From Cluttered to Clean

It might have resembled more of a dorm room; a small couch, one lamp, small TV with an old TV/table stand, plain white walls, etc. There was so much empty space you didn’t even know what to do with it! However, over one, maybe two years, did you run into the problem of outgrowing your home? Have your closets become overflowed storage spaces and your rooms cluttered with random items you don’t know what to do with? Here are a few affordable, creative ideas you can use to organize and turn your home into a true masterpiece.

Kitchen

If your cupboards become overstocked, hang a line of hooks on a bare wall and hang your pots and pans up (ask your landlord if it’s ok to hang first). For the big pots, place those on top of the cupboards if possible. This will make it easier to organize your cupboards and also gives the kitchen a decorative look. Most of us typically keep our cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink, along with other necessities. If that space gets cluttered, place a tension rod under the sink and use it to hang your spray bottles. This will make it easier to get to those other items without knocking over all of your cleaning supplies.

Living Room

Do you have an excess amount of pillows and throws lying around the room? If so, purchase some kind of decorative storage furniture, like an ottoman or a storage chest. If you already have a coffee table and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, take a piece of decorative fabric and lay it over the table. The key is having functional furniture that works for you.

Closet Space

If your bedroom or hallway closets are overflowing with a variety of miscellaneous items, take everything out, and create three different piles: Keep, Might Keep and Throw. You will be surprised at how much will go in the waste pile. Normally, we throw things in our closet in the meantime just to get it out of sight. Closets normally have mounted shelves, but if not, ask your landlord if it would be ok to install a row or two (this lets you take advantage of higher spaces, which typically don’t get used). If that is not an option, purchase a floor rack with shelves. Organize the items in your Keep pile and place them into decorative storage bins/baskets. If you don’t want your storage area to be visible, hang a tension rod and use a curtain or a fabric sheet to cover the area.

Is your coat closet jammed full of coats, with an abundance of shoes at the bottom and an unorganized variety of gloves, scarves, hats, etc.? Then here is a great solution to your problem! Purchase a tiered storage stand with slots and decorative baskets that fit the slots (cloth or woven baskets). Use each basket to organize your hats, gloves, scarves and your most commonly worn shoes (insert a plastic liner at the bottom to keep the fabric from getting dirty). Place the stand close to the entryway so it’s easy to get to. Decorate any open slots with picture frames, decorative candles, books or any collectibles. A lamp on top will convert your functional storage to a beautiful furniture masterpiece!

These are only a few creative ideas that will not only help with organization, but will give your home a nice decorative touch, without spending a lot of money.