Clutter. It’s simple: people simply own a lot of random things. Those things could be old books, past memories, knickknacks, souvenirs or what have you.
In fact, the average American has 300,000 things lying around somewhere in their house. That’s a ton of…stuff. Even though you’ve gone through spring cleaning, donated to Goodwill and posted plenty of items on Craigslist, the stuff just never seems to stop building up. One week you clear a cabinet out and the next week it’s stuffed to the max again. With so much clutter and paraphernalia lying around, it may seem like a burden that’s just too hard to overcome. Thankfully, there are plenty of space-saving techniques you can use to remove the clutter while maintaining a clean house. Check out the list for some ideas on how to go about doing that.
Look Up
Chances are, your kitchen has some unused space that you can take advantage of. That space above the cabinets is a perfect area for some boxes that can remove some rarely used kitchen items.When looking for boxes, make sure you find some that match the wall color so they blend in seamlessly. That way, it’s almost like you’re hiding your items in plain sight.
Use Your Stairs
Stairs can be a place of hidden storage. But how? If you’re a big DIYer, you can add drawers to your stairs in order to store toys or other items that always seem to get in the way. There are also boxes designed for stairs, meaning you can have another storage item in plain sight, removing the clutter and keeping everything organized for you and your family.
Corner Space
Corners might often look like a useless area. Not everything perfectly fits in the corner and you may be threading cables around the area. Instead, it’s time to turn that corner into a storage area. There are plenty of pieces of furniture or baskets that slide neatly into corners, meaning you can store books, glasses or other items with ease. Not only that, but it’s a great place for a few pictures frames or even some nice flowers as well.
Under the Bed
Nope, there are no monsters here! Maximize your space under the bed for old clothes, seasonal items or whatever else you want to store. One of the best ways to store items is by buying a standup shelf, turning it on its side, adding wheels to the bottom of the shelf and putting it under the bed. The shelves will act as natural dividers, meaning you can keep everything organized. If you’re lucky enough to have a bunk room, then you have plenty more opportunities to maximize your space.
Hang it Up
Going back to your kitchen, let’s talk about your food items. One of the ways to remove clutter from your countertops without sacrificing your look is to start hanging things. Fruit baskets are a way to take things off your shelves and have them in the air. Plus, having items at eye and hand level means you’ll spend less time looking around.
Multi-Purpose Furniture
While your parents might have grown up with a living room table and four chairs, technology and insight has changed the classic family setup. Look for furniture that can fold in on itself or chairs that can be pushed fully under the table. Even though it may be just a little bit of space, it can go a long way in clearing up a room.
Hide-Away Essentials
Everyone needs a trash can, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to have it out in the open. Look for ways to hide your trash can in a pullout fashion.
You can also use this technique for food bowls for your pets. Put them in a drawer and pull them out when it’s time for dinner.
Fold it Up
There isn’t just furniture that can collapse in on itself, but plenty of furniture items that can fold right into the walls. Dining room tables, ping-pong tables, desks and more can simply be packed up and folded away.
It’s one way to manage your clutter but another to open up another room and embrace the open-floor concept.
veritcal space and hanging is something i need to be better about!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com