Tips on keeping your home organized

Organizing your home can become overwhelming when you do not have a game plan going into it. With dirty dishes in the kitchen, clothes in the laundry and shoes scattered throughout your home, you can see how easily this can become overwhelming. To in with a plan and tackle the mess head on!

The Kitchen
a. Clear your counters of items that can be stored in cabinets
b. Use labels in your cabinets
c. Deep clean your fridge and freezer and throw out all the expired foods then organize what is remaining


Shoes
a. Don’t be afraid to part with ole reliable
b. Keep your shoes in order
c. Keep your pairs together

Clothes
a. Keep spring, summer, fall, and winter close separate
b. Ditch what you haven’t worn all year
c. Fold your clothes efficiently to keep your dresser in order

These are a few simple things you can do to help organize your home and make the process seem a little more achievable. Now, go get organized!

Apartment Cleaning Tips

Keeping your apartment or home clean is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But with summer bringing about schedules that are more hectic than ever, we know how easy it is to become a little negligent towards our cleaning duties. Fortunately, cleaning your apartment doesn’t have to be a chore that takes up an entire day or weekend. Whether you’re preparing for an impromptu visit from friends or family, or simply wish to organize and tidy up your living space, below you’ll find a few tips and shortcuts to clean your apartment quickly and efficiently.

cleaning supplies

Image from www.apartmentguide.com

Cut Out Clutter

One of the first steps in cleaning any space is to cut out clutter. Do a walk through of the apartment and gather in a bin any items that have been thrown on the ground or aren’t in their proper place. Cleaning the space will take much less time when you aren’t constantly stepping over clothes or other items that have been strewn on the ground.

Clean Similar Surfaces Together

Since you most likely use different cleaning products for different areas of the apartment, clean all areas that use the same product at one time. This prevents you from constantly running back and forth to the same area to exchange one cleaning product for another.

Fluff The Living Room

Since the living room is most likely where you’ll be spending most of your time when entertaining, it’s important to make sure this area is looking clean. Fortunately, making the living room look clean and tidy when you’re short on time is actually quite easy. Simply run through the room with a vacuum to eliminate crumbs and dirt on the ground, fluff up the couch pillows, and fold your throw blanket. Lastly, light a scented candle to create an extra aura of coziness.

Tackle The Bathroom

Not only do you not want to use a dirty bathroom, but you especially don’t want to make your guests do so. To tidy up the bathroom in a hurry, simply wipe down the counters and sinks, swish a little Clorox in the toilet bowl, straighten up any rugs, and pull the shower curtain shut. All of this will make the bathroom appear freshly cleaned without you having to perform a complete ceiling-to floor scrub down.

Clean As You Go

One of the easiest ways to maintain cleanliness in your apartment is to tidy up with everyday tasks. For example, wipe out the sinks right after you brush your teeth or throw dishes in the dishwasher right after you finish eating. By cleaning areas as you go, you’ll prevent dirtiness from building up and save yourself time when you do need to tidy up the place in a hurry.

Cleaning the apartment doesn’t have to be a weekend-long task that you dread for days prior. Keep your place neat and orderly by cleaning as you go and following these tips for the times that you need to tackle a quick tidy-up.

 

 

Décor on a Budget

Decorating a new apartment can be difficult, especially when fancy décor isn’t always in the budget. Luckily, you don’t have to let limited funds squelch your decorating dreams. Believe it or not, there are countless small, relatively inexpensive, and/or DIY techniques that can completely reinvigorate your living space without breaking the bank.

Utilize Used

First and foremost, the fundamental key to saving money  in any circumstance is to shop smart. That being said, brand new furniture can certainly put a dent in the bank account. Many find that utilizing used furniture is the perfect solution when attempting to decorate on a budget. By shopping at thrift shops, consignment stores, garage sales, eBay, etc., one can find perfect pieces to enhance and beautify the home without spending a great deal of money. Even better, take a piece of furniture you already own and give it a makeover! Used furniture can be easily revitalized with some simple TLC such as cleaning, refinishing or reupholstering, all of which can be done on your own at little cost to you! Check out these Drab to Fab Furniture Projects to help transform old, used furniture into contemporary, stylish pieces.

Go Green

What better way to liven up a home than with decorations that are-you guessed it-alive! Live plants are one of the easiest, quickest, and cheapest ways to liven up a drab living space. Keep your eyes peeled for inexpensive and relatively low-maintenance plants such as fresh herbs, philodendrons, lucky bamboo, etc., all of which thrive indoors. Flaunt your creativity and style by displaying the plants in a unique and innovative fashion, such as utilizing a mix of pots and planters or mounting/hanging plants on the walls or ceilings.

grow-indoor-plants

Image from www.homedit.com

plants1

Image from www.carlaaston.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

plant wall

Image from www.aliexpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIY

The most effective way to decorate in the least costly manner is oftentimes to simply do it yourself. The Internet and home décor magazines are teeming with DIY projects suitable for even the most inexperienced of decorators. Here are some of our favorites:

DIY Wall Art

Hanging artwork or photos on the walls of your home is a perfect way to spice up any room. But why pay big bucks for expensive artwork when you can make it yourself? We’re well aware that not everyone is a crafting connoisseur, so we found this simple method to create beautiful wall art regardless of your previous crafting experience (or lack thereof). Check out the instructions here.

wall art

Image from www.dealsfrommsdo.com

Mirrors

Mirrors are great decorative pieces that not only liven up walls, but also can add light to a room and make the room appear bigger. Spruce up an old, boring mirror by covering the edges with a fabric that you love. Here are the instructions.

mirror

Image from www.tealandlime.com

 

Hanging Shelf

Tie rope to a painted board to create a simple yet elegant hanging shelf. Check out the super easy instructions here.

rope shelf

Image from www.burkatron.com

 Headboards

Headboards are a crucial element to any bedroom. Because of this, finding a durable and trendy headboard for a low price is not usually an easy task. But believe it or not, headboards are actually quite simple to make yourself. Check out these 101 Headboard Ideas That Will Rock Your Bedroom for an array of options for creating your own headboard.

Frugality doesn’t have to hinder your decorating ambitions because properly decorating your space doesn’t  have to cost a fortune. There are innumerable methods and techniques to revitalize your space without breaking the bank, all it takes is a little research and creativity!