After the holidays have passed by, you may have found yourself with some new stuff, which then might have thrown off the very delicate organizational plan you already had in place. Clutter is everywhere, but you’re also not looking to toss anything out right at the moment. We get it. So, here are a few solutions to making some space in your living space.
WALLS
We hang pictures and mirrors on the wall, and occasionally some floating shelves, but seriously, think about all that space that goes unused! Now, we’re not saying to throw shelves up everywhere and turn your home into the Museum of Random Curiosities and Knick-Knacks, but we are saying that if you have a wall or some form of a vertical wall-like surface (say, the side of a bookshelf), you have an untapped frontier of storage possibilities: hanging or mounted baskets, caddies, mounted racks. Take a look around your home. If you’re finding your cabinets a little bit cluttered, consider making use of the back of the door, whether it be adding on a basket or rack of some kind, it will sure to be a helpful addition.
COMPARTMENTALIZED DRAWERS
Drawers aren’t just where your third favorite pen or that unused Panera gift card goes to die–it’s where they go to be lost to the abyss of time and space. Or it feels that way every time you open up that “everything” drawer that collects all the random bits and things you’ve accumulated since God knows when. Adding in small organizer baskets to your drawers is a great way to keep the clutter, well, uncluttered. You can have both an everything drawer, and also the ability to find everything. We also recommend labeling each basket to a specific category to prevent smaller pocket abysses from forming.
CORD KEEPER
What clusters together, makes you lose your mind, and totally throws off a room’s flow? It’s the mess of electronics cords, of course! My own eyes twitch seeing the cords for the TV, Blu-ray player, and all the other electronics rolled on top of each other. Thankfully this is a simple fix with a couple of solutions. First, especially for items bigger items, such as a TV, set a command hook on the back of the device and wrap the excess cord on the hook. Or in the case of their being so much cord that it would just go over, or its a device you won’t need to frequently unfurl the cords for, we suggest also bundling the excess length of the cords with zip ties. Between both of these solutions, the back of your entertainment space or computer center of your home office will be a little more spic and span.
IRONING BOARD TABLE
The creaky sound of a metal ironing board can be an irritating noise as you work to get it open. Not to mention that you’re in a little bit of a rush, so after you’ve ironed that wrinkled shirt or pair of pants, the board stubbornly will not fold back into place and you are feeling the precious minute you need wasting away. How about we just don’t deal with the inconvenience of a folding board altogether? Instead, of needing to lug out the ironing board from the back of the closet, or wherever you keep it, try converting a long side table, like this project from The Long Thread. Not only will you have a table ready to use, but the space beneath it will be welcomed storage space for other items.
