THE FORGOTTEN SPOTS OF SPRING CLEANING
Whether you are preparing to stage your home for sale or undertaking your spring-cleaning ritual, Better Homes & Gardens, and House Logic , remind us of overlooked areas. These less obvious tasks should become part of your routine:
- Clean and inspect your vacuum.
- Wipe down handrails, doorknobs, light switch plates, railings. Considering these items are petri dishes, you should probably add them to your weekly cleaning list.
- Clean the undersides of surfaces. When is the last time you wiped the bottom of your kitchen table?
- Your toothbrush holder…and toothbrush!
- Dispose of those toxic chemicals… like old paint! Check your town’s toxic waste disposal day to responsibly rid yourself of those cans piling up in the garage.
- Oh…the ice cube trays! (I forgot, too.)
- Wipe down computer peripherals – and your office items (pen holder, mouse pad, telephone cradle…).
- Clean out that pantry! Oils – and foods that contain oils, like nuts, can go rancid.
- Dust those plants! Whether live or plastic, plants leaves collect lots of dust.
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“A place for everything and everything in its place.” No one is sure who first coined that proverb, but we’ve been trying to implement it since at least the late 18th century. Here are a few DIY storage ideas that may make life in the 21st century a little easier—or at least a little less cluttered.
Bedroom DIY Storage Ideas
For the price of a package of shower rings and a hanger, you could potentially free up an entire drawer if you slip the shower rings over the bottom rung of a hanger and use it to store your scarves. Mount it to the back of your closet door and your scarves will be accessible and won’t get wrinkled.
A wooden hanger can become an ideal storage device for jewelry, especially necklaces and dangly earrings. Just add eye screws at small, even intervals and hook them through the eye screws.
Under-bedstorage is always a great idea. While you can buy beds that come with drawers underneath, you can also create your own. Use shallow dresser drawers to which you’ve added wheels and you’ll be able to slide them under the bed. The wheels will make them easier to access when the summer turns to fall and you suddenly need to grab a sweater but aren’t yet ready to do the summer/winter clothing transfer. They’ll also make cleaning under the bed a lot easier, too.
Little wooden spice racks make both perfect displays and storage containers for perfume bottles, nail polish, or other cosmetics.
Bathroom DIY Storage Ideas
Unless you have one for every single family member, bathrooms can be storage nightmares. There are only four corners to a bathtub, and those corners fill up fast when everyone in the family likes to use a different kind of shampoo. Hang fruit baskets from your shower rod and store shampoos, conditioners, nailbrushes, loofahs, and body sponges in the baskets. They’re also a great place to store small bath toys.
Pedestal sinks have been in vogue for a while now, and for good reason: their clean,elegant lines make modern sinks the bathroom focal point and they introduce a feeling of space to what’s usually the smallest room in a house. That said,everyone who’s bought a house with one or replaced an old vanity with a pedestal sink has been faced with the dilemma of where to store their bathroom cleaning products. The solution may be to create a shallow, narrow cupboard between the joists in your bathroom walls. Maybe even two, one on either side of the sink.
A large wine rack mounted on a bathroom wall makes for ideal towel storage. You can build your own or buy one. Or you can mount a series of baskets to the wall and store towels, face cloths, and small appliances like hair dryers, curling irons, beard trimmers and electric razors in the baskets.
Don’t forget to use the space above your toilet and above your towel racks. Install floating shelves and use glass jars to store cotton swabs, facial wipes, makeup remover pads, hair elastics and bobby pins or hair clips.
Craft Room and Home Office Storage Ideas
An old muffin tin will fit nicely in even the shallowest desk drawer, and it automatically gives you a dozen small compartments to store paper clips, push pins, elastics, and USB drives. If the drawer is wide enough, add a kitchen cutlery tray and you’ve got storage for pens, markers, scissors, rolls of tape,and charger cords.
Revolving countertop spice racks with clear glass bottles are perfect for small craft supplies like pins, needles, buttons, beads, and sequins. If your craft room has a closet, take the door off and add more shelving. You can still use the curtain rod and pants or skirt hangers to hang folded fabric or scrapbooking supplies.
Pickup an old dresser at a flea market, paint it with chalk paint, and store crafting tools and supplies in the drawers. Dividers are always a good idea.You can buy them or make your own out of cardboard covered in wallpaper. Or you could invest in some more dollar store kitchen cutlery trays.
If your closet has a bifold door, don’t throw it out or store it in the garage.Mount it to the wall and buy some decorative hooks so you can hang scissors and other tools or rolls of ribbon from the hooks. There’s a reason those home workshop pegboards with tools outlined became so popular: they work. Not only can you see where your tools are at any given time, there’s also no doubt where they belong. Once you’ve analyzed the space available to you and the possessions you need to store, you’re well on your way to creating a place for everything. After that, keeping everything in its place will be a lot easier.
Source: www.bhgre.com/bhgrelife
When you’ve just moved into a new community, getting involved with your neighbors and neighborhood can be a great beginning to a happy life. Our communities can be pillars of support when we need them or friendly faces we’re happy to see each day. Through volunteering, joining clubs and groups, taking part in community sports activities and hosting events, you can bond with those who live around you and create a wonderful home for yourself – and others.
Here are 5 ways to get more involved in your community:
Many big cities and small towns have carnivals, holiday gift boutiques, formal dinners and similar charitable events to bring the community closer together. Attend these events and enjoy being a part of shared experiences. You’ll likely meet people who have many of the same interests as you do, which is a good way to form friendships.
- Attend or host charity events
Children often enjoy becoming members in Girl or Boy Scout-type groups, YMCA memberships, parks and recreation classes or mommy and me groups. Often, parents of kids in these programs go on to become friends for life. If you don’t have little ones, it’s still possible to coach, teach a craft, be a dance instructor and get involved in your community in other ways.
Families can get to know neighbors by becoming active in after-school programs. Even if you don’t have kids, meet new people in your neighborhood by volunteering your time to these activities.
- Get active in after-school programs
How can you help those who share your small part of the world? Perhaps tutoring, offering legal aid, mentoring, teaching a language, organizing a food bank or visiting the elderly in your community resonates with you. Children can often be persuaded to join the community volunteer force by teaching older adults all the ways of the Internet.
Volunteer in a local clinic, hospital, nature center, library or community center. Volunteerism is a superb way to meet people and contribute skills and talents to those who might need them. Not only will you probably experience a sense of accomplishment after sharing the gifts you have to offer, your neighbors will likely notice your contributions and consider you a valuable member of the community.
- Become a community volunteer
If you have a community center or other public space available, use it to form friendships while you learn something new. Sometimes taking turns meeting in members’ homes, either weekly or monthly, is a good way to break the ice with small talk or enjoy truly enriching conversation. Think about planning a series of special gatherings or ongoing drop-in events.
Learn more about the people who live near you by starting conversations within your community. This is easily done through book clubs or groups that come together to make jewelry, create art, cook and learn new languages. Ask your immediate neighbors if they know about any clubs or meetups you can join. If there aren’t any, start one yourself.
- Start conversations
While you till, water, plant and harvest, try to get to know the members of your community. Tell stories of where you came from and ask others about their backgrounds. If you have kids, get them involved with a beginner’s food scrap garden and encourage neighbors to bring their children to participate too.
Join a community garden in your neighborhood, and if you don’t have one, start one. Growing organic produce on a shared plot is a great way to connect with people near you. It also helps everyone involved develop a deeper understanding of the importance of keeping the air, water and ground clean and safe in a community.
- Join a community garden
The good thing about getting involved in your new community is that if there aren’t gardens, clubs, organized activities, volunteer opportunities or other programs in place for you to meet people, you can always be the facilitator of these types of gatherings. Your new neighbors will probably be glad you took the initiative to provide ways to connect.
Source: www.bhgre.com
Whether you bought a starter home or what you hoped would be a forever home,circumstances change. One thing that doesn’t change though, is the inevitable expansion that occurs when you become a homeowner. As time goes on, you acquire tools that need to be used just once or twice a year, like step ladders and extension ladders, lawn mowers, edgers and leaf blowers. When it’s time to sell, you may find you’ve expanded just a bit too much. Getting rid of clutter is the first thing you need to do when you’re thinking of putting your home on the market, and sadly, unless you move frequently, there are very few peoplewho don’t accumulate more than they should.
Here are seven reasons you need to get rid of that clutter to ensure a quick home sale.
1. It’s all about imagined lives
Clutter makes it hard to think.You may not think of your collection of exotic masks from your foreign travels as clutter. But let’s face it, we don’t all like the same things, and if your home is bursting with small objects, buyers can’t imagine themselves in your space. You have to make room for them and their imagined lives in what might soon be their home rather than yours. Store the highly personal collections during the selling process so buyers can see the space as theirs, and they’ll be more likely to make an immediate offer.
2. Help the potential buyer maintain focus
Extra seating, family photos and bone china tea cup collections are all distractions.You don’t want potential buyers to become so intrigued (or puzzled) by the things you’ve collected—none of which they’ll be purchasing—that they don’t actually register the house itself. You want them to look at the space,appreciate its best features and become convinced of its potential for their family.
3. Create the illusion of space to entice buyers
By getting rid of extra seating, paring down the clothes in your closets and weeding out everything in the pantry that’s past its best-before date, you create the illusion of more space, which is always a good thing when trying to sell a home. After all, empty rooms always look bigger than rooms filled with furniture.
Be strategic, though, and don’t leave yourself with nowhere to sit. Think of your home as wearing its Sunday best rather than sweats and a t-shirt, and if there’s a chair the cat’s clawed, the sun has faded or that needs cleaning or reupholstering, get it out of the house while potential buyers are viewing. There will be plenty of time to kick back and relax in that past-its-prime lounger when you’re moved into your new home.
4. Well-staged homes photograph better
While you might get a viewing from a drive-by or after an open house, most potential buyers these days are going to look at your house and its listing online. Good photos make all the difference here, but you’re not going to get them if you haven’t decluttered. Put the family photos away, get all the toys into the toy box, remove the gym equipment that’s migrated from the basement to other living areas and make your real estate agent’s job easier by presenting a home that shows to advantage in both photos and real life.
5. Maximize kitchen counter space
Yes, it’s a pain. But even though your family uses the toaster and blender everyday, putting them away in cupboards before viewings provides a clean slate and makes potential home buyers think about all the meals they’re going to prepare in their new home.
If your home’s being shown to first-time home buyers, chances are good they’re looking for more space, particularly an opportunity to expand from a galley kitchen to one that has room for a table and chairs. Help them believe they’regoing to be transformed into hosts with the most when they buy your home by giving them the visual space they need.
6. Don’t borrow trouble
Cluttered homes make potential buyers uneasy. Viewing someone else’s occupied home is slightly uncomfortable for most people. Clutter is not only a distraction; it makes your home look uncared for. This can make potential buyers start to ask themselves, “if they haven’t taken care of their possessions, what other problems are brewing here?” You could lose an offer if this kind of nebulous doubt sets in.
7. Let your home show itself
Let’s face it—you’re selling your home, not the couch and coffee table. By getting rid of clutter and replacing it with neutral but stylish accessories, you lead the buyer’s eye to the features of your home that are its true selling points. That means you’re going to get a quicker sale and a higher price than if you make a potential buyer struggle to see your home’s merits.
You don’t have to spend big bucks to improve the functionality of your home. Try one or more of these projects this weekend to make your home look and feel its best.
Replace a window treatment.
Has the window shade above your kitchen sink been marred by repeated exposure to splashes and cooking liquids? Replace a stained window covering with an inexpensive fabric treatment and see your kitchen in a whole new light.
Brighten a bookcase.
Give a bookcase an exciting backdrop by applying contact paper, scrapbook paper or fabric to its back. If you don’t want to commit to a particular design or color scheme, measure the piece’s back panel and mount the background material on poster board, cut to the size of each shelf.
Tackle trimwork repairs.
You might not be able to install new trimwork in your home for $20, but you can make improvements to what you already have. Replace mismatched, missing or damaged moldings, end caps, quarter rounds or baseboard. Curved areas might require a special piece or trim made of an alternate material.
Create a charging station.
Construct a mini charging station for your family’s devices with this simple, inexpensive hack. Cut small slits in a basic ledge shelf to enable cords to run behind and inside the hollow shelf before being plugged in below. Mount the station to the wall to keep countertops clutter-free.
Organize the entry.
Keep dirt and mud contained with a boot tray near your home’s entryway. Buy one that’s easy to clean, or create your own from a jelly-roll pan. If storage space is limited, tuck the tray beneath a slim console table.
Mend your walkway.
Cracks and gaps in sidewalks and walkways can quickly expand throughout the year. Not only will a patch job make your pathway look nice, it’ll also make it safer for visitors and passersby. Fix your sidewalk with a patching compound specifically made for cement.
Get stylish underfoot.
Try your hand at a fun paint technique and update tired flooring with a custom rug. Using a vinyl floor remnant and paint, you can create a fun, personalized focal point. Varying the stripe widths creates a cool, casual look.
Add a cheap backsplash.
Turn a large vintage map into a distinctive backdrop that makes a statement. This map of Paris is a fun addition to an otherwise-neutral kitchen.
Tip: If you’re a renter or have boring ceramic tiles in your kitchen, use peel-and-stick decals to add less-permanent flair in a flash.
Replace switchplates.
Replace a plastic switchplate with a wood, metal or ceramic cover to make a visual statement. Some switchplates are even textured to blend in with marble, tile or stone surfaces. Do this for light switches, electrical outlets and phone and cable jacks.
Organize your closets.
Coax function from a messy closet with thoughtful accessories designed to elevate organization. Categorize hanging garments by type, day of the week, or family member with colorful tags. Slim, slip-free hangers look uniform and maximize space.
Recaulk the bathroom.
If the caulk in your bathroom is looking dingy, discolored or cracked, it’s time to remove it and start fresh. Whether it’s around your sink, bathtub or shower, old caulk can grow mildew and cause damage by leaking water—especially between the tub and bathroom floor. Remove the old caulk, clean the space well and replace it with a new layer. A good caulk seal will last up to 10 years.
Add a divider.
Drawer and cabinet dividers are a must when it comes to keeping kitchen tools in their respective places. Secure a wire rack inside a cabinet to provide sturdy storage for cookie sheets, muffin tins and cooling racks. Some units match your kitchen cabinetry design for a completely integrated and customized look.
Step up your storage game.
Plastic bins are a versatile and inexpensive way to restore order in almost every in-home trouble spot. Using clear bins for storage in a pantry or for a closet gift-wrap station, for example, is an easy way to take inventory and identify items at a glance. Use labels to ensure everything stays tidy and easy to access.
Designate a drop spot.
Enhance the style and storage of your entryway with a designated place for important drop-zone items. Create a mini hang-up station for house keys and outgoing mail on the back of a cabinet door. Use magnetic strips, pegboard or an old ceiling tin, and add hooks to store items in one convenient location near the door.
Update your house numbers.
All it takes is a screwdriver and few minutes to give your front door a personality-filled facelift. Change out poorly operating door hardware or make house numbers more readable for a pretty, practical update on the cheap.
Put towels and robes within reach.
Bid floor puddles goodbye by keeping after-bath accessories within reach. Add a towel bar or robe hook near your shower or bathtub, or move the one you already have to make it more accessible. Find bars or hooks that match or complement existing hardware in your bathroom.
Add hanging storage.
Free up valuable floor space in your basement, garage or entryway with hanging storage. Seasonal items, such as bikes and sleds, are difficult to store and take up lots of space. Add hooks to an unused wall or ceiling area and discover space you didn’t know you had.
Source: www.bhgrelife.com
No one wants their kitchen prep surfaces overtaken by clutter—but no one wants to live without their favorite kitchen appliances, either. Here’s how to have both.
Maximize under-sink storage.
Conquer your under-sink space with an simple, on-a-dime solution. Keep your most frequently used items (dish soap, dishwasher detergent, sponges and scrubbers) on a turntable for quick access.
Streamline the coffee station.
Make mornings easier with an all-in-one coffee station. Dedicate a pullout drawer next to your coffeemaker to holding filters, coffee beans and travel mugs, so brewing a fresh pot is a one-step task.
Have freezer smarts.
Stock your freezer with storage-smart ideas to make use of every inch of shelf space. Use plastic baskets (an affordable organization tool) to store foods by type, and put a labeled tag on each. Keep small adhesive labels and a permanent marker on hand to label individual containers.
Add a command center.
Built-in bins, a bulletin board and a clock turn one side of a fridge cabinet into a household command center. This simple DIY project creates instant organization and utilizes small spaces that are otherwise wasted.
Store stuff on the doors.
Attach racks to the inside of cabinet doors to boost storage options. Be sure to allow enough clearance within your cabinets to allow the door to close completely. A narrow rack is ideal for keeping small jars in order.
Fake a pantry.
Using substantial-size drawers is a smart alternative to a full-size pantry when kitchen space is limited. These drawers keep boxes and bags upright, organized and accessible.
Keep towels close.
Keep dish towels in a cabinet close to the cleanup zone. Use a pullout towel rack with more than one bar to air-dry and store towels.
Add open shelves.
Add open shelving for cookbooks, displays of attractive serving bowls and dishes, stemware, vases or baskets. Here, grouping and stacking pieces on the open shelves keeps items neat and easy to find.
Put walls to work.
Install a wire wall grid to keep kitchen tools handy. Turn a bare section of wall into a hook-and-hang center. For more storage, add accessories such as spice racks and cookbook holders.
Properly store spices.
Store spice bottles on their sides with labels visible; lay them in shallow drawers instead of stacking them. The best location for spice storage is below a cooktop or to the side of a range. The flavor of spices stored above a cooking surface might be adversely affected by the heat.
Neatly stow linens.
Run out of drawer space for towels and cloth napkins? Reach for a basket to neatly stack linens, and tuck the basket onto a shelf or inside a cabinet. A basket will help keep linen sets together and make them easy to find when you want to use them.
Divide your drawer space.
Adjustable inserts help organize flatware and other items inside your drawers. When designing custom drawer space, specify shallow drawers to store utensils one deep for easy viewing.
Try upright storage.
Store shallow items, such as cutting boards and platters, upright. Even narrow spaces next to your range or your sink can be used in this manner. Use dividers to separate items for easier retrieval.
Stow pots and pans.
Fill in the space under a cooktop with a tilt-out tray for spices and rollout trays for pots and pans. Or, slide in a movable cart with shelves to accommodate cooking equipment.
Combine storage.
Combine open and closed storage for visual interest and accessibility. An arrangement of cabinets and cubbies makes use of typically wasted space around a refrigerator.
Bring the pantry closer to you.
A pullout pantry system has wire shelf sides that prevent items from falling out and allow easy viewing of the contents. Pullout pantry systems, especially those that extend into toe-kick space near the floor, must be installed perfectly level and plumb to operate smoothly.
Customize your shelves.
If you’re installing open shelving, strategize your plan to accommodate what you’ll be storing. Professional organizers recommend measuring your stacked dishes to determine the shelf height your dishware requires.
Source: www.bhgrelife.com
Preventive cleaning was once as popular as the hula hoop and Audrey Hepburn, proving a clean house is the most timeless accessory to a happy home.
A house that needs cleaning is an unwelcomed distraction from living life to its fullest. Piles of dirty laundry or chaos in the living room can dull the day’s accomplishments. Clean homes make it easier to find lost items and allow the mind to relax. Below is a list of preventive tasks that can be accomplished daily or weekly to make sure your home always shines.
Preparation
Keep microfiber cloths, your favorite cleaners and whatever else you need in buckets or decorative baskets in high traffic areas. With these kits readily available, 10 minutes of spot cleaning can make a difference. Select optimal times for you and family members to dedicate to cleaning. It can be once a day, week or month. To make chores a bit more fun, create a playlist or use this time as an opportunity to completely disconnect.
Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home and one of the most used spaces. Keeping it clean is not impossible when care is given to maintenance. To pass the white glove test, take care of spills and messes as you cook. Rinse pots and pans after use if they cannot be washed right away. Line the stove and oven with tinfoil for quick cleanups. Dust cookbooks and countertop appliances every day just as you do the counters. Additionally, line cabinets with paper to toss out weekly or monthly.
Bedroom
Your bedroom is a haven for sleep and relaxation. Always make the bed upon waking or shortly afterward. Doing so makes the room look pulled together and starts the day with a sense of accomplishment. Place a hamper where needed and do laundry at least once a week. If cleaning the ceiling fan has gotten away from you, place an old towel directly beneath the fan to keep away dust bunnies. Keep framed art clean by misting a paper towel and wiping the glass rather than directly spraying it to prevent seepage around the edges. Use a lint roller to dust lampshades.
Living room
Clutter clogs the flow of any room, but it is quite noticeable in the living room. If you have yet to toss out items that do not bring you joy, make it a priority to chuck or donate non-essentials and have a place for everything. Place baskets strategically throughout the room for toys, remotes and whatever else tends to collect. Vacuuming and dusting the living room at least once a week puts an emphasis on picking up stray items. Get into the habit of neatening up at the end of the evening as part of a winding down routine to banish clutter.
Bathroom
Keeping the bathroom clean requires organization. Having dedicated spots for makeup and grooming tools reduces clutter. Wet wipes under the sink will clean toothpaste and soap splatters on faucets, mirrors and countertops. It is best to leave bar soap in the shower rather than placing it on the sink to avoid messes. Keep a shower cleaner in a caddy nearby for a quick spray of the tile and liner when done bathing. Wipe down the sink after every use. Deep clean the tub and toilet at least once a month to prevent smells and stains.
Stay on schedule when cleaning your home to always be ready for company and much more. Inspired by the September 1957 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine.
Source: www.bhgrelife.com
New homes are fresh and sparkling, but over time, they begin to show their age. If you want to keep your home feeling like new as each year passes, it’s important to keep up with proper maintenance tasks. Here are a few budget-friendly and DIY ideas to keep your home in fresh condition year after year.
1. Regular Cleaning
Normal cleaning tasks like sweeping, mopping, and dusting are important, but to really keep your home looking shiny and new, it’s important to remember deep cleaning tasks, as well.
Steam clean your carpets at least once a quarter, and don’t forget to vacuum and steam your furniture at the same time. When you dust, reach for areas like ceiling fans, wall corners, and the inside of cabinets. Thorough deep cleaning on a regular basis makes all the difference when you’re trying to keep your home looking fresh.
2. Seal Your Floors
When your floors are first installed, they have a layer of sealant. What most people don’t know, though, is that this sealant wears down over time from regular use and routine cleaning. Instead of replacing your floor, you should strip the finish and apply a new sealant roughly every five to ten years.
Sealants are made for the majority of hard floor surfaces, from tile and hardwood to vinyl and linoleum. Removing the old finish and adding the new one is a labor-intensive process, but the results are well worth the effort.
3. Paint Everything
There are many surfaces in your home that need regular paint touch-ups. Your walls may look outdated after just a few years, while cabinets and trim need updating every decade.
You can paint each room or item on a certain schedule or pay professionals to tackle the whole job at once. To make the colors stay current longer, stick to a neutral palette. It’s easy for bold colors to become outdated quickly. Grays, tans, and beiges fit a variety of design schemes and almost never go out of style.
4. Corral the Clutter
The longer you stay in a home, the more clutter and home decor you’ll unknowingly acquire. Most new homes feel more open and inviting because there aren’t as many items lying around. To keep your home feeling new, keep your belongings culled down and organized. Use space saving methods for an easy storage solution.
There are two ways to keep up with this decluttering task: scheduled or ongoing. You can set a regular schedule and keep to it. Many people choose to clean out twice a year, once after the New Year and once during the fall. Others like to declutter on an ongoing basis. You can organize each Friday, for example, or make a rule that nothing new comes into your home without something old leaving. It doesn’t matter which method you use, just as long as you keep the clutter to a minimum.
5. Maintain the HVAC System
Dust makes a home look old faster than anything else. It accumulates everywhere, and it makes your space smell musty and outdated. Your home’s HVAC system is the biggest culprit when it comes to pushing dust around. To rid this problem, regularly clean your air vents, and replace your filters every month to keep them energy efficient and fully functioning. You should also hire a professional to clean your HVAC system and duct work at least once or twice a year.
The best way to keep your home feeling new is to keep up with ongoing maintenance tasks. If you stick to a regular maintenance schedule with tasks like these, your home will feel fresh and new for many years to come.
Source: www.bhgrelife.com
Discover space you didn’t know you had by saying adieu to little-used items throughout your home.
We’ve all got a closet that barely closes, or a pantry that’s stuffed to the ceiling with nonperishable items (and yes, that can of beans does have an expiration date). Getting rid of what you don’t need can be a very freeing experience—but it can also be hard to know where to start. Putting your home up for sale is great impetus for a clean out: a home-moving checklist priority should be dealing with clutter so potential buyers don’t consider it a home-buying warning sign and move on to a less-cluttered option.
The scout
If you love that family and friends can rely on you to handle any situation, but your tendency to keep things comes from the anticipation that you might need it someday, you might have a scout’s organization personality. In order to let go, try creating a catch phrase that will help you identify items you no longer use frequently. Try asking yourself, “How often am I really using this?” or “In what situation will I really need this?” You‘ll soon start to realize that you’ll never need a lot of the items you’re holding on to. You can also set boundaries before you begin to declutter. Determine how many of the same type of item you should realistically keep, and then make yourself follow those rules.
Purge old paperwork
Plenty of us keep old tax returns, receipts, mortgage statements from 1992—out of the fear that we’ll need it some day. But be realistic: do you really need the warranty to the microwave you got rid of two years ago? Getting rid of old office paperwork is extremely liberating. Tossing random notes and old checklists and files quickly transforms an office into a place where you can think. Create a box to hold papers that need shredding as you sort, and then shred them while you watch television to make the time go by quickly. When you’ve cut through the backlog of papers, start fresh and shred papers immediately after you’ve sorted the mail.
Shop your pantry
For some people, being prepared means having enough food to feed an army. But the more you store, the more likely you are to forget what you have. In an effort to cut pantry clutter, explore new recipes for a few weeks to utilize what you already own. Avoid buying more nonperishable items until you run out of something. You’ll save grocery money and free up room so you can restock in a more orderly fashion. Make note of how long it takes you to clear out your cupboards, and use that as a guideline for how much food you really need to store in the future.
Restful retreat
Make your bedroom a haven by surrounding yourself with things that bring you comfort and peace. Let go of furniture and other objects in the room that take up space without adding value. If space allows, carve out a nook for a reading chair and ottoman or a chaise. Install artwork or use paint to customize and brighten your space, rather than relying on useless objects.
Organize for your needs
An organized closet can help set the tone for the day ahead. When you can see everything you own, you can find things faster, get dressed with confidence and feel ready to tackle the day. When deciding how you should organize a clothes closet, ask yourself the following: How do I look for things? How do I get dressed? How do I put things away? Sort your items into categories based on your responses. To make things even easier to find, try color-coding items within your categories, and look for cheap storage solutions, such as plastic shoe boxes or bins for belts, socks or scarves.
Declutter and do good
It’s easy to hold on to bath products such as soaps and lotions, especially those received as gifts. But don’t let these items steal prime countertop space or crowd out items you need to access every day. Create a boundary, such as a basket or bin, for “relax” items; when it’s full, follow a “one in, one out” rule. Have extras worth sharing? Local shelters are always looking for supplies.
Play stations
When toys, books and dress-up clothes have proper homes, children can participate in the cleanup process and help keep clutter to a minimum. Consider dividing a bedroom or playroom into activity stations to create clear separation. Make sure children have easy access to items they gravitate to frequently, such as a basket for books. Avoid oversize containers that make it hard for children to find toys, and keep lids to a minimum—except on items you want to control access to, such as art supplies.
Source: www.bhgrelife.com
You can create a home office anywhere—but it helps to have a plan for corralling clutter and organizing your workspace first.
Look beyond the boring cubicle walls and get inspired to create a home office that’s just that: part of your home. You don’t need a whole room reserved for an office (although that would be nice!); a desk, a chair and some good organizational and storage strategies are all it takes to carve a nook out of your home for an office.
Corner office
A fully functional home office doesn’t need to have its own separate room. Tuck it into the corner of a dining room and give plenty of storage and ample work surfaces. Use space wisely by installing shelves above the desk and cabinets below the work surface.
Write away
If your office needs are more sporadic, consider a simple writing desk for the occasional bill-paying sessions or mail sorting. This writing area is stylish but serves the function of an office as needed.
Compact office
A handsome secretary can turn any room into an office. Paint it to match the bedding and draperies and it will blend into a cottage-style bedroom while providing a spot to write and a place to store stationery, books and more.
Color coordinate
Put your walls to work in your home office space. Floating shelves can be stacked with binders, magazine boxes and more. Wall-mounted baskets are an easy way to file mail or to-do tasks.
Perfect office setup
Create a corner office at home by zoning a section of a larger room (such as a living room or family room) as a work zone. For more storage, hang floating shelves along the wall. When planning your home office, make sure there are adequate outlets nearby for computers, printers and task lighting.
Inspiration point
Surround yourself with beauty while you are hard at work. Hang art that you love above your desk, or add a few decorative items to your desktop. Improve function by adding a pretty lamp or wall sconces for better lighting.
Pretty space
Old desks often have plenty of drawers and storage, but might not be up to par in the style game. Paint a secondhand desk a fresh color that suits your room’s style.
Smarter office storage
In a small space, take office storage to the walls to keep work surfaces clutter-free. In this space, cubbies were mounted to the wall and magazine holders were screwed into the bottom of the cubbies for an innovative mail sorter. For an easy and affordable work surface, transform a slab door into a desktop by mounting it to a wall and placing bookcases or file cabinets beneath it for support.
Kitchen office
A small desk tucked into a kitchen is suited for many tasks, such as doing homework or jotting down a grocery list. Incorporate a few drawers and cubbies to maximize the space’s storage capacity.
Office with a view
Bump a desk up against a window with a deep windowsill and use the sill as an improvised shelf for baskets and boxes. Plus, placing a desk near a window provides plenty of natural light.
Cozy work space
Turn an awkward closet into an office with a few quick changes. Remove the closet doors and paint (or wallpaper) the interior. Hang shelves along the wall and tuck in a desk for a quick-fix office that packs efficient function into a small sliver of space.
Build a desk
For a simple, do-it-yourself desk, employ sturdy file cabinets as a base and a large desktop, or painted panel, as the work surface. Position the desktop on the file cabinets and screw into place.
Living-room office
Inconspicuously add an office to a living area with a few simple tricks. Incorporate as much concealed storage as possible without distracting from the rest of the room. Take steps to add in elements to tie the space to the rest of the room. A bamboo chair and burlap-covered bulletin board harmonize with the living room’s natural look and help the office adhere to interior-design principles.