Rayna's Profile

@sisterfunkhaus - we decant all our stuff into jars and containers because we get those little brown kitchen bugs otherwise. They can eat holes in paper packaging and thin plastic too - thicker plastic like that which cereal comes in they can't eat through, but even when we have the packaging rolled up and clipped if we have an infestation they manage to worm their way in. I can go ages without baking so I don't want my baking stuff to get bugs/weevils etc.

And it can be very space saving when you have containers designed to stack/fit together, which original packaging isn't. Also, baskets can be useful for those little packets of seasonings/stock etc that don't come in jars and will just fall all over the place otherwise.It's also a way of making lots of little things take up way less space in total - not everyone has much room in their pantry!

So don't be so disparaging about 'OCD pantries' - they're not that OCD! People live in different climates and with different needs. I'm the least OCD person, because I'm kind of a slob, and I must admit - I don't use stackable plastic containers. I use glass jars which are way less practical, but much prettier:) Also I've been having bad luck buying plastic containers that don't off-gas even ages after buying and washing.

With you there, AvaAdore. It's not too fair to generalise about an entire nation, and we all have our unfair/excessive practices. But having lived abroad with USians, water and power consumptions issues - - I had them.
I guess the overall point is, if we're going to talk about ethical consumption practices, we can't look selectively at retail, but at a number of social and cultural practices within and outside our own contexts. I for one am pro-Ikea. I appreciate education about their ethics and footprint, and think that's a discussion we should all have. But I'm also of a class and location wherein the 'green' alternatives posited by commenters above aren't really feasible. Hence, anything non-Ikea I coud buy would be no more ethical or green, in fact probably less so, while being uglier and not as affordable. So Ikea wins, and is good design for its price point.
While I think the discussion is valuable, it can also be very classed and classist. We need to consider accessibility as an important criteria, not just how green or ethical things are, when those features come with premiums.

$25? Wish I lived in other countries. A boutique here sold the bicycle baskets for $150, got mine 'on special' for $75.

Solid as a rock though, doesn't seem like it would rip - mine must be different from avimom's?

Funnily enough, I just started doing that with cooking, by accident. I started browning onion with garlic the other night, then plans changed. I turned the heat off, and thought - if it's going to sit in the fridge a day or two why not let it seep in some extra flavour? I added some basil, then put it in a container, and I happened to have leftover canned tomato in another container. I looked at them sitting all together with some other stuff, and thought - there's my next meal prep done right there! I might do that more often:P

It isn't something that will last a long time, it's very ephemeral - but delightful. I heard about a mum who gave her daughter tissue paper, wrapped in tissue paper, for her first birthday. It was really fun for her to pull it apart and be entertained for ages, put bits in her mouth and make a big mess. Just like what they want to do usually:P But with permission and mum joining in! Then again, it might be weird coming from you, if the parents wouldn't appreciate it.

In my book zip-lock bags ARE re-usable. Are you insane? That's why they zip - so you can use them again. You just have to wash them and rinse. They can die after a while but, sheesh.

Isn't the point to SEAL in freshness? These, and all the fabric ones, are a gimmick. Bread and biscuits (cookies) won't keep well or for long, with the air getting to them, and with these ones above - you keep anything moist and you gotta worry about leakage/keeping them upright in the bag, easy for your purse maybe, for your kid?.

I'm really sick of these so-called 'eco' products that are ridiculous. I appreciate these ones in particular would be useful for some things. But rather than buy them, I could use the lunch boxes or zip-lock bags I already own, over and over. That's far more eco-friendly than buying another thing that's marketed to me as making my life more 'green'. Am I alone in this or does no-one else want to buy eco gimmicks they don't need either?

That elephant basket is AMAZING.

Hmm. White tee-shirt. Sleeves. Capri pants. Socks. Face, has eyes. Hat.

Whore... PROJECTING much?

Hi, has anyone bought quilts from Ikea? I want a winter warmth doona/quilt, but their warmest aren't box stitched. I'd love any feedback about quality/warmth/durability. And whether the stuff inside moves heaps and comes all uneven.

Thanks!!

I have a front loader and as far as I know can't add stuff mid-cycle. I have three slots for adding stuff - wash powder, pre-wash, and softener, the latter two of which I never use. Which slots should I use to add soda and vinegar (because we all know what will happen if I add them in the same one!)?

Also, they always say to dissolve wash powder first for best results. I don't do that cos front loaders tend to specify powder, and also the powder slot is a drawer without a back, if I pour in liquid it just pours out straight away. Does that matter? When does my machine dump the powder if not straight away? Probably when the water levels are higher I suppose.