Go to www.ridofittoronto.com   and book your  pick up, to free yourself of all your unwanted items. Our crews will remove almost anything from anywhere on your property and dispose of it for you.

 1-800 RID-OF-IT Toronto offers prompt and reliable junk removal services for both residential and commercial clients. Your time is important, and it is our job to make rubbish removal easy for you. With our flexible appointment times, you can plan your day accordingly. It's that simple.

Call today and GET 1-800 RID-OF-IT (1-800-743-6348) or book online at www.ridofittoronto.com

 

(offer not valid with any other promotion or coupon must be 1/4 load or more not valid on Bin Rentals)

The Magic Behind Decorating a Home for under $1,500!

Reduce! Reuse! Repurpose!

Taking a leap into the Sunshine State after many years of RVing, this couple from Cleveland, Ohio have settled very comfortably in a double wide manufactured home. It is in a quiet, neat park just west of Tampa.
Their new home had great bones but was decorated in dark colours and traditional, stuffy furniture.
So they literally drenched everything in white; walls, cabinets and furniture to display an eclectic collection of finds. This allowed Cheryl a clear canvas to express her personality.
Then came the hunt. Culling collectives from their winter home, they added finds from the roadside, thrift shops, Habitat for Humanity, and a local hotel liquidator.

We are delighted to announce that our company, 1-800 RID-OF-IT has just won a HomeStars ‘Best of 2013’ Award!  This coveted award goes to the one company in each category in our city that earned the highest reputation ranking last year, based on thousands of reviews made by homeowners on the homestars.com website.

These awards began in 2008 to distinguish the very best home improvement companies from the rest.  According to HomeStars Founder, Nancy Peterson, “We created the Best of Awards to recognize the best-of-the-best in each category.  These awards help us achieve our mission to be the most trusted source for homeowners so they can have the best home improvement experience – before, during and after the work is done.”

A special note to our valued customers:  If you took the time in 2013 to write a review on homestars.com about the service we provided you – a big thank you!  Because your review helped us win the award. And if you did not write a review yet, it would be greatly appreciated since it helps build our company’s online reputation.

I invite you to see all our homeowner reviews by going to www.Homestars.com and then typing 

1-800 RID-OF-IT into the search bar at the top of the page.

Thank you!

Rick Crawford

President

Interview - David Finkelstein

Interview - David Finkelstein



1-800   RID-OF-IT   Helping out when they can.  Our second annual donation of musical instruments to those who need it the most.

Coverage of our Clean up the Humber Event 2013 continues with a little insight on our owner and his family. Check out the great article on page 53.

A Winter Get Away

Winter Get- Aways

Two part Series by Jacky Crawford

Our Singapore Fling

It was hot and steamy. I should also add, exotic.

We might live in the southern most part of Canada, but January holds only coldand windy days topped with grey skies. Stepping out of the Singapore airport is to be instantly transported into another world. Lush and verdant vegetation greets you: trees in unusual shapes and warm air folds around you like a velvet cloak.

Acting as my own travel agent, I had messed up on only one detail, but it was a whopper – I though we were arriving as seven in the evening, but we got in at seven am. Having been assured that we could easily use the ATMs and credit cards, we were bereft of even a Singapore dime to use the public phone. I missed my cell already!

An Avis salesperson gave us a dime and welcomed us to Singapore. He was to be the first of many helpful locals that gave us directions, advice and smiles. Adding to the fact that this city state is extremely clean, graffiti-free and safe, you have a worry free springboard to your introduction to Asia.

We had travelled Singapore Air. They are somewhat of a legend in the service they provide. The quality of the meals, served with very little in the way of plastic utensils or dishes, was superb and the attentative stewards (women coiffed and groomed as for a catwalk) was reminiscent of the days of BOAC.

However, the effects of a twenty-one hour flight is still a major case of jet lag. We kept our first days low key. Our initial outing was to the peaceful Botanical Gardens. It was filled with families strolling the many paths and gazing at the flowers and birds. This little oasis has many sculptures and all the unusual plantings are labelled. The food court was a noisy shock – we had to settle for strawberry smoothies, as we didn't have enough energy to decipher the menu, even with the pictures!

A few days later we were ready to do some serious sight-seeing. We had already found the taxis to be inexpensive. The bus and subway system is cheaper and almost as convenient. Arming ourselves with an e-z link card, we just swiped and took a seat, often on a double-decker that afforded great views.

We visited each ethnic section of Singapore in turn. Each was like entering a different country, Singaporeans have a great street life. People are to be found eating outside, shopping and bar-hopping almost twenty-four hours a day. It is not only the tourists that jam the many small streets, walking around and choosing a cafe', snapping pictures and then deciding to get one more drink before calling a cab, but the locals too. It leaves inside activities quite flat. The Museum of Civilization, interesting and beautifully presented, was quite empty, even though it was Saturday and there were areas set up to children to experiment with hands on materials.

Return to this site to read about Singapore's Streets!

Striking The Right Note

Running 1-800-Get-Rid-Of-It does give Rick Crawford, owner and president, opportunities to benefit the community in unusual ways. he manages to recycle an impressive 60% of the items his crews pick up, so that striking piece of furniture at your neighbour's may have a storied past. Many readers/clients are also familiar with Rick's Clean Up the Humber event, but recently he had more unique task. A local radio station, Jazz FM, had collected a lot of musical instruments after an appeal to their listeners. Rick picked them up and then delivered them to the music department at Regent Park Public School.

Like many other schools, programs and funds had been slashed, so Rick became a veritable Santa Claus, complete with Rid-Of-Its red outfit!

The arrival of Rid-Of-Its big red truck caused quite a stir. The instruments were then carted to the auditorium and carefully unpacked. Many students with musical abilities will appreciate some new opportunities from these underused treasures.

Ours is a throw-away society as our over-flowing landfills can attest to. It becomes essential to be creative about possessions no longer needed. The old axiom, one man's trash, etc. still rings true today. If you are living with clutter, paring down will simplify your life and perhaps enrich someone else's. Taking a picture of an old treasure will preserve the memory, making it easier to part with. You can be a secret Santa many times over!

Make Your Own Recycled Paper

By: Vicki Alexopoulos

How often would you say you waste paper? If you look into your recycling bin, or perhaps even your garbage, you would be surprised at how much wasted paper you throw out on average. From printing on the wrong side of the sheet, to tossing away old notes, the average office generates around 73kgs of waste each year, 80% of which is recyclable. To make newspapers alone, about 40, 000 trees are cut down each day.

An easy and fun way of getting either you or your family involved in saving trees and remembering to recycle paper is by actually making your own paper. The following are the steps you can take to make your old notes into beautiful hand made paper, perfect for gifts, notebooks or anything of your choosing!

Make Your Own Recycled Paper:

You will need:
- Scrap pieces of paper
- A small strainer
- A blender
- A plastic container
- Old news papers
- Optional: A rolling pin

Directions:

Fill the blender about 2/3 of the way full with the scrap pieces of paper and fill the rest with water. Blend until you reach a creamy consistency and it looks pulp like. Pour contents of the blender into a plastic container, and continue to blend paper until you have your desired amount. Then take the strainer, scoop some pulp, and wait for the water to drain out. Then place on a hard surface, pat down with old news papers to absorb the remaining water, and roll out with a rolling pin (keep the news paper on top, and roll on the news paper to avoid unwanted messes). Finally, put out into a warm sunny place, preferably outside and wait to dry.

*Tip: For coloured paper, add some drops of food colouring to the pulp mixture.

Volia! Enjoy junk lovers.

Get Organized

By: Vicki Alexopoulos

If you are lucky like me, you are able to access your computer in your bedroom, kitchen table or an otherwise cozy location, where you are free to stretch out and sprawl all over your own space. Unfortunately, like my sister who is working at the Bank of Montreal this summer, the majority of jobs in Toronto are office jobs, requiring long hours of sitting at a desk, using your computer, and spreading out as much as you can over a small desk.

If you are anything like my sister, you hate clutter. But what can you do with such a small space? Here are some tips to keep your desk free of junk:

• Make sure you have a trash can near or under your desk, and become aware of the recycling bins close to your area. A very simple addition like this will help you throw out unwanted or used paper and other junk that may be clouding up your desk space
• Prioritize. Take everything off your desk, and begin to put on the desk your most important items, i.e. computer, mouse, keyboard, clock, pencils and highlighters etc. Place these items in easy reach 
• Store items that you do not commonly use in a file cabinet or in lower drawers, and if you are a labeler, go ahead and label so you know which drawer holds what
• Invest in a paper organizer. Ikea has good, sturdy metal ones in cool colours like pink, white and silver, that add height to your desk while organizing loose papers 
• If you have a drawer, kitchen cutlery plastic organizers can be your best friend. They're inexpensive, you can usually find them around your house, and they are perfect for storing loose items like pencils, erasers and useful junk of that sort
• Make room for inspirational items, be it a picture frame, a small jar with flowers, or an interesting desk calender - not only does this lighten your mood, but it gives your newly organized desk a more personal feel
• Once a week, go through all your junk that you have accumulated and throw out the stuff you know you will not need. Place the other items in a "maybe" pile, and after a month if you have not used anything in that pile, toss that junk out!

Feel free to comment any more tips on Desk Organization! I'd love to hear from you. Anyways, til next time Junk Lovers!

Thrift Shopping: Turning "Trash" into "Treasure"

By Vicki Alexopoulos

Toronto is a booming mecca of fashion and style, ranging from small, high-end boutique shops to big name brands fighting to secure shops all across the city. On our streets, personal style is diverse, and paints our city like moving street art. One characteristic of many of these Torontonian fashionistas is their ability to thrift shop; i.e., look between the boutiques and name brand stores, and find the second hand stores/venders that normally do not get a second glance. Not only do thrift shoppers find the best deals on trendy items, but they add personality and depth to their wardrobes in innovative and exciting ways.

Perhaps made famous in the past few months from the music duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in their single "Thrift Shop", thrift shopping has become more popular due to its incorporation into mainstream fashion society. For all you first-time thrift shoppers who cringe at the idea, let me be clear: it can be scary, overwhelming and time consuming, but it is so worth it, and there's so much more than mere junk in the offing. Finding statement necklaces that normally would break the bank, making jean shorts out of 5 dollar high-wasted jeans, snagging a chic wide brimmed hat, or even finding a neon orange desk perfect for that empty space in your front hallway, thrift shops (and yes, this includes garage sales!) are a shopacholic-with-a-tight-budget's dream.

Here are some important tips for first-time thrift shoppers:

1. Be open to fixer-uppers. These pieces have been worn before, and that may mean they need a little TLC. It's not junk! Careful cleaning, polishing and stitching may be the bridge between you and a perfectly original new piece!
2. Be prepared to spend some time in the store. Thrift shopping usually requires shifting through lots of stuff, so bring a friend to catch up with and have fun.
3. Look for insect damage (holes), odor, stains, loose threads or tears, and bring up any concerns to the store clerks or seller.
4. Know your budget, and the store. Some "vintage" shops will charge a small fortune for their items because they are "unique", and could be considered a "collectible". On the other hand, thrift shops and garage sales differ because their items have not come from any notable eras/brands/owners etc.
5. Research where to shop. Some may mix a lot of garbage in with the gems, but there are many great stores in Toronto just waiting to be found!

Not only does thrift shopping save you money, but it recycles clothing that would have normally filled garbage sites, or laid dusty in the depths of someone else's basement. At the end of the day, you have done your own "dirty" work, and turned someone else's trash into your new treasure!

Enjoy, Junk Lovers!

Welcome to Trash Talk

Stay tuned for lots of information about junk and junk removal