By Gan Tian (Beijing Today)
Updated: 2008-04-18 11:31

Shoes

Wrong: in the bedroom closet

Right: under an entryway bench or chair

You think you can safely put your clean shoes in the closet of your bedroom? Totally wrong. No matter how expensive your Air Force is, or whether your Dior shoes are new or not, keep them away from where you sleep.

Shoes carry along allergens and contaminants. Put them under an entryway bench or chair by the front door of your house.

Toothbrush terror

Wrong: on the bathroom sink

Right: behind closed doors, in the medicine cabinet, or in a cupboard

“There are 3.2 million microbes per square inch in the average toile bowl,” the germ expert Chuck Gerba, a professor of envirnmental microbiology at the University of Arizona said.

If you do not have any idea where to put the everyday mouthwash, take Gerba’s advice and follow the above suggestion for toothbrush territory

Toilet tissue trouble

Wrong: in a place where you have to turn around to reach it

Right: close to your hands

If you have to turn around to retrieve it every time, your spine is in danger, because it is most easily injured when you twist your spine in this fashion. There are two ways to solve this problem: one, tote your toilet paper when you are ready to do your thing; two, attach the paper dispenser to the wall in front of you when seated.

Laptops

Wrong: on a low table, on your knees, on your bed

Right: on a higher table, or on a laptop tray

If you love using your laptop on your bed, or placing it on your knees, be aware of your neck, because this positioning forces you to lower your head to see the screen which is hard on your neck and back.

The best solution is to buy a laptop tray if you do not have a higher table. If you want to use it on a plane, fold a blanket or put a pillow under your laptop to raise it up.

Reminder stickers

Wrong: stuck on your post-it laden fridge

Right: anywhere but there

Many people like to stick yellow Post-It notes to the fridge, hoping they will remind them of things they should do – but how many times does it work?Paddy Ekkekakis, PhD, an exercise psychologist at Iowa State University mentioned that a visual nudge can help - but only if you notice it; the fridge is a dead-end.

Remember: the boost you get from a reminder is usually short-term, so change the visuals location often.

   1 2   

   1 2