It can be challenging to live with clutter, especially in small spaces like apartments. Even if you have plenty of storage space, it’s easy for things to get out of hand if they need to be more appropriately organized or if you don’t make the most use of everything that’s available. That said, some simple habits can help keep things clean and organized no matter how much space you have!
Donate old clothes.
Donating old clothes is a great way to declutter your closet and help someone else at the same time. If you need help determining whether an item is still in good shape, try it on. Donate it if it doesn’t fit or look good on you anymore!
If an article of clothing has been hanging around in your closet for more than a year without being worn (or even touched), then take that as a sign that it’s time for that piece to go. Donate these items too! You can also donate any clothes that have never been worn but were bought on impulse and still have tags attached–you may never find a use for them otherwise!
Finally, consider giving old but usable pieces away instead of throwing them out:
- Give them away through sites like Freecycle or Craigslist.
- Sell them via eBay.
- Provide them directly to friends who might appreciate having something new to them at no cost whatsoever (and won’t mind if there are stains).
Clean out your car.
If you’re like most people, your car is a place where all kinds of clutter can build up. That’s because it’s one of the only places in your home that isn’t easily accessible to you–you don’t walk through it every day as you do with the kitchen or living room. If you want to keep things tidy:
- Start by cleaning out all of the trash from inside and outside of your vehicle once per week.
- Reorganize the interior so everything has its place (and nothing needs to be tossed).
- Move any items that aren’t being used regularly into storage areas like trunks or back seats so they aren’t taking up space where they could otherwise go unnoticed until they’re needed again later on down the line!
Do a clear-out once a week.
It’s a good idea to do a weekly clear-out, but if you’re an avid collector struggling to part with anything, try setting aside 15 minutes each week to go through your stuff.
Set aside an hour every week to declutter.
Set aside an hour every week to declutter. Do it in the same place, at the same time. Make sure you only have other things to do that day. You can do this on a Saturday morning or before bed if you’re up late enough and want to get up early! Make sure you have enough time to do it–if not, set aside another hour later in the week (or even another day).
Store items in the same place whenever possible.
An excellent way to stay organized is to keep items in the same place as much as possible. For example: if you have a lot of kitchen utensils, store them all together on one shelf or in one drawer. You’ll know where they are and be able to find them quickly when needed.
If you don’t do this with everything in your home, it will take extra time and effort when looking for things–and that’s not what we want!
Only keep what you love and use.
Only keep what you love and use. Don’t keep things just because they are expensive or sentimental. If you last used something a year ago, get rid of it!
Keep your keys in one place.
Keep your keys in one place. Place a key hook in an accessible location and hang up your keys when you get home (or whenever). This will make it easier for you to remember where they are and keep things from getting lost in the shuffle of daily life!
Organize things by type, not location.
This is an excellent rule to follow when organizing any space in your home. It keeps everything neat and makes finding what you’re looking for when needed easy. For example, if all of your books are on one shelf and all of the DVDs are on another shelf, instead of having them mixed in one big pile on the same shelf with other items like magazines or CD cases (which would be inconvenient), they’re separated into two separate piles that allow each type of media its own space–and therefore also make them easier to access when necessary without having to dig through anything else first!
Keep a minimalist mindset.
Keeping a minimalist mindset is the first step to living a clutter-free lifestyle. It’s not about having less stuff; it’s about having fewer distractions.
Minimalism is a lifestyle choice that allows you to focus on what matters most in life while eliminating the rest of the noise around us. While many people associate this philosophy with only design and decorating, minimalism can also be applied to any aspect of your life–including how much stuff you have at home!
When it comes down to it, there are two ways we can live our lives: either as hoarders or minimalists (or somewhere in between). As humans, we tend towards hoarding because we’re naturally inclined towards gathering things around us that make us feel safe and secure; however, this behavior often leads us down an unhealthy path where clutter begins piling up everywhere until everything becomes stressful rather than enjoyable or valuable.
Appreciate what you have.
Appreciate what you have. Think about the good things in your life. Focus on the positive. Be grateful for what you have instead of focusing on what’s missing or lacking in your life (and therefore making yourself feel bad). Think about how much worse it could be, if only for a moment–think about someone who has less than you do, and give them some credit for making it work with what little they have!
Create a home inventory so you can easily see what you have in each room and if the space needs more attention than it currently is getting.
Create a home inventory so you can easily see what you have in each room and if the space needs more attention than it currently is getting. Use a spreadsheet to keep track of your belongings: This method works well for items like books, DVDs, and CDs (if you still have them). Just create columns for each category of item (e.g., movies) and fill it out as you go along. It’s easy to add items later or delete ones that no longer interest you or fit into your lifestyle. Use an app like Clutter: This app allows users to easily take photos or scan barcodes on products they want to keep track of their belongings! You can also use this app as an organizing tool by separating things into categories based on room/location within the house so there is no confusion when looking back at previous years’ worth of data entry tasks completed during seasonal cleaning sessions throughout winter months where everything seems overwhelming due time constraints caused by holidays happening concurrently.
Get rid of excess clutter and decide what to keep before buying anything new.
When you have too much stuff, it’s easy to feel your home is a mess. But clutter is more than just an eyesore–it can also be expensive and wasteful. It takes up space that could be used more effectively, costing you money for rent or mortgage payments (or even the cost of a bigger house). Clutter also makes organizing more difficult because so many things compete for attention in a tiny area.
Plus, having too much stuff means that every time something new comes into your life–a gift from friends or family members, something fun like new shoes or clothes–you’re faced with deciding what should stay and what should go. That’s only sometimes easy!
Create an organized cleaning plan for each room in your house and do them at least once a week, if not more frequently, depending on how much time you dedicate to this activity.
Create an organized cleaning plan for each room in your house and do them at least once a week, if not more frequently, depending on how much time you dedicate to this activity. Be realistic about how much time you have to commit to this activity. If it’s just one hour per day, make sure that each room gets its own hour so that it can be done in its entirety without rushing through anything or leaving anything unfinished (this will help avoid making things worse!) Start with the room that gets the most use first–to ensure no clutter piles up when things are busy!
Prioritize the spaces used most often around your home – like the kitchen, bathroom, and pantry – by ensuring they’re clean first! This will help motivate you since they’re easy to get back into order after being cluttered (aka less work!).
The best way to get started is by prioritizing the spaces used most often around your home – like the kitchen, bathroom, and pantry – by ensuring they’re clean first! This will help motivate you since they’re easy to get back into order after being cluttered (aka less work!).
You can use your favorite space as a motivator to keep going: “I’ll just finish cleaning this one room before moving on to another!”
Declutter at least one area of your home each day.
Decluttering is a great way to clear clutter, but it can be overwhelming if you try to do everything simultaneously. To make decluttering less daunting, start small by choosing just one area of your home each day and focusing on that space. This way, you can feel accomplished while progressing towards a clutter-free home!
If you want more guidance on how much time or energy should be spent decluttering an area of your house, read this article by Marie Kondo: The Magic Of Tidying Up: How To Declutter Your Home In Four Easy Steps.
Keep your favorite things out in the open and not in boxes.
Keep your favorite things out in the open and not in boxes. Keep things in boxes; they will just get lost. Make sure you can see what you have so that you can use it! This is also a great way to show off your style!
Choose multi-purpose items, like a coffee table that doubles as storage for books, magazines, and remotes.
Coffee tables are the most used piece of furniture in a living room. They’re also a great place to put your feet up, set a drink or set down with some magazines and books.
The next time you shop for furniture, think about how you could use it for more than just one thing. For example, if you have an entryway with little storage space but want somewhere to store coats and scarves – consider getting an armoire instead of another chest of drawers! An armoire has many uses: it can be used as extra closet space when closed up; opened up, it provides additional seating area; its doors can be used as tray tables (great for entertaining).
Use every inch of your space to its fullest potential.
Use every inch of your space to its fullest potential. Under-the-bed storage is a great way to use the extra room that can be difficult to use otherwise. If you have an old dresser or chest, consider turning it into a nightstand and putting some drawers under there for storing things like books, remote controls, etc. Above cabinets are another great place for storage if you don’t have enough room in them already. You can put baskets on top of cabinets (or shelves) for easy access items like cleaning supplies or toiletries that need daily access but don’t need their drawer/container/box yet still want quick access when needed (i.e., toothbrush). Between walls is another option if you’re feeling crafty! This can be done either with pegboard sheets attached by drywall screws into studs behind drywall panels OR using heavy duty Command hooks mounted onto existing wall spaces using double-sided tape strips, which come off cleanly when finished using them without damaging anything else nearby during the removal process (make sure no pets run around too much near these areas because they could knock off all those heavy duty pegs).
Use wall space above cabinets, desks, and beds to display things you love.
Use the space above your cabinets to store things you often use, like spices, baking supplies, or cookbooks. Use the space above your desk to store items you often use, like pens and pencils, sticky notes, or paper clips.
And the best part about all this? You’ll feel better about your home and yourself. Clutter is a sign of a cluttered mind, but when you declutter your life, it helps clear up those mental cobwebs too!