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Posts Tagged ‘decluttering system’

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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Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on Must-Know Decluttering and Storage Systems

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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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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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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