be convenient and easy.”

    He adds that you’re also taking a risk that the additives in candy might mess with your stomach.

    “In addition, some gels have a glucose and fructose mix which maximizes the amount of carbohydrates that your body can process.”

    Below, I did a nutritional breakdown of a few fan-favorites, as well as my honest thoughts on how they tasted/performed during my long runs.

    *Note: I’m not in an aggressive training block, therefore all “long” runs I tested these candies on ranged from 6-12 miles on the roads.

    Hüma

    • Calories: 100
    • Carbs: 22g
    • Sugars: 13g
    • Sodium: 105mg

    GU Energy Gels

    • 100 calories
    • Carbs: 22g
    • Sugars: 7g
    • Sodium: 60mg

    Swedish Fish

    • 110 calories
    • Servings: 5 pieces
    • Carbs: 27g
    • Sugars: 23g
    • Sodium: 25mg

    Swedish Fish are delicious, but I didn’t love the fact that I had to eat about six pieces to reach 30g of carbs. I want my fuel to be low volume, and it took me a bit to get through this school of snacks. Plus, I found they got stuck in my molars so my tongue was doing backflips for the rest of the run to get stuff unstuck. Maybe most of the candy was left behind in my teeth, because I didn’t feel as energized as I wanted to with these. One bonus: they’re coated in wax, so you can put them directly into your vest pocket without them gumming up and getting melty.

    Twizzlers

    Twizzlers were surprisingly easy to store in my running belt (just had to bend them up a little). (Photo: Mallory Arnold)
    • 120 calories
    • Servings: 3 pieces
    • Carbs: 27g
    • Sugars: 14g
    • Sodium: 70mg

    Twizzlers are another easy, seemingly unmeltable candy I can stick in my running vest. I had no problem chowing down on three strands of these, and they weren’t overly sweet, so I didn’t get that parched feeling after too much sugar. Plus, they have a decent amount of sodium, so a win for Twizzlers! Pro tip: I held all three in my hand and chomped down at the same time like one Twizzler banana.

    Sour Patch Kids

    • 110 calories
    • Servings: 12 pieces
    • Carbs: 27g
    • Sugars: 24g
    • Sodium: 25mg

    Speaking of parched, I should have known Sour Patch Kids were going to be an issue. I’m not a sour-inclined person, so I was puckering up while mowing through 12 pieces. Plus, the little granules of sugar stuck to my sweaty fingers and got me all sticky, which I wasn’t a fan of. I definitely reaped the sugar buzz rewards, though, and felt great on my run.

    Three Musketeers Fun Size

    Three Musketeers Fun Size
    Two (slightly smushed) Three Musketeers Fun Size that didn’t agree with my stomach. (Photo: Mallory Arnold)
    • 130 calories
    • Servings: 2 bars
    • Carbs: 23g
    • Sugars: 20g
    • Sodium: 55mg
    • Fat: 4g

    I was so hoping some kind of chocolate would work for me, but fun size Three Musketeers didn’t provide much fun to my run. While the carb and sugar count line up with a gel, the chocolate itself didn’t sit well with my stomach. I got a cramp shortly after and felt some churning and burning. They were the easiest to eat, however, being perfect bite-sized pieces.

    Starburst

    • 120 calories
    • 6 pieces
    • Carbs: 24g
    • Sugars: 16g
    • Fat: 2.5g

    First and foremost—I only eat pink Starburst. Don’t ask me to trade for your yellow or red, I’m not interested. Secondly, these little squares were not great running fuel. You only have to eat six for 24g of carbs and 16g of sugar, but they’re hard. It took me forever to get through just one because I wanted to chew it really well—hello, eating something hard and running is a recipe for a disaster.

    Mini Twix

    • 150 calories
    • Servings: 3 pieces
    • Carbs: 20g
    • Sugars: 15g
    • Sodium: 60mg
    • Fat: 7g

    Talk about scary—have you ever had Mini Twix bars melt in your running vest? Well, I did. It might’ve been due to the day’s heat, which is a factor out of my control, but each of these Mini Twix bars melted through their wrappers, so chocolate got all over my fingers. If they hadn’t melted, however, they would have been decent fuel. I enjoyed the layers of cookies over the nougat in the Three Musketeers, but still got some digestive distress.

    Branch’s Mellowcreme Pumpkins

    Branch’s Mellowcreme Pumpkins are the best Halloween candy.
    Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! (Photo: Mallory Arnold)
    • 120 calories
    • Servings: 4 pieces
    • Carbs: 30g
    • Sugars: 24g
    • Sodium: 70mg

    Full disclosure, I’m obsessed with this Halloween-specific candy. And I loved it even more out on my long run. Initially, I went to the store looking for Candy Corn, but stumbled upon these classic pumpkins instead. I only needed to eat four pieces to get all the carbs, calories, and sugar I need. And they’re delicious.

    A Bittersweet Conclusion

    There are a lot of reasons to eat Halloween candy, but in my opinion, for the purpose of fueling runs isn’t the best one. There are so many products out there that replicate exactly what we need, while candy just slightly misses the mark. As both experts in this article point out, candy isn’t always easy to consume, the volume isn’t ideal, and depending on the type, you’re not always going to get the right sugar and carb content that digests properly.

    If I was going to continue using candy on my long runs, I’d opt for Mellowcreme Pumpkins (which, you’d be hard-pressed to find during a spring marathon training block) or Twizzlers. Both were easy enough to eat, gentle on my stomach, and gave me a heck of a sugar rush.

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    tpitre

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  • This Clever IKEA Hack Creates the Most Stylish Kitchen Storage Using the Famous BILLY Bookcase (for Under $200!)

    This Clever IKEA Hack Creates the Most Stylish Kitchen Storage Using the Famous BILLY Bookcase (for Under $200!)

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    For less than $200.
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    Olivia Harvey

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  • Jennifer Garner’s Double-Stacked Kitchen Cabinets Are Ingenious

    Jennifer Garner’s Double-Stacked Kitchen Cabinets Are Ingenious

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    They solve a classic kitchen storage issue.
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    Olivia Harvey

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  • I Finally Found a Fridge Cleaning Hack That Works, and Now I’ll Use It Forever

    I Finally Found a Fridge Cleaning Hack That Works, and Now I’ll Use It Forever

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    The sensible part of me knows that cleaning is morally neutral. But somehow nothing can trigger a flood of self-judgment quite as quickly as my fridge slipping into a state of chaos. It’s ridiculous but human, and I have always yearned to master fridge organization and achieve perpetually perfect shelves.

    In my small kitchen, I have petite countertops and a roomy refrigerator. Unpacking groceries and washing shelves and drawers means that my counter space becomes completely monopolized for a few hours, and combined with a busy schedule, this creates a bad procrastination dynamic. 

    The shelves would get messier, more disorganized, and stickier as I yanked leftovers, sauces, and fresh produce in and out. Breaking point would arrive, at which juncture I would take a morning to empty everything from the fridge; declutter expired items; haul things to the compost heap; clean and dry the interior and all shelves, drawers, and containers; and then put it all back. 

    I felt stuck in this toxic cycle until I stumbled onto a simple hack. I had been dabbling in “cleaning as you go” as a regular practice, jumping on tasks that would take me less effort to do right away than compiling a to-do list for later. One day, I opened the fridge door and decided to clean and organize a single shelf. Exultant, I realized I could easily repeat this over the following few days, without sabotaging my schedule, until the fridge was spotless.

    I realized that if this fridge-centric version of “cleaning as you go” worked, I would never have to wait for a miraculously free weekend to clean my entire fridge — and let the shelves and food fall into an ever more questionable state of decay.

    It’s been a year since I’ve implemented this hack and I can confidently say it works. I now almost exclusively follow what I think of as the one-shelf-per-day approach. Here’s how it goes down.

    My “One Shelf per Day” Fridge Cleaning Hack

    As soon as the fridge starts looking a little rowdy, I shift everything from the top shelf onto the others, disposing of any spoiled items as I run into them. If you have more food than space, you may need to place some items on your countertop, but this could also be a sign that you need a ritual to reduce fridge clutter.

    With the shelf clear, I slip it out and wash the glass with hot water and soap, together with my dishes, and let it dry. After wiping the interior around the shelf, I slide it back and re-pack. The next day, I tackle the shelf below it in the same way, then the next, and so on, until I’m down to the produce drawers. If I’m feeling particularly pumped, I might do two shelves in a day, but as a recovering overachiever, I’m pretty careful not to bite off more than can easily be added to my daily kitchen cleaning tasks.

    There are two other rules. Always work downwards, so you’re not showering crumbs and fridge crud over freshly cleaned shelves, and use a non-toxic, food-safe cleaning solution, such as a DIY-infused vinegar spray or some dish soap diluted in water.

    As you can tell, dreams do come true. I have the refrigerator of my dreams (minus French doors) and never have to block out the bulk of a beautiful Sunday morning to grapple with fridge grime ever again.

    This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Finally Found a Fridge Cleaning Hack That Works, and Now I’ll Use It Forever

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    Daniela Klein

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  • My Grandma’s Fruit Fly Trap Works Every Time and Costs Basically Nothing

    My Grandma’s Fruit Fly Trap Works Every Time and Costs Basically Nothing

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    How to Make a DIY Fruit Fly Trap with Apple Cider Vinegar

    To create a easy, low-cost fruit fly trap, you’ll need a jar or bottle, some dish soap, apple cider vinegar, and plastic wrap. To make the trap, you’ll add apple cider vinegar and dish soap to a jar, wrap plastic wrap tightly around the top, and poke a few holes. The fruit flies will be attracted to the apple cider vinegar and get trapped inside the jar.

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    Meg Asby

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  • The Simple Appliance Cord Solution We’re Using Everywhere

    The Simple Appliance Cord Solution We’re Using Everywhere

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    When you’re buying new kitchen appliances (especially ones that are as beautiful as they are functional), it makes sense that you’d want to keep them on display. After all, who has time to delve into the backs of their cabinets every time they want to make some toast or brew a cup of tea?

    However, one less-than-ideal thing that comes with having lots of appliances is that they come with cords that can quickly look messy. To solve this, a TikToker shared two creative hacks on how to keep them in order and (mostly) out of sight.

    TikToker @ash.tho often shares home and lifestyle content with their 267,000 followers. In a series called “Everything Has a Place,” they share small changes that can make a big difference when it comes to apartment living. In one clip that now has over 206,000 likes, they show how you can easily keep your countertops tidy for free with cable ties off of bread packaging, or for just a few bucks, cord holders that can easily be stuck onto the side of appliances.

    “You already know I love hiding things behind other things,” they began. “So that I never have cord showing, I’ve spent my whole life using these, like, twist ties that you get on bread.”

    While that’s a genius method in itself, it can get a little bit fiddly. In an upgrade from their twist tie hack, they have begun using special cord holders that make things so much easier.

    “They’re backed with adhesive, you can put it on the actual item or the outlet itself, “and you just wrap the cord around,” they explained.

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    Emma Kershaw

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  • I Used a Shoe Rack to Organize My Kitchen Bakeware and I Feel Like a Total Genius

    I Used a Shoe Rack to Organize My Kitchen Bakeware and I Feel Like a Total Genius

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    I’ve been in an organizational groove for a while now. Tackling closet clutter, turning an awkward pantry into functional space, and making surfaces sparkle (instead of overwhelmed with stuff) has been my jam lately. But there’s been one category in my home that’s consistently eluded me: kitchen bakeware. 

    What’s a lady to do with all those baking dishes, pie pans, muffin tins, and roasting pans? I scoured the internet and scrolled relentlessly on Amazon trying to find bakeware organizers that fit my needs. None fit the bill. I even purchased a couple racks and storage solutions and ended up huffing and sending them right back to the supplier. They felt flimsy, didn’t fit the space, and honestly just didn’t look that great. 

    I gave the conundrum some space for a bit, and then it hit me one day while organizing another area of my home: the shoe rack! A light bulb went off in my head as I realized that this might just be the perfect solution. It was the right size, had multiple shelves, was super sturdy, and looked clean. 

    I did a few quick measurements and then snagged this Bamboo Three-Tier Shoe Rack Bench. The day the product arrived I eagerly put it together, which wasn’t difficult at all. It came with the necessary Allen wrench, parts, and simple instructions. The whole process took about 15 to 20 minutes. 

    Once built, I pulled everything out of my lower cabinet — where bakeware dishes teetered dangerously on top of each other — and got rid of duplicates or unusable items. Then I popped the bamboo rack into the space and began giving every item its own place. I actually ended up only needing the lower two shelves (I repurposed the top shelf in another cabinet).

    Larger pans and dishes fit beautifully on the two shelves and underneath. The shoe rack was so effective at organizing my bakeware that there ended up being some additional space in my cabinet to the right side of the rack, which allowed me to set up an additional small shelf that I had lying around. 

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    Wendy Rose Gould

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  • The $25 Makeover That Completely Transformed My Dated Oak Kitchen Cabinets

    The $25 Makeover That Completely Transformed My Dated Oak Kitchen Cabinets

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    Rachel OteroSocial Media Director at AT Media

    With 10 years of experience in social and content creation, and a lifetime passion for storied vintage and architectural charm, I spend my time at AT Media running the social media department. I joined the Apartment Therapy team in 2019 to manage their social media, expanding to The Kitchn soon after, and Cubby and Dorm Therapy social in the years to follow. Previously, I served as the social media editor at InStyle Magazine.

    When I’m not on social media, you can find me at my local antique market hunting for new treasures to bring home. I’m passionate in my belief that every piece in your home should ignite a conversation, whether that’s a memory, its history, or why it’s so special to you. It’s the personalized touches that really turn a space into a home.

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    Rachel Otero

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  • Home Depot Is Selling a 288-Square-Foot Tiny Home for Under $6K

    Home Depot Is Selling a 288-Square-Foot Tiny Home for Under $6K

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    It has the potential to be a quaint tiny home or a dedicated office or hobby space.
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    Noella Williams

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  • The Best Time to Shop at Goodwill, According to TikTok

    The Best Time to Shop at Goodwill, According to TikTok

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    Experienced thrifters know that thrift shopping can feel like an art form. But even the pros can find it tough to scour stores and land upon a good deal, especially if you don’t have a specific strategy in mind as you shop.

    TikTok has discovered the single best tip to finding the best deals at Goodwill, and it’s all about when you visit the store. Turns out that your optimal chances for finding killer items at seriously slashed prices will be on Monday and Tuesday mornings, and it’s all because of the influx of donations that Goodwill locations receive over the weekend days.

    On their official blog, Goodwill notes that regular shoppers prefer to browse early in the day early in the week, since “homeowners tend to drop off garage sale leftovers on Sunday nights, making for new finds. Plus, the weekends are more crowded shopping days, so employees look to restock early in the week,” they add.

    Furniture flipper Christina (aka TikTok’s @flipdaddie) recently gave two thrifty thumbs up to this technique, showing off some of the incredible deals she found in her local Goodwill after the weekend rush.

    “Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to shop at Goodwill and let me prove it to you,” she boasted. She stumbled upon a wooden dresser “in fantastic condition” for just $30, two matching wood nightstands with cabinet doors for $35 each — with Christina noting that “matching sets go quick so you gotta get there early” — a cherry wine rack for $100, a side table in “really good condition” for just $8, an outdoor rattan chair with cushions and an ottoman for $75, and a unique lamp in fair condition for $12.

    Goodwill also recommends shopping after holiday weekends, as there’s a good chance people will have the time to clean out their homes and bring items in for donation. “While holiday weekends tend to be busier shopping times, people also have more time to go through their closets and homes,” they note. “Spring cleaning that’s been put off can easily get done on the three-day Memorial Day weekend, which can mean more Goodwill donations later that week.”

    With Labor Day around the bend, you might want to pencil in some post-holiday shopping the morning after your celebrations are complete.

    This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: The Best Time to Shop at Goodwill, According to TikTok

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    Arielle Tschinkel

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  • See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s “Jarring” Living Room (Instantly!)

    See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s “Jarring” Living Room (Instantly!)

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    No matter how many room makeovers and professionally staged spaces we see — and we’ve seen a lot — we never fail to be impressed by the power of a simple coat of paint to breathe new life into a home. “Paint is the most transformative tool,” agrees professional home stager Daniel Coffman of Staged Spaces in Monrovia, California. “I always say, ‘new paint … new house!’” And that was certainly the case with this three bedroom, two bathroom home that Coffman and his partner Jacen Crehan took from dingy and dated to fresh and welcoming.

    Realtor Jack Harriman of John Hart Real Estate brought the project — a 1957 Southern California Rambler Ranch in Arcadia, California that he was selling for a family member — to Coffman and Crehan for their makeover expertise because the home was in need of a significant amount of help. “This place needed work! The owner had smoked in the house for over 20 years and had left the walls thick with smoke stains,” says Coffman. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the sellers had only a limited budget to improve the space. That’s where paint — the least expensive yet most impactful decorating tool — came in. 

    The living room, which Coffman envisioned as an updated hang-out space for relaxing at the end of the day, got a new, warm gray color scheme on the walls and fireplace. The walls were painted with Benjamin Moore’s “Coventry Gray”, while the trim was freshened up with Benjamin Moore’s “Chantilly Lace”, a classic white. The biggest paint transformation was the fireplace. “The fireplaces in these homes are quite large and always take up space in a dark, ominous way. And the contrast of the original red brick and the yellowish wall color was jarring!” says Coffman. “A smoother connection from wall color to fireplace — which was painted Benjamin Moore’s “Temptation” in a matte finish — left it looking like a connected piece of the room and a welcome focal point.” Completing the new color story, the floors were refinished with a darker stain. “Even after sanding, lighter was not an option with the amount of wear,” says Coffman. 

    With the painting finished, the staging team layered in furniture and decor to show potential buyers how the living room — the first space anyone visiting the house sees — could be arranged. “Since this house was built in the 1950s, we wanted to keep the furnishing mid-Mod inspired,” says Coffman. In addition, dated vertical blinds and too-short drapes were taken down and replaced with longer dark blue drapes that echo the color in a pair of chairs positioned opposite the sofa. The design relied on mostly solid fabrics with some pattern just on the sofa throw pillows. A neutral, textured rug added warmth and the space to the left of the fireplace became a stylish moment with a console, mirror, lamp, and vases.

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    Kristen Finello

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  • Here’s When T.J. Maxx Restocks, So You Never Miss Out on the Best Deals

    Here’s When T.J. Maxx Restocks, So You Never Miss Out on the Best Deals

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    Turns out, there is a perfect time to visit the store.
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    Arielle Tschinkel

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  • I Tried the “90/90 Rule” and Fully Decluttered My Closet in an Hour

    I Tried the “90/90 Rule” and Fully Decluttered My Closet in an Hour

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    Every morning, I spend way too much time standing in front of the bedroom closet, flipping through my clothes and trying to decide what to wear. I have a selection of shirts I love but never wear, several pairs of pants that might not fit anymore, and a dress that I don’t like but keep because I spent money to have it tailored — among all the other stuff in the closet, of course.

    This weekend, I decided it was time to clear out my closet clutter so I could spend less time pondering my outfit every day. It was the perfect time to try the 90/90 rule.

    The 90/90 rule was created by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who run The Minimalists together. It asks two simple questions: Have you used this in the past 90 days? Will you use it in the next 90 days? If your answer to both is no (with the exception of things like seasonal clothes, holiday decorations, or anything used only for a specific part of the year), it’s time to get rid of that thing. The 90/90 rule does not care about your feelings or the grand thoughts you have to enjoy more fondue parties or eventually wear that old T-shirt you love. It’s black-and-white. Did you use it? Will you use it? If not, say goodbye.

    I needed that kind of uncaring clarity in my closet. My husband and I set to work, going through each item of clothing and deciding what to donate. We tried on everything that maybe fit; we went through all the drawers of socks and underwear; and we nitpicked everything sitting on the shelves and hanging on the doors. Any belt that was tearing or too big got tossed. Dress shoes my husband hadn’t worn in two years went in the pile. Shirts missing buttons, shirts that got pushed aside, pants that didn’t fit — all of it went.

    The whole process only took about an hour, and we ended up with two huge trash bags full of clothes to donate. Now, our closet is much more organized. We can both find things a lot quicker, and we both let go of delusions that one day we’d wear certain clothes again. And on the plus side, I found a stack of skirts I’d stuffed in the back of the closet that I forgot about, and I’m excited to wear them again.

    On another day, while in a waiting room for a doctor’s appointment, I tried the 90/90 rule again, but on my phone. I cleared out any apps and games I haven’t used. And I have to say, I feel much lighter after the fact! It’s nice not to scroll through 10 pages of apps just to find the one I want.

    I do have one small piece of advice for anyone trying the 90/90 rule, though. If you’re cleaning out a closet with your partner and they try to toss a shirt you like, don’t take it from them. My husband had three or four shirts to get rid of (including this fabulous warm and thick flannel button-down), and instead of putting them in the donation bag, I put them right into my side of the closet. The point of this exercise is to lose clothing, not gain clothing.

    In the end, though, we do have a sizable new gap in our closet from unworn clothes going to the thrift shop. We also have fewer caps littering the closet doors, emptier drawers inside the closet, and a smaller pile of unpaired socks. In the next few weeks, I’m going to use this method to declutter the rest of the house.

    This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Tried the 90/90 Rule and Fully Decluttered My Closet in an Hour

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    Jennifer Billock

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  • This Costco Cabinet Is “So Pretty,” You’ll Want 1 for Every Room of Your Home

    This Costco Cabinet Is “So Pretty,” You’ll Want 1 for Every Room of Your Home

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    The blue color is phenomenal.
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    Olivia Harvey

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  • I Tried the “60/40 Rule” to Lay Out a Room, and I’d Absolutely Use It Again

    I Tried the “60/40 Rule” to Lay Out a Room, and I’d Absolutely Use It Again

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    Decorating a room can be a daunting task, whether you’re starting from scratch or you just want to spruce up a space that’s already in progress. That’s why I love a good shortcut or design rule to follow, which is not to say that I never go rogue when pulling a room together. For me, it’s more about having just a little bit of design help  — think a principle or a place to start from that makes the process just a little bit easier.

    So when I set out to design the small sunroom in my newish house, which I use as a home office, I was a bit stumped. It’s not a large area, but it’s completely open to the living room, and its three other walls are essentially covered in windows. I’d need a desk in there, but what other furniture could or should fit? Questions like this ran through my mind, and I wasn’t sure where to begin. So I decided to take it back to basics: I’d use the “60/40” rule to lay out and furnish the space, and honestly, it provided such a helpful benchmark, I’d 10/10 use it again!

    Chances are you’ve heard of the “60/40 rule” by one of its other names: the golden ratio, the golden number, or the golden mean. It’s technically a mathematical sequence (~1:1.618) that occurs in nature, from proportions in humans and plants to the spirals of seashells. The ratio is said to be visually pleasing to the eye, so it’s also pursued in architecture, art, and other crafts. Turns out it’s also something that can be used for interiors, too, especially when it comes to layout. And if you’re wondering how 1:1.618 became “60/40,” well, again, even designers love a shortcut. Plus, 60/40 is much easier to visualize and remember.

    So how did I put this rule into practice? The “60/40 rule” here comes down to furniture and floor space. Instead of overstuffing a room with pieces or going way too minimal, you should aim for about 60% of the room to be filled with furniture and 40% of it to be clear to give your eye a visual break from stuff. This breakdown actually helped me hone in on the right desk. I had set up the one I used in my last apartment, which was modern and fairly minimal, as it had occupied a small nook in my bedroom (see above). And it just felt, well, a little too small in the tiny sunroom, even when paired with a more substantial desk chair. The rug was a bit too small as well.

    I searched for a desk that’d be a bit bigger and offer more storage, since I knew I couldn’t really bring much else into the space, like a file cabinet for example, and still have it look balanced from the 60/40 perspective. Ultimately, I found an amazing vintage desk that was larger and just has more presence, paired it with a more delicate chair, and I’m much happier with the result. To hit the 60/40 ratio, I added in a few plants in stands and on a pedestal, as well as a side table, and I’ve called it a day in terms of furniture (though I would like a built in-bench at some point for strategic storage). And I brought in a rug that just fits a bit better in the room, too. The irregular lines of the faux hide I had in there just didn’t fill the space enough.

    What’s amazing is you can use this breakdown for other surfaces, too. Not sure how big to go with your gallery wall? The “60/40 rule” can help you out. For an arrangement that looks full but not overly so, pick pieces that, when considered altogether, won’t cover more than 60% of a given wall.  

    The ratio can help with the breakdown of items on tabletops and shelves, too. It can be, again, as simple as not filling more than 60% of a tabletop with items so you have what feels like appropriate breathing room. Or you can think of the 60/40 rule as a way to balance out the individual items in a tableau. In this scenario, you’d want to reserve 60% of a coffee table’s top, say, for an anchor piece like a decorative tray, and then 40% of it for a couple of smaller decorative accessories, like a small stack of books and a candle. Of course, these pieces don’t have to fill the entire 60% and 40% of the surface, respectively; it’s more about proportions here — the idea that your larger pieces should command up to two-thirds of a surface and then the smaller ones are reserved for that remaining one-third. 

    So the next time you’re struggling with a decorating project — and laying out a room or surface in particular — remember the 60/40 rule. It’s a great place to start if you want to create a sense of balance in a room.

    This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Tried the “60/40 Rule” to Lay Out a Room, and I’d Absolutely Use It Again

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    Danielle Blundell

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  • My Dad’s “Circle Rule” Is the Only Way I Clean My House (I’ve Been Doing It for Years!)

    My Dad’s “Circle Rule” Is the Only Way I Clean My House (I’ve Been Doing It for Years!)

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    My dad, like many dads, has a lot of “sayings,” cute little quips, or metaphors that he throws out whenever applicable. Some of his most oft-repeated advice has helped me live a better life. One such saying is, “Move in ever-widening circles.”

    It was his method for finding parking or a location, and whenever he got lost or our family got frustrated in a busy parking lot, he’d calmly say, “I’m just going to move in ever-widening circles and I’ll find it.” When you zoom out on this advice, it might mean that you should broaden your scope when trying to solve a problem. Don’t focus so much on the small stuff, but methodically and in an orderly fashion, work through your problem from the smallest detail to the most general. 

    I apply this idea whenever I tidy my home. I start in the living room, and as I find things that belong in the bedrooms or office, I don’t ping-pong between the locations. I make piles while still in the living room and then put things away starting with the closest location. As I widen, I may notice other areas that need tidying, but I keep my epicenter static until the entire living room is dealt with. 

    Then I move to another room. For instance, I could move into my son’s room and start at the bed. Moving in ever-widening circles, I’ll toss Legos into bins and gather lone dirty socks for the hamper. Then I’ll go to the next space. This method helps me not get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task and focus on one area of the house at a time. 

    I can also apply “move in ever-widening circles” to finding lost objects. As an individual, I’m great at remembering where I put my things like keys or phone. But living in a home with two busy kids means objects move. If I can’t find something, I don’t look around chaotically, running from room to room. I start where the object is meant to be and look there (it’s amazing how often the obvious is overlooked).

    From there, I move in ever-widening circles, looking around furniture, the floors, shelves, etc. If it’s not in that room, I move on to the next space and widen my search. This way, there’s no stone unturned and I start with the most logical place first, maintaining efficiency. 

    If I or someone else has lost an object and they have no idea where it should be, I start in the place we noticed it was missing and move in ever-widening circles from there. Sometimes, on a busy day, moving out in this spiral motion helps me remember that, yes, I did go from the laundry room to the living room. By reversing the spiral, I hit the location where the object resides. 

    I have noticed that by repeating this phrase to myself as I go, I find things much faster and stay focused on tidying. If I get to the edge of where the object might be, I spiral back to the center and then start over, making sure I make a thorough sweep. While it may seem more efficient to go directly to the various locations where an object might be or, when tidying, where it might go, this method means I thoroughly hit all the possibilities and don’t end up looking in the same place twice.

    This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Follow My Dad’s “Circle” Method to Keep My Home Clean (It Always Works!)

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    Laura Wheatman Hill

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  • Before & After: This “Grimy” Balcony Makeover Transforms into the Most Gorgeous Summer Oasis

    Before & After: This “Grimy” Balcony Makeover Transforms into the Most Gorgeous Summer Oasis

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    “Wiping away literal years of city dust and grime was an immediate improvement,” the renter says.
    READ MORE…

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    Sarah Everett

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  • We Gave Two Interior Designers $50 to Shop at HomeGoods— Here’s Everything They’d Buy

    We Gave Two Interior Designers $50 to Shop at HomeGoods— Here’s Everything They’d Buy

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    It’s a well-established fact that HomeGoods is a go-to spot to get unmatched deals on everything from home decor to kitchen tools and furniture. But don’t let the rock-bottom prices fool you — while HomeGoods may not be the first store that comes to mind for high-end interior design, that isn’t necessarily the case among professional interior designers.

    “$50 at HomeGoods can go a long way in transforming your space,” says Ayten Nadeau, founder and interior designer at i-Ten Designs. Keeping Nadeau’s declaration in mind, we put her and fellow interior designer and design consultant Amanda Foster up to the task of deciding what they’d buy at HomeGoods within a $50 budget. 

    “By carefully selecting these items, you’ll create a stylish, cohesive look that feels like a million bucks — all without breaking the bank,” Nadeau says. Check out their picks below — keep in mind that inventory and pricing differ at each store, so your basket might look a little bit different!

    A trip to HomeGoods should always include a visit to the candle section, which is where some of the best deals can be found. “Imagine walking through your front door to the warm, inviting scent of a high-quality soy candle,” Nadeau says. “These beauties come in stunning containers and usually cost less than $8 each. Talk about instant ambience!” Aroma and lighting are some of the most frequently neglected aspects of home decor, and a few carefully selected candles can make a big impact on the look and feel of your space.

    Everybody loves houseplants, but if you are looking for a more low maintenance way to liven up your space, faux greenery from HomeGoods is your friend. “Add a dash of nature to those shadowy nooks and crannies,” Nadeau suggests. “Faux plants in chic vases are perfect for brightening up darker kitchen corners, bookshelves, or bathrooms. They cost $9 or less for small ones.”

    Foster’s next pick? “A geometric wall mirror that’ll not only reflect your fabulous self but also add a touch of modern flair to your space.” Even a small mirror can add depth and dimension to a room and make it seem larger than it is, which is a powerful trick for cozy homes.

    “Imagine the angles, the shapes, and the way it catches the light — this mirror is a true work of art that’ll elevate any room to new heights of coolness,” Foster says.

    Decanters abound at HomeGoods, and they are an easy and affordable way to make any room feel more sophisticated and cohesive.

    “Elevate your everyday essentials with stylish glass soap dispensers,” Nadeau says. “Whether it’s for your kitchen or bathroom, glass dispensers can make even the humblest soap feel luxurious. Say goodbye to tacky packaging!”

    For just $10 or less, this quick swap is one that professional interior designers consider a nonnegotiable.

    Just because HomeGoods is budget-friendly doesn’t mean the quality isn’t on par with luxury retailers, so don’t underestimate the essentials.

    “I have a confession: I stock up on hand towels here for myself and my clients. You simply can’t beat the prices,” Nadeau shares. “Investing in a couple of high-quality hand towels for about $8 to $10 each can make any powder room feel like a five-star hotel.”

    This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: We Gave Two Designers $50 — Here’s What They’d Buy at HomeGoods

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    Nina Derwin

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  • I Tried the “Wheel of Chores” to Declutter, and Now I’ll Never Clean Another Way

    I Tried the “Wheel of Chores” to Declutter, and Now I’ll Never Clean Another Way

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    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    I can maintain a clean home. I have no problem cleaning the kitchen, dusting, and doing laundry. In fact, I enjoy it. But it’s those extra tasks — like cleaning out my overstuffed T-shirt drawers, tackling a months-old mail pile, or decluttering my extra closet — that I can’t get around to that weigh me down.

    Cleaning (and doing it well) can take all day. For instance, a trip to the laundromat and back is a few hours down the drain. That’s not to mention working a 9-5, daily walks with my dog, weekly grocery store runs, and writing for my fiction workshop. So, after a few hours of cleaning, getting to the bigger tasks always seems to get pushed back to a mythical “next weekend,” where instead of doing any chores at all, my husband and I take full advantage of our freedom and kick those chores down the road again and again. 

    I realized that my inability to do these tasks is about inertia. How could I trick myself into getting started so I could feel the rewards of finally tackling something I’ve been putting off for months? That’s when I saw an Instagram story from my hairdresser, Markee Speyer at Queen of Swords in Brooklyn, using a “wheel of chores” hack she learned from TikTok user Melitsmoi, who has an entire series dedicated to this trick she created.

    In Speyer’s stories, she was using one of those digital “Wheels of Names” tools, where you input names (or in her case, chores), “spin the wheel,” and you have a winner. Instead of a sweepstakes prize, she was putting in the tasks she needed to get done. Could this be the tool I needed to get those chores done? I had to try it.

    How I Tried the Wheel of Chores

    I decided to set up my “wheel of chores” to eight nagging tasks that had eluded me for, embarrassingly enough, months to years:

    The wheel of chores made the first choice for me: declutter my T-shirt drawers. I bravely marched my way into my room, took all my T-shirts out, and began organizing. I used the opportunity to get rid of old, ill-fitting, bleach-stained, or otherwise ruined T-shirts. I also love crop tops for the weekends and working out, so any shirts that I didn’t wear because I didn’t like how they fit, I cut into a crop. 

    Then I organized by size of shirt — big shirts in one area, long-sleeve turtlenecks in another, and cute tops separately. It took me about an hour to get through each drawer and roughly (and I mean that) KonMari folded the clothes. The work was totally worth it — I can now see all of my T-shirts at once, and every time I open my drawers I sigh in relief.

    The next day, I went back to my wheel and hit spin again. I once again bravely marched to my second task of decluttering my extra closet, which serves as overflow space that I share with my husband for longer dresses, fancy clothes, some shoes, and other miscellaneous items. Compared with reorganizing my drawers, this was an even easier task, though no less embarrassing to me to reveal the state of my closet to the internet. First, I had to get the clothes that had fallen off their hangers and onto the floor, and I cleaned out the items that I knew I’d never wear. 

    I had a shocking amount of gift wrap and gift bags on the floor — no doubt from a Christmas of the very far past — that I reorganized into a nice store bag and popped up at the top of the closet. I also took the extra hangers off the closet rack and put them in a bag at the top of the closet, too.

    I moved a few fancy, occasion pieces that are being held in garment bags into a separate closet in my husband’s music studio and reorganized the shoes on the floor. All in all, though, it’s clear I’m no professional organizer. My closet is so much more manageable now, and the process only took about 45 minutes. It’s almost frustrating how easy both tasks were to do and how rewarding they felt when I was done because I had put them off for so long. 

    Of course, the wheel of chores requires some level of discipline and buy-in. No one is forcing me to do the tasks on it except me, and yet, it helped me get over that first round of inertia where I kept putting off these tasks for way too long. Plus, the randomness of it makes me shed the habit I have of thinking chronologically about chores.

    Feeling a sense of accomplishment after getting these extra things done was a real treat. I’m going to keep adding chores to the wheel of chores (organizing our office space is next!) and can’t wait to see what other spaces I transform.

    This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Tried the “Wheel of Chores” to Declutter, and Now I’ll Use it Every Weekend

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    Lizzy Francis

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  • This IKEA Shoe Rack Is the Secret to My Living Room Transformation

    This IKEA Shoe Rack Is the Secret to My Living Room Transformation

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    Over the last three years, I’ve been slowly redesigning my home with my husband. Our living room was one of the first rooms we decided to tackle and somehow one of the hardest to decorate — four walls, 190 square feet, but inexplicably complicated for me to wrap my head around. With three large windows on the wall facing the sofa, we ultimately opted for a TV-less room to make the space feel joyful, inspiring, and cozy, like when you walk into your favorite bookstore that you never want to leave.

    After picking a color palette, choosing the major furniture pieces, and thrifting a beautiful vintage painting, there was still one lingering problem: the big blank wall to the left of the sofa. I’m always quick to come up with solutions for others when they’re stumped in their space but in my own home? That’s a whole other story. Luckily, I remembered my friend Cristina Cleveland, a fellow interior designer, has a foolproof solution for maximizing large empty wall space: floor-to-ceiling shelving using IKEA’s ELVARLI shoe rack.

    “They’re perfect for anyone who’s working on developing their personal style because you can restyle them over and over as your style evolves — without making more permanent changes like holes or paint on the walls,” says Cleveland of the ELVARLI. She credits this IKEA hack to her friend Hanah, a graphic designer originally looking to display her collection of typeface and design books. 

    I wanted to achieve that lived-in bookstore/museum gift shop look in my home without spending thousands of dollars on the shelves themselves. (I’d rather save my money for bookshelf wealth treasures.) So I used IKEA’s ELVARLI planner to customize my configuration, and, between measurements and layout, it took me less than 20 minutes to decide on the whole thing. You can choose whether you want angled or flat shelves, and fine-tune their placement for a totally bespoke piece, but IKEA also sells ready-made ELVARLI systems in standard sizes/configurations. 

    In terms of the installation process, on a scale of 1 to rip-my-hair-out-level-10 frustration, I’d rate this a 4 for mild headache. You do need another person to help you align the side posts, but once you figure out the spacing and where those go, adding the shelves and racks is fairly simple. The whole process took about three hours. 

    A few other things really stood out to me about the ELVARLI setup: For one, you don’t need to make any holes in your walls like you would with normal shelves. The posts screw into the ceiling for extra support. I also adored the ELVARLI’s versatility. It moonlights as a room divider, bookshelf, wardrobe, you name it! My friend even used hers to carve out a dining room in her open-concept layout.

    As for me, I couldn’t be any happier with the transformation. I had been racking (no pun intended!) my brain to find potential solutions, and nothing came close to this price point. For under $500, I was able to transform my blank living room wall from bland to beautiful with a customized shelving module. 

    The white ELVARLI system also provided me with the blank canvas I needed to add my favorite books and tchotchkes, and I can’t wait to keep playing around with the styling. Plus, as someone whose home has lower ceilings, the floor-to-ceiling look really does help make the space feel more grand.

    If you had told me that my new favorite living room investment would be a set of IKEA shoe racks, I would have laughed, but don’t knock it until you try it!

    This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: This IKEA Shoe Rack Is the Secret to My Living Room Transformation

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    Daniela Araya

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