Small Space Spring Cleaning: Dirt Devil AccuCharge

Well it is here— spring brings back blue days and fair. But I have a rendezvous with dirt.

Spring means spring cleaning and it’s that time again. We have been pretty on top of things around here so far this year, but some additional deep cleaning is always good. I’ve been looking at my old vacuum for some time now and I have come to the realization that it’s likely time to replace it.

If you are like me, then your vacuum always lives in a place — for me it’s a closet on the second floor. I hate lugging it up and down the stairs, but the first floor of our home gets the traffic and the dirt. I have been thinking of replacing or augmenting my vacuum with a light weight broom-vac or stick-vac.

Ironically, I received and email about the new Dirt Devil AccuCharge Sick Vac. It looks like a cool little vacuum. The AccuCharge Stick Vac has a fold away handle so its easy to store in a small space. It has a rotating brush that can be turned off for bare floors — its a sleek looking little vacuum.

By far the coolest feature — other than the low price of $59.99 retail — is the ENERGY STAR label. I’m not sure I have ever seen an ENERGY STAR rated vacuum. It works by using an intelligent charger that uses 70% less energy while charging twice as fast. Once the battery is full, the charger keeps the unit toped off so its always ready with a full charge.

I hope I’ll actually get to check one out soon; I’ll let you know when I do.

Small Space Kitchen Classic: Perfex Mills

What makes something a classic? Usually it is well constructed so it can stand the test of time. But just because something is well constructed does not make it a classic. We have an emotional connection to classic items. They possess some flair or style all their own.

Perfex mills are one such item. They are simple salt and pepper mills constructed of nickel-plated cast aluminum. The grinding blades are stainless steel so they can endure years of use. It’s easy to take every day objects like salt and pepper shakers for granted.
One need only pick up a Perfex mill to realize these are no ordinary shakers.

The Perfex mill is a classic object. These mills will likely out last their owners. I love them also because they are small objects perfect for smaller kitchens.

Small Space Spoon Clip

If your kitchen is as small as mine then you’ll appreciate this space saving device. I often find myself juggling utensils while cooking. I always seem to have a sauce covered spoon that I end up putting down in exactly the wrong place. I just don’t have the room when I have three of four pots or pans on the stove.

While shopping this weekend my wife picked up this item — the Tundeau Pot Clip Spoon Rest. She said it was perfect for our kitchen and Small Space Living. I hope she does not read this, but she was right.

The Pot Clip is an ingenious little device that clips on the edge of a pot and holds the business end of the spoon over the pot to nullify drips — so simple so perfect. Also, it is available in a wide assortment of colors.

If you have a small space kitchen this little clip is for you.

Small Space Driving: Mini Cooper Clubman

I need a new car. My Jeep still functions properly, but it is officially ten years old. I’m quite impressed with how well its held up but it’s time for something new.

I have been quite impressed with all the incentives lately as auto manufactures try to out do each other with interest rates and warranties. So I have been checking around for the best deal.

My wife and I love Minis and we are definitely in the market for a more fuel-efficient vehicle. We are also urban dwellers, so smaller is definitely better.

The Mini has much of what we are looking for except well its mini. We travel a good bit in the summer — especially to and from the cottage. Thus we need some cargo room. That’s where the Mini Cooper Clubman comes in.

The Mini Cooper Clubman is the 2008 version of the Mini Countryman, a sort of a mini Station Wagon. It is still petite at only nine inches longer the current Mini. But it also has some interesting features that make it a bit more realistic than the standard Mini.

The passenger side of the Clubman has an addition door that provides more direct access to the back seats. The back also opens — it has two smaller doors that hinge to the right and left rather than one large door. These rear doors also have offset hinges that allow you to fill the entire cargo area without worry of the doors sliming the opening. The rear seats fold down providing even more cargo area.

My favorite feature, however, is the gas mileage — 37 MPG is great. With prices starting at 20,000, the Mini Cooper Clubman is definitely a real contender for our next auto.

Small Space Caffeine: Ascaso Dream UPDATE

So I went out and purchased all the items I needed to be a professional home Barista. I headed out to Williams Sonoma. I was able to get a great steaming pitcher there, but that was about it. I did love the Apilco espresso cups they have, but I thought $76.oo for 4 was a bit steep.

Since I still needed a few other things, I headed to The Strip District — the commercial market area of the city where I should have gone to in the first place. I purchased very comparable espresso cups made by Schmidt in Brazil for way less than the Williams Sonoma cups — only a couple of dollars each. In the Strip I also found Pyrex shot glasses and a frothing thermometer.

I promptly returned home and started consuming espresso. The Dream makes quite a nice espresso. I was able to produce amazing crema, which surprised me in a home machine.

I made a mocha for my wife and I think she liked it. I’ll continue to update on the use of the Dream and let you know how it holds up.

Picnic Perfect

I love trunks of all kinds, especially large steamer trunks. There is something romantic and nostalgic about trunks. They remind me how even mundane things, like travel, use to be more elegant.

I also love picnics. So when I saw The Picnic Trunk by Pinel & Pinel, I of course fell in love with it. It is a rather large 37.4 inches high and it weighs a hefty 88lbs. It does have wheels to facilitate easier travel. The small space connection here is the amazing organization of the Picnic Trunk. It’s simply perfect utilization of space.

The Picnic Trunk comes fully equipped with everything you would need for a perfect picnic. I do mean everything: plates, silverware, ice bucket and even a truffle slicer. The trunk lid becomes a table and there are stylish folding chairs contained within.

This amazing trunk has it all and when your done it neatly stores all your picnic gear until you need it again. The only thing I can see that is missing would be someone to serve the food.