Organize

I spent about 8 hours today organizing. I’ve been on an organizing and cleaning house spree since I got home. There’s just so much stuff that I DON’T NEED / definitely don’t use…

** Side Note: The design for the exhaust fan on my laptop is really getting on my nerves. I think a lot of people enjoy lounging in their beds while being on their laptops. Most laptops have the exhaust fan situated so that the intake is sucking from the bottom. Well that’s a little problem if you’re on the bed all the time. Heat is one of the biggest enemies for electronic devices and can definitely shorten the life span of any device. What’s really annoying is always having to tilt my laptop so that it doesn’t get too hot. **

…continuing –> So a few days ago I went through one of my bigger filing drawers along with re-organizing and sorting through all my computer cables, discs, and hardware. While doing this I also downsized my set up. I still have my 24” Samsung monitor but decided that I didn’t use the 17” Sony (the original monitor) enough to warrant the space it took up on my desk. Less clutter just makes you feel better, it’s true.

So today, Jim (my uncle) called up to me for a little help this afternoon and well…I spent all day downstairs helping and sorting through my stuff. They had positioned all my detailing stuff in a section that is now mine. As you can see below:

Before:

These bins were stored away out of sight but I pulled them out to go through and sort through all the sprays / cleaners / and waxes I’ve got.

Below is a mixture of some automotive stuff. It had been sorted already but needed a place to go. So within my place I use that stuff almost never so it went way out of sight. It actually fit perfectly on the bottom shelf all the way to the left. With the car battery fitting in between the wall and the shelving unit.

Finally!

After:  - And even a shelf to spare!

 

My mother, aunt, and uncle have been hard at work re-organizing and re-doing the entire basement. Some of the fruits of their labor are a completely new downstairs basically and a workshop that is actually functional with space to work and walk!

My Aunt and Uncle are headed out this weekend but they have been here for some time and during that time the house has basically been completely re-done from head to toe. It’s absolutely amazing to see!

None of this shelving was here…none of this organization was here..it was a culmination of years upon years of stuff.

Stuff is now sorted according to category and then how often is it used. It makes no sense to be going under the stairs or to the back of the workshop for stuff you’re going to be using often. There’s plenty more on how to organize and create a flow for a workspace, especially one that has to occupy and serve so many different functions.

 

 

Other stuff I got done today:

Cleaned the drill: Although I didn’t have time to take the actual motor apart to clean the brushes I was able to get some of the general dust / debris that has collected over the years. The drill is definitely able to breath better as the dust towards the end is blocking the path for airflow.

 

Got the chainsaw working:

Just some old gas that had been in it and needed to be worked out of the system.

Quick look at my hot water extractor. Note that this is not a professional one but one from Bissell. The professional ones that detailers need / use range anywhere from $600 – $2000. Well, when starting my company I really wanted to keep costs down, gain experience, and gain enough customers / or the type of work that would warrant the purchase of the professional units. As for right now if I can get the hose attachment to work it does what I need it to do. Although last summer I definitely had enough jobs (9/10) that required steam cleaning / deep cleaning of carpets. Let me tell you it’s a pain in the ass with this thing now. So, I’ve definitely reached the point at where I can / should invest in a more professional and heavy duty unit. It’s just a matter of making the money first this coming summer to support the upgrade.

The pictures you’re looking at here are of the tubing for the different tanks. Pretty tight spaces are crimping the lines. This could be one reason the hose attachment stops working after a minute or so. But I believe the crimps would pose a steady problem. My problem now is that with hot water the hose attachment will only squirt water for maybe a minute at the most. Then it simply stops and the stream of water becomes more of a dribble, rendering it completely useless for what I need it to do. I’ll figure it out. Maybe a pump replacement? I only took about 15 minutes or so to take a overall look at it today and decide what I wanted to do with it. After deciding the problem might be pretty simple, such as a pump, that I will just keep it and attempt to fix it.