Less Mess, More Yes

DIY Sandbox

By Michaela Coyle of Sterilite Corporation

Are the kids already getting stir crazy this summer? Are you running out of ideas to keep them entertained? Well, as a kid I had so much fun playing in my sandbox and your kids will too! This DIY sandbox is super easy to create and should help keep them busy for a few hours!

All you need is a plastic storage container, sand, and some beach toys! The Sterilite 60 Quart ClearView Latch Wheeled Underbed Box is the perfect size. Plus, it has wheels which makes it easy to transport back and forth from the house to the backyard.


Next, you’ll need to order your preferred sand. There are tons of options on Amazon and at your local hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes! OR, if you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to wait for Amazon or drive to a store, you can make it with these simple, edible ingredients: Flour and vegetable oil. The recipe is super simple: 8 cups of flour to 1 cup of oil (can also use baby oil), mix it up and voila!


You can even use the sandbox in the house - I know what you’re thinking, “That’s going to make a mess!” - but the high walls of the container help to contain the sand. So if you simply put an old blanket or sheet down under the sandbox, it will prevent sand from getting all over the house. You can also use this in the backyard or on a porch or deck.

Once you have the sand in the container, just grab your kids favorite beach toys, trucks, shovels etc.. and scatter them in the sand and let them play!

Car Cleaning Kit

By Michaela Coyle of Sterilite Corporation

Summertime can be so fun and free. Having time to go to the beach or take your pet to the park is great, but the aftermath can sometimes be a lot. All the sand from the beach, oils from the suntan lotion, and the pet fur getting everywhere from being along for the ride. A car cleaning kit is a solution to this problem!

Keep your car squeaky clean this summer with your own personal car cleaning kit! We organize our cleaning supplies according to certain areas of our house, right? For example, the bathroom cleaning supplies go under the bathroom sink and kitchen cleaning supplies goes under the kitchen sink. So why not organize our car cleaning supplies in one area too?

Finding the motivation to clean your car can be difficult, but it helps when the supplies are organized and easily available. So grab your preferred container and get started. I am using the Sterilite 25 Quart Latching Box. It is the perfect size in my opinion for the items I need to clean the interior of my car!

Next, grab your favorite interior car cleaning products and store them in your Sterilite container. Below are my “must haves” for my Car Cleaning Kit:

• Microfiber cloths
• Interior protector
• Glass cleaner
• Lint roller (for all of those fluffy dog owners like me)
• Air fresheners for when it’s all shiny and clean!

Now you have everything you need to have great results and a squeaky clean car. Once you are done cleaning your car, you can store your Car Cleaning Kit nicely in the truck or your garage, whichever you prefer! Now get to that cleaning, you’ll be happy when it’s done!

Store your handy car cleaning kit in your trunk or garage, whichever is most convenient for you!

Desk For Success

By Michaela Coyle of Sterilite Corporation

Now that work from home is the new normal, we need to do our best to create the most productive work space. If you are like me and do not typically work from home, it is likely that you do not have a home office or even a desk in your house to work from. Personally, I am using my kitchen table as a makeshift desk, but it can be a bit overwhelming when the office space needs to be turned back into a kitchen eatery for family dinner every night.

To make the transition a bit easier, I am using the Sterilite Bath Caddy with an alternative use other than to transport shower supplies. Simply, fill the caddy with all of the essential office items you need to use throughout the work day, and easily remove it from the table when your work day is over! The Bath Caddy is divided into 5 separate compartments. The small compartments in the middle are perfect for pens, pencils, and highlighters while the other side is great for sticky notes, paper clips, and scissors. The two larger compartments on each side provide plenty of room for items such as a lap top charger, stapler, tape dispenser, notebook and any other essentials you need to make your workday successful.

With a little help from Sterilite, you now have a functional work space and a quick way to clean up and go back to the next day!

New School Year Glow-Up

By Natalie Aguilar of Sterilite Corporation

Another summer has flown by way too fast. If you are like me, coming back from a great, fun-filled summer can be tough. But the feeling of starting a new school year can be refreshing! From classroom, to dorm room décor -- Sterilite is here to glow-up your working space this school year!

For my teachers – a new school year calls for some change. If you don’t know where to start, your classroom is the perfect place to begin! Giving your classroom a little makeover will inspire and motivate your students to fall in love with learning in the most creative way possible. It allows them to feel comfortable and safe, all while receiving the best education. Check out this creative way you can spice up your classroom drawers!

What you’ll need:

• Sterilite’s 3 Drawer Unit
• Lables
• Scissors
• Tape

Directions:

1. Choose your labels. We found a great template online that allows you to choose any label with the appropriate measurements for our drawers, click here!
2. Cut your drawer labels out
3. Next, place tape on labels, making sure that they stick to the inside of the drawer. It helps if you place the tape on the sides of the label, with the sticky side of the tape facing out. This will help when placing the label inside of the drawer and voila!

For the students heading off to college this year, make your new space feel a little more like home! Not only will it be your dorm for the next year, it’ll be a study room, a hangout spot and maybe even a kitchen, at times. To make your room feel home-y, add a little personality to it! Check out how we personilized this drawer cart in just 3 simple steps!

 

What you’ll need:

• Sterilite’s 3 Drawer Cart
• Washi Tape
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Wrap your decorative washi tape around the front and sides of each drawer, Make sure there are no air bubbles!
2. Using a stencil or just a free hand, cut the drawer handles out in the shape of a rectangle, then round the top corners using your scissors. Make sure to alternate colors between drawers ,this gives it a pop of color!
3. Repeat until all drawers are completed

Adding a little touch of creativity to your classroom and dorm can help you stand out a little more and keep you motivated for the year ahead. What better way to kick off the school year than with a little glow-up to your working space, the Sterilite way!

BBQ Caddy

By Shannon Fahey of Sterilite Corporation

Summer is here and you know what that means… it’s barbecue season! Now is the time to take advantage of this beautiful weather. Invite some friends over, take out those yard games, and grill up a delicious meal!

Sometimes hosting a barbecue is a spontaneous thing – Avoid making multiple trips back and forth from the fridge with a helpful BBQ Caddy! Having all of the necessities in one place is super convenient. Here is a fun DIY tip for an easy way to hold all your barbecue needs!

Tips:

1. Condiments fit perfectly in the 3 smaller sections of the caddy. My favorites are ketchup, mustard and pickles
2. In the longer section keep the burger and dog buns safe from squishing
3. Another option for the longer section could be to keep eating utensils, napkins and even plates in there. That way everything people need to eat this delicious meal is in one place.
4. Get crafty with it, break out the sharpies, cricut, or paints and make it your own!

Keep the caddy in a easy-to-grab place for all those spontaneous BBQs this summer!

Happy Grilling!

June's Employee Fav

By Irene Rivera of Sterilite Corporation

Introducing the newest segment on our blog, where employees choose their favorite product and share all the features that make that product unbeatable in their eyes! Follow along and see how we're using plastic!

 

Hi, I'm Irene, I'm a Marketing Assistant at Sterilite, and this is my favorite product!

As a home baker with limited space and a tiny kitchen, organization is key! My favorite item to stay organized is the Stack & Carry 3 Layer Handle Box & Tray.

I can easily access my decorating tools any time I am working on project. Each layer is labeled for a different purpose, that way I can pull the layer I need, and keep the rest out if sight! Plus, it comes with a divider to use on one of the layers, securing your smaller items.

The Stack and Carry is my favorite Sterilite item for alllll my baking needs!

Seed Starters to Sustainability

By Adrienne Miller of Sterilite Corporation

Happy Spring!! Phew, what a winter! From holidays to snow storms, I for one am ready for some sunshine and fresh air!

This year my family’s resolution is to become at least 20% self-sustaining with our nutrition, and to decrease our waste by 10%. We aren’t farmers, we love cuddling animals, and we live on a quarter acre lot in a small city. SO, how. How can we lessen our foot print, grow our own nutritious food, and control our food waste back into the earth? We started with some seeds.

When my son was born I stocked up on ice cube trays to make and store his baby food into perfectly portioned meals. But that was 2 years ago and now I have all these ice cube trays sitting around. Seed starting kits can get pricey, and you probably have all the elements already at home! So, grab those old ice cube trays and let’s get started!

First, we drilled some drainage holes into the bottoms of each tray. For the blue trays we were able to nest them into a secondary tray to drain – or to water from the bottom, which some plants prefer! We put some old fish-tank rocks in to the bottom to allow for airflow.
For the white trays we grabbed an old baking sheet, and sat them on there to catch any water – or to water from the bottom.

Next, we built some popsicle stick teepees, used a permanent marker to label the tray, and got the plastic wrap ready.
Using a spoon, we scooped the starter soil ($4-$6 at the hardware store) into each cube, sprinkled in the seeds and patted down the soil to tuck them in.

We got a travel spray bottle, filled it with some warm water and misted all the trays. Next, we placed our teepees at each end, and wrapped plastic wrap over the tray. We found the sunniest spot in our house, and waited. After about a week, things started sprouting! That’s when we took the plastic wrap off, so they could get some carbon dioxide.

Tomatoes are one of the plants that love being watered from the bottom, so they went into a white tray with the baking sheet. They also require a lot of water over time, so this method has been beneficial for upkeep versus spraying them 3 times a day. No one has time for that.
For this round we planted zucchinis, tomatoes, summer squash, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil. We’ll do a second round once these trays are freed up! Then we’ll find some space outside for a raised garden once the snow goes away. By reusing what we have, and growing our own organic, reliable food, we are well on our way to our goal of 20% nutritional self-sustainment this year!

I’m hungry already.

Plan, Pack & Conquer

By Irene Vega of Sterilite Corporation

If you are like me, you know keeping it healthy in the office is a real struggle. Between the snacks in the conference room, having lunch at your desk, and the afternoon snack, finding the strength to stop eating junk food seems impossible. This year I really wanted to push myself and find better ways to create a healthier routine, since most of my time is spent at work. If you share the same struggles, here are some tips that have helped me in the past few weeks.

Plan
Taking a couple of minutes on the weekend to plan, can help save you time and money in the long run. You can even plan various meals and create a grocery list accordingly. Since I am busy with school and work, I try to plan meals that use similar ingredients in various creative ways. This week I made chicken breast in the oven, and each one was seasoned differently, giving me choices throughout the week.
Check out this recipe for a foolproof way to bake juicy chicken in the oven: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/240208/simple-baked-chicken-breasts/

All of my meals are packed in this great 3.1 Cup Rectangle Ultra Seal. It is the perfect size for portion control, keeps my food fresh and stacks perfectly on the fridge!


Pack A Lunch Bag
My lunchbox is my new vending machine, saving me money, time and trans-fats. When I can plan ahead on my snacks, I am a lot more likely to stay in line with my eating. Bananas, apples and clementines are perfect grab-and-go options; they’re naturally packaged and ready for snacking! But who doesn’t love some [healthy] chips, [organic] crackers and [whole wheat] pretzels for when that 2:00 hunger hits in the afternoon?! Regardless of the snack, pre-planning, pre-packing, and preparing to succeed helps my day stay on point in the snack department.

*Cool tip: use the Sterilite Mini Pencil Box to store and transport your utensils! It is a great way to keep your lunch bag clean after lunch.


Stay Hydrated
Having a jug of water by my desk makes all the difference in the world! Staying hydrated keeps me more productive throughout the day, plus it saves me a trip to the breakroom, avoiding the soda temptation. Track your progress by marking small time-goals to finish your water. I recommend using Sterilite’s 2 Quart Round Pitcher.


I hope these quick tips will help you get back on the healthy side, and away from junk food seduction!

Baking for Santa

By Natalie Aguilar of Sterilite Corporation

Twinkle bulbs are lighting the neighborhoods, bells and carols are filling the air, and the white fluffy snow is blanketing the streets. It is finally the most wonderful time of year! Christmas is by-far my favorite holiday. From picking out the tree to making the perfect gingerbread house, there is no cozier feeling than the one Christmas brings this time of year.

One tradition I love to share with my nieces and nephews every year, is having the ultimate slumber party right before Christmas! They love it! We spend the night watching Christmas movies, building the ultimate gingerbread house, and the best part -- baking cookies for Santa!

First, we start by mixing together our dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, and baking power. Then we mix our butter, egg and sugar together, pick some of our favorite Christmas cookie cutters and VOILA! You have the perfect Christmas Cookies for Santa!


Their favorite part about baking the cookies, is decorating them! We use all kinds of frosting and toppings. Every year, I make sure to bring the best cookie toppings in my trustee Sterilite Divided Case.


It’s perfect for packing up all of the sprinkles, M&M’s, chocolate chips, and more!


I’m always so proud of my little artists and their wonderful creations and I hope your little ones will enjoy it too! However you’re spending this incredible holiday, we hope it’s filled with lots of love! From all of us here at Sterilite, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Goodbye Daylight

By Adrienne Miller of Sterilite Corporation

The end of daylight savings time has sadly arrived. Our brains think we’re getting an extra hour of sleep, but are also not fully prepared for the 5:00 PM blackout that occurs daily. To those of us who aren’t too excited for snow and cold, the countdown to spring has officially begun. Although it’s not quite a six-month gap until we change our clocks again, here are some quick tips that can be done on either end of the time change to help keep your home on track!

Prepare for Light -
Sterilite’s Stack & Carry 3 Layer Handle Box & Tray is a one-stop-shop for emergency lighting. Keep your small night-light bulbs safe in the divided tray, along with a range of battery sizes, a book of matches and a lighter. Prep for the snow storms now by changing out the old batteries in flashlights, and use this time to change out the batteries in your smoke detector too. You can utilize the middle layer for flashlights, and the bottom layer for emergency candles. The layers safely clip together to create a mobile solution for when the power inevitably goes out this winter.


Deep Clean - 
Doing a deep clean this time of year pays off huge in the spring. Between two dogs, a toddler and having the windows open all summer, the dust, pollen, dog hair, and spilled juice have done a number on my home. The baseboards, windows and window sills are ready for some love. The 12 Quart Spout Pail is the perfect companion to tote around the home and help wipe away that grime. It’s smaller design means even when its full it’s lighter in weight, the handle ergonomics are comfortable and reliable, and the measurements on the inside mean you won’t over-suds your water. Simply mix some warm water and a mild soap, grab some old towels, and wipe away the layer of -yuck- on your windows, window sills and baseboards. Be sure to wring out the towel really well so no woodwork becomes saturated in the process!


Seasonal Linens - 
I love winter… blankets. Cuddling up under a pile of heavy, snuggly, fresh blankets is probably my favorite activity in the winter. There’s just something about having a second set of blankets for winter, versus summer, that has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the season change. Every spring I get excited to bring down the light weight throws, and every fall I get excited to swap those out for the heated heavy fleece. The 106 Quart Fresh Scent  Box is the perfect size for both seasons. The dryer sheet vent is perfect for keeping blankets and pillows smelling fresh for the six months they’re in storage, the handle/latches are comfortable for awkward attic trips, and the clear/tinted plastic makes it easy to see what’s in each item without actually labeling them.


Seasonal changes are pretty dramatic up here in New England, every few months calls for an overhaul of random tasks and chores. But incorporating these few tips into your yearly routine will certainly help any time change feel like less of a burden and more of a welcomed frenemy.

Devilish Drinks for your Halloween Bash!

By Natalie Aguilar of Sterilite Corporation

Get excited, because the best holiday of the year is right around the corner! That’s right, Halloween will be here in a week’s time. There is something about the spookiness of this holiday that I just can’t get enough of. From the haunted houses, to the creepy costumes that come out at night, Halloween brings together adults and kids of all ages – you are never too old to celebrate! But what’s Halloween without a good party, filled with creative costumes, fun decorations, and spooky snacks and beverages?

Last year, my family threw one of the best Halloween parties ever. Our guests were talking about it for months to come! What made the party truly successful were the details we incorporated into it. For example, we decorated the outside of the house with hay bales, cornstalk, beautiful mums, and spooky cobwebs. And we even got the whole family to help decorate!


We went all out with the party snacks, beverages and of course the costumes! If you’re looking to throw the ultimate Halloween party, here are a couple of pro-tips that made ours one to remember:

       • Plan Ahead- Know the age of partygoers to make sure your party isn’t too frightening or too boring 
       • Decorations- Homemade decorations are the best, not only can you personalize them to be as spooky as you want, but they are inexpensive and easy to make!
       • Best Costume Awards- Nothing gets the crowd going like some friendly competition. Costume Awards are the perfect way to get all of your friends and family excited to share their costume creations!

The most important part of your planning is to think outside of the box! Show your guests how creative you can be by making the best decorations, snacks and costumes. If you’re looking to host one of the best parties in town, here are a couple of ideas that should spark up some inspiration:

Frightening Fanta Floats
Ingredients: 
• 2 Liters of Fanta Orange Soda
• 1 tub of Vanilla Ice Cream
• 6-8 Sterilite 20 Ounce Tumblers – decorated with spooky faces

Directions:
Step 1: Using Sterilite’s Tumblers, fill a quarter of the tumbler with Fanta
Step 2: Next, add in 1 scoops of the vanilla ice cream
Step 3: Lastly, pour in some more Fanta on top until you start to see some bubbled happening
Step 4: Throw in a straw and enjoy! 


Frankenstein Bug Juice
Ingredients:
• 1 pouch of Green Apple Kool-Aid drink mix
• Sprite
• Sour gummy worms

Directions:
Step 1: Using Sterilite’s 1 Gallon Pitcher, fill it up with Sprite
Step 2: Next, add in the green apple Kool-Aid Drink mix
Step 3: Mix it all up and enjoy! 


Glow Stick Ice Bucket
Supplies:
• Sterilite Ultra∙Seal™ 8.1 Quart Bowl
• Glow stick necklaces
• Ice
• Juice boxes 
• Mini water bottles

Steps:
Step 1: Attached two Glow Stick necklaces together and place at the base of the bowl, you may want to stack two or three high
Step 2: Add some ice to the base of the bowl
Step 3: As you move up the bowl you will need to attached 3 glow sticks together, stack a few high
Step 4: Next add more ice to the bowl
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until bowl is full Step 6: Add waters and juice boxes


With the help of Sterilite, party planning doesn’t have to be stressful! We hope you have a spooktacular Halloween party!