It’s easy. Learn how to de-clutter your home with these ingenious storage solutions and tips.
One thing I cannot tolerate in my home is clutter. My home can be spic and span clean, but if there are piles of clutter needing my attention, it drives me crazy. You know what I’m talking about–piles of magazines, new and old mail mixed together, that abandoned crafting project, recyclables, your children’s homework, etc. I’d rather skip the house cleaning and attack those piles of clutter any day. Clutter keeps me from relaxing in my own home–and I know I’m not the only who feels this way. While I do have some friends who seem to not mind the everyday clutter, I think most of are bothered by clutter and want to eradicate if from the world.
I’ve found clutter’s kryptonite is to not let it develop in the first place. In my house, everything has a home–even if that home is the junk drawer. I try to deal with clutter as it happens, so I’m not left facing a bunch of stuff to clean up and put away before I can even start on cleaning the house.
Part of learning how to declutter as it happens is having storage solutions in place beforehand. When the mail comes in, it should have a home that’s not the kitchen counter. Planning ahead of time and having storage solutions in place can save you and your home from the dreaded clutter monster.
How to declutter:
1. Don’t forget about closet and cabinet doors. Installing hanging storage here, can double your storage space.
Image: jfiess
2. Pegboard can be your friend. While you might not want to hang peg board in your living room, pegboard isn’t just for the garage. Painted pegboard can be a lifesaver in the laundry room, craft room and office.
3. Think outside the box with your storage solutions, like this clever idea for storing spools of ribbon on a skirt hanger. Ingenius.
Image: ReillyButler
4. Large mason jars make great catchalls for those little items we all seem to collect–leftover buttons, old keys, stray matchbox cars and what have you. If you need to declutter quickly, just toss those stray little bits into a mason jar. Cleaning them out can be a rainy day project.
5. It’s a must that you have labeled storage by the door you use to come in and out of the house. Whether it’s a bookshelf with baskets or a table with bins, find a storage solution that works for you. This is where you will sort your mail and other items that need your attention when you are coming and going.
Image: supershoppertoo
6. You need copious amounts of baskets and boxes. I use these everywhere in my home. There’s a basket in every room to collect magazines. I also use stackable decorative boxes to store craft projects I am working on…that way there are hidden away, but I can also easily carry them around the house.
7. Have labeled storage for toys and games in your kids’ room and playroom. Wooden crates turned on their side and hung on the wall are a great solution. Label each with the child’s name or the type of toy that is stored there. Use pictographs for young children.
Top image: Xoyos.com