Patio Covers – Keep Outdoor Furniture and Entertaining Accessories Clean Year Round
June 23, 2018
If you’ve ever planted yourself on a soggy patio seat, well, you know you don’t want that to happen again—to you or your guests! It never occurred to me that there are dedicated patio covers (to help keep yourself and your furniture dry) until I came to work at Organize-It. I had never seen them in local stores.
Not only do patio covers cover your chairs, tables and benches—they come in a variety of configurations to protect your outdoor accessories including barbecues, fire pits, outdoor heaters, and even outdoor televisions. Whether you are a morning latte drinker or an outdoor entertainment queen or king, you’ll likely appreciate the usefulness of covers, as they keep your furniture and entertaining gear clean and ready to use. And if you don’t have enclosed winter storage, that’s not a problem because most of our covers are made for year-round use which protects your furniture from the wind, snow, rain and debris that reduce the life of outdoor accessories. You invested a lot in your outdoor furniture and you likely want it to last a long time.
Outdoor patio covers save you time too. Imagine how convenient it would be if you didn’t have to hose furniture down each time you want to entertain? Time is precious. Covers only take a minute to apply using the smartly-designed fastening systems. When you’re ready to use your furniture, you can quickly unfasten the covers and store them in a discreet place until after the party’s over (deck bench storage is great for this).
The Veranda line of covers combine utility, affordability and aesthetics to make a pleasing addition to your outdoor décor. Made of two-tone tan and brown PVC-lined polyester, they are rugged enough to withstand harsh weather and have advanced design features that set them apart from most other patio covers including:
- Vents to reduce billowing.
- Elastic enclosures for a snug fit.
- Quick-fasten straps for easy, secure storage.
- Three-year manufacturer’s warranty.
The Veranda line is extensive and will likely cover most of your patio-protection needs, from table to hot tub to hose reel storage. They’re ideal for frequent or seasonal storage—whatever you need. We do carry a small selection of vinyl and polyester covers as well. Find them all on our Patio Cover page at Organize-It.
15 Things to Love about Glass Cookware and Food Storage Products
June 5, 2018
15 Things to Love about Glass Cookware and Food Storage Products
I’ve cooked a lot of meals in my day and have tried practically every kind of cookware–from Teflon to ceramic–to tried-and-true cast iron, which I had trouble seasoning. I have my favorite high-end non-stick pans and find myself not particularly attached to a brand, although, I have thrown many out over the course of my cooking life.
When I started working at Organize-It, I became obsessed with kitchen organizing and, since I like to cook, with food storage (along with gadgets of every sort). When you write about products (and research them), it becomes really easy to sell yourself on them. It’s dangerous working in retail sometimes. Yes, I have too much stuff. 😉
Like most Aquarians, I love gadgets and innovation, and, of course, this means new materials, new pots and pans, and, of course, more efficient ways of doing things. The amount of products available in America is almost dizzying. I love the bright seasonal colors of produce keepers, food storage containers, and every promising new utensil you might need in your kitchen, and I’m always keen on hearing about the latest and greatest. However, I’ve developed a new interest in an old classic, one that I grew up with–and my parents and grandparents before me, which is glass. I know you likely have things to do today (and so do I), so I’m going to keep today’s post short and sweet: 15 Things to Love about Glass Cookware. And when you’re finished with this list, you may want to peruse some of our Anchor Hocking glass food storage products (many, of which, I own and cook with). You should also check out these oval canisters by Progressive, which make colorful displays in your pantry.
Things to Love about Glass
- Doesn’t absorb odors.
- Doesn’t react with any known foods.
- Inert, and so doesn’t release elements into food.
- Non-porous and completely safe.
- Durable, will last forever, provided you don’t drop it.
- Shatter resistant (if tempered).
- If tempered, usually safe for oven, microwave, fridge or freezer.
- Will outlast most other cookware.
- Provides great visibility and easy food identification when mixing, prepping, cooking, serving, or storing foods.
- Better heat conduction and retention than most other materials used in cookware manufacturing.
- Faster baking due to heat absorption (and, therefore, less power consumption). *You should turn down oven 25% from recipe suggestions to avoid burning.
- Better food browning than many other cookware materials.
- Easy to clean.
- Doesn’t stain or discolor.
- Doubles as a serving dish.
Father’s Day Gift Guide – 2017
June 4, 2018
Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Every Flavor of Dad
Father’s Day is a day to show the dads in your life they matter. While it’s great to be a good child 365 days a year, a small gift and dinner out make an extra special memory for your dad AND for you. Whether your dad is that minimalist guy who wants everything spare and uncluttered, the baseball guy who yells at the Tiger’s game on TV, or the quiet gardener type, there’s something in this gift guide to strike his fancy.
The Grill Dad
The Grill Dad is that guy you can always count on to cook meat and chicken to perfection. He might have his own proprietary BBQ recipe, or if he uses someone else’s, it’s probably still a guarded secret. Like his profession, whatever it might be, grilling is part of his identity. He might have a special hat or apron, and he doesn’t want you near his grill. You can’t go wrong with a 20-piece grill utensil set for your Grill Dad this year. It includes spatulas, forks, tongs, a basting brush and every other grilling essential – plus it has a carrying case so he can lug it to away-picnics or tuck it in a garage cabinet for easy storage.
A grill thermometer takes the guesswork out of cooking if your Grill Dad happens to be in training. This dishwasher-safe, stainless steel surface thermometer ensures perfectly cooked food every time, even when your dad might be off his game.
An outdoor mobile serving station is just like having his own kitchen on the patio. Two folding leafs make forty inches of working surface for food prepping or arranging cooked food. Two cabinet cubbies are great for storing barbecue accessories, and casters make it easy to put it right where he needs it.
Wall Street Dad
If your father is a business man, you might want to go with a more traditional gift. It doesn’t have to be a tie, although it could be a unique one in his favorite colors. If your dad is one of those people who still wear watches (this is a rarity in the cell phone era), this watch holder is for him. Made of cherry wood, it has six padded inserts to keep watches safe and clean and includes a glass top for clear viewing.
Your dapper dad might be the type to stage his outfits for a special meeting or presentation. Even if he isn’t, a beautiful wooden valet might inspire him to get organized the night before, and this budget model (made from wood and bronze-finished tubing) is a low-risk investment.
A sliding tie rack and belt rack will help keep your Wall Street Dad organized and color coordinated in the morning when he’s getting ready for work. Ties and belts are the bane of closets and dressers when it comes to getting it together in the mornings. Sometimes getting organized requires a little extra something and valets make classy Father’s Day gifts. Both of these are great space savers and can be installed on any wall that has a 22.5-inch-width clearance (to accommodate fully extended racks).
Sports Nut Dad
So you say your dad is a sports fan, but what is his particular passion? Football? Baseball? Collecting? If he collects ball caps, the baseball hat rack is just the thing he needs to organize his collection. Just hang it over a door for accessible storage of 36 caps. Easy.
For sports collector types, footballs, baseballs and other sports memorabilia get safekeeping in an acrylic display case. These memorabilia cases are a great way for Dad to preserve those special memories, whether it’s from the foul ball catch at the Cubs game, or the Green Valley Softball Ohio Series Championship his team won last summer.
For the Serious Jock Sports Nut Dad, equipment storage might just be a permissible AND appreciated gift, despite the practicality. He may already have everything he wants, right? Nothing’s more annoying than toppled equipment in the garage and not being able to find things. Wall-mount and freestanding organizers keep hockey sticks, balls and skates together, accessible and off the floor.
Speaking of garages, if you really want to spoil your dad, consider gifting him some steel cabinets for his man cave. Organization might not be the first gift that comes to mind (it involves work), but if your dad is a man cave type, you know how he loves to putter. In addition to getting the cave in order, these cabinets just look cool – cool enough to induce man cave envy. Promise.
Gadget Freak Dad
Whether he’s a gadget freak or just a modern man, a charging station keeps his digital life going and devices organized and safe. This desk charger has three built-in USB ports – enough to satisfy the average person’s need to get charged and ready for the day.
If you’ve ever witnessed lost-remote hysteria or injured your derriere sitting on one, you know just how valuable this revolving remote caddy is. With ample room for four remotes – plus a center divider for manuals and other accessories, this caddy enables no-stress movie nights and game playing. This is another foolproof organizing gift that won’t go unappreciated.
Stylish and slightly retro (with contrasting, light stitching), this leather laptop bag makes a masculine, yet fashionable statement wherever your dad goes. It fits laptops and tablets up to 13 inches wide and comes in tan, black, and brown. It’s a bit more casual than a traditional soft attaché, but we have one of those too for bigger storage needs. For a more casual, campus-kinda-feel, this upscale leather backpack has room for lots of gadgets and even a lunch.
Green Thumb Dad
The Green Thumb Dad is a unique type, but we know they’re out there. They might be small-town dads cultivating 30-foot gardens with mini Sears rototillers or urban types growing raised-bed gardens in an empty lot, but they all have one thing in common, the need to bring seeds to life and they love getting dirty.
For weekend outdoor projects like landscaping, a garden cart makes lugging things around the yard so much easier. This one has 10-inch pneumatic rubber tires, steel mesh sides, and a 400-pound weight capacity, which makes it great for hauling rocks.
A seed planter makes quick work of planting and includes a dual hopper for double-plus fun (plant and fertilize at the same time, if you can pull that off). It holds 7.5 pounds of seed, fertilizer, bat guano or whatever concoction your father might use in his garden.
Managing hoses is one of the more tedious duties of a home gardener. A water-powered hose reel is a little indulgence your dad might like, but would probably feel guilty about buying for himself. This easy-to-use timesaver makes a winner of a gift for the gardener in your life.
Whatever flavor of dad you have, you’re sure to find something appropriate among our 15,000 listings at Organize-It. Organize-It Gift certificates also make great presents, especially if you’re feeling indecisive or started your Father’s Day shopping late this year.