Smart Organizing Tips for a Better New Year
Make your home ultra-organized with these five easy and affordable hacks, tips and tricks.
- Create a shoe station. Nothing can dampen the look of an entryway like piles of footwear. Organize this area by installing shoe racks and attractive cubbies. You can also add a stylish bench and slide your shoes underneath. Include a welcome mat comprised of coconut fiber, jute or some other abrasive material that can clean dirt from the bottoms of shoes. You can also install hooks of varying sizes to hold a variety of items, including keys, backpacks, purses, coats, hats and dog leashes.
- Thin out your medicine cabinet. A bathroom medicine cabinet holds a lot of essential items you need to access quickly. Due to limited space, however, you need to prioritize based on what you use every day. For example, your contacts case and solution make sense for daily use; however, backup cases can easily go in the cabinet under the sink. Tweezers, makeup and remover, razors, shaving cream, mouthwash and dental floss may also be items you use regularly, depending on your routine and lifestyle. Whatever the case, thin out your cabinet so it only contains important everyday items. You can make the most of your space by placing adhesive magnetic strips on the inside of bathroom medicine cabinet doors and use them to hold bobby pins, tweezers and cuticle scissors.
- Declutter storage spaces. According to studies, clutter can significantly impact our well-being by triggering all sorts of stress-related reactions, including decreased mental health, overeating and diminished life satisfaction. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to have a clean, organized living space; out of sight does not mean out of mind when it comes to stress and clutter. Take steps to organize your refrigerator, pantry, cabinets, closets and garage. If you feel overwhelmed by the prospect, consider hiring a service to remove needless items and clean the spaces, so you can focus on the more stimulating process of organizing.
- Organize your kitchen aesthetically. Since most small kitchen appliances are designed to be functional rather than eye-catching, tuck them away beneath your counters when not in use. Save the open spaces in your kitchen for color-coordinated spices, herbs and flatware. You can also display baking ingredients in attractive mason jars or tinted glass containers. Instead of hiding attractive kitchen items, such as decorative platters and serving bowls, display these proudly by installing open shelves on your kitchen walls.
- Optimize bed space. One of the most underused spaces in a home is the area beneath the bed. Take advantage of this space by purchasing a bed that already has built-in storage space. If that’s outside your budget, you can add some storage to traditional beds quite easily. Simply take drawers from an old chest and fasten casters wheels to the bottom. You can then fill them up with spare sheets, blankets or children’s toys and roll them in and out as needed. If you can’t find suitable drawers, you can use plastic containers instead.
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