When Clean Doesn’t Look Clean
Our eyes are quick to turn wear into evidence. Sometimes the thing we're trying to remove isn't dirt anymore. It's the surface.
What Does “Sanitary” Actually Mean?
"Sanitized for your protection" is a pretty big promise for a strip of paper. "Sanitary" sounds like health. Sometimes it just means somebody cleaned the bowl.
The Junk Drawer Is Doing Its Job
Every kitchen seems to have one drawer that has given up on categories. That isn't disorder. It's a category.
The Mirror Is a Terrible Timekeeper
The mirror clears long before everything else in the room has dried. It's a terrible timekeeper.
Why Is Everything in Your Kitchen the Same Height?
Your counter, sink and stove all line up at 36 inches. It looks inevitable. It was actually a choice, and it was made to fit the sink, not you.
Who Decided Pillows Needed a Karate Chop?
At some point, somebody looked at a perfectly good square pillow and decided it needed to be hit. One firm whack to the top center, two little peaks, and the…
Why Do Clean Sheets Feel So Good?
Clean sheets aren’t new sheets. They aren’t expensive sheets. They’re the same sheets that were on the bed before. You washed them, dried them, wrestled the fitted sheet back onto…
Who Put a Window Over the Kitchen Sink?
I moved into an apartment with no window over the sink and discovered I'd been taking one for granted my whole life. So I went looking for who put it there.
Touching My Toilet Paper
The folded point tells me somebody touched it. The flower tells me they touched it a lot.
The Things We Leave Out on Purpose
IKEA says 38 percent of us leave things out hoping someone else will deal with them. They call it a protest. I think it's a test, and the other person doesn't know they're taking it.