Whether you have a tiny home or your house simply doesn’t have enough storage, organizing can be difficult. Of course, it doesn’t help that our society is one based on collecting things, and sometimes that includes stuff we don’t need. The path to a clean and clear home lies in decluttering our lives and focusing on rearranging rooms in new ways. The following guide from Your Home Design Center offers tips on how to achieve a roomier, more functional home.
Adding Storage
Sometimes, the best strategy is to expand your capacity. When your space is limited, this can seem like a challenge until you realize you’ve been looking at things the wrong way. Go vertical by adding shelving on any wall that is currently unused, such as the sides of a closet, in the kitchen by an oven, or even the living room. If this still isn’t enough, you may need to invest in a self-storage unit.
Letting Go of ‘Stuff’
It can be discouraging to let go of possessions we feel attached to, even if we never use them. To start this process, Home Storage Solutions 101 suggests you give yourself a schedule to adhere to. When do you want your house cleared out by? Once you have that, you can focus better on your task at hand. If you find yourself losing impetus, stick to short bursts of work. You’ll accomplish what you want by setting goals as to how much you need to remove from your environment. By giving yourself that time limit, you’ll stay on track. It may be emotional, but only keep what you absolutely need or use regularly. Anything else is simply clutter and does not enhance your home or life.
That said, think about keeping the things that will help you create a more organized home, especially when it comes to furniture. For example, if you have an old bookshelf that’s mostly been used to hold junk, can you transform it to hold clothing or turn it into a headboard with storage? Keep an open mind for these kinds of solutions. Old furniture can be rehabbed with professional cleaning and polishing to give it new life; sites like Angi can connect you with a pro in your area and even show you which companies are offering discounts on furniture cleaning services.
Rearrange Your Clothes
Part of managing a home that is short on storage is figuring out creative ways to hold your belongings. In the bedroom, most of that is clothing. Luckily, there are methods for folding or rolling items to take up less space. Rolling is the perfect technique to keep your drawers organized, but it is most effective for thinner items, like shirts and jeans, and not thick ones, such as sweaters. If rolling isn’t for you, Good Housekeeping recommends you try storing folded shirts horizontally so they stack rather than lie flat on top of each other. Experiment until you discover what works best, and invest the small amount of extra time it takes when putting clothes away to stay organized.
Transform Your Rooms
If you truly want an organized home with maximized space, you need to hit every part of your property, including your basement and garage. By going through each room, you’ll know what you have to work with and have a better understanding of how to utilize it. This can allow you to repurpose rooms, like a dining area seldom used, into functional spaces. You might also encourage tidiness by using zones for related items, concentrating office gear at your desk or reading material in that aforementioned den. Color coding can further this by making areas visibly distinct, but so can rugs, hung curtains, and other solid dividers.
Get Furniture with Storage Capacity
Every single room is going to have at least one piece of furniture, so why not make it work twice as hard? Pieces can double as a place to hide goods, but you should try to think beyond ottomans. A coat rack can mask a storage box for keys or documents, and a medicine cabinet can house jewelry, lotions, or other useful goods. Get creative and start crafting to make unique pieces, or scour the local thrift store for furniture you can modify.
This may seem stressful, but remember that your home won’t be transformed overnight, and you don’t need to discard everything and lead a totally minimalist life. Of course, you may want that, yet an organized house can be achieved whatever your goals. It just takes a bit of work, patience, and adding storage where you need it.
