Home Office

Fight Formaldehyde (Alice - Atlantic City, New Jersey)

My sister had a such a problem with her new office that I thought I would share the story and what she learned about this, since I learned from this and made changes in my new office thanks to what she learned.

She put an office in her home three years ago when her oldest son moved out. Right away, she got sick. It was like her body just forgot how to get well. She got colds, then they got worse, then she got big-time medicines, then she got better, then she got worse again.

It was horrible.

Finally, she decided she was environmentally sensitive. She looked at what changes she made in her house, and right away it was obvious that the big change was the new office--and the new office furniture.

She bought a brand-new cheap desk and computer desk and shelf. All of them were made of new particle board, not real wood. That meant that all of them were leaking formaldehyde and other wood treatment chemicals into her house and into her body.

She tossed out the new furniture and brought in an old used wooden desk and then bought a brand-new (but unpainted and untreated) wood computer desk and shelf.

Right away all her symptoms went away. She is now fine.

So, when I set up my own home office last year, you can bet that I only used untreated/unpainted wood furniture.

Guilt and Old Computers (Dorothy Hopkins - Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Oh, the guilt, the guilt.

I started reading about the mountains of thrown-away computers, trashed monitors, discarded printers and other high-tech junk. At the rate we are culling "obsolete" computers, we will toss out 500 million PC's by the year 2007.

And that means literally tons of lead, arsenic, cadmium and other toxic substances in landfills. Not to mention the usual senseless waste.

But there is good news. If you have a computer, printer, VCR or other high-tech gizmo that is no longer usable (of course, you can donate usable ones to schools, homeless shelters and other non-profit agencies), you can recycle those items now. For specifics on recyclers near you, see the National Recycling Center's website.

Both IBM and Hewlett-Packard operate recycling programs that (for a fee) take your computer or other electronic stuff (of any make) and recycle it for you.

Contact IBM here or click here to contact HP

When I got my new computer, I shipped the old beast off to HP. It did cost me a few bucks, but I felt lots better.

Keep on Circulating (Jane T. - Boise, Idaho)

I am writing to suggest using a footstool.

That seems like such a simple idea, but I really wish I had someone tell me about it a few years ago when I started working at home.

I quit my job, and started working at home on contract, after the birth of my son. Everything was fine, except my legs were hurting and swelling up.

To make a very long story short, I discovered that my chair put too much pressure on my thighs, thus limiting the circulation of blood to my legs. I was just too short for my chair, so my legs--not my feet--held most of the weight.

The answer was very easy. I got a footstool and use it all the time. My legs are lifted off the chair and the circulation is improved and all is well. I also get up more, and stretch and exercise more.

I hope I save someone the hassle of doctor visits and tests that I had to do unnecessarily.

Monitor Madness (Angela Larson - Oakland, California)

I work on a computer doing design about 20 hours per week. That's just enough to make me worry about monitors and their effect on my eyes.

I have spent some time looking into the whole human/computer interface issue, and realized that the basic point is to keep the monitor at arm's length.

I had eye strain because I was sitting too close. Some authorities advise sitting no closer than an arm's length from the screen. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health says three feet away.

Anyway, I have moved my screen back and that made my eyes relax more. Another thing that helped is to exercise my eyes. The eye authorities all advise varying the focal length for your eyes. In other words, don't just stare at the screen. At least every 15 minutes, look at a distant point.

So, now I have rearranged my office to put the computer right in front of the big east-facing windows. So, I look out the windows regularly to see the flowers, birds, and all the rest of the garden stuff.

As a result of those simple changes, I don't have eye strain or those horrible headaches.

Out of the Wilderness (Cindy Palmer - Moorhead, Minnesota)

About 10 years ago, in an organizing frenzy, I purchased a sturdy, four-drawer file cabinet and got rid of the numerous piles that plagued a shared home office. That file cabinet served me well for many years, and while it was no cure-all for piles, it functioned pretty much as intended.

Since then both my lifestyle and values have shifted some, and I find myself more interested in simplifying than organizing. When the Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) in Minneapolis needed a four-drawer file cabinet for their library, I saw an opportunity to make a radical change. I donated the file cabinet to WCRC and stored my files in three small banker’s boxes. My plan is to trim even further, sending lots to the recycling bin, a few into permanent storage, and the active files into a small, accessible, portable file, preferably on rollers.

I recently read that we never again touch 85 percent of what is stored in our file cabinets, and that when we clean them out, we should plan to part with 70 percent of what’s there. As I simplify, I keep reminding myself that I’ll never, ever miss the vast majority of what I part with. And I love the spaciousness — physical, mental, emotional — that emerges in the process.

P.S. I have since started a business called “Out of the Wilderness,” helping individuals and businesses simplify and organize their homes and offices.

Paper Shredding (Megan Davis - Los Angeles, California)

No, I don't work for the CIA or the FBI, but I do work for a number of advertising and public relations agencies that all want to keep their ideas and plans secret from their competitors. In addition to taking care of my children, I have a home-based design business.

So, that need for secrecy meant that I felt very guilty recycling all the paper generated at my home office.

I could have bought an expensive electric paper shredder, but I just couldn't justify the cost or the wasted power.

Then I read about the hand-cranked paper shredder. Hooray. Cheap. Small. And it works. Slices up all that paper. And then I started getting creative about using the shredded paper. I use it to wrap gifts for mailing. I use it in my garden for mulch. I add some to my composter. And I haul bags of it down to the recycling center (without any guilt about revealing secrets).

My clients are happier knowing I am protecting their intellectual property. I'm happier, too. I don't know where you can get one where you live, but I bought mine ($25) from Real Goods (www.realgoods.com, 1-800-762-7325).

Update from MaryJanesFarm: a customer of ours visited Real Goods’ website recently, and reported that they are no longer selling this paper shredder. He mentioned that he found someone selling several of these on ebay.