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Posts Tagged ‘decluttering advice’

Must-Know Decluttering and Storage Systems

Saturday, February 2nd, 2019

The Thomasville Home Office File Storage Cabinet can make organization look stylish.

When it comes to organization and decluttering, it would seem that people tend to look for solutions and probable systems to use when things have gotten completely out of hand. There are ways to make your decluttering efforts easier, here are eight techniques –

 

Put on Labels

 

You have probably seen a lot of DIY labeling tips online but most of these aren’t actually necessary. There are moments, though, when it can make things easier for you. An example is when you have to store different spices on a rack or a drawer. Putting labels on the lids will help you in easily taking the right spice off the rack.

 

No need to hunt for jars of different spices anymore. A Sharpie and a roll of masking tape should make do as your labeling materials. You can also put dates on your labels so that you’ll know which leftovers to take first.

 

Buy Sorters

 

‘Know all those small stuff such as medications, spare light bulbs and craft items? These are the pieces that tend to clutter spaces. But every household has its own share of tiny stuff but it’s up to you to organize these little things so that they don’t cause chaotic drawers and closets.

 

Find boxes to house and categorize these tiny things. Or find sorters in craft shops to finally organize the growing clutter.

 

Organize Your Drawers

 

The drawer is yet another place that causes a lot of clutter problems in a home. You can begin by creating drawer organizers where the small items are being stored. So go ahead and organize your junk drawers, kitchen drawers, entryway and desk drawers.

 

If you’re just about to purchase organizers, don’t forget to measure the units so that you will take home the right piece.

 

Establish A Landing Zone

 

Do you notice how things easily get cluttered on the entryway? It’s because, this is the spot where you seem to stash your stuff when you arrive home. Here, you will see shoes, coats, bags, and even paper bills so roll up those sleeves and be ready to organize them.

 

A shelf and a bench would do wonders in this area. Add some trays also where you can put extra coins, keys, and other small stuff.

 

Have a Giveaway Box or Bag

 

‘Know all those things that you stored, and when you finally got to them, you realized that you’ve held on to them for no reason at all? These are the things that you can give away for charity.

 

Have a big box or a bag become the dedicated spot where you can put the stuff that you would be willing to give away. Check also all of your storage units because there could be other stuff there that you think you still need but no longer do.

 

Create a Filing System

 

Opt to enroll in an electronic billing system. And as you sign up for paperless bills on all your accounts, you can also begin to file those that do not offer this system.

 

Some labeled folders are a step up when it comes to categorizing and eventually organizing your paper clutter. Tax papers go together; as for the home repair papers and car payment records, they, too, should be properly filed.

 

If you’re thinking that you don’t have a lot of paper clutter to merit buying a filing cabinet, then you can just invest in some file boxes in the meantime.

 

Use Wall Mounts

 

Wall mounting saves you a lot of floor space. Just imagine all the things that you can vertically store (or display) – from your TV to garage tools, and even wall art.

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The Woman Cave: A Spot for Serenity or Activity

Thursday, September 29th, 2016

Flowers and the female population will always co-exist so go ahead and add this Accessories Uttermost Fuchsia Kaleama Orchids 60121 in your woman cave.

Flowers and the female population will always co-exist so go ahead and add this Accessories Uttermost Fuchsia Kaleama Orchids 60121 in your woman cave.

Men have man caves so why can’t women have the same? A woman also deserves a place to dream, work, be creative and just simply be. This could also be her secret place when the kids are gone. Why can’t it also be a place where she could hold her yoga? Whatever her reason is for setting up a woman cave, every female specie has the right to have her own space.

Personalize the Woman Cave

This is a woman’s place so there’s a need to highlight items that describe who she is and what the space strictly is for. This is also her sanctuary so while it is okay to have DIY projects, it is also equally important to find elements that would make the place descriptive of her. In essence, whatever she chooses for this room must always be personal.

 A Woman Cave Is Decluttered

It is important to get organized. This is why the bathroom or the walk-in closet should have usable and spacious cabinets and drawers, even shelves. Have a shoe drawer set up and the closet filled with essentials – only the essentials. Remember that items which are no longer used for months are supposed to be chucked.

Use racks and closet space to up the amount of storage space in the woman cave. Racks and pegboards can be used on the wall to store shoes, hats, jewelry, dresses, magazines or books.

Wallpapered Woman Cave

If the room looks a little drab then you can spruce it up with wallpaper; more so if you’re not ready to make major interior design changes.

Get the paste the wall kind of wallpaper so you get to save time and energy. Wallpaper is not pricey and it can even look amazing as long as you choose the patterns and texture that go well with the woman cave theme. Wallpapering is also a great thing to resort to if you’re sick of the look of the room.

Add a feminine touch to your home office desk by placing this Capel Incorporated Floor Coverings Mumtaz Meshed Rug 3313AS0800600 beneath it.

Add a feminine touch to your home office desk by placing this Capel Incorporated Floor Coverings Mumtaz Meshed Rug 3313AS0800600 beneath it.

The Woman Cave Desk

Every woman’s gotta have her own desk. Who wouldn’t want more desk space, right?

Dining tables are great for when you pay and sort out the bills but it shouldn’t be enough for tasks such as e-mailing, surfing the net, checking the social media, etc. Women who love arts and craft also know that the dining table isn’t the right table to use for such projects.

 The Woman Cave Spa

If a woman is in need of a place to unwind after a long day at work or a tiresome week, then the woman cave should be a relaxing spot. To achieve this, you can create a spa-like environment where there is a chandelier, chaise lounge, even some faux fur area rug. A nice fireplace would also be awesome in this environment.

If books relax you, then the woman cave can also double as a reading nook. Have a freestanding bookshelf, a desk, and a comfortable chair.

Remember that what could be calming for one woman may not be the same to the next. The possibilities are actually endless. Imagination and creativity are needed to create a place that offers ultimate serenity.

Throw Pillows in the Woman Cave

One of the most versatile accessories that you can use inside the woman cave are throw pillows. These have the capacity to replace chairs or a comfy couch, that is, if you have enough of ‘em. Set up a bean bag chair, some pillows and a blanket – this is your hangout corner.

Not Always Pink and Fluffy

The typical man cave may be filled with manly things but a woman cave should not always follow protocol, meaning, it does not have to be pink and chic all the time. The rule to setting up the perfect woman cave is to bring in anything that makes you happy. It could be frilly, it could be minimalist, it could be anything.

The woman cave defines the woman just as much as the woman defines her woman cave. That’s that.

 

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The Minimalist Home: Beauty in Simplicity

Monday, August 15th, 2016

Artistica Dining Room Delilah Side Chair 470-020

Artistica Dining Room Delilah Side Chair 470-020

An uncluttered home with but a few functional furnishings is often referred to as a minimalist space. The removal of unnecessary stuff is necessitated by this theme or, more so, a way of life.

An example of minimalism is exhibited where the kitchen and dining areas contain just the essentials – a dining table (that’s free from clutter), appropriate chairs, counter stools, step stool for children, and appliances such as a coffeemaker and a microwave.

This kind of setting may be easily devoid of fun, life and character if you lose the important elements that would make it stand out. If you’re ready to take the plunge and live with just the bare essentials then, first, learn the benefits of a minimalist setting –

Minimal Stress

Did it ever occur to you that clutter is a kind of visual distraction? Anything that presents in your line of vision can potentially catch your attention so you might as well set up a clutter-free environment.

A home with minimal to zero clutter has a calming effect, thus, you would feel less stress.

Upped Appeal

Just imagine the look of a cluttered home compared to a minimalist space. The homes with just the necessary furniture and nice artwork are the ones that are more appealing. If you want to increase the value of your home – visually at the very least – then have a minimalist theme.

Easier to Maintain

Of course, it is a lot more difficult to clean up if you have more stuff. You need to vacuum and sweep and polish more often. Just imagine how much easier your life would be if you have less furniture and appliances to clean each day.

You don’t have to be an extreme minimalist. You can have a couch, loveseat, coffee table, a TV, and some lamps in a minimalist living room. There could even be less, say, a couch, a chair or two and a coffee table to complete the setup. The bedroom, on the other hand, can have a bed, dresser and a nightstand.

 Rid of Knickknacks

A minimalist home has clean surfaces to boost. Don’t expect to find stacks of books or a collection of knickknacks in such a home. What you’d be able to find are accent decorations such as a simple flower vase. Should you ever find a desk, all you’d see there is a framed family photo and nothing else. A tasteful artwork could also hang on one wall to complete the minimalist look.

Quality Is Emphasized

A minimalist home is all about having just a few good things that you use often and also love. Keep that nice table and other essential furniture pieces such as a sofa, a pair of chairs, and a small cabinet.

Conquer One Room at a Time

It would be difficult to transition from a different theme and immediately embrace minimalism. You can begin with just one room initially then move on to the next, and so forth till you are able to conquer your entire home.

Now, more often than not, the biggest contents of a room are the furniture piece so you should always begin simplifying by checking your current furniture. The fewer large pieces you own, the more potential you have of setting up a minimalist home.

Look Up

Instead of looking for more stuff that would occupy floor space, look upwards. There is plenty of space up there to accommodate additional shelves and hanging racks.

Since you’re clearing away stuff, make sure that the ones you don’t use go inside tall, narrow cabinets and drawers. A bookshelf can double as a DVD rack.

 

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Say Byebye to Waste

Monday, May 9th, 2016

 

The American Leather Living Room Meyer-Sectional invokes clean living with its clean lines and simplicity.

The American Leather Living Room Meyer-Sectional invokes clean living with its clean lines and simplicity.

 

Starting anew whether your family is moving or remodeling is a huge undertaking. Expect mess everywhere but once you’ve settled, you should make minimal to zero waste as your home’s new goal. Of course, an endeavor of such magnitude does sound too good to be true, indeed, it is an ambitious take on life. Through persistence, though, your entire home can have a low-consumption kind of living.

Here are some tips that can help you reduce waste in your home –

Bulk Buying

Carryout containers and packaged foods are a huge source of non-recyclable plastic garbage. Just think about those wrappers, chip bags, cartons, and trays – every little one of such packages are made or mixed with plastics which are disposed in landfills.

Cooking at home is a great solution as is eating fresh produce. Purchase vegetables and fruits, and buying other stuff in bulk will help you veer away from those small plastic containers and packages. Buying fresh helps you cut your salt, preservative and artificial dye consumption.

A lot of cosmetic brands also sell their products in bulk in many health stores. Seek such discounts to eliminate the use of plastic in your home. Simplify also the use of cleaning supplies so that you will have a significant reduction of plastic spray bottle garbage.

Be a Neat Freak

Okay, that’s going a tad overboard but reducing the amount of surface where garbage may accumulate could also minimize the amount of garbage and clutter in your home. To effectively implement this, make sure that you have cabinets and other storage units where you will place only the needful stuff.

Don’t collect things that you don’t need. Keeping stuff for sentimental reasons is modified hoarding. Take a picture of that thing which you hold dear then let go. You can also donate unused stuff on a regular basis. Have a giveaway box set up in the attic or basement. Collecting stuff that you don’t use everyday ends up as a pile of garbage inside drawers and closets.

If giving your stuff away is not your style, then find ways that you can sell some of your things. You can even make more money this way.

Shop for Need

Don’t shop. Period.

More often than not, people shop even when they don’t have a need to. If you will be fully honest with yourself, most of your purchases are unnecessary, right?

Shopping for leisure presents the danger of accumulating stuff that you don’t really need. So, yeah, there’s no need to buy that cute outfit just because it matches your Prada bag. Have your house thank you for owning less stuff.

Look for furniture that can maximize the use of space in your home. This Hooker Furniture Living Room Lift Top Floral Cocktail Trunk doubles as decorative furniture at the foot of your bed while storing some of your stuff.

Look for furniture that can maximize the use of space in your home. This Hooker Furniture Living Room Lift Top Floral Cocktail Trunk doubles as decorative furniture at the foot of your bed while storing some of your stuff.

Clean Up

Hold a general cleaning activity on weekends. Make it a fun activity where family members chat and laugh during the cleanup. Have some lemonade and brownies to pep everyone up.

Let go also of the just in case attitude where you keep things, well, just in case you’d need them. If you truly assess all the stuff that you are currently keeping, you would be surprised how many have just been stored for many years.

If you are unsure about giving away or selling some of your stuff, then place them inside a plastic container. Should months pass and that plastic still remains intact, then you’d know by then that it’s time to let go.

Another way of cleaning up your home is to acquire a new perspective in life. Try visiting a homeless shelter and spend some time with someone who has been deprived of the blessings that you take for granted. Doing this will make you realize that having less is actually more; you will then be ready to let go of things that don’t really matter.

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From Attic to Something New

Sunday, April 17th, 2016

Flexsteel Bedroom Vanity With Mirror W1901-869 (close-up of drawers)

Flexsteel Bedroom Vanity With Mirror W1901-869 (close-up of drawers)

 

No one would consider attic cleaning to be a delightful task. Just think about the dander, dust and mold that you would encounter up there and you would surely begin to feel irritated over the idea of remodelling this part of your home into something else. Okay, it is necessary to do the cleanup in order to go about with your attic ideas. Stop having this problem area in your home, instead, have it turned to a living area.

Let’s Clean Up

Since it is necessary to clean the attic first before you begin your project, then see how these simple steps can help you –

  • First, dust the window frames, walls, and rafters. See if you can get your hands on an electro-statically charged duster. This costs no more than $10 and is a wise investment to make. It grabs 50% more dust when compared to the usual cotton cloths used in wiping dusty surfaces.
  • Do not forget to dust the exposed fan blades, roof trusses, fixtures, door frames and hatches.
  • For deeper cleaning, use a vacuum with HEPA or high efficiency particulate air filter. This costs $200-400. It should be able to remove even microscopic particles.
  • Wear a dust mask that can filter even airborne particles.
  • If you have allergies or asthma, then it is best to hire a professional to do the cleaning for you.

 

The Attic Remodelling Project

Hooker Furniture Living Room Melange Fifi Vanity Chair

Hooker Furniture Living Room Melange Fifi Vanity Chair

There is so much to plan for when remodelling a storage area like the attic. Lighting, materials, space use, and other design elements should be seriously thought through before the cleanup even begins.

Your palette as a creative master for this project begins with the color scheme. You can have a neutral base and dashes of accent colors such as warmer yellows on your walls.

See if you can make the door become the focal point for your remodelling project. Make sure that you choose a vibrant color in order to do this. Bright red is known to be the most welcoming kind of color for any door. Blue is also a great choice.

When the color or colors have been chosen and set, you can begin adding furnishings for your newly remodelled attic. But what purpose does it now serve? Is it the new master bath? Or is it the new family room? It is also conducive to learning as it is high above the ground – see if you can set it up as a home library or an office.

If you want to bring in more light, say, you are planning to turn the attic into a living room, then you could add ample LED lighting. It can be concealed inside the grooves on the attic beams. This should create an interesting layer of atmosphere.

Should the rooflines create difficulty in storing stuff, then try creating niches in the attic walls. These can be effectively used as bookshelves.

The attic can also be turned into an additional bedroom or a guest room. Along with your investment of a comfortable bed, you can have floating shelves and the most interesting cabinetry in one of the new bedroom’s corners.

Do you know what the most interesting room is that you can create out of your attic? A bathroom.

Be sure to make plans for the installation of the new drains as attic floors do not have provisions for plumbing. The bathroom project can be a tad trickier to create when compared to all other rooms. Have a professional plumber do the job of installing the new shower, tub and drains. You can only do so much.

 

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When Moving Into Tinier Space…

Thursday, April 7th, 2016

Hooker Furniture Living Room Lift Top Floral Cocktail Trunk can serve as a center table and a storage unit.

Hooker Furniture Living Room Lift Top Floral Cocktail Trunk can serve as a center table and a storage unit.

BLOG 6. Hooker Furniture Living Room Lift Top Floral Cocktail Trunk. b

One of the latest interior design activities is the downsizing of homes. This is something huge as people tend to prefer smaller homes where maintenance is less expensive and there isn’t a black hole that is waiting to happen in the basement. But going from large home to a smaller one is not an easy move. So what are you supposed to do once you’ve really decided?

Getting Ready to Downsize

Before you decide what to bring with you or what to throw; and before you even sell any of your excess stuff, you need to find it in you to change your mindset. The downsizing could have been brought about by necessity or whim, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are ready to get down and start the whole process.

Going smaller is doable because there’s less upkeep, cheaper bills, and less pressure to host huge parties in a massive room. You can couple this downsizing project to relocation in an urban center which spells less reliance on your car. This is equal to walking when shopping or visiting restaurants. You can say goodbye to exorbitant gas prices.

Prioritize

Living in a smaller space means you have to let go of things that you no longer need or want. You should be honest with yourself when evaluating the stuff that you will keep. You can always stick with your top priorities (whatever these may be). An example is, having a private outdoor space – consider if this is really necessary for you. Do you also need a lot of light? When these are your necessities, then you have to find ways to meet them.

Lighting can be provided by natural sunlight during the morning. You can just resort to sheer curtains instead of the usual heavy drapes inside huge rooms.

One other way to know your priorities is to create an inspiration file. You can save images of the small yet beautiful spaces that you find inspiring. You can also save some ideas on how to declutter your home.

Should you ever feel discouraged, you can clip some ideas from interior design magazines or books. As soon as you are able to accomplish this list, you will be surprised that you can now easily answer what things you will get rid of.

Just picture this – should a fire happen, what things will you cry over? What stuff would you need an immediate replacement of? These are the things that you need to take with you as you move into a much smaller space.

Another thing that prioritizing can teach you is that you get rid of the obvious clutter first – broken appliances, outdated clothing, useless books, etc.

Orient Express Furniture Living Room Lyon Sofa Chair-Premium 7151-1.PRM is the right seating unit for smaller homes.

Orient Express Furniture Living Room Lyon Sofa Chair-Premium 7151-1.PRM is the right seating unit for smaller homes.

A huge house with lots of storage could have meant you keeping stock of duplicate items. In a small home, these duplicates should go. Let go of duplicate glassware or chinaware. How about having 20 steak knives? You won’t be needing that much if you will only be entertaining 5 to 9 guests from now on.

Getting rid of stuff means consulting your relatives about heirlooms. Family treasures can be passed on to other relatives which is an effective way of decluttering. If those relatives are too far away or are non-existent, then see if you can rent a storage unit. It’s either this or you can finally let go by selling these antique or vintage pieces. Craigslist and eBay are fantastic platforms for those who would want to sell some stuff.

Try your best to meet the top three stuff that you need; to do this, you will need to compromise on size, style, price, even the location.  Shed more stuff as even the best plans can crack in the end. Avoid last minute hassles by learning to let go (some more) and to find ample storage if you can’t.

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Posted in Apartment Living, Condo Living, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Themes, Tiny Homes | No Comments »

Storage for Neat Freaks

Sunday, March 20th, 2016

A home office such as this is a neat freak's haven. Furniture set comes from the Brookhaven Collection of Hooker Furniture.

A home office such as this is a neat freak’s haven. Furniture set comes from the Brookhaven Collection of Hooker Furniture.

Has someone ever noticed that you arrange your books by color inside your shelves? They laugh at how organized you are but you have a deeper secret – they’re also arranged according to genre. You belong to the type of people who want to run their homes as they would a military – everything has to be in order or your day just wouldn’t be the same. Yet there is just so much clutter that can make even the tidiest homes, well, untidy. If you want to make a sense out of the messy world that the rest of the population lives in, here are some storage tips for all you neat freaks –

Every Little Thing Can Be Cleaned Up

To have a sense of fulfillment at the beginning of your day, you can start by making your bed. This simple act of plumping the pillows, putting them back near the headboard and carefully folding the blanket and bed sheet, can make a huge difference in jump starting your day.

Now take a look at the bottles and jars inside the cupboard and see if some of them have long been empty.

While for some it is true that out of sight is out of mind, in your case, it may not necessarily be true. A true blue neat freak knows that there is always something to clean up. This philosophy simply won’t apply to you at all. Even that cupboard door that keeps the clutter from spilling over is simply not tidy till it’s been emptied.

Figure 1Imagine all the stuff that you can store in this wooden drawer. Featured furniture is from FFDM's Vintage Classics.

Imagine all the stuff that you can store in this wooden drawer. Featured furniture is from FFDM’s Vintage Classics.

Organizing Your Stuff

If some people are happy collecting stamps, the neat freak is happiest when she sees that her home neat and well-organized. Check the drawers in her home and you would immediately notice how stuff are color-coded and folded neatly.

A tidy wardrobe is also a stress reducer for neat freaks but this can also be a positive thing that others should follow. You can decrease the amount of time that you dress up if you have a well-organized closet to begin with. You get to save time because you also know where to look for a specific outfit.

The neat freak does not automatically classify stuff as clutter. In fact, she can also share her collections by displaying them. What matters to her is that they are all organized.

A Neat Freak’s Best Friend

If there are girls that collect bottles of different perfumes and you see them arranged on their vanity tables, then the neat freak also has her own products to stack. While she also knows the value of beauty, to her, it is a lot more than looking and smelling great. Cleaning products are a lot more important – especially disinfectants – as they can make homes free from dirt.

Another best friend?

Any storage unit such as a shelf, closet or drawer.

The Neat Freak’s Enemy

That family member who is a perennial bringer of chaos need not become your enemy. These minds, though they have wallowed in mess for so many years can still be educated. Tidying can be instilled especially among youngsters. Tell them that you will feel most comfortable in a place that is organized.

Be open; try to make every family member understand.

What If They Don’t Understand?

Untidy minds can be a bit difficult to educate and, sometimes, even your best efforts might not pay off. What you can do so far is just to lead by example. It could get upsetting if your tidy world is suddenly turned upside down by both human and animal activity. When this happens, just shrug it off, chant your little mantra, and just show everyone that you are tidying up.

Even the most committed neat freaks can become weak at some point. Let these inconsistencies remind you that it’s okay to break the rules of tidiness at times. After all, little Ms. Neat Freak, you’re still human.

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Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Spring Season | No Comments »

Letting Go of Clutter: The Why’s and How’s

Wednesday, March 16th, 2016

The best decluttering solution is to have ample storage space for your stuff. This Belvedere piece from FFDM is a thing of beauty and function.

The best decluttering solution is to have ample storage space for your stuff. This Belvedere piece from Fine Furniture Design is a thing of beauty and function.

Every homeowner knows that there are accessories that can complete a home and there is also clutter. There are pieces that can attract just the wrong kind of attention. These are your visual clutters which can detract instead of add to a home’s magnificence.

You might not have known it but there are accessories in your home that you actually can do without –

Multiple Framed Photos

Have you ever given the walls of your home a second look lately? More often than not, there are mismatched frames that are hung on many walls or are seated on tables. These are those little, cheaply-made photo frames that are so distracting.

Of course, no one’s saying that your family pictures are not important. For most reasons, you are framing them because of sentimental reasons. But instead of cramming all of your family’s vacation photographs, choose the ones that are most memorable, put them in frames that are a lot nicer then display them with a purpose this time.

Create a gallery on one wall or follow what’s already been done in many stylish homes – lining up your staircase with them. It would also be nice to see a console table that is topped with just two or three tastefully chosen framed photographs.

You might ask what you could do with the rest of the frames…well, put them in a donation box (it’s all for a good cause).

Accessories Uttermost Spirula Photo Frames S/2 18566 : If you have to display photos, then do it in a classy way.

Accessories Uttermost Spirula Photo Frames S/2 18566 : If you have to display photos, then do it in a classy way.

Used-to-be-Stylish-Curtains

Did you know that not all rooms need curtains and drapes? There are also so many reasons why you can do without them.

First, it would be tragic to cover beautiful windows of any home. Original woodwork, French windows, and other such beauties would be wrong to cover with thick curtains. Also, if you live in an area right by the woods, then there are definitely rooms in your home that offer a good view of the greenery outside. See those rooms that do not require privacy so you can say goodbye to unnecessary curtains.

Another thing is, have you checked the colors of your curtains recently? Have they been faded by the sun? Are the prints already old fashioned? Or could it be because the curtains are too short for your tall windows?

If any of these rings true, then you might want to experiment with a zero curtain look for awhile. Who knows, you might even enjoy the view more than those times when the windows were all covered up. Should you ever decide to cover the windows up again, try some shutters or bamboo shades for a change.

Plastic Flower Arrangements

There can never be a thing in the world that could replace the beauty of fresh flowers in tasteful vases. Those huge, artificial flowers in your home simply don’t belong there. Plus, there’s that downside of those fake flowers gathering dust in the long run so they can make a place look ugly.

Decluttering is not just applicable to fake flowers but to fake trees as well. Find, instead, those easy-to-grow indoor plants, place a bowl of colorful fruits on the table, or just display a vase of freshly-bought or picked flowers.

Faux flowers just won’t make your home look classy.

Apart from those fake stuff, you can also declutter by removing those stored, cheap glass vases inside your cupboard. Don’t hold on to them. Having three to four elegant vases would be better than keeping ten ugly vases.

‘Nough said.

Those Useless Knickknacks

Sure, accessories can add beauty and personality to your home but having a lot of knickknacks is not interior decorating – it’s hoarding. If you happen to have large collections of which you simply cannot bear to part with, then at least decide to rotate the pieces every now and then.

There is no rule that says you have to display all of your collections at once.

Again, don’t hold on to clutter. There are so many things that you can get rid of now which you think you might need but actually do not so go ahead and make that resolution now.

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Doable Spring Decluttering

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016

 

Check inside the drawers and shelves for pieces of paper that are no longer needed. Featured desk is the Winners Only Home Office Sofa Table/Writing Desk AZL100S.

Check inside the drawers and shelves for pieces of paper that are no longer needed. Featured desk is the Winners Only Home Office Sofa Table/Writing Desk AZL100S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever felt powerless when you arrive home and find clutter strewn all over the floor? Doesn’t this feeling escalate when you find that all the other rooms show the exact amount of clutter throughout? Here are some tips that you can follow as you go about with your spring decluttering –

Begin to Declutter

Decide to make this change now – start to declutter your room. Focus on what you need to clean first. Instead of wandering without purpose or cleaning just a bit each time, you can break down the cleaning to phases or to different rooms.

There might be just a little or a lot of decluttering tasks to do but no matter, you still need to stay motivated to finish the task. Throwing paper clutter can be time consuming especially when you haven’t cleaned your desk drawers or shelves for a whole year or so.

Maitland-Smith Kitchen Island 5130-649 is a great organizer inside the busiest room in your home.

Maitland-Smith Kitchen Island 5130-649 is a great organizer inside the busiest room in your home.

Total Declutter

There are some tasks that can affect your entire home but many homeowners find it more effective to walk from room to room then decluttering from there. Rather than being stuck in just a small area, it is best to get about and start cleaning.

So go ahead, pick up that broom and mop and let’s clean up that mess – whether you have a small or a big home.

First, look for those crumpled sheets of paper, those useless tourist brochures or leaflets, and many other printed materials. Those that are no longer needful should be thrown away.

A good mindset to develop if you ever want to declutter your home a hundred-percent this spring is to let go of things that you no longer have a use for. Else, you would just be hoarding a huge amount of garbage that you won’t end up using anyway.

Check out any coupons that you might have collected in the past. See if the dates are already expired and if they still aren’t, ask yourself if you really are ever going to use such coupons. If not, then it’s time to say goodbye to them, too.

Next, it’s time to clean your office space. Dust off from ceiling to the floor. Be sure to clean the desk drawers, coffee table, chairs (especially the upholstered ones), mirrors and many more.

Should you consider keeping a few brochures, then be sure to add a vision board or keeping a household file.

Next to the home office, you could go to the bathroom. This can also be a room for clutter if you do not have the right storage solution installed. If you want to achieve a semblance of order in your bathroom, then be sure to organize items in there.

Decluttering the bathroom can take just 10 minutes. Begin by putting a trash bin right by the bathroom door. Next, toss any of the dirty towels or face cloths into the hamper. Replace them with fresh ones coming from your linen closet.

If you find any laundry items on the floor, remove them and place them inside the hamper as well. Recycle items such as used tissue papers, empty rolls, shampoo bottles, etc.

Decluttering the bedroom can take less than 15 minutes. Begin by dusting the night tables and tossing garbage to the right bins. Put used linen in the hamper and clean up the rest of the dressers. Sweep the bureau’s or dresser’s top part and see if there is also clutter there.

Cleaning the kitchen is paramount because this is the place where foods are prepared. Sweep the countertops, Kitchen Island and the rest of the kitchen floor. The key to a clean room is to put things back to their proper place. Find the right storage space for every little thing that keeps ending up somewhere where it shouldn’t be.

You see, spring decluttering can also be fun. Do this task with your family and observe how the hours slip more quickly.

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