People think that a cozy home looks lived in, and that is true. There is a fine line between, though, between cozy, and messy. Some things, like throw pillows, can be tossed on to a couch and look homey and cozy. Other things, like dirty gym socks on the kitchen table? Not so much. There truly is a place for everything, and everything should be decluttered in its place. Studies have shown that a clean house and positive mental health has a strong relationship. So, it is important to declutter our home for a organizes looks as well as for better mental health.
Therefore, here are the thirteen easy declutter tips to get organized at home. Read on:
1. Kitchen clutter
Dishes in the sink, on the sink, and stored all over your counters is one of the things that make the house clutter, not cozy. Chances are, your kitchen doesn’t have enough storage space for all of your dishes, glasses, mugs, pots, and pans.
Kitchen declutter solution: Organize inside and out. Invest in some cabinet organizers that allow you to stack your dishes neatly out of sight. Get a mug rack to keep your mugs near your coffee maker, and store cooking utensils in old vases. Weed through your junk drawer and get rid of anything you haven’t used in the past six months.
Consider a pan rack or a few well-placed nails over your stove to hang pots and pans. An over-abundance of canned goods can be stored on shelves or in a hutch in the basement.
2. Too many books clutter
It’s true; sometimes you can have too many books. Piles of books in your bookshelves may be quaint, but too many can look junky and make your house messy.
Too many books declutter solution: Donate the books you will never read again to a hospital, library or a used book store, and your magazines (with your name removed) to a doctor’s office or dentist. You can also consider more book storage in an unusual piece of furniture, like a china cabinet. Keep small stacks of interesting books near recliners or comfy chairs, and put your magazines in a rack in the bathroom or a cozy nook.
3. Too many pillows clutter
Your bed has twenty throw pillows on it, and it takes more time to make your bed in the morning than it does to cook your breakfast. More than a few pillows look sloppy and make any house clutter. Also, you have to be removed those before bedtime and replaced after you get up.
Too many pillows declutter solution: If you are a hoarder then this decluttering tips for you. Keep only the pillows you really love and that match your décor, and go to the thrift store with the others. You can store them in plastic bins in a closet or basement, and rotate them out seasonally if you just can’t bear to part with them.
4. Bathroom clutter
Each family member has a special shampoo, favorite soap, and different toothpaste. Furthermore, you have more makeup in your bathroom than the local pharmacy has on its shelves. Time to straighten out your bathroom clutter!
Bathroom declutter solution: Remember that makeup expires. Keep it too long, and it will have negative effects on your skin; old mascara is dried out and can lead to eye infections, and your powders become contaminated with oils. Time to dispose of old makeup, or colors that have you wondering, “What was I thinking?” Get an over the toilet storage rack, and a basket or organizer for each family member to store their products individually.
To get rid of bathroom clutter fast, first, get rid of all of your shampoo bottles with the one centimeter of product in the bottle that you were saving for whatever reason all we save leftover products. Your bathroom attracts clutter, but you can organize it nicely and make your house cozier.
5. Clothes clutter
Clothes clutter is a very common reason for making a house messy easily. Your clothes are bursting out of the closet, and you’ve taken to folding them and keeping them on chairs or the floor.
Clothes declutter solution: Plastic or cloth under the bed bins are a great way to decluttering clothes for the season, freeing up more closet and drawer space for you.
It may be time to get tough and finally get rid of the clothes that you haven’t worn in the past year, things that have holes or stains, or things that have shrunk in the wash. Be brutally honest; no matter how much you love that T-shirt, it has more holes than a slice of Swiss and you will never wear it again.
6. Unorganized furniture clutter
If you have so much furniture that you are bumping your shin into it every time you walk, it’s time to downsize and reorganize. You keep broken furniture and must caution guests “don’t sit on that one.”
Unorganized furniture declutter solution: If you haven’t sat on it, opened it, or polished it in a while, it may not be needed. You can donate it, or place it for sale in your local paper. You can organize your furniture into nooks and conversation corners for cozy reading spaces.
Some of your furniture can be repurposed and find a new life, like a bookshelf for food storage, that old twin bed as a comfortable daybed, or that china cabinet as a spot for knick-knacks or books.
7. Look up
Cobwebs not only collect in the corners of the ceiling, but they can also be found on the ceiling itself as well as on walls. It’s not something we think about in our day to day cleaning, but cobwebs are definitely one of the things making your home messy, not cozy.
The declutter solution: Don’t panic, the inhabitants of those cobwebs have moved on long ago. A damp cloth attached to a broom will make quick work out of those webs. Mark every fourth cleaning day as cobweb day to keep them under control.
8. Fan club clutter
Your ceiling fan collects amazing amounts of dust and fuzzy debris, especially if it is off season and they are not running on a regular basis. If you look up, you will find that the dust actually inches towards the visible side of the fan blade as well. Just like cobwebs, we don’t think about this often.
The declutter solution: Every few months, you will need to clean off the fan blades. Make sure you have a plastic bag on the floor under the fan to catch all the accumulated dust. You can devote a day to cleaning your louver doors and blinds as well. They make special dusters for these somewhat complicated jobs, and they will be well worth the small investment.
9. Dumping sites clutter
From your kitchen counter to your dining room table, you have collections of “stuff.” The problem is, when you need something from the pile, you can never find it.
The declutter solution: Keep decorative baskets by the door for keys, sunglasses, and other small “stuff.” An old vase is a great place to throw your change, and it will really add up quickly. Magazine racks are a great way to organize your mail pile or individual papers. If you don’t have room for all of the storage ideas, hang a shelf for them. Your dining room table will thank you.
10. Improper lighting
Lighting is everything when it comes to making your home cozy. It can hide many faults, or highlight them.
The declutter solution: Avoid overhead lighting if possible. Put dimmer bulbs with lower wattage in your fixtures, and purchase bulbs that specify “warm” light instead of “white” light. A few batteries operated or supervised flame candles will add a layer of coziness to any room in the home. Bright light is too unforgiving if your house is a bit messy or cluttered.
11. Too many mismatched colors or designs
A few intentional mismatches are chic, but if your interior design gives people a headache, it’s time to rethink. A plaid sofa and checked wallpaper, for instance, is just too much visual assault for anyone to bear. There are some decorating mistakes also can make your home looks messy and uncomfortable.
The declutter solution: Get rid of the wallpaper and go with a painted color scheme. Try to keep your accessories within the same color family, with only a few variations from that color scheme. Keep the patterns to a minimum whenever possible, and don’t overwhelm the room with them. If you wouldn’t wear a color mix or different patterns out for a night on the town, you probably don’t need it in your living room, either.
12. Toys clutter
Your child has the best and coolest toys of any kid on the block. Too bad he leaves them everywhere for your visitors to see! Rooms that are covered in wall to wall toys look messy; there is no way around that. If your child has a toy shop in every room, it may be time to get a handle on the problem.
Toys declutter solution: Get a bookshelf and some baskets or shelf organizers for every room that has a toy explosion. The baskets are easy to toss toys into and will look very chic. Laundry baskets and bins are another way to keep that mess under control. The best part of this clean house tips is? Emergency clean-up from an unexpected in-law visit is quick and simple.
13. Too many things
In general, having duplicates of things is going to lead to clutter. For most items, how many do you really need? To make it worse, many of us purchase new things and never get rid of the old or broken things that we can’t use any more. All those things make a home clutter.
The declutter solution: Time to get serious about your things and preparing a checklist for clearing clutter. You don’t need five portable radios or three copies of the same book. No one should need four staplers or eight broken pairs of scissors. Pick the best of your duplicates, and donate or toss the others. At the least, having too many duplicate items is taking up valuable storage space; worst case, the items are piled up and look house messy.
These are just some of the ways to declutter your home and make it feel warm and inviting. If you look around your house, however, you will probably find way more than just these thirteen things making your house messy, not cozy. Look at it from the eye of your visitors, then get busy decluttering and organizing your house.